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My Candidate Spent $225 Million Dollars and Went $30 Million In Debt and All I Got Was This Lousy T-Shirt (Plus a Weakened Nominee!)

July 10, 2008 4:35 PM

Tshirt_small In Sen. Hillary Clinton's latest attempt to repay her millions of dollars of campaign debt, she has sent out an email to her supporters saying that if they contribute $50, they can get their very own T-shirt -- from a T-shirt contest Chelsea Clinton started.

Sizes Small to XXXL are available.

In her email to supporters, Clinton suggested that by helping her campaign to pay down its debt, supporters would be “making a real difference today for all our future efforts.”

The message reinforces the former candidate’s hope that the daunting sum will be repaid, not to mention possibly underlining her long-argued (though publicly recanted) belief that Sen. Barack Obama, D-Illinois, will lose to Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., in the Fall. Thus setting up a possible Clinton 2012 run.

At this point, Clinton will need to hope, audaciously or not, that her former rival will do a better job pleading her case to his supporters than he did last night.

After delivering, and concluding, a 32-minute speech at a fundraiser in New York City Wednesday, Obama realized he had made no appeal to the audience on Clinton’s behalf, whereupon he rushed back on stage to make a request on her behalf.

- jpt

July 10, 2008 | Permalink | Share | User Comments (47)

User Comments

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If Hillary cannot find a way to pay off her debts w/o Obama's help. I doubt seriously she was quailified to be POTUS. Is she that incompetent.

Why would anyone expect ctizens who detest her to bail her out? What kind of fantasy world do you live in? And don't come back with your juvenile threats. Vote for whomever you choose. IT'S WHAT WE ALL ARE SUPPOSED TO DO

Posted by: Dennis | Jul 10, 2008 8:11:47 PM


Don't worry WE HAVE already raised over 6 million to pay off Hillary's debt. WE Don't want money from Obama supporters who detest her, just like all the Hillary supporters that detest Obama will not give him a dime OR vote for him. HE NEEDS US more than we need him.
it is not a threat that we will not vote for a man we do not trust, it is just stating a fact

Posted by: comet | Jul 11, 2008 3:56:13 PM

JHW-
I didn't start out disliking Hillary at all, BUT--"If he loses, it either shows her primary tactics to be too strong or her post-primary teamwork too weak"--my point exactly.

Posted by: GS | Jul 11, 2008 10:51:35 AM

Whether they'll admit it or not, with each passing day of Obama's campaign, most Democrats are seeing that they let the best candidate get away.

Posted by: HoosierSue | Jul 11, 2008 10:15:45 AM

Despite the media proclaiming Obama the victor...in state after state Democrats overwhelmingly voted for Senator Clinton. Obama cannot win...a significant portion of the Democratic base that voted for Senator Clinton does not trust him. Now Obama is backing away from the positions that won him his biggest support in the primaries. He is telling his supporters..those that staunchly supported him in the primaries...that "they weren't listening to him". Obama will lose because he has no core beliefs. He will say anything to get elected.

Posted by: Kathy | Jul 11, 2008 9:58:10 AM

I'll gladly help Hillary with her debt and support McCain.
But not a dime to Obama.

Obama's arrogance, inability to take a stand, buckling under pressure, and his past with Rev Wright are enough for me to not trust him.

Posted by: riley | Jul 11, 2008 9:27:19 AM

and I actually bought a t-shirt

Posted by: dl | Jul 11, 2008 9:20:20 AM

rhbate...you should care because there are 18 million Hillary supporters and at least 25% of them are not going to vote for your candidate. John Sydney McCain will be our 44th President not Barack Hussein Obama. I am a Hillary supporter and wish she would just pay off her own debt as the Clintons have the $$. I don't like them beholding to BO in any way, although he needs her big time to get some of those 18 million votes. They both want something from each other...personally Obama needs here more than she needs him. I did hear Obama has the worst fundraising month in May....not surprising...I would guess all the college kids and blacks are tapped out at $2,300...and the liberal billionaires have given to the max by now too. Maybe he shouldn't have opted out of the 87 million for campaigning that he originally said he would accept. But he's the king of flip-flop, and we will see much more of that before November.
HILLARY SUPPORTER VOTING McCAIN!

Posted by: Debra | Jul 11, 2008 4:28:15 AM

Can you imagine, a woman who is worth over 100 million has a Website asking "hard-working American - white Americans." to bail her out with donations as small as $10.00. What nerve! She wouldn't have this big debt if she had not kept up her campaign after everyone and his brother knew Obama had won. She just wouldn't give up - wore it as a badge of honor. And now this millionaire even wants Obama supporters to help pay for her failed campaign. But this is one Obama supporter who will not give her one thin dime.

Obama doesn't even need the malcontents that supported her in order to win. Let these losers vote for McCain, or anyone else they choose. Who cares.

Posted by: rhbate | Jul 10, 2008 11:16:07 PM

jhw539.

Did you know that the Canadians conduct lotteries to decide which persons will go to the top of the health recipient ladder? The founder of their system now regrets ever promoting such a plan. You are typical lib with no knowledge of how our economic system works. Business creates economic wealth - GOVERNMENT, PARTICULARLY BIG GOVERNMENT DETRACTS FROM IT!!

Posted by: Manitu | Jul 10, 2008 10:49:19 PM

Hillary Clinton is the best qualified to lead our country - obama is NOT - and I will NOT vote for him.
Obama is an Arrogant, Radical, FRAUD.

The Millions of Hillary supporters will unite with the Millions of GOP's to make sure obama NEVER wins the White House - AND that will be PRICELESS!

Posted by: Molly |
________________________----------------------
I certainly hope Obama is arrogant, I doubt he will be able to run the White house otherwise.

Posted by: Truth Matters | Jul 10, 2008 10:24:51 PM

"You are right on that Hillary honestly wants Obama elected. If Obama loses, it WILL be blamed on her "going negative" in the primary. ...."

Posted by: jhw539 | Jul 10, 2008 8:44:13 PM

If Obama does not get elected, I think the Democratic voters, who might already feel disenfranchised, are going to look to other individuals to blame for the party's failure to get the Democratic nominee elected; i.e. Harry Reid, Howard Dean, Nancy Pelosi, Donna Brazille, etc... Those individuals were very involved in dividing the Democratic party. Those same individuals will have a hard time justifying their divisive actions to their voting constituents when they are having to campaign for the offices they currently occupy.

And, let's be honest, over the last month Obama has not adhered to the ideology that he espoused during the primaries; FISA, NAFTA, Iraq, public campaign financing, healthcare, faith-based initiatives, his church, etc.. If he continues to move further away from his primary electoral base, some of the blame will belong entirely to himself (and his advisors).

So, in the end, I think Hillary will weather the storm. This election has proven that she's a fighter!

Posted by: Virginia Independent | Jul 10, 2008 10:21:16 PM

Hillary Clinton is the best qualified to lead our country - obama is NOT - and I will NOT vote for him.
Obama is an Arrogant, Radical, FRAUD.

The Millions of Hillary supporters will unite with the Millions of GOP's to make sure obama NEVER wins the White House - AND that will be PRICELESS!

Posted by: Molly | Jul 10, 2008 9:12:10 PM

Bea,
You are right on that Hillary honestly wants Obama elected. If Obama loses, it WILL be blamed on her "going negative" in the primary. Her political career will be dead - every McCain veto on a Democratic Congress's health care bill will be her fault, every extra year in Iraq, the overturning of Roe V. Wade her fault. She'll be lucky to keep her Senate seat and have no chance at the higher Senate leadership role and 2016 nomination that's her due.

Posted by: jhw539 | Jul 10, 2008 8:44:13 PM

Manitu,

If you have an established business making widgets you will benefit greatly from a nationalized health care plan - health care costs are an asymmetric burden on US employers since every other first world country has universal healthcare. Improved infrastructure is also a major benefit - as a small example, corporations have relocated solely to escape traffic congestion (Boeing certainly felt the financial pain of poor infrastructure in Seattle).

And what is your point in citing the US's 2nd highest corporate tax rate - to mislead or to display your ignorance of the full tax burden placed upon corporations? The corporate tax rate is more than compensated for by the flexibility in employment regulations, infrastructure support, local tax incentives, depreciation schedules, superb level of workforce education, federally funded research (the public research University system is the uncontested envy of the world), minimal regulation, minimal required paid vacation, etc. If you care about the reality of where the US stands internationally with regards to corporate taxation, the CBO report "Corporate Income Tax Rates: International Comparisons" is an excellent primer. An interesting summary tidbit: "Although the United States’ statutory corporate tax rates are among the highest of those in OECD countries, they are comparable with the statutory rates imposed by other members of the Group of
Seven." If you don't care, well that soundbite only really matters to business owners and most of the successful ones realize how misleading it is.

Posted by: jhw539 | Jul 10, 2008 8:40:34 PM

If Obama didn't think he needed Hillary's help to get elected, then he certainly wouldn't want her campaigning with him. Nor would he care about her debt. With the negativity of the primary looming over his head, he could still be in jeopardy of losing the White House. I hope people start to think for themselves. There is no way I will ever believe Hillary does not want Obama elected. The media needs to be held accountable for some of the crap they put out there.

Posted by: Bea | Jul 10, 2008 8:31:24 PM

Claire, we don't care whether she campaigns for him or not. She does so because it helps her. Makes her look like a team player. Keeps her high profile.

Voters will vote for whom they choose regardless of what their candidate tells them. She cannot convince anyone who dislikes Obama to vote for him.

Posted by: Dennis | Jul 10, 2008 8:24:18 PM

Hillary Clinton's supporters ARE contributing money towards her debt. I don't understand the attitude wherein it is fitting and proper that she join in campaigning for him, exhort her 18 million supporters to do the same but to ask for help in retiring her debt is beyond the pale. Even IF Obama asks for this, hmm...maybe he does lead by example.
He and Michelle each donated the maximum, but that doesn't mean his supporters will follow his example. You'd think people had their own minds, or something. You know, like those Hillary Clinton supporters who have no intention of voting for Obama.

Posted by: ClareA | Jul 10, 2008 8:20:39 PM

If Hillary cannot find a way to pay off her debts w/o Obama's help. I doubt seriously she was quailified to be POTUS. Is she that incompetent.

Why would anyone expect ctizens who detest her to bail her out? What kind of fantasy world do you live in? And don't come back with your juvenile threats. Vote for whomever you choose. IT'S WHAT WE ALL ARE SUPPOSED TO DO

Posted by: Dennis | Jul 10, 2008 8:11:47 PM

All you Obama supporters keep saying Hillary mismanaged her campaign causing the shortfall in revenue. Hillary raised record amounts of money, it's just that Obama raised ungodly amounts. She had to spend to keep up. And just as a note, I still don't believe that money came from mom and pop donors. Time will tell.

Posted by: Ron | Jul 10, 2008 8:02:00 PM

Great headline. Thanks.

Posted by: Steve | Jul 10, 2008 7:57:46 PM

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