O.K. That title was just to get your attention. Actually, I'm hoping that everyone ponys up today and tomorrow to donate to Barack Obama so that he can show HUGE fundraising totals for March. We all know that the media will scrutinize what happens in the fundraising totals for the candidates. February was a HUGE month for Obama -- over $55 million (compared to about $34.5 I think for Clinton and about $11 million for McCain.)
Obviously, Obama has had a challenging time in March with the Rev. Wright controversy and the endless media loop of inflammatory comments. The poll numbers seem to show him rebounding, and his speech on race was well-received, but the media will scrutinize the fundraising numbers as an additional (and perhaps more accurate) indication of whether Obama has been damaged by the constant attacks.
That's why I donated again today -- that and the exciting possibility of dinner with Senator Obama! For those of you who haven't heard, here's the scoop after the jump.
The Obama campaign has sent out emails inviting donors to donate any amount before midnight EST on Monday March 31. Those who do will be eligible to share an intimate dinner for five with Senator Obama. Obama has done this once before, and apparently it was a great time for all. Rather than just having dinner with huge contributors and donors, Obama is spending his valuable time having an intimate dinner with four of us -- his base supporters, many of whom have contributed only small amounts (whatever we can) to the campaign. I love the idea. Here's a copy of the campaign email, for those who haven't received it:
If you're wondering what it might be like to join Barack Obama and three fellow supporters for a casual dinner, you should watch this video.
From the very beginning of this campaign, Barack has rejected contributions from Washington lobbyists and special interest PACs. Instead, he has relied on grassroots donors like you to support this campaign, and this is not the first time he's invited you to join him for an intimate dinner for five.
Get a glimpse of a previous dinner with Barack, and make a donation before 11:59 p.m. EDT on March 31st. You could join Barack and three other guests for an evening of good food and good conversation:
https://donate.barackobama.com/...
One of the folks in that video is Michael Griffith, a miner from Fernley, Nevada -- he was one of Barack's guests at a dinner last year.
We gave him a call this week and asked him to talk about the experience so that we could share it with you. Here's what he had to say about it:
"It was an awesome experience -- Barack spent hours talking to us, and at the dinner table he was just like any other guy. It really felt like somebody invited friends over for dinner and good conversation.
My dad is a paralyzed vet, and his health care costs are huge, so I talked to the Senator about how he planned to provide for our veterans. He gave a thoughtful, detailed answer, and I could tell that taking care of our veterans was a big concern to him.
But we didn't just talk about politics. He talked about his children, and his wife, and how much he misses his family when he's on the road. And those of us with children shared stories about our families, too. He was a funny guy, and there was a good amount of joking around. All in all, it was a great conversation.
Ever since the dinner, I've remained active in the campaign. I was the precinct captain for my neighborhood here in Fernley, Nevada, and we won our caucus. I also went to the county convention, and we won there too.
I'm grateful to have been a part of this, because I know that beyond winning an election, we're also changing the way politics works in this country."
People like Michael are transforming politics in this country -- not just by changing the way campaigns are funded, but by getting involved on a grassroots level and working for change in their communities.
While Senator Clinton and Senator McCain have accepted millions from Washington lobbyists and special interest PACs, this campaign has relied on more than a million individual donors giving only what they can afford. Just last month, more than 90% of the donations to Obama for America were for $100 or less.
If you make a donation in any amount between now and 11:59 pm EDT on Monday, March 31st, you could join Barack and three other supporters for dinner and a conversation about the issues that matter most to you.
Make a donation and share your story, and you could join Barack for an intimate dinner for five:
https://donate.barackobama.com/...
Thank you for your support,
David
David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America
So even though I've already donated several times this month, and thought I had reached as deep as I could, I donated just a small amount today -- $25.01 (the .01 indicates a net roots contribution). Much as I would hope to have the best chance of winning the dinner with Obama contest, I would be even happier if the dKos community made every effort to dig as deep as possible today and tomorrow to donate donate DONATE to Senator Obama's campaign, before midnight ET Monday March 31, 2008, so that Senator Obama's March fundraising totals come close to or even exceed the exceptional totals that February showed. It won't be easy, because February was an extraordinary month, but we can each do our part to help.
The donation form that comes up when you click through has a space for each donor to share their story or their thoughts. This is what I wrote with my contribution:
My first experience in politics was in 1960, when as a 15-year old I campaigned for JFK (and was in a motorcade with Ted Kennedy in Whittier singing songs in Spanish --Ted's accent was atrocious, but I thought it was cool that he bought all of us root beers to thank us for helping his brother's campaign). My first vote was for Bobby Kennedy in the 1968 California primary, and I sobbed when I heard of his death. Since then, I have voted Democratic all my life, but often more out of loyalty to the party and hope for our future than out of belief that I was voting for a true leader who could bring our country together and help us achieve the true promise of our nation. I voted twice for Bill Clinton, and -- as a woman and the mother of a daughter -- I would be beyond proud to vote for the first woman president. But I have been deeply disappointed in the campaign Senator Clinton has run. Senator Obama was not my first choice in these primaries (I had hoped Wesley Clark would run, and when he didn't, I shifted to Sen. Edwards because of his strong populist message.) But the more I have heard Senator Obama and seen him respond to the challenges of these primaries the more I have seen the leader that our country so desperately needs. He has shown the ability to grow and learn, a deep grasp of the problems we face, a holistic vision of the interconnectedness of the issues, and an understanding that leadership can point the way but true change demands that we the people work together to solve our problems. I would be honored to have dinner with Senator Obama and have the opportunity to share in the conversation with such a brilliant, knowledgeable, and compassionate man who has the potential to be one of our country's finest presidents.
So that's the challenge, fellow Obama supporters, are you interested in having an intimate dinner with Senator Obama and just four supporters, or are you going to increase my chances of winning that dinner date by not donating today or tomorrow? I'd love the dinner, but I'd love even more to see his donations soar through contributions from fellow Kossacks. Let's go for it!