Pay Up or Risk Long Battle, Obama Told

[babylonsister]

Pay Up or Risk Long Battle, Obama Told
By Ewen MacAskill


Barack Obama has been warned that his refusal to pay the traditional “street money” to local operatives to help get the vote out in Philadelphia today could cost him the crucial percentage points needed to knock Hillary Clinton out of the race for the White House.


In many of the city’s poorer wards, the recipients look forward to these bonuses from Democratic officials - a hangover from the days of the party’s old-fashioned machine politics - even though the amounts are relatively small, ranging from $50 to $400.

But as in other contests, Obama is relying on his own army of unpaid volunteers to get the vote out. The Clinton team, meanwhile, is not saying whether it will pay out “street money”.

There are 69 wards in Philadelphia and estimates suggest it would cost Obama $400,000-$500,000 to pay the 14,000 people normally required to help get the vote out.

Carol Ann Campbell, an integral part of the city machine, said she expected Obama to win the city, but his failure to pay could cost him the crucial margin needed to force Clinton out of the race for the presidential nomination.

more...

http://www.commondreams.org/archive/2008/04/22/8444/

[islandmkl]

1. principles........

Barack has weathered it all pretty successfully, so far...

[Growler]

2. Obama is doing the correct thing

This archaic style of politics is exactly what Barack is campaigning against! If he "won" this way, he would have lost the true race.

[Preston120]

3. Why should anyone pay Extortion.

Friends you have to buy are not worth the asking price.

[ima_sinnic]

4. oh, hillary has money to pay people to vote for her?

:rofl:

[babylonsister]

6. Democracy in action...or something. nt

[MADem]

5. No local talent?

Obama’s team on the ground is being supplemented by thousands of young supporters who have travelled from Washington, New York and other neighbouring conurbations, watched warily by the locals, some of them resentful about being denied the “street money”.