Nice Salon.com headline on Clark

[jumptheshadow]

The story isn't new but the headline is refreshing:

"Clark tops federal matching funds list"

~ snip ~

Jan. 1, 2004 | WASHINGTON -- Although he's been in the race only a few months, Wesley Clark will get the largest amount of federal matching funds of any of the presidential candidates.

~ snip ~

Clark, the retired Army general from Arkansas who entered the race in September and months after his rivals, will get $3.7 million, followed by $3.6 million for Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman, $3.4 million for North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and $3.1 million for Missouri Rep. Dick Gephardt. Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich will get $736,000 and perennial presidential candidate Lyndon LaRouche will get $839,000.

http://www.salon.com/news/wire/2004/01/01/matching_funds/index.html

I'll tell you, media acknowledgement of Clark's progress is like manna from heaven.

[BobbyJay]

1. How is Clark going to match Bush in a General Election?

Won't he be strapped under this system?

[billbuckhead]

2. None of our candidates will be able to match Bush

But if we a have an attractive well positioned candidate it won't matter. An unattractive bumbling elitist candidate like Dean couldn't win if he had more money than Bush. There isn't that much Kool-aid.

[BeyondGeography]

16. Right on, BillyBucks

Clark's resume alone is worth $50 million, what do you think?

[gulliver]

20. Clark is priceless, IMO.

Bush is a sow's ear, and that $200 million will only go so far in making him into a silk purse.

Clark is the real deal.

[xray s]

3. that is an interesting question

it presumes the only way to communicate in the general election is through paid advertising. Perhaps Clark could counter Bush's advantage in the paid ad game by appearing on every political and news show he can to get free air time. Bush doesn't make himself available. Maybe Clark spends more on radio and newsprint ads and less on expensive tv ads.

[giantrobot_2000]

4. ...

Grassroots and tons of volunteers are far more powerful than money, too.

Don't worry about the cash. Democrats have a big edge on the Republicans as far as 527 groups go. We'll have the money to counter the ads.

[wndycty]

5. In the General Election both parties use federal funds

Not their own. That is one of the reasons the Republicans are having their convention so late (in addition to exploiting 9/11) so that Bush can use his unrestricted funds as long as possible. Once he is the nominee he is using federal funds.

[BobbyJay]

7. This is interesting, so Bush's 200 million can only be used

up to a certain point?

Why would he raise so much money if he can only use it until Sept or whatever?

Explain how it works.

[wndycty]

8. Because basically he can run ads all the way up until the convention. . .

. . .the Dem nominee will most likely be in place by March or April but it won't be official until the convention. So they will be running ads all the way through to the convention. Since the Republican convention is not held until the first week of Sept. Bush will have more time to spend his $200 million.

[jumptheshadow]

9. They're going to start intensive ad campaigns

They are waiting until a clearcut Democratic candidate emerges then they are ramping up an intensive advertising campaign. If Dean clinches in the next few weeks they'll focus on him starting in February or March. If there are two or three candidates they might have to use more of a buckshot approach and spread the dollars out. They are going to try to nuke our nominee right out of contention.

[BobbyJay]

10. SHIT

We gotta do sumthin


Cant let this shit go down

[jumptheshadow]

25. This is an interesting strategy question

If you look at this objectively, there can be two schools of thought:

1) The first opinion would be that you nominate someone early, unite the party behind him, and work and contribute intensely to combat Bush. This is probably why Gore endorsed early. The Dean supporters are arguing for this strategy by asking us to rally behind their candidate, join with them and swarm the country with volunteers. There are three weaknesses here: A) The Republicans have one target to blast at, B) If you select a vulnerable guy and he's nuked by June then you're toast, and C) Other Democrats have to genuinely like the guy enough to withdraw their support from their first choice and concede the primaries.

2) The second line of thinking says that you should narrow the field down to two or three candidates who are moving targets. That way, if anybody is mortally wounded in the media war during the next few months, you have somebody else to pick up the mantle. You also have two or three people on the airwaves, with different styles and natural constituencies, blasting black at Bush. You dilute the opponent's resources (although the Republicans have megabucks and have been planning, strategizing and digging up dirt for quite a while). The weakness with this strategy is that for several months you won't have a unified Democratic army of people, unions and organizations working for your candidate.

[wndycty]

12. Here is a link

-snip-
The Republican ticket might also benefit from a unique dynamic produced by federal election law.

It's accepted by Democrats that President Bush may benefit from the changes to the law most likely to survive court challenges.

Already a record-setting hard money fund raiser, he'd be able to collect $2,000 (instead of $1,000) from every person who supported him in 2000, potentially padding his campaign account with more than $175 million for the primary cycle alone.

Bush is expected to once again, as he did in 2000, refuse federal match funds in 2004, and with no major nomination opposition expected, he'd have a tremendous amount of money to spend wherever he wanted, with no state-by-state limits that shackle those candidates who accept matching funds.

Chuck Todd, editor in chief of the Hotline , a daily political digest, has noted that a later convention would allow the president to spend his money in concentrated increments until he was nominated. Bush could then announce his intention to accept federal money for the general election campaign. According to figures adjusted for inflation, the Democratic and Republican nominee will receive anywhere between $70 million and $73 million for the final few months of the election.

According to statute, they can spend the money the moment they're nominated, but they can't transfer any money leftover from their primary account.

The likely Democratic candidate, taxed by a competitive primary, would begin to spend his $73 million grant much earlier — when he was nominated on July 22 or 23.

Bush would get to spend the same amount, but since he'd be nominated much later, he'd have comparatively more to spend pro-rated over time.
-snip-

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/DailyNews/Conventions_020510.html

[Moderator]

26. wndycty

Per DU copyright rules
please post only 4
paragraphs from the
news source.

Thank you.


DU Moderator

[jumptheshadow]

6. Good question, I'm not sure

Do the limits apply during the GE? Hopefully somebody who is more knowledgable than I will answer.

Won't there be many groups and organizations doing their own anti-Bush commercials? I think there are a lot of national and grassroots organizations that are just itching to take a swing at his terrible policies.

[Clark4VotingRights]

24. If Bush bucks are the yardstick, then no one will measure up

He has all the oily corporate money in the world.

So there's no point in using a yardstick that no Dem can match.
But Clark has shown very strong fund raising ability.
The money he's raised in three months is nothing less than dazzling.

[Kat45]

11. Is that a typo, or is LaRouche getting more than Kucinich?

That is fucked!

[Ksec]

13. I like the way things look

I believe theyre setting up nicely for Gen Clark. And as far as money when the general election starts the money will be pouring in for the General with a energized Democtatic party that REALLY want this disgrace in the White house out.

[Ksec]

14. maybe I should have read this thread better

So contributions stop when the GE starts? Sorry so thick

[wndycty]

15. Actually you can refuse the federal funds but. . .

Why would you turn down $73 million, especially when you can blow your entire load before the convention?

[BobbyJay]

17. nevermind

[wndycty]

18. No. . .the federal funds you get for the General Election are $73 million

-snip-
Chuck Todd, editor in chief of the Hotline , a daily political digest, has noted that a later convention would allow the president to spend his money in concentrated increments until he was nominated. Bush could then announce his intention to accept federal money for the general election campaign. According to figures adjusted for inflation, the Democratic and Republican nominee will receive anywhere between $70 million and $73 million for the final few months of the election.
-snip-

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/politics/DailyNews/Conventions_020510.html

[BobbyJay]

19. I guess the real question is: how badly would Clark be outspent

Feb through Sept?


I like the idea of Clark appearing on EVERY SINGLE NEWS SHOW POSSIBLE.

Also OPRAH, THE TONIGHT SHOW, DAVID LETTERMAN and SURVIVOR.

[Leilani]

21. He will be doing that

SUNDAY: Meet the Press 8:30 AM Eastern

MONDAY: HARDBALL 7:00 PM Eastern

[BobbyJay]

22. I wanna see a 3-part series on Oprah around September

for whoever the nominee is.

[wndycty]

23. Kick

:kick: