Support NeoGAF

[Ripclawe]

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20041117/ap_on_re_us/democrats_kerry_1

WASHINGTON - Democratic Party leaders said Wednesday they want to know why Sen. John Kerry (news - web sites) ended his presidential campaign with more than $15 million in the bank, money that could have helped Democratic candidates across the country.


Some said he will be pressured to give the money to Democratic campaign committees rather than save it for a potential White House bid in 2008.


"Democrats are questioning why he sat on so much money that could have helped him defeat George Bush (news - web sites) or helped down-ballot races, many of which could have gone our way with a few more million dollars," said Donna Brazile, campaign manager for Al Gore (news - web sites)'s 2000 presidential race.


Brazile is a member of the 400-plus member Democratic National Committee (news - web sites), which meets early next year to pick a new party chairman. One high-ranking member of the DNC, speaking on condition of anonymity, said word of Kerry's nest egg has stirred anger on the committee and could hurt his chances of putting an ally in the chairmanship.

Congressional Democrats and labor leaders also privately questioned Kerry's motives. One said he would personally ask the Massachusetts senator to donate some of the money to the Democratic House and Senate campaign committees.


Three former Kerry campaign aides, also demanding anonymity out of concerns about alienating their former boss, said they were surprised and disappointed to learn that he left so much money in the bank.


Kerry had roughly $45 million left in his primary campaign fund as of mid-October, according to his Federal Election Commission (news - web sites) report, and could use that as seed money for another presidential bid.

 

[cvxfreak]

Damn, if they only burned all that money in Ohio... :O

 

[Incognito]

Erm, isn't there a law stating that a candidate can only use so much money after his party's convention ends? Something like $80 million, I believe.

 

[Manabanana]

I donated 2 of those dollars! Fucker, I want it back.

 

[cvxfreak]

Erm, isn't there a law stating that a candidate can only use so much money after his party's convention ends? Something like $80 million, I believe.

Yeah, I remember being told about that, but if people from the DNC are complaining, then there obviously is a problem here.

 

[Incognito]

They could be complaining about why the money wasn't used before the convention. Who cares, anyway. The dems have more pressing issues on their shoulders than worrying about $15 million that wasn't used.

 

[belgurdo]

They could be complaining about why the money wasn't used before the convention. Who cares, anyway. The dems have more pressing issues on their shoulders than worrying about $15 million that wasn't used.

Like prepping for the civil war

 

[Matlock]

An extra $15 million wouldn't have stopped the evangalicals from taking the vote.

 

[cvxfreak]

An extra $15 million wouldn't have stopped the evangalicals from taking the vote.

Unless their churches were handed a paycheck.

...just kidding.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

They could be complaining about why the money wasn't used before the convention. Who cares, anyway. The dems have more pressing issues on their shoulders than worrying about $15 million that wasn't used.

But perhaps the problems wouldn't be nearly as big. The Republicans basically won the close Senate races. 5 of 6 where the margin was under 100K; 7 of 8 where the margin was less than 10%. Finding these statistics would take 15 times as much time for the House, so I haven't done that yet.

 

[Fragamemnon]

I wasn't too happy to read this news, but I'd like to see the full picture develop before chucking stones at anyone. Right now the infighting over the DNC chair is so hot that when people like Brazile (whose name has been dropped) speak, I raise an eyebrow. Obviously, the party would like to have the money so that they could dispense it. Obviously, it would have been nice to see as much of the money spent as possible in the 2004 election.

However, I think it's important to get some context as to how the money was managed such that they came up short. I'm betting it was the result of not spending enough and just having too much near the end, with no real places left to throw the money where it would have any significant impact *for the Kerry campaign*.

News will keep coming on this. Taking a wait and see attitude while watching to see how many other incompetents Mr. Bunnypants can appoint to our highest offices.

 

[Mr. Lemming]

Maybe they were saving some cash in case a lengthy legal battle turned up like at least I was expecting to some extent.

 

[Escape Goat]

Maybe they were saving some cash in case a lengthy legal battle turned up like at least I was expecting to some extent.

What a dumb strategy. :lol

 

[scorcho]

any campaign with a surplus by election day is doing an extremely poor job. and screw this 'evangelical' nonesense, extra ad spots in Ohio and Iowa could've swung the election to Kerry, abortion-hating, gun-bearing Christians be damned.

 

[StoOgE]

Jesus, I could buy 150K votes for 15 million. Go to Ohio State and put up signs "Vote for Kerry get a gamecube."

 

[Triumph]

An extra $15 million wouldn't have stopped the evangalicals from taking the vote.

Money buys guns and bulldozers. Guns shoot crazy Jesus freaks and bulldozers knock their churches over. That'll learn 'em!

Jesus, I could buy 150K votes for 15 million. Go to Ohio State and put up signs "Vote for Kerry get a gamecube."

Uh... are you sure people would vote for someone if you offered them a gamecube? Might want to make that an Xbox or PStwo.

 

[JoshuaJSlone]

Maybe they were saving some cash in case a lengthy legal battle turned up like at least I was expecting to some extent.

I believe there was a separate set of funds for recounts, observers to watch over recounts, things like that.