HRC raised $115M but didn't have enough for field staff in Minnesota?

[Stephanie]

What kind of management is THAT? $500,000 on parking but no money for GOTV in Maine? $5.8M to Mark Penn but nobody tells HRC the campaign is out of money? Wasn't there a huge expenditure for flowers last time? This is baffling.

Total Receipts: $115,652,361
Total Spent: $77,704,487
Cash on Hand: $37,947,874
Debts: $4,987,425
Date of last report: December 31, 2007

http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/summary.asp?id=N00000019&cycle=2008

A lack of money is the main reason why the Clinton campaign failed to organize well enough in smaller caucus states like Minnesota, Colorado and Maine. It's not that the demographics of these states were favorable -- certainly they were not -- but donors, allies and the press have wondered by the campaign was simply not competitive enough to keep Obama's vote totals -- and thus his delegate totals -- in a standard orbit. This mistake has given Obama many extra delegates and with that, the argument that he has won more delegates than she was.

Clinton herself was not informed that the campaign was in dire financial straits until after Iowa, one adviser said. For two days, Bill Clinton camped out in the campaign's Ballston, VA headquarters and poured through the numbers with Williams and other aides. Aides and advisers say that Clinton's decision to lend herself money was not made by consulting members of the senior staff and was relayed to them after-the-fact.

http://marcambinder.theatlantic.com/archives/2008/02/learning_some_more_details_sin.php

During Clinton's 2006 Senate race, several high-ranking aides voiced concerns about loose financial controls over such things as office supplies and advertising. The current campaign appears to be run more frugally, with headquarters in Virginia rather than on K Street. But the campaign's latest reports still show unusual expenditures, such as nearly $500,000 last year for parking costs.

A review of both campaigns' financial filings show they aggressively spent money last year. Both spent more than $80 million before heading into the January primary season, including similar amounts on travel and events. Obama spent more on television advertising and field staff. Clinton spent nearly $4 million on political and media consultants; Obama spent about $1.4 million.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/02/07/AR2008020704233_pf.html

[LiberalFighter]

1. Whoever is in charge of the campaign should be fired.

[bicentennial_baby]

2. Seems like nobody's really in charge...

Too many cooks in the kitchen, etc...

[elixir]

3. Have you campaigned for your candidate today? Make constructive use of your time instead of spread

ing crap on DU.

[Stephanie]

13. Amazing.

Aren't you the least bit interested in how your money was spent?

[DJ13]

4. They budgeted strictly to end the race on Feb 5th

Yes they overspent, but they never planned on tying Obama (or anyone else) in delegates on Super Tuesday.

It was supposed to be over, her inevitability assured by now.

[bigtree]

5. thanks for your concern

so, Obama spends money like a drunken sailor

[Fabio]

6. These campaigns still are a little slow on realizing

the limited effect of $$$ spent on TV.

[TexasObserver]

7. The Reality: When has Hillary ever had to be concerned about a budget?

Not as a US senator. You never pick up the check. You never pay your way. You are American royalty.

Not as a first lady. Same.

When you've never had to manage finances, you don't. Unfortunately, she's also bad at choosing people to handle her finances and campaign management.

[Stephanie]

8. I can't understand why she wasn't kept informed.

How is it that she wasn't told the campaign was out of money?

[TexasObserver]

10. Reading the tea leaves? It implies people are afraid to tell the boss bad news.

That's how you get blind-sided in a campaign. If the boss surrounds herself with sycophants who have gotten there by being really good ass kissers, sometimes the trade off is lack of real skills and inability to give the boss bad news.

[Stephanie]

12. She doesn't say to her staff, hey, how much do we have in the bank?

She doesn't ask them what the state of the finances is? That's just bizarre to me.

[hogwyld]

9. How in the hell can she be short on cash

If she's got 37 million on hand??? Riddle me that.

[Stephanie]

11. the numbers are more than a month old

January campaign expenses are not included. plus note her $5M in debts.

[hogwyld]

15. It still doesn't even begin to add up

37 million at the end of the year, plus the 13 million she raised in January is 50 Million dollars. Even if you subtracted the 5 million in debt PLUS the 5 million loan, she would have to be the world's worst budgeter to blow 41 MILLION dollars in one month. Do I really want her in charge of a 3 trillion dollar budget?

[Stephanie]

16. it is crazy

but what's boggling is it seems she wasn't in charge at all. how is it that she didn't know?

[Freetospeak]

14. Titanic