For those who haven't been following the political race, the Republican field for President in 2008 will have another entry this week. It's U.S. Senator-turned-actor Fred Thompson. It all started as hype - "Hey you know, that guy on Law & Order seems preisdental." Now that hype will be put to the test as Fred formally becomes a candidate this week.
Fred has a big announcement tour this week throughout the primary states. He will be getting a lot of press coverage, and it will go great. However, September 30th will come around, which means he only has one month to raise money for the third quarter as formal candidate. If he can raise more than $10 million, the hype will be validated. If he does under $5, the viability of his campaign will be questioned.
Here are some links to the articles regarding Fred's announcement this week:
Thompson's Long Hello Comes to and End
Is Thompson Too Late to the Campaign Trail?
Centre-Right Said Fred
Tuesday, September 4, 2007
Thursday, August 30, 2007
Clinton Donor Under a Cloud in Fraud Case
From the New York Times:
But what was not widely known was that Mr. Hsu, who is in the apparel business in New York, has been considered a fugitive since he failed to show up in a San Mateo County courtroom about 15 years ago to be sentenced for his role in a scheme to defraud investors, according to the California attorney general’s office.
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Without going into the specifics, a candidate hardly has the time to do background checks on their donor. They're usually too busy travelling to events, giving policy speeches, going on interviews, etc to even bother with this stuff. Now if the fundraiser was known to have some black spots in his or her history, a candidate can always look the other way. Remember, these are guys that can raise a ton of money, and that's what makes them more valuable due to the limits on contributions.
Hillary Clinton's campaign probably knew this, but chose to not mention it. After all, if nobody did, her war chest would just continue to grow!
Senator Clinton's campaign said yesterday that it would give to charity $23,000 it had received from a prominent Democratic donor, and review thousands of dollars more that he had raised, after learning that the authorities in California had a warrant for his arrest stemming from a 1991 fraud case.
The donor, Norman Hsu, has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Democratic candidates since 2003, and was slated to be co-host next month for a Clinton gala featuring the entertainer Quincy Jones.But what was not widely known was that Mr. Hsu, who is in the apparel business in New York, has been considered a fugitive since he failed to show up in a San Mateo County courtroom about 15 years ago to be sentenced for his role in a scheme to defraud investors, according to the California attorney general’s office.
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Without going into the specifics, a candidate hardly has the time to do background checks on their donor. They're usually too busy travelling to events, giving policy speeches, going on interviews, etc to even bother with this stuff. Now if the fundraiser was known to have some black spots in his or her history, a candidate can always look the other way. Remember, these are guys that can raise a ton of money, and that's what makes them more valuable due to the limits on contributions.
Hillary Clinton's campaign probably knew this, but chose to not mention it. After all, if nobody did, her war chest would just continue to grow!
Thursday, August 23, 2007
Freeloaders
Having done events for over two years, there are always freeloaders trying to make their way in, without having to pay the $200, $500, $1.000, or $25,000 ticket fees to enter. If it's someone in their 20s, just looking to get a glimpse of the candidate, I understand.
The annoying freeloaders are those that are 40+, and know they should be writing a check to attend the event, but dont. Elected officials are notoriously known to be freeloaders, along with those that belong to the local Republican/Democrat party, or even at the state level. It is quite astonishing on how big the ego of freeloaders can be, thinking they are as important, if not more, than a donor raising $25K+.
Many times, we get phone calls like this.
Caller: "Hi, this is Joan calling from City Councilman John Smith's office. The councilman would like to RSVP to the event on May 5th, 2007."
Me: "OK great! Do you have all the information you need?"
Caller: "Yes, it's at the Ritz Carlton in Dana Point, etc..."
Me: "Great - will John be sending in a contribution by mail?"
Caller: "Um....let me check with him. Can I call you back?"
Me: *Chuckles* "Yes, sure - I'll be here until 6PM today."
The truth is, all that matters at a fundraiser is money, and if you can't bring the money, raise it, or get someone else to pay for you, you have no place at a fundraiser.
The annoying freeloaders are those that are 40+, and know they should be writing a check to attend the event, but dont. Elected officials are notoriously known to be freeloaders, along with those that belong to the local Republican/Democrat party, or even at the state level. It is quite astonishing on how big the ego of freeloaders can be, thinking they are as important, if not more, than a donor raising $25K+.
Many times, we get phone calls like this.
Caller: "Hi, this is Joan calling from City Councilman John Smith's office. The councilman would like to RSVP to the event on May 5th, 2007."
Me: "OK great! Do you have all the information you need?"
Caller: "Yes, it's at the Ritz Carlton in Dana Point, etc..."
Me: "Great - will John be sending in a contribution by mail?"
Caller: "Um....let me check with him. Can I call you back?"
Me: *Chuckles* "Yes, sure - I'll be here until 6PM today."
The truth is, all that matters at a fundraiser is money, and if you can't bring the money, raise it, or get someone else to pay for you, you have no place at a fundraiser.
Monday, July 30, 2007
Fred Thompson's 'trophy wife' runs the show
"Mr Thompson, 64, a former senator and actor who is running second in most polls of Republican nominees even before he has officially declared his candidacy, last week replaced his campaign manager in a shake-up of his top team - which, it has emerged, was initiated by his wife.
Another senior aide quit after clashes with Mrs Thompson, a youthful-looking 40, who is in effect managing her husband's White House bid and has hiring and firing authority over staff, according to campaign insiders.
A campaign aide, also speaking anonymously, told The Washington Post that Mrs Thompson decided everything from the content of direct mailings to the date for her husband to make his official declaration, now expected at the end of the summer. "You name it - anything," said the aide." Source
It's great that the wife is involved, but does she even have the experience from running a presidential campaign? Probably not. I'm willing to bet those staffers quit because she had no idea what she was doing and micromanaging. You better hire someone who has done one, because the heat only goes higher and higher.
Another senior aide quit after clashes with Mrs Thompson, a youthful-looking 40, who is in effect managing her husband's White House bid and has hiring and firing authority over staff, according to campaign insiders.
A campaign aide, also speaking anonymously, told The Washington Post that Mrs Thompson decided everything from the content of direct mailings to the date for her husband to make his official declaration, now expected at the end of the summer. "You name it - anything," said the aide." Source
It's great that the wife is involved, but does she even have the experience from running a presidential campaign? Probably not. I'm willing to bet those staffers quit because she had no idea what she was doing and micromanaging. You better hire someone who has done one, because the heat only goes higher and higher.
Thursday, July 26, 2007
How to attend your local Presidential candidate event...
You hear about it on the news, only to realize that your candidate stopped by a location only a few miles from your house! No worry, I will give you a small insider's guide on how to attend a fundraising event with your favorite Presidential candidate! You only need a couple of things - computer, telephone, and a business attire.
1) Check with your local county Democrat/Republican Party. Invites are usually sent to the county chairman, and their office will have an idea, even if nobody is attending from the local party. If not, ask for any referrals who may know about an upcoming event.
2) Call the campaign, and ask for the finance department, then ask for the contact information on the fundraiser responsible for your area. All the top tier candidates have fundraisiers assigned to each area in a state. They are a seperate entity from the campaign, bound by contract and fees.
3) Once you've identified the fundraiser, put a call in to see when the next event is, and ask if you can get any information sent your way. Better yet, ask to be put on the distribution list. Candidates plan events 2-3 months well ahead, so it is never too early!
4) Yikes! $2,000 per person??! How can I afford that! Rest assured - there are other ways! A great method is to offer to volunteer at the event. Give your contact information, and let them know you can work the registration table, or help with any other function of the event. If you are VERY lucky, you may be the pusher/puller at the photo-op line. Be steadfast about it! If they don't need you, ask them to keep you in mind for the next event.
You can also try negotiating. Make it known that you want to contribute, but only to an event when the candidate will be around town. Sometimes if they are falling behind pledges, it will slide!
If you absolutely have to contribute to attend an event, it also pays to wait around. Early fundraising events target major donors who can max-out at the limit of $2,300/person. Once a campaign has tapped out a majority of the big contribuers, it has to move on to "smaller fish." Ticket prices can go down to $200 or $100.
1) Check with your local county Democrat/Republican Party. Invites are usually sent to the county chairman, and their office will have an idea, even if nobody is attending from the local party. If not, ask for any referrals who may know about an upcoming event.
2) Call the campaign, and ask for the finance department, then ask for the contact information on the fundraiser responsible for your area. All the top tier candidates have fundraisiers assigned to each area in a state. They are a seperate entity from the campaign, bound by contract and fees.
3) Once you've identified the fundraiser, put a call in to see when the next event is, and ask if you can get any information sent your way. Better yet, ask to be put on the distribution list. Candidates plan events 2-3 months well ahead, so it is never too early!
4) Yikes! $2,000 per person??! How can I afford that! Rest assured - there are other ways! A great method is to offer to volunteer at the event. Give your contact information, and let them know you can work the registration table, or help with any other function of the event. If you are VERY lucky, you may be the pusher/puller at the photo-op line. Be steadfast about it! If they don't need you, ask them to keep you in mind for the next event.
You can also try negotiating. Make it known that you want to contribute, but only to an event when the candidate will be around town. Sometimes if they are falling behind pledges, it will slide!
If you absolutely have to contribute to attend an event, it also pays to wait around. Early fundraising events target major donors who can max-out at the limit of $2,300/person. Once a campaign has tapped out a majority of the big contribuers, it has to move on to "smaller fish." Ticket prices can go down to $200 or $100.
Thursday, July 19, 2007
"Candidates shell out for booze, baseball"
I stumbled by this article on Politico.com called "Candidates shell out for booze, baseball." You can read more about it here. There are some quirky expenditures on random stuff, but I'll be spending a few minutes talking about booze here.
Alcohol usually comes in two forms at fundraising events.
The first case, is a simple reception event, where guests get to mingle a bit and hear the candidate speak for a few minutes. Wine is usually the staple drink of major donors, with some getting an occasional cocktail. The truth is, most speeches that Congressmen, Senators, even the wannabes give are boring.
Secondly, alcohol can be a supplement to a lunch or dinner. The "standard" fundraising meal for lunch is usually chicken with some vegetables, and dinners are filet mignon steaks with guess what? More vegetables! Gotta love the red and white wine!
I don't mind it - because when I'm at those events, I'll pick up a nice cold drink once in a while!
Alcohol usually comes in two forms at fundraising events.
The first case, is a simple reception event, where guests get to mingle a bit and hear the candidate speak for a few minutes. Wine is usually the staple drink of major donors, with some getting an occasional cocktail. The truth is, most speeches that Congressmen, Senators, even the wannabes give are boring.
Secondly, alcohol can be a supplement to a lunch or dinner. The "standard" fundraising meal for lunch is usually chicken with some vegetables, and dinners are filet mignon steaks with guess what? More vegetables! Gotta love the red and white wine!
I don't mind it - because when I'm at those events, I'll pick up a nice cold drink once in a while!
Tuesday, July 17, 2007
Giuliani Girl vs Obama Girl
For the longest time, sex and politics never mixed well together -until this election cycle. About a month or two ago there was a "Obama Girl" video, which featured a pretty smoking brunette in an MTV-like video obsessing about Barack Obama and his Presidential bid.
This week, a new "Giuliani Girl vs Obama Girl" clip surfaced the internet this week. Perhaps both authors of the videos made this for fun, but it brings an interesting perspective on selling politics via sex appeal. Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekSxxlj6rGE
I'll be waiting on the "Romney Girl" video, featuring super hot Mormon girls....
This week, a new "Giuliani Girl vs Obama Girl" clip surfaced the internet this week. Perhaps both authors of the videos made this for fun, but it brings an interesting perspective on selling politics via sex appeal. Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ekSxxlj6rGE
I'll be waiting on the "Romney Girl" video, featuring super hot Mormon girls....
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