$11 million of which is her personal debt. Ouch. And how long has it been since she threw in the towel? Doesn't look good for her. So solly.

www.iht.com/articles/2008/07/09/america/dems.php?page=1

Obama supporters resist clearing Clinton campaign debt
By Patrick Healy
Wednesday, July 9, 2008

A prominent donor to Senator Barack Obama recently sent an e-mail plea to other supporters, asking them - for the sake of Democratic unity - to write checks to Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to help retire her $23 million in campaign debt.

Some of the replies are unprintable, given the coarse language, the donor said. A sampling of others included:

"Why would I help pay off debts that Hillary amassed simply to keep damaging Sen. Obama?"

"Gas prices are up, the markets are in turmoil, my kid's fall tuition bill is coming soon. Writing checks to politicians I don't like is not at the top of my list."

"Not a penny for that woman. Or her husband. Or - god forbid - Mark Penn," a reference to Clinton's former senior strategist, whose firm is still owed several million dollars for work that included attacks on Obama.

As Obama and Clinton prepare for their first joint fund-raisers to benefit the Obama campaign, in New York City on Wednesday and Thursday, their two camps are straining under the weight of continued resentments, recriminations and feelings that remain raw since the long primary battle.

Obama has asked his top donors to help raise money for her debt, and so far they have come up with less than $100,000 (though more in pledges), Clinton campaign officials said - a "paltry sum," in the words of one.

Several Obama donors said in interviews that they were balking at Obama's call for help because they believed Clinton accumulated most of her debts after she had lost any mathematical chance of winning the nomination and was hanging on only in hopes of an Obama collapse. The idea of helping her now - and lining the pockets of Penn, a reviled figure in the Obama camp - is galling to them, they said, especially at a time when they say any available money should go to defeating Senator John McCain and the Republicans in November.

While no other presidential candidate has ever amassed so much personal and campaign debt en route to losing the nomination as has Clinton, both Clinton and Obama donors say the larger problem for Democrats is that if the Obama camp is seen as unhelpful, Clinton, her husband and their supporters could prove something less than a force for unity.

Among the complaints from Obama campaign officials is that Clinton's expectation for help has been a moving target; in other words, it is unclear how much money from Obama supporters will satisfy the Clintons. Even Clinton officials and donors were at a loss to specify a number, saying only that Clinton was helping Obama with the understanding that he would do more for her.

"There is no lack of emotion among some supporters of both candidates, but what I think the sensible elements of good will are trying to achieve is debt relief for Hillary consistent with getting Barack elected president," said Steven Rattner, a New York investment banker and leading fund-raiser for Clinton, who is working with both camps to help Clinton retire her debt.

The bitterness in the Clinton camp about the primary battle is well known, but several Clinton donors and campaign officials said a deeper issue remained unsettled: The belief - or, perhaps, the perception - that Obama and his aides are half-hearted in their efforts to help Clinton and include her top donors on his leadership team.

Some of them griped that major Clinton donors were not being invited to crucial fund-raising meetings; were not being made to feel that they would receive credit for helping Obama win in November; and were not being given titles within the Obama campaign. An Obama aide said it was still early in the integration process of the two campaigns; he also added that the Obama operation was not as title-driven as the Clinton operation, which had various donors serving as "chairs," "co-chairs" and "Hillraisers." I WANT MA TITLES, BARACK

Clinton donors and campaign officials say they remain surprised - and, in some cases, offended - that Obama has refused to ask his entire list of donors, more than 1.5 million people, to send $5, $10 or more to chip away at Clinton's debt. (Obama officials said they did not want to distract their donors for the main task at hand, raising money to defeat McCain.)

"The Obama effort hasn't yielded much, but we hope it will increase," said Alan Patricof, a top Clinton fundraiser and family friend.

"I think most people - I can't say everyone - thinks that helping Barack is the best way to get help from the Obama camp to help retire her debt, which is a major source of concern for her right now," Patricof added.

Clinton owes about $12 million to consultants and vendors, like Penn; she also lent her campaign more than $11 million. That $11 million is listed as a debt, though Clinton has told her fundraisers that she does not expect them or the Obama camp to repay her.

Clinton campaign officials estimated that the millions owed to Penn and his team was by far the largest part of Clinton's debt, though they emphasized that the money was going not only for Penn's time but also for the services provided by his colleagues and his polling and strategy firm. Clinton officials said they could not provide a breakdown of those amounts.

"We're focused on the vendor debts, especially the Kinko's, the truck drivers and the small-business folks who helped us along the way," said Jonathan Mantz, the Clinton campaign's finance director.

A crucial test will come at the fundraisers in New York this week, both sides said. Obama is expected to ask supporters there to help Clinton, and Clinton donors said they were hoping for a great deal more money to come in from people heeding his call.

The New York events are on behalf of the Obama campaign, his aides said; Clinton will not receive a cut of the take, but rather, in theory, benefit afterward from Obama donors who decide to help her.

Both Obama and his wife have already written checks for $2,300, the maximum individual donation, to Clinton.

Good then the Clintons will sabotage Obama's campaign

If I were the Clintons I would screw him over good

Frankly,  if she'd get back in the race,  I'd send a contribution.


Simply because a divided democratic race makes life good for McCain.



And I'd much rather have Hillary as President than Obama.   She's no angel but she looks like one when compared to that red prick.


CJ

ha

Quoted: Good then the Clintons will sabotage Obama's campaign

They'll be too busy with bankruptcy paperwork.

Quoted: And I'd much rather have Hillary as President than Obama.   She's no angel but she looks like one when compared to that red prick.

She may be a commie, but she's OUR commie!

I concur.

these are the same dumbasses who want to run this country

That was the price Obama had to pay to keep her from doing her best to undermine his nomination at the Dem convention.  I really believe that she'll still do her best to take the nomination away, specially now that he won't pay her extortion money.

Quoted: That was the price Obama had to pay to keep her from doing her best to undermine his nomination at the Dem convention.  I really believe that she'll still do her best to take the nomination away, specially now that he won't pay her extortion money.

Totally agree

I can't believe that after all the lies and deceit and dead Vince Foster's, Hilliary's campaign was derailed by a vast left wing conspiracy.

watch the democrats fling fecees at each other like a bunch of monkeys at the zoo...not far from the truth either

Nice unCivil War!

One word:  Telethon

Quoted: One word:  Telethon

Quoted: One word:  Telethon

That's a lot of silent phones.

Quoted: I think I will call and make pledges from lots of folks who don't exist. Then the Clinton Campaign will waste money sending these folks mail and calling them, make them mad, and not collect a dime on it.... Nothing like kicking a bunch of socialists when they are down...

Like rubbing salt into their wounds and pissing in it.

They eat their own.

Quoted: Quoted: One word:  Telethon

If only it was true, think of the fun we could have calling in huge fake donations
while it was going on .......and posting here live at the same time.

Osama Bin Laden wants to donate a couple mil......

205 reads, and no troll has complained about the way I stated B. Hussein O's name? Sweet.

Come on...cant she run as an independent?

Quoted: 205 reads, and no troll has complained about the way I stated B. Hussein O's name? Sweet.

I would hope to think they wouldn't, now that the younger lib a-holes feel like taking up his middle name "we are all Hussein" bullshit.

So that should mean its fine for us to say... Barry Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Hussein Obongo!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Quoted: 205 reads, and no troll has complained about the way I stated B. Hussein O's name? Sweet.

I just noticed that.



Damn you ... He's not a Muslim anymore ...he gave that up a year ago.

Quoted: Good then the Clintons will sabotage Obama's campaign If I were the Clintons I would screw him over good

Already in the work.  Last week there was an article in LA Times about BO's economic plan and how it doesn't add up.  It quoted heavily from a former Clinton adviser.

Post for posterity:

Hillary is not out of it yet.

Quoted: Post for posterity: Hillary is not out of it yet.

Yep.

She never officially conceded, and the Clintons have a history of using backroom politics to turn defeat into victory.

It's no wonder that Obama's supporters are reluctant to give money to someone who might still (1.) wrestle the nomination away from Obama at the DNC, or (2.) sabotage his campaign for the sake of a 2012 run.

I'm waiting for the clintons to release a vid of BHO snorting coke off the breasts of some prostitute a week before the convention.......

you know her private army of investigators are hard at work!

Why the hell does she think she's entitled to ANY money?

People who like B.O. refuse to help Clinton?

That Stinks!

lol

I think the only 2 people surprised are Barack and Hillary.

Quoted: Why the hell does she think she's entitled to ANY money?

 The same reason people apply for foodstamps and welfare.  They don't want to use their own money, but would rather some one else have to pay.

he also added that the Obama operation was not as title-driven as the Clinton operation, which had various donors serving as "chairs," "co-chairs" and "Hillraisers."

 Peak Titles?

F~  THEM   I mean BOTH