The Daily Background

Update: Clinton’s campaign has now raised about $6.4M post Super Tuesday, an Obama is closing in on $8M (though the latter number includes about 320K raised by MoveOn.org on Obama’s behalf).

Also of note, Clinton’s staffers have opted to not go without pay after all, contrary to earlier reports.

===ORIGINAL REPORT FOLLOWS===

After Super Tuesday, the Clinton campaign asked their online donors for $3M and got 4.

After Super Tuesday, the Obama campaign asked their online donors for $5M and got 7.5.

In a race this tight, money matters.

It’s used for building local GOTV organization in upcoming states, making television, radio, internet and direct mail ad buys, air transportation for the candidate and staff, the renting of large venues for events, audio and video and computer equipment, rent for campaign offices, hotel bills, lawn signs, hand signs, banners, car truck and bus rentals, hosting further fundraising events, website costs, and of course paying legal teams, strategists, media teams, and pollsters.

Clinton owed her pollster Mark Penn $4 million after disappointing third place finish in Iowa.

Multiple reports have confirmed the news that not only is Hillary Clinton resorting to self-financing (she loaned $5M to her campaign in January and is considering donating more), her top campaign staffers are not getting paid.

After rumors that the campaign was at least partially self-funding arose early Wednesday, Clinton herself confirmed them in the PM. However word soon spread that many of the campaign’s senior staff have “voluntarily chosen to work without pay this month” in “a show of solidarity with Hillary Clinton.”

Previously Rudy Giuliani’s cash strapped campaign was forced to stop compensating their top strategists. Mike Huckabee’s staffers have also been asked to skip paychecks. Rumors circulated earlier in the campaign that some of McCain’s normally-paid professional staff were volunteering their time as well.

Among the staffers who won’t be getting paychecks is campaign manager Patti Solis Doyle. It is unclear how many others won’t be getting paid.

Solis Doyle sent out an email Thursday trumpeting the Clinton campaign’s online fundraising since February 5th. “You exceeded our $3 million goal in less than 24 hours. In fact, we’ve already hit FOUR MILLION DOLLARS! Incredible!”

“I’m simply awed to see everyone stepping up for Hillary,” Solis Doyle continued. “Now it’s time to build our resources back up for what we know will be a long and hard-fought contest.”

The email represents a change in tune from Clinton’s campaign manager.

As recently as Saturday, Solis Doyle herself sent out an email to supporters claiming that the weekend before Super Tuesday would be a “critical final weekend.” Previously, one of Clinton’s spokesmen was caught in a lie about how long the campaign expected the race to last.

Tim Tagaris, former internet director for Ned Lamont and Chris Dodd, makes an interesting note about Clinton mentioning her campaign’s URL in public:

As an internet director, there is one reason candidates drop the URL on television, and it’s not because they care if people navigate through the tubes to learn more about your positions on the issues.

It’s money. And sign-ups, which equal money.

Believe me, getting a candidate to drop the URL is difficult thing to do. They hate it, they feel stupid doing it, and they think it’s demeans the campaign. This has been my near universal experience with any candidate I’ve worked for.

So after hearing it again, I started doing the math … 32 > 12 in January. Massive spending in Iowa, NH, and a yesterday’s national primary. How much money can she possibly have left over? My guess is not much.

Filed under: Z-TDB Blog