Obama brings in $31.9 million in April; McCain raises $18 million...

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., hauled in $31.9 million in April (including $600,000 for the general election) to continue his battle for the Democratic nomination against Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. Two hundred thousand new donors joined Obama's effort last month.

...

The clicks come in small waves: 94% of the contributions to Obama's effort were under $200, 93% of contributions were $100 or less, 77% were $50 or less, and 52% were $25 or less.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/20...ews-exclus.html

Senator John McCain raised approximately $18 million during the month of April, according to a spokeswoman for his campaign.

That is the most that McCain has raised in any month of the campaign so far.

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalradar/20...n-has-reco.html

[one...two...tree 2,762]

...but, but....

McAuliffe: Upgrading April, ‘not insulted' by $20 million figure

Terry McAuliffe said Monday that April was Hillary Clinton’s third best fundraising month.

He’s since revised that upwards, pegging it as her second best month.

“It’s not like me to understate, so I apologize,” McAuliffe told a gaggle of print reporters waiting for Kentucky results at the campaign’s election night headquarters in Louisville.

He wouldn’t put a dollar figure on the month’s total, which the campaign is required to report to the Federal Election Commission before midnight.

“But I was asked by (NBC’s) Norah O’Donnell yesterday if we broke $10 (million) and I was somewhat insulted,” he said.

Did you break $20 million, Politico asked.

McAuliffe arched his eyebrows and shrugged. “I’m not as insulted,” he said.

http://www.politico.com/blogs/bensmith/050...ion_figure.html

.....

That's straight talkin for ya.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

Haha... what a time to play coy.

[dalegg 143]

Obama outspent Hillary up to 4 to 1 in some states and still lost, so apparantly McCain has twice as much as he needs.

[Peikko 1,575]

I still don't understand his overwhelming popularity, in fact, I understand it less now than I did before. He has done nothing of note in politics and yet he appeals to some fundamental desire in people for 'change' irrespective of what 'change' might actually translate to in reality. Interestingly, Barack's version of 'change' remains largely a mystery even though it is the cornerstone of his platform.

I am also worried that his life experience gives him a false impression of world politics and international relations and that his bubble of self confidence precludes him from getting to grips with reality in that sphere which could prove rather costly to the US. Granted, no president is an island, no matter what we are led to believe, and some of his more 'airy fairy' ideas on international politics will be smartly rejected in favour of a more pragmatic approach, none the less it's somewhat surprising to me that so many people cheer on these unworkable notions as some wonderful new political dynamic that we should all enthusiastically embrace.

McCain may be old, he may not have a sparkly personality and he may be teetering on the threshold of embracing some of the more unpleasantl right wing policies of the Republican party, but he does have a better grip of the reality of what is required of the US in Iraq and what is required to bring it to some form of conclusion to that situation than what we have heard from the Democratic side of the fence - I may very firmly reject the ideals that brought about the war in that region, the excuses that were put forward to go to war, but I most certainly do not believe that the right course now is a rapid troop withdrawl and the implementation of 'diplomatic measures' in their stead.

Iraq is in a state of desperate fragility as a democratic nation and requires enourmous bolstering to withstand the onslaught of extremist terrorists who have filled the vacum left by the overthrow of a powerful despotic leader. It's sheer fantasty to expect Iraq to 'fend for itself' as if the presence of the US military is somehow suppressing the Iraqi goverment's ability to manage its own affairs. I am not sure how many people are motivated by foreign policy when electing a president, but on that issue McCain certainly has his feet more firmly planted in reality.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I still don't understand his overwhelming popularity, in fact, I understand it less now than I did before. He has done nothing of note in politics and yet he appeals to some fundamental desire in people for 'change' irrespective of what 'change' might actually translate to in reality. Interestingly, Barack's version of 'change' remains largely a mystery even though it is the cornerstone of his platform.

May I ask, PH, just what have you watched or read regarding both candidates? What is your major source for election news coverage? Have you listened to both candidates making speeches in their entirety? Have you watched any of the debates? I'm asking because your question is as ironically ambiguous as you convey Obama's views and ideas about what he intends to do if he is elected President, as has Hillary...and even more ironic...the two are not that far apart in terms of those ideas.

[Pinocchio Liberal 268]

I still don't understand his overwhelming popularity, in fact, I understand it less now than I did before. He has done nothing of note in politics and yet he appeals to some fundamental desire in people for 'change' irrespective of what 'change' might actually translate to in reality. Interestingly, Barack's version of 'change' remains largely a mystery even though it is the cornerstone of his platform.

May I ask, PH, just what have you watched or read regarding both candidates? What is your major source for election news coverage? Have you listened to both candidates making speeches in their entirety? Have you watched any of the debates? I'm asking because your question is as ironically ambiguous as you convey Obama's views and ideas about what he intends to do if he is elected President, as has Hillary...and even more ironic...the two are not that far apart in terms of those ideas.

Yeah I have, and if your buyin promises that in no way can be kept,then I dont know what to say. Dems really dont care about any of that except that they get someone they root for in the white house. Its very sad to watch really.

[one...two...tree 2,762]

I still don't understand his overwhelming popularity, in fact, I understand it less now than I did before. He has done nothing of note in politics and yet he appeals to some fundamental desire in people for 'change' irrespective of what 'change' might actually translate to in reality. Interestingly, Barack's version of 'change' remains largely a mystery even though it is the cornerstone of his platform.

May I ask, PH, just what have you watched or read regarding both candidates? What is your major source for election news coverage? Have you listened to both candidates making speeches in their entirety? Have you watched any of the debates? I'm asking because your question is as ironically ambiguous as you convey Obama's views and ideas about what he intends to do if he is elected President, as has Hillary...and even more ironic...the two are not that far apart in terms of those ideas.

Yeah I have, and if your buyin promises that in no way can be kept,then I dont know what to say. Dems really dont care about any of that except that they get someone they root for in the white house. Its very sad to watch really.

That question was directed at PH, not you, but thanks for playing.

[w¡n9Nµ7 §£@¥€r 123]

[Peikko 1,575]

I still don't understand his overwhelming popularity, in fact, I understand it less now than I did before. He has done nothing of note in politics and yet he appeals to some fundamental desire in people for 'change' irrespective of what 'change' might actually translate to in reality. Interestingly, Barack's version of 'change' remains largely a mystery even though it is the cornerstone of his platform.

May I ask, PH, just what have you watched or read regarding both candidates? What is your major source for election news coverage? Have you listened to both candidates making speeches in their entirety? Have you watched any of the debates? I'm asking because your question is as ironically ambiguous as you convey Obama's views and ideas about what he intends to do if he is elected President, as has Hillary...and even more ironic...the two are not that far apart in terms of those ideas.

I don't think Hillary addresses the Iraq question any better than Barack to be honest, I think the Dems are quite simply wrong on that front. As for domestic policies, again, they are not so far apart in theory and I only partially agree with any of their policies as indeed I only somewhat agree with Democratic ideology. Loosely speaking, I prefer society to take care of its problems openly not sweep them under the carpet, with this silly sham defence that by advocating 'personal responsibility' somehow anyone who gets into trouble has done so at their own hands and has no one else to blame. That's just an easy way for those who don't like to pay to be a member of society to feel that they are justified in not doing so.

You know where my personal apprehension of the Barack personality stems from, this isn't new but sadly reading his autobiography has reinforced my view that he is either somewhat of a charleton or perhaps worse, he actually believes in this distorted reality that he has created. I wasn't really prepared for the romantisicm and projection that pervades this work. I rather expected to find a more grounded, down to earth and strong minded individual which would explain some of the almost hero worship fanatism that he appears to incite in the people who find him persuasive.

Instead I find a personality that is quite puzzling in its ambiguity at times, and certainly I am less than ever convinced that his was a story worth telling. There is nothing particularly compelling about his life story and it was quite a struggle to read it. I was particularly chilled by his 'younger' self 'projecting' thoughts and feelings onto his parents and grand parents and his 'apparant' persipicacity. I was less than convinced by the story of his earth shattering moment of truth when he discovered age 10 that there were black people who wanted to 'whiten' themselves in search of true happiness for example. It rather felt like he'd read these magazines as a twenty something and thought that would make a nice 'pre teen' anecdote.

Needless to say, I don't have an 'oracle' that I consult feeding me 'anti-Obama' material. I don't just read one website, or watch one news station or listen to one 'talk show' radio station. My views come from a broad spectrum of material.

I read the autobiography because I felt that Barack has a good chance of become president of the US and I wanted to at least have some idea of where this man came from. I am not sure that I have been enlightened. I feel cheated and that about sums Barack up to me - it's like eating candy floss, it appears as though there is something there but when you get down to it, there isn't all that much.

Is Hillary somehow 100 times better than Barack? Honestly, I am not entirely sure that she is, but I just get the feeling that despite her warts, there is an honesty and integrity as well as a capacity for sheer hard work that makes her more substantial. Should she have been in line for presidential status I would have read some of her works too, to get a better feel for who she is - I still might do that if I have the time.

[Peikko 1,575]

Here's another 2cents. I think Stephen that you believe I am a Hillary fan. Actually, I am not but here's the thing. Of all the possible policies that the next president could realistically implement, the one that I think would do the most to help the average American would be some form of fair health care system. If I was to vote, that would be the one domestic issue that would really interest me. "So", you say, "there is not so much of a difference between Barack's plan and Hillary's plan why would I vote for Hillary?" Well, put simply, I believe she really wanted to make this happen. I think that's at least 50% of her drive to power. I think it's something she genuinely believes in. I don't think Barack has the same intensity of interest in health care, I am worried that he is paying lip service to this and that he has other interests that would push health care to the back of the queue.

As for Iraq, while both pledge the troop withdawl, I honestly believe neither will get to do that, or at least their plans will be heavily watered down and again I don't think Hillary is quite so wedded to this rather dubious policy - although I could be wrong.

As for the rest, I don't think any of the candidates would really change the political scene all that much. The budget effectively limits what can and can't be done and realisitically, what happens at the moment is not going to change all that much whichever candidate gets elected.

Edited May 21, 2008 by Purple_Hibiscus