For the Dollar, By the Dollar, of the Dollar - we shall flag 'freek' to freedumb
"..this process has become to a great extent about money, Mr. Vilsack said, lamenting the fact that today’s presidential campaigns are “simply about a money primary.”
'08 Campaign Cash Race Claims First Casualty
With Nominees Expected to Spend $500 Million Apiece, Ex-Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack Likely Won't Be Last to Bow Out for Lack of Funds
ABC By JOHN HENDREN
Feb. 24, 2007 — - Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack's early exodus
from the 2008 presidential race is likely the first of many instances of candidates leaving the campaign trail after discovering they lack the funds to compete in what promises to be the most expensive campaign in presidential history, analysts say.
Vilsack, who bowed out Friday, had a key home state and a popular anti-war message. The Democrat drew hearty applause when he told Jay Leno on an appearance on "The Tonight Show" that if elected, "We're going to bring our troops home."
"The reality, however, is that this process has become, to a great extent, about money -- a lot of money," Vilsack said in announcing his withdrawal from the race. "So it is money, and only money, that is the reason that we are leaving today."
He raised more than $1 million last year. But Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., raised $1.5 million in a single day in Hollywood last week and former Republican Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney brought in $6.5 million in one day last month.
"Money's first and foremost, and the name of the game," said Stuart Rothenberg of The Rothenberg Political Report.
In 1952, the last time there was no incumbent in the race, Dwight Eisenhower won after spending $6.6 million in the general election. Political analysts estimate that by the time it's over this time, the Republican and Democratic nominees will have spent $500 million a piece.
"We're really entering a perfect storm in terms of presidential fundraising that is setting the stage for the most money raised and spent in American history," Commissioner Michael Toner of the Federal Election Commission told ABC News.
With outside spending from political parties, labor unions and special interest groups, Rothenberg and others expect the 2008 race for the White House to cost $2 billion to $3 billion dollars.
It remains largely a mystery how much candidates have raised this year. They don't have to disclose those amounts until the first campaign finance report is due on April 15.
But the big spenders are likely to include Democrats Obama, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina and Republicans Romney, Sen. John McCain of Arizona and former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.
"We have to have a real debate about public financing and the ability to enable the primary and the caucus process to be about ideas," Vilsack said, "not simply about a money primary."
Vilsack will likely not be the last of the lesser-known candidates to drop out early -- squeezed out by big-name fundraisers.
"They're like these large planets that have already blotted out the sun for those second- and third-tier candidates who are hoping to get enough light to take off," Rothenberg said.
In the 2000 primary election, then-Gov. George Bush of Texas spent a record $100 million, refusing public funding. This time, analysts say candidates who fail to raise that amount by the end of 2007 will likely lose credibility among primary voters.
Analysts say it is likely that none of the leading candidates will accept public funding because of the spending limits that come with it. If the two nominees both eschewed public funding, it would be the first time since 1972 that a general election was held using entirely private funding.
With Nominees Expected to Spend $500 Million Apiece, Ex-Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack Likely Won't Be Last to Bow Out for Lack of Funds
ABC By JOHN HENDREN
Feb. 24, 2007 — - Former Iowa Gov. Tom Vilsack's early exodus
from the 2008 presidential race is likely the first of many instances of candidates leaving the campaign trail after discovering they lack the funds to compete in what promises to be the most expensive campaign in presidential history, analysts say.Vilsack, who bowed out Friday, had a key home state and a popular anti-war message. The Democrat drew hearty applause when he told Jay Leno on an appearance on "The Tonight Show" that if elected, "We're going to bring our troops home."
"The reality, however, is that this process has become, to a great extent, about money -- a lot of money," Vilsack said in announcing his withdrawal from the race. "So it is money, and only money, that is the reason that we are leaving today."
He raised more than $1 million last year. But Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., raised $1.5 million in a single day in Hollywood last week and former Republican Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney brought in $6.5 million in one day last month.
"Money's first and foremost, and the name of the game," said Stuart Rothenberg of The Rothenberg Political Report.
In 1952, the last time there was no incumbent in the race, Dwight Eisenhower won after spending $6.6 million in the general election. Political analysts estimate that by the time it's over this time, the Republican and Democratic nominees will have spent $500 million a piece.
"We're really entering a perfect storm in terms of presidential fundraising that is setting the stage for the most money raised and spent in American history," Commissioner Michael Toner of the Federal Election Commission told ABC News.
With outside spending from political parties, labor unions and special interest groups, Rothenberg and others expect the 2008 race for the White House to cost $2 billion to $3 billion dollars.
It remains largely a mystery how much candidates have raised this year. They don't have to disclose those amounts until the first campaign finance report is due on April 15.
But the big spenders are likely to include Democrats Obama, Sen. Hillary Clinton of New York, former Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina and Republicans Romney, Sen. John McCain of Arizona and former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani.
"We have to have a real debate about public financing and the ability to enable the primary and the caucus process to be about ideas," Vilsack said, "not simply about a money primary."
Vilsack will likely not be the last of the lesser-known candidates to drop out early -- squeezed out by big-name fundraisers.
"They're like these large planets that have already blotted out the sun for those second- and third-tier candidates who are hoping to get enough light to take off," Rothenberg said.
In the 2000 primary election, then-Gov. George Bush of Texas spent a record $100 million, refusing public funding. This time, analysts say candidates who fail to raise that amount by the end of 2007 will likely lose credibility among primary voters.
Analysts say it is likely that none of the leading candidates will accept public funding because of the spending limits that come with it. If the two nominees both eschewed public funding, it would be the first time since 1972 that a general election was held using entirely private funding.
NYT February 23, 2007
Vilsack Withdraws From Presidential Race
By JEFF ZELENY
WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 — Former Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa withdrew from the Democratic presidential race today, saying the crowded field had made it impossible for him to raise enough money to wage a competitive national campaign.
“I came up against something for the first time in my life that hard work and effort couldn’t overcome,” Mr. Vilsack said, speaking at a news conference in Des Moines. “I just couldn’t work harder, couldn’t give it enough.”
Mr. Vilsack became the first Democratic candidate to enter the race, opening his campaign on Nov. 30 as the not-from-Washington candidate who pledged to renew a forgotten sense of community across America. He also became one of the most outspoken critics of the Iraq war and called for an immediate withdrawal of United States troops.
But Mr. Vilsack, 56, conceded he was unable to compete in a contest where the ability to raise money trumps all. In recent weeks, officials said, his campaign has been unable to meet payroll, with some aides taking pay cuts and others being turned away for jobs.
“The reality is that this process has become to a great extent about money — a lot of money,” Mr. Vilsack said, lamenting the fact that today’s presidential campaigns are “simply about a money primary.”
Yet Mr. Vilsack also faced another burden: persuading voters in his own state to take his candidacy seriously. Voters in Iowa are scheduled to kick off the presidential nominating season next January, and the steady parade of rivals in his own backyard complicated his efforts.
When asked whether he intended to endorse one of his rivals, he said: “Today is not a day to think of endorsements or other candidates.”
While Mr. Vilsack reported raising $1.1 million from Nov. 9 to Jan. 31, according to campaign finance reports, he had spent all but $396,000. After Senator Barack Obama of Illinois and Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York entered the race in late January, his advisers said, he struggled to persuade contributors to help finance his campaign.
Still, Mr. Vilsack’s decision to drop out startled many of his Iowa admirers. Only two days ago, he appeared with other Democratic candidates at a forum in Nevada, and he was scheduled to attend a campaign rally tonight in Iowa.
Early today, he made a series of calls to party officials and supporters, saying his campaign was spending more money than it was taking in. In the news conference today in Des Moines, he criticized the intense focus that is placed upon raising money, saying that ideas and innovations get overshadowed.
“It is money and only money that is the reason we are leaving today,” said Mr. Vilsack.
Vilsack Withdraws From Presidential Race
By JEFF ZELENY
WASHINGTON, Feb. 23 — Former Gov. Tom Vilsack of Iowa withdrew from the Democratic presidential race today, saying the crowded field had made it impossible for him to raise enough money to wage a competitive national campaign.
“I came up against something for the first time in my life that hard work and effort couldn’t overcome,” Mr. Vilsack said, speaking at a news conference in Des Moines. “I just couldn’t work harder, couldn’t give it enough.”
Mr. Vilsack became the first Democratic candidate to enter the race, opening his campaign on Nov. 30 as the not-from-Washington candidate who pledged to renew a forgotten sense of community across America. He also became one of the most outspoken critics of the Iraq war and called for an immediate withdrawal of United States troops.
But Mr. Vilsack, 56, conceded he was unable to compete in a contest where the ability to raise money trumps all. In recent weeks, officials said, his campaign has been unable to meet payroll, with some aides taking pay cuts and others being turned away for jobs.
“The reality is that this process has become to a great extent about money — a lot of money,” Mr. Vilsack said, lamenting the fact that today’s presidential campaigns are “simply about a money primary.”
Yet Mr. Vilsack also faced another burden: persuading voters in his own state to take his candidacy seriously. Voters in Iowa are scheduled to kick off the presidential nominating season next January, and the steady parade of rivals in his own backyard complicated his efforts.
When asked whether he intended to endorse one of his rivals, he said: “Today is not a day to think of endorsements or other candidates.”
While Mr. Vilsack reported raising $1.1 million from Nov. 9 to Jan. 31, according to campaign finance reports, he had spent all but $396,000. After Senator Barack Obama of Illinois and Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York entered the race in late January, his advisers said, he struggled to persuade contributors to help finance his campaign.
Still, Mr. Vilsack’s decision to drop out startled many of his Iowa admirers. Only two days ago, he appeared with other Democratic candidates at a forum in Nevada, and he was scheduled to attend a campaign rally tonight in Iowa.
Early today, he made a series of calls to party officials and supporters, saying his campaign was spending more money than it was taking in. In the news conference today in Des Moines, he criticized the intense focus that is placed upon raising money, saying that ideas and innovations get overshadowed.
“It is money and only money that is the reason we are leaving today,” said Mr. Vilsack.
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