Clinton lends her struggling campaign $6.4 million

WASHINGTON — Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton lent her presidential campaign $6.4 million over the past month, her campaign said Wednesday, underscoring the financial advantage held by her rival, Barack Obama.

The money more than doubled Clinton's personal investment in her bid for the Democratic nomination. She gave her campaign $5 million earlier this year.

A campaign aide said Clinton gave her campaign another $5 million on April 11, more than a week before the Pennsylvania primary. She then again dipped into her personal wealth for $1 million last week and $425,000 on Monday, one day before the North Carolina and Indiana primaries.

Clinton's campaign reported raising $10 million online after her Pennsylvania victory on April 22. Evidently, the money was not enough and her fundraising was unable to keep up with her expenses heading into Tuesday's contests.

Moreover, Obama has routinely outspent her in primary after primary and has shown little difficulty tapping his vast network of donors. He spent more than $7 million on advertising head of Tuesday's primaries in North Carolina and Indiana to her nearly $4 million.

According to the latest campaign finance reports filed with the Federal Election Commission, Obama began the month of April with $42 million in the bank for the primary to Clinton's $9.3 million.

But Clinton had debts of $10.3 million at the start of the month, much of it money owed to her main polling, phone banking and advertising consultants.

Comments

[rockbull2]

Cruel Intentions
...If destroying the Democratic Party is not ominous enough, there is a more alarming reason for staying in the race…money. As the saying goes, ‘money is the root of all evil’. Is there anything more evil than this…Senator Clinton has already loaned herself $5 million and now she has loaned herself another $6 million. Clinton needs to stay in the race to convince people to donate to her campaign so she could pay back the loans with their money, not hers. The same hard working people she claims she’s ‘championing’ for, is the same people she plans on robbing. Heck why pay back the loans with the Clinton’s $100 million net worth, when you could pay it back with money from people you duped into believing you still have a chance to win...

Michael Tomaso
The Tomaso Report, a political and opinion site

[thinkb4uleapII]

A point of clarification: The verse actually says "the love of money is the root of all evil". It is not evil of itself to have or want money. A key point of the verse is that evil attitudes and behavior are in direct relationship to one's LUST for money. Lust implies that one is willing to do or say anything to get what they want, including evil deeds.

[verlaine]

Enough already!!! Hillary needs to go gentle into that good night right now!! In the words of Franz Kafka and Marvin Gaye, Hillary has got to "Give It Up". In the old days of Monday Night Football, when one team had mounted an insurmountable lead, Don Meredith would start singing "Turn Out the Lights. The Party"s Over". I want someone to deliver that message to Hillary. The undecided superdelegates need to muster the intestinal fortitude to pull the plug on Hillary"s kamikaze campaign. A delegation consisting of Harry Reid, Nancy Pelosi, Howard Dean, Al Gore, John Edwards, Joe Biden, James Clyburn, Rahm Emanuel, Jimmy Carter, and Mario Cuomo needs to give Hillary an ultimatum. Hillary should be told that she has until this coming Friday at 12 noon to announce her withdrawal from this race. If she refuses to comply, this delegation should hold a press conference at 12 noon on Friday and announce that they are each endorsing Barack Obama for President.

[Truthfighter1]

The O'Jays
Money Money Money.....­.Monnay!

"Some people got to have it, some people really need it..."

"that mean mean mean, mean green"

[halyscomet]

$11.4 Million loaned.

Obviously THIS is why she was begging again during her speech last night.

I have never seen a Candidate of the Clinton's stature, do such a course thing.

[Flagal]

Well, now we know why she will stay in the race. So she can con more people to donate to her campaign. She wants to pay herself back, of that I have no doubt.

[curmudgeon3]

Hillary lends herself $11.4 million and Obama is the elitist?

[NC2NJ]

LMAO!!! My words exactly!!

[TiffanyHusseinBanned]

Psst, Obama eats arugula.

[drkazmd65]

But,... but,... but,... but,... but,... but,... but,... but,... but,... but,... but,... but,... but,... but,... but,... but,... elitism is a state of mind isn't it curmudgeon3?

*you all thought i was gonna' say but Clinton*

:D

I don't begrudge anybody their money if they didn't inherit it. But being married to the ultimate political insider does (apparently) have some financial perks as well.

Congratulations Senator Obama - I might even consider voting Democrat for President after all come November.

[dartagnan]

As of 2005 the net worth of the Obamas was reported at between $500,000 and $2 million, most of which came from royalties on Barack's book. He couldn't give his own campaign $11.4 million if he wanted to.

[apoyo]

Now I know why Bill Clinton's face was red as a tomato last night while she gave her speech.

[debwarot]

Perhaps I need to adjust my color controls - he didn't seem any redder than usual to me. However, it may be my imagination, but his facial expressions did seem less than happy, perhaps a bit stoic.

[obamagal]

It was red in fact I even mentioned to my husband that he looked like he had a sunburn. He was glum, wasn't he, and Chelsea, close to tears. (I feel sorry for her, having a daughter the same age. Whether we like Hillary or not, she is Chelsea's Mom and it has to be hard.)

[debwarot]

I saw it again tonight and agree that he was indeed lookin' like a tomato!

[cyndeewi]

apoyo,

Yea, I noticed that he was red as a beet. I thought it was my glasses.

[ReportThis]

And Chelsea has inherited Hillary's eerie facial tics: the bubble-head nodding and the pasted-on smile.

[ibsteve2u]

There is absolutely no way you can tell me that someone who invests so heavily in their Presidential campaign when the people themselves speak by not investing in it is motivated soley by their desire "to work for the people".

In particular, not when that someone is reputed to have been the primary speaker in this http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2008/04/16/hillary-clinton-on-workin_n_97017.htmll) conversation:

[bq]
"Screw 'em," she told her husband. "You don't owe them a thing, Bill. They're doing nothing for you; you don't have to do anything for them."
[eq]

If Hillary wins and your name and/or "class" is not on her donor list, if you have any brains at all you will bunker down.

[CLERMONINDEPENDENT]

ibsteve2u I agree with you totally. Unfortunately one needs to be myopic not to recognize and understand the real motivation behind HRC's candidacy. No wonder why she does well with non-educated folks.

[Fotios]

Desperate, elitist Clintons. Spending their own millions because they can't raise enough from supporters.

[skyreader7]

Hey, you can't win a presidency for $11 million. Try $109 million. If that doesn't work, then put another several million on your credit card. Oh, the cost of delusion!

[NCRESIDENT]

If anyone says Obama hasn't run a good campaign they are just fooling themselves. This campaign was put together by him. I heard on the stock market channel that when wall street asked Obama why should they support him, he said watch how I run my campaign. He went to caucuses when Hillary said screw them and that is why he is winning. Everytime she loses in a state she doesn't thank the people who went out in those states and say thank you in her speech. She just seems for herself.

[DGregory]

i thought she got 10mill after penn? was this money part of that haul?

[Emper0r]

Regardless she apparently still had to loan her campaign 6.4 million dollars. After the massive defeat in NC last night and the ultra-narrow victory in Indiana, she's going to struggle even more to get donations. Lets face it, now everyone in the media (except Fox News of course) is talking about how Obama is the nominee. All this talk is going to make a lot of her donors extremely hesitant..­. and don't get me started on the super delegates.

Lets face it, it's over.

[nibblybits]

Apparently, her campaign was going through a million a day. Even if that $10 mill number was right it lasted a week and a half. Remember, they had her traveling, Bill traveling, Chelsea traveling and all their entourages, plus all their people at headquarters. It was a totally inefficient operation.

[Emper0r]

Dear Hillary Clinton, why go on? Why continue burdening yourself with massive campaign debt when it's clear Obama is our Democratic nominee?

There is no better time to drop out than now.

There is literally no reason for you to continue to spend your own money to win in Kentucky and West Virginia then lose in Oregon. What will that accomplish? In fact, I think the argument could be made that winning those two states will make it a MORE difficult justification to your supporters to drop out even if you lose Oregon.

Senator Clinton now is the time to save your financial future, your political career but most of all save the future of our country by getting behind Barack Obama and show the nation what a terrible candidate McBush really is.

[PrObama29]

She wants Obama to pay off her debt, and or the VP slot

[TiffanyHusseinBanned]

Hillary Clinton is the Mitt Romney of the Democratic Party. Oddly enough, Romney thinks Hillary is the most formidable candidate for the Democrats.

[ejay579]

Her campaign now is not about winning the nomination. It is about preying on her uneducated base for donations to pay off her folly.

[skepticalindenver]

Yes, and therein lies the tragedy. These people who work hard for every dollar they can get will pay off her debt because she just couldn't let go of quest for power. Those of us that were not fooled by media "campaign life-support" knew that after Ohio and Texas the race was over. If she had any self respect she would use some of the tens of millions of dollars that the Clintons have made from selling pardons, influence peddling, and books instead of preying on the people she said she was here to fight for.

[debrouillard]

You right they are now praying on the ppl they have identified as the weakest link,ppl to whom u can say anything and they will agree with you.
However,she is missing one thing abt this category of ppl,they can talk the talk,but never walk the walk.Those ppl never put their money where their mouth is,because they dont trust their own mouth. She claims to have more votes than Barack,in other words more fan base,so how come Barack can tap in from his fan base while she cant? To make matters worst,she uses her speech platform to talk abt her case that has become one of charity rather than talking policies. Here is a person who promised her voters $30 savings a year,now she is seeking to take it back?
Dear Hillary,if ppl like you,you wont have to ask for them to give u.