Closing Arguments: Obama’s $400-Million Edge

I would love to see the list of donors. $745 Million = 70 Million Democratic votes. If 1 in 10 Democrats that voted contributed. It would require that they each give $106. I don’t think 1 in 10 gave to the campaign and I don’t think that they averaged $106. If so where is the bad economy. So the question is where did he get the money?

No, I do not believe Obama would have won without his $400 million. Money does a lot more than talk; it buys people and votes and that is exactly what Obama did, he bought the presidency. Doesn’t the candidate with the most money always win? Maybe you should look into that. And how is it that this country is in a recession and yet that insane amount of money can be raised for one man? It would have made a very nice stimulas package; maybe Obama should bail out the auto industry!!

All this money proves that Obama is not a man of his word.

We all know that it takes a lot of money to win an election, but I think that it is simplistic to think that money was the only advantage Obama had in this election.
Obama’s biggest advantage is that he rediscovered something that a lot of politicans have ignored for too long, mainstreet. I believe that the average person in the United States feels invisible to the government. “We the People” have become an obstacle to overcome, with regard to special interest groups. Not only does it take money to win an election it takes money to get your voice heard by legislators. I think that people hope that an Obama administration is interested in mainstreet and will make decisions that will positively effect the average person.
After eight years of Bush/Cheney Obama is a refreshing change and long overdue!

Maybe it helped… so what… if ya wanna place blame…talk to george w
…what helped more is that the moron in charge…aka bush …screwed this country so bad and sent it so wacky right that anything in the office other than another rich white boy running this pony show is a winner…
.Thanks George !..I love it..
A black man with a muslim name..
Obama is as far from a wacko republican as we can get….
And thats the best news of the last 8 years
Adios money grubbing, paranoid, earth killn, religious fruitloops…
normal people are back in charge…!!!

I am sure the money gave him a leg up, and thank Heavens for small favors! My husband and I both donated to the campaign in small sums repeatedly, totaling about $1,500 over the course of about 18 months, a big amount to us. Actually, a lot of our friends were doing the same. Everytime I heard Sarah Palin spouting off about him “palling around with terrorists”, I kicked in another $25.00.
Democrats learned a hard lesson in 2000 and 2004. He who hesitates to spend big bucks is lost. It’s not a pretty system and it’s not fair, but if people are going to stand up and tell bold faced lies about you, you have to fight them somehow. I am glad Obama reconsidered his options and let the people of America get behind him.

It is a national disgrace that Obama won this amount of money and also went back on his word about campaign financing. There should be laws preventing raising this much money and buying an election.
The American people who voted for change and Obama were duped. Change is not really coming–as we are going back to people in cabinet from former administrations. Also, Obama is now back-peddling about getting out of Iraq. We are definitely not getting out of Iraq as he promised in 16 months –In other words, he did not know what he was talking about and Bush made the negotiations about staying in until 2011 or 2012. Furthermore, Obama is now back-peddling about doing away with Bush tax cuts on the wealthy –which he promised that he would change. Why did people trust this double-talker, with a liberal and inexperienced record in the Senate. Wake up Americans, you who voted for him despite his former illegal drug use, associations with questionable moral characters, are now being taken for a ride.

The money raised by Barrack Hussein Obama is just another example of the pimpification of America. As far as I’m concerned the Presidency was sold off. They sold the presidency and cheapened the office of the presidency. When a senator spends 20 million to get elected and the presidential canidate spends 700 million it’s time for change! It should be illegal to take contributions from out of the United States and Citizens of the U.S. should be the only ones who should be able to contribute. You should also have to provide absolute proof of your citizen ship and birth certificate BEFORE you run for office. The media touted big business as the villains getting Bush elected, I would argue that 700 million is pretty BIG business. The washington elite run on platforms that are targeted to the middle working class as if there was some connection between the two. They lost touch with the middle class years ago.

I had to pinch myself to make sure I wasn’t watching a FOX network when I heard the question. The majority of Americans that voted for our President Elect voted for him because he stands and believes in change and America. We are a nation longing for a leader that believes that everyone contributes to the strength of our country and that with everyone working together we are the strength that is the USA. He never said it would be easy or fast, but at least now we finally have something or at least someone to believe in. Stop the nonsense and support our new president. If he falters in your expectations, please vote in another four years. Until then be a true American and support our new President Elect…. Our nation needs you to do so.

2004: Kerry-Edwards accepted the public financing money and lost the Presidential Election. Meanwhile, Obama was introduced at the DNC in Boston by Kerry (perhaps he knew if “I didn’t win, I’ll still have my Senate seat, plus I’d launch this individual to the national spotlight.”) He wins the US Senate representing IL (with little opposition from Republicans?!). Pelosi and Howard Dean are quite pleased with this as well; Barack Obama’s speeches bring dollars and votes to the Democratic Party.
2005: Washington Post reports that Obama ‘has no intention to run for the 2008 Presidency’….guess Obama reneged on this as well… And,
2008: Obama reneged on public financing (I’m sure he learned from the 2004 election and his book sales!) and helps to bring in over 700 million dollars. They’re still having ‘Change House Parties’; perhaps it’s to get the community to fuss at their state representative to help bring about the “Change to Washington” that was Obama’s platform. I hope so, because I’ve heard enough talk from the press conferences already (talk about “on the job training”!). Obama’s one man. He can’t even run his own White House (the Mom-in-Law and Michelle are in charge!). Hopefully, it will be a productive 4 years in between hearing about what is going on IN the White House…

I have never seen a Presidential campaign that has bought his election the way Barak Obama has. Anyone can win a vote spending as much money as he did and I think a lot of the money came from illegal donations from people not even in this country. I didn’t like either candidate very well but I don’t feel that Obama will be honest with the American people.I feel that America is in for a big surprise and it’s not a good one.
I feel that 2 years is way to long to run and that much money should never be allowed to be spent when there are so many people in our country that are suffering.
Oh and by the way any one who thinks race has anything to do with it…think again. Even if Obama were white or Native or anything else he still scares me to death… and I feel he will ruin our country.

I voted for Obama, but I only had one other choice. He was NOT the best candidate, but due to the $$$$ and the media, he was the only choice. The previous administrations that Obama has selected for his cabinet are from a period where jobs were scarce, and the economy was sluggish; a Bush adminstration. Only now, ‘Baby Bush’ made it worse; since Obama is all about speeches, and his compadres from IL have little experience in this the economic area, he has little choice but to go with Clinton’s personnel. Obama probably knew this when it became a 2 person race for the Presidency. I probably more accepting of Obama (he’s the President), but I’m more leery of First Lady Michelle. She can get MAD at the smallest things; you know she wears the pants in the family! I’m sure it took lots of $$$$$ to help with her PR!
I’ll wait and see, but I’ll keep my eyes open and reviewing non-biased media. Right now, all the major outlets are selling ‘commemorative issues’ of their magazines with Obama, yet again, on the cover. Are any of these conglomerates even considering donating a teeny percentage to charity (or a worthy cause)? NO– it’s all about the $$$$$$. Just as Obama’s Presidential campaign turned out to be. He’s a politican from Chicago (beware!) and will say what’s necessary to sound both eloquent and electable. America didn’t want to hear the truth; that’s painful. We voted for the younger, gentler message. Now it’s indeed early (no inauguration yet!), but I read in the NYT opinion page that if there a way to just get the Chief Justice to swear in Obama as Commander & Chief and do away with the EXPENSIVE ceremony and parties/balls; thereby saving tax-payer money (unless the windfall that Obama raised pays for the January events!), then DO IT- America is in crises and this would send a message that President Obama and his cabinet have work to do. I don’t think Michelle and Oprah would be too pleased…

Just FYI: At least they are not asking for any funds now. Pushing the Change platform and helping with food/blood drives and animal shelters. Good ideas from the staff (Obama’s NOT hands-on…yet!):
http://my.barackobama.com/page/content/changeguide/
Putting the issues forward with the media up front in the local community sounds as if they want to change politicians within the state and local arenas as well….I only hope it’s change for the better (and not for another reason!).

No, Obama would not have won had he not outspent McCain. You know the old adage–repeat a lie often enough (Obama had so many) and people will believe it, and for that, you need LOTS of money.
Obama is owned by someone–and it’s not the American people. I agree with REL.
It used to be a source of shame for a candidate to spend a lot of money. When did that change?

I would have voted for President-Elect Obama, money or no money. I knew he was the right person for the job long before a lot of other folks did.
As for the money, all of those little dollars add up. I contributed, family and friends and contributed. It isn’t hard to nickel and dime that much money. Haven’t you ever shopped at Costco?
And now to hear people so critical and that he “bought” the election? Give me a break! He fought long and hard for this. Obama was not the DNC choice, Hillary was. He was not supposed to be the Democratic candidate.
But he used the internet in a way that no other candidate had (and honestly, I am a little relieved not to be getting “donate now” e-mails anymore) They fundraised like hell and every dollar was worked for.
A lot of people donated more than $100 to his campaign because like me, we were investing in our country’s future.
And to hear criticism of the “Change House Parties”? Do you even know what they are? They are asking us, Americans, to get together and discuss what we want for the future of OUR country.
Of course, that’s bad…
Silly, bitter, crazy conservatives. We’ve lived through your hell for 8 painfully long years. It’s over!
8 years of an unjustified war. 8 years of big business stepping on the American people with perks to the credit card companies allowing them to rape people with hokey interest and making it harder for those in danger of sinking to get help.
8 years of lies. 8 years that slowly but carefully stripped away our freedom with the passage of the Patriot Act.
THAT is why Senator Obama is now our President-Elect and you have NO ONE to blame but yourselves.
Suck it up.

What are you people thinking?!! It didn’t matter who the Republicans put out there. Look at the mess we’re in at home and abroad. This wasn’t decided in November. Money or not, it was going to be a banner year for Democrats. It was history making all the way for that party. It was a question of which history – a black man or a white woman.

I should add, that while I have always volunteered my time in past elections, this was the first time we had ever donated money to a candidates campaign.
The amount he raised isn’t indicative of greed, it is indicative of the desperation so many Americans (and the reason why we voted for him) had to bring back an America that we could be proud of. To have an America that my father and his brother fought to defend.
Clearly, we wanted this more than McCain’s supporters did because not only did we show up but we opened our wallets, pulled out our checkbooks, and put our money where our mouths were.
Senator McCain relied on the old money like all previous candidates did. We proved that while our amounts were $30k fundraising dinners from elites, we add up. We counted.
That on top of all the hours we put in going door to door, working as volunteers and participating in caucuses, conventions, and some just plain registering to vote for the first time.
This entire discussion is just silly.

Of course the money won !! We can only hope that Obama and the people he chooses to “rule” over all of us keep
“We the People” front and center !!
The People hired him—The People can fire him !!!