Whalen Fundraising Ability Called into Question
According to the Quad Cities Times, Mike Whalen is worth somewhere between $40 and $110 Million.
A Bruce Braley spokesman seems to look forward to the moment when Whalen breaks the $350,000 contribution threshold triggering the Millionaire's Amendment. At that point, Braley can hit up his donors for three times the current contribution limit.
Whalen spokesman Brian Dumas says that won't happen, and the article does point out that Whalen starts with a clean slate for the general election (after dumping in over $340,000 of his own cash for his primary election victory).
My question is this: After the newspaper prints that the guy is worth $100 Million, just who is going to donate to him so that he doens't have to spend his own money? If I were solicited by their campaign for a donation, my answer to him would be to go sell another hamburger.
Perhaps it's best summed up by this comment to the QC Times article online:
Suzi Q wrote on July 02, 2006 9:34 AM:"Well, Mr. Whalen we now know you don't need any contributions. You can certainly fund your campaign again for the general election as you did in the primary."
A Bruce Braley spokesman seems to look forward to the moment when Whalen breaks the $350,000 contribution threshold triggering the Millionaire's Amendment. At that point, Braley can hit up his donors for three times the current contribution limit.
Whalen spokesman Brian Dumas says that won't happen, and the article does point out that Whalen starts with a clean slate for the general election (after dumping in over $340,000 of his own cash for his primary election victory).
My question is this: After the newspaper prints that the guy is worth $100 Million, just who is going to donate to him so that he doens't have to spend his own money? If I were solicited by their campaign for a donation, my answer to him would be to go sell another hamburger.
Perhaps it's best summed up by this comment to the QC Times article online:
Suzi Q wrote on July 02, 2006 9:34 AM:"Well, Mr. Whalen we now know you don't need any contributions. You can certainly fund your campaign again for the general election as you did in the primary."
posted by Scoop Iowa at 9:48 AM
10 Comments:
and then there is the lingering issue of the:
FEC! FEC! FEC!
This isn't about how much money Whalen or Braley have (or even about how much they on their own could raise). This is about the seat. the DCCC and the NRCC will pimp all their supporters to give money in this race. IA-1 is the #1 race in the US according to Congressional Quarterly. Who cares who the candidates are? Nobody. It's only about getting the sear or keeping the seat.
Not according to what I hear. Word on the street is that Whalen isn't getting much from the national groups...they have incumbents to worry about.
Nobody should be fooled - this may be the #1 seat, but the two candidates are lackluster. By September It'll be a race to the bottom funded by special interests.
The NRCC won't just flush this seat. If Whalen can't raise the money on his own they'll be raising it for him. If you think the GOP is ignoring this race why would Rove and Cheney be campaigning for Whalen? Think.
Whalen will have all the money he needs...regardless of the source. Braley's source? Trial Lawyers.
They won't flush it, but do you really think bringing in Rove and Cheney is a goodwill offering to the candidate?
See the post right below this one...he got terrible press with Rove and had an audience of maybe 75 people. My math tells me that's less than $20K minus expenses...or about 3 individual Braley donors if Whalen breaks the Millionaire's Amendment. Cheney will probably be a worthwhile event...$500 a plate will add up quick, and the QC is the right market for that.
Still, in a seat that is determined by who can swing the most Independents to their side, I don't think bringing in Rove and Cheney to stump for a candidate who won by being the "outsider" makes the most sense. I guess they figure it's still early and nobody will hold it against him in November.
Is Trial Lawyer money a different color or something? WTF? Does it spend differently? Braley is a lawyer, should he be asking his fellow lawyers to NOT support him?
I believe that our political leaders are a reflection of our values and are a mirror into our own souls - that is why they piss us off so much.
If Whalen wins, we must deserve it somehow and it will be a sad day for Iowa. It's disconcerting we couldn't come up with one man of character and decency in the primary. Now it is the lesser of two evils - a liberal or a jerk. I think I'd rather have an honest liberal than an @$$hole conservative.
Braley has a good character and is a decent person. You're lucky to get to vote for him.
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