[Daniel Drezner]
Politico's Kenneth Vogel writes about the Clinton campaign's slow and steady accumulation of unpaid bills. There's quite a bit of facinating detail about who she's not paying:
It’s not just the size of Clinton’s debts that’s noteworthy. It’s also that her unpaid bills extend beyond the realm of high-priced consultants who typically let bills slide as part of the cost of doing business with powerful clientele whose success is linked to their own.I'm trying to figure out if Hillary Clinton can somehow turn this to her advantage in the remaining primaries. I think one of three slogans would work:Some of Clinton’s biggest debts are to pollster and chief strategist Mark Penn, who’s owed $2.5 million; direct mail company MSHC Partners, which is owed $807,000; phone-banking firm Spoken Hub, which is waiting for $771,000; and ad maker Mandy Grunwald, who’s owed $467,000....
She owed Iowa’s Sioux City Art Center Board of Trustees $3,500 for catering and venue costs, New Hampshire’s Winnacunnet Cooperative School District $4,400 in event costs, Qwest $24,000 for phone service, various branches of the Iowa-based supermarket chain Hy-Vee $15,000 for food, beverages and catering, and $7,700 to Ohio and Massachusetts branches of the theatrical stage employees’ union, for equipment costs.
In fact, about a third of the nearly 700 individual debts Clinton reported at the end of February were for various types of “event expenses,” including $319,000 for catering and venue costs, $420,000 for equipment, $11,000 for photography and $9,000 for security.
1) "This just shows that no matter what the situation, I won't discriminate against the little guy"
2) "In solidarity with beleaguered homeowners, I have decided not to pay my creditors."
3) "As I told the Washington Post, I will continue to rack up unpaid debts until the Michigan and Florida delegations are seated."
Suggest your own mottos in the comments!
UPDATE: Vogel has a follow-up story: "the $292,000 in unpaid health insurance premiums for her campaign staff stands out."
"If the Bush administration has left us unable to make ends meet, I can just imagine how hard it is for the Bush-beleaguered Middle Class to scrape by."
There is a real simple fix:
Have the candidate sign personal guarantees for their campaign debt.
"Barack Obama may TALK about dealing with America's debt, but I have a history of deficit spending."
"These unpaid bills to you represent the unpaid bills that the Bush Administration owes the American public, and I will not rest until we are paid in full!"
(Meanwhile, at 3am, Hillary gives a call to her forex dealer named Marc in Switzerland and shifts campaign funds into Euros and Swiss francs, waiting for the dollar to collapse before paying back her debts. Commodities before, expert currency speculator now).
Democrats NEED Clinton to stay in the race. OBAMA IS UNELECTABLE IN GENERAL ELECTION. Wright pastor of candidate Obama, says you don't have to wait for the afterlife for the mansion on the hilltop. Trinity United Church of Christ is building Rev. Wright a $1 mil house on a lot that was purchased for $345,000. Obama donations helping out? Obama who marched with Farrakhan”Obama AND OPRAHS Pastor Slurs Italians in Latest Magazine (CNSNews.com) Wright continues his Obama supported attacks on non-blacks now slurring Italians in issue of Trumpet Newsmag. Wright states, Jesus enemies had their opinion, Italians looked down their garlic noses at the Galileans, and Jesus death on a cross was a public lynching Italian style! This government runs everything from the White House to the schoolhouse, from the Capitol to the KKKlan of white supremacy who is clearly in charge. Every issue published Wright's rant against white people in which he covers a world that is controlled by white supremacy, a country that’s on its way to hell in a hand basket because of lying politicians, in a culture that still thinks 'white is right! He said young African-American Christians are more concerned about 'bling bling' than about freeing their minds and still Obama says I could no more disown him than I could disown the black community. According to his federal income tax return for 2006, Obama gave the Trinity United church $22,500 in contributions. Trumpet Newsmagazine started 80s, Wright is CEO and Wright's daughter, Jeri Wright, is the publisher. Requests for comments Obama camp of course not answered. Trumpet Nov/Dec edition, featured Louis Farrakhan, recipient of the Lifetime Achievement "Dr. Jeremiah A. Wright Jr. Trumpeter" award. Farrakhan has called Judaism a "gutter religion" and said Jews are "bloodsuckers. Many of the biased cable news pundits try to make viewers believe Obama's speech limited damage of Wright controversy, but the general election will show voters strongly disagree, especially non-black voters. Obama refuses to explain to the public why he would have someone as such a close spiritual advisor and mentor and why he would expose two young daughters to such hatefulness against fellow Americans. The problem Wright's comments are not theological views, but political statements. This is a serious issue for Obama in general election. As with each new utterance on the topic of Reverend Wright, Barack Obama confirms his own moral obliviousness and he seems to have disdain for those who are troubled by his own unwillingness to break with Wright, even worse Obama still insists Wright is a brilliant man, So brilliant, apparently, that he has uncovered the plot by white America to kill African Americans, so insightful to perceive the 9/11 attacks caused by American terrorism and his discerning observation Israel is a “dirty” word, and still in Obama’s eyes, Wright is brilliant. This, we are told by biased cable news pundits like CNN Obamaphiles, is not supposed to affect voters’ view of Obama’s judgment. Perhaps voters are embarrassed to tell pollsters they are privately offended. General election Republicans as well as independents and democrats are irked by this moral obtuseness even though media like CNN or Hardball cover it up with bogus Clinton attacks.
Wright pastor of candidate Obama, says you don't have to wait for the afterlife for the mansion on the hilltop. Trinity United Church of Christ is building Rev. Wright a $1 mil house on a lot that was purchased for $345,000. According to his federal income tax return Obama gave the Trinity United church $22,500 in contributions. CBS Chicago has strangely not released video they have of Obama at Trinity United Church of Christ Service with Pastor Wright. According to a Chicago Tribune article, at the Service Obama spoke to the cheering congregation and the choir sang, “Hallelujah Barack”. After the service Wright and Obama sat together, laughing , talking and signing books. if ANY other candidate had this controversy swirling the footage would have found it’s way to the national and cable news networks by now!
First, she was diagnosed with Delegate Deficit Disorder (DDD).
Now, she has Contribution Deficit Disorder (CDD).
What she needs to do is to apply under ADA for a reasonable accommodation as a disabled person.
The convention should not start until she is ready. The other candidates have to stop activities by the convention. She should be allowed extra time to do everything.
Let her continue to campaign and raise funds until November 2, 2008.
I am sure she will have enough delegates by then.
"A vote for me is a vote giving me permission to %&#@ up the economy even more".
I mean, don't people vote FOR her because they think that she has some magical grasp on economic issues and can instantly create jobs and fix the economy? If she isn't fiscally responsible with her own campaign, how could her administration be fiscally responsible with taxpayer's money.
She's screwing a lot of people out of a lot of money and I hope America wakes up to this soon. This is truly a frightening glimpse into a campaign that has been slowly unraveling from the beginning.
"Qwest $24,000 for phone service"
This is in addition to $771,000 from a Phone Bank firm, which presumably does most of the heavy lifting calling.
Is there some chance that Hillbilly might have heard of high quality VoIP service that is available for some fraction of a cent per minute in bulk?
Or at retail at 1 cent per minute from Yahoo Messenger?
At retail, that is 2.4 million minutes, or enough for a person to speak 24 hours a day, 7 days a week for 4,566 years.
Not even Bill and Chelsea can stand to talk or listen for that long.
"$9,000 for security"
In one month?
She has the same security needs as Judith Nathan or Rudy Giuliani?
"$11,000 for photography"
That is enough money to hire Ansel Adams back from the dead.
It's hard to pay the bills when you're dodging sniper fire!!!
"Danny Drezner for McCain Lickspittle"
I have a 35 year history of using the American people to meet my goals. I am ready on Day One to be commander in thief!
"As far as I'm concerned, there's only one bill I owe: my hubby. The rest can go to hell."
"less and less poepl like me every day and i can't pay my bills, rush limbaugh likes me now so maybe he'll give me some pills"
"less and less people like me every day and i can't pay my growing bills, rush limbaugh likes me now, he said so himslef, so maybe he'll give me some pills"
"I'm Hillary, vote for me -- it's a twofer. If I win, I won't have to pay my bills; If I lose, I won't be able to. Either way, I will have proved what I'm best at: shifting the costs of my programs to honest, hard working people. If elected, that's how I'll run my government! You pay, I win. Thank you, thank you, for your support. Please drop your contributions here."
"Ready on Day One . . . to run up unpaid debts for any organization I head!" Who says experience isn't important?
Say Hey Daniel
I took up the challenge of creating my own mottos, and tagged you/this post in it
Monday, March 31, 2008
Top Ten Cloves: Excuses Hillary Clinton Is Giving For Not Paying Her Campaign Bills
http://puregarlic.blogspot.com/2008/03/top-ten-cloves-excuses-hillary-clinton.html
5. Holding off paying bills, to put pressure on the striking Daily Kos diarists to get them to start writing about her again
Peace
JTD
Who says she needs a new slogan to deal with it? Lots of old slogans do the trick.
"It's not fair."
"The boys are picking on me."
"The bundle of papers behind my back? No, you don't need to see those. Sign off on the nomination and I'll let the Republicans see, though."
I think Dan's having too much fun with the thought of a comment section that works.