THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS: Two-thirds of Obama campaign cash from small donors, huh? Yeah, I believe that

Sunday, July 17, 2011

Two-thirds of Obama campaign cash from small donors, huh? Yeah, I believe that

Isn't this just a bit suspicious? I mean, who are all these people who are so enthusiastic about the another four years of Obama Presidency that they would pull $100 out of their pockets and send it in to his campaign?

From Reuters:

CHICAGO/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Nearly two-thirds of the $86 million cash haul raised by President Barack Obama for his re-election effort in recent months came from small donations of under $200 or less, according to filings released on Friday.

Earlier in the week, Obama released top-line data on his campaign from April to June, breaking a prior fundraising record by former president George W. Bush. The $86 million includes $47 million raised by Obama's campaign itself and $39 million raised by the Democratic National Committee.

The numbers underscore the campaign's promise of targeting small-dollar donations instead of powerful political action committees as the Democratic incumbent seems re-election in 2012.

More than 65 percent of the funds raised by the Democratic incumbent's campaign, Obama for America, were from donations of $200 or less, according to FEC filings.

On average, 61 percent of contributions made to the DNC were less than $200.

So, let's take the lower figure. 61% of $86 million. That's $52,460,000.

Now, if those contributions are, on average, less than $200, then let's say the average contribution is on the high side; $150.

$52,460,000 divided by $150 is 349,733.

So, what they are telling us is about 350,000 people pulled money out of their pockets "in recent months" and sent it in to Obama headquarters, because it is so important to these people that Obama be elected President that they'd rather have that cash go to him than to have it on hand for their families during this recession.

Remember, if these are small donations then they are coming from average people. I think we can safely assume that wealthier people would send in more than $200 bucks if they were really enthused about another four years of Obama, right?

So 350,000 average people feel they need Obama more than they need a week's worth of groceries.

Do you see where I'm going here?

This is a marvel of fundraising? Who knew there was such enthusiasm for Obama out on the streets?

I mean, earlier this week, a poll showed that any Generic Republican Candidate would beat Obama in an election today by 8%.

And yes, somehow, among the 39% of people who would pull the lever for Obama rather than "Anonymous Republican" - (you know, the conservative guy who could be McCain, Dole, and a tranquilizer pill dressed up in a Gray Flannel suit, all rolled into one amorphous glob of boredom) - are 350,000 average Americans who love Obama so much they are willing to buy generic toilet paper for the next six months, and walk around with chaffed and nominally clean assholes, rather than forgo another four years of this grand Obama Administration.

That is enthusiasm, folks. That is burning white hot love for Obama. That is "unprecedented".

This is the kind of fundraising success that happens after tsunamis, hurricanes and earthquakes level entire cities and hundreds of thousands of people are killed, maimed, or lose their homes.

This is the kind of fundraising success that only happens when average Americans are moved to tears by the plight of others who clearly have it far, far worse than they do, as they sit in front of the TVs devastated by the images of wrecked humanity.

So, I guess we can assume that the TV news is doing it's job every night as it reports the devastated, wrecked lives of the millions of unemployed Americans, whose 99 weeks of welfare are now running out by the tens of thousands, who are now on the verge of losing their homes, who are now of standing in bread lines at the local Church or Charity, in order to put food in the mouths of their children.

Surely, such success in fundraising must have been inspired by such a deep groundswell of emotion, right?

If not, then where did it come from?

UPDATE - By way of comparison, here are figures I have come up with for various relief efforts in past years. And, remember, these numbers include corporate donations and other large out-of-pocket big donors, not simply the donations of average Americans.