Barack Obama humbly referred to Hillary Clinton as the front-runner democratic candidate post-Super Tuesday, when she had received more delegates than he did. Maybe this genuine statement paid off. Obama announced Thursday that he had raised more than $7 million in under 48 hours. While supporters of Clinton were notified that she was to raise numbers that beat Obama’s, she soon hit a rock when she reported on Feb. 6 that she had not reached that goal, and lent money to fund her current campaign.
While the democratic battle to the nomination still has a long way to go, it is unlikely that Clinton will outshine Obama in funds. To top off Obama’s current financial success, supporters of the Illinois senator are to expand his funds by holding an “Obama Money Bomb” day, reports the Website, Daily Kos. Supporters are trying to get donations of $5.01 on President Lincoln’s birthday, February 12. Since Lincoln’s face is on the $5 bill, that is the reason for the amount. However, higher donations are also encouraged. The day is to support Obama’s campaign, as well as show a resemblance between him and Lincoln. The Daily Kos already has over 200 people that have commented on this story, most of them voicing their support of the “Money Bomb.”
There is a reason why Obama is receiving more money and a reason why supporters compare him to great presidents and leaders of the past. Obama did not make the elections a battle. He was happy for his wins, but also recognized the fact that Clinton received more delegates on Super Tuesday than he did. (Though, currently, Obama’s 13-state win has beat Clinton’s 9).
However, he is being fair in asking Clinton where she is getting some of the money to fund her campaign. Obama raises money, yet Clinton seems to be pulling it out of her own pocket. Obama said this week that Clinton should release her tax returns if this is the case. Clinton officials retorted back by saying that she will release her returns if she wins the democratic nomination. So, once we pick her, then we find out if she has lied about her funds? If Clinton has nothing to hide, she should just release them now.
Clinton is capable of making as much money as Obama, but is going about it the wrong way. She is acting like she is in a sports competition, doing anything she can to win. Her endurance has helped her greatly with a wide range of supporters, but Obama’s subtleness is catching up to her sometimes-cold boldness. By trying too hard to achieve her reasonable results, she has resorted to using her (or Bill’s) money for her campaign.
It is nice that Clinton has $5 million of her own money to spare for her campaign, but it would have been better if she had raised it. Some aides working with Clinton have not receieved salaries this month, said an article from The New York Times on Friday. The same article also reported that aides and donors did not know of her loan until Wednesday, when she announced it to the public.
Since when did this election become about fighting over how much money one raises? The elections are all about picking a candidate that the majority of the state agrees will do the job the best. Though, only recently, this has included picking a candidate that can change the current state of the U.S., because everyone is unhappy with their decision to vote for George W. Bush not only once-but twice. The latter only happened because people were afraid of change, which led to our choosing of a democratic candidate not strong enough to defeat a household name in politics.
We should not let that happen again. A recognizable name in politics for years may give people comfort, but letting that get in the way of researching other candidates is irresponsible. And apparently, it does not pay all the bills.
