There are lots of ways to measure the support a candidate has. Votes are one, fundraising another.
Bernie used to brag about his fundraising as an indicator of his support. Not anymore:
Even as he racked up primary victories last month and sharpened his attacks against the former secretary of state, online donors started holding back. Sanders raised considerably less in April than his record-setting $46 million in March or $43.5 million in February.
And I've read many an on-line comment that Clinton is spending far more than Sanders, and getting less for it. Nope:
The two were on roughly equal fundraising footing last month, with Clinton and Sanders each raising more than $25 million. But the Vermont senator spent almost $39 million to Clinton's $24 million, the reports showed.Sanders is now down to $6 million in cash, which sounds like a lot, but when you've been spending $40 million per month, that's less than a week to go before you're flat broke.
This year, Sanders has averaged more than $40 million in spending per month, underlining how quickly he could blow through the cash he had on hand at the beginning of May.
Since he started his presidential bid, Sanders has spent nearly $207 million, about $25 million more than Clinton's $182 million in expenditures. For her part, Clinton has averaged $26 million in spending per month since January.
And California hasn't voted yet.
No wonder Sanders is making so much noise about what he's entitled to. He really is that desperate. And interestingly, all that grass roots fundraising seems to have withered away. Well, I'm sure it's because of the DNC or Clinton or corruption or Wall Street or undemocratic rules, or something.
It would seem to be mostly about fundraising and election spoiling, at this point. I can guess why Tad Devine is big on Bernie, with the amount he's reported to be getting paid.
ReplyDeleteIt doesn't exactly give you reason to feel confident in his managerial skills.
I'm more convinced that the past two months have been one sustained tantrum over the Daily News interview revealing he didn't have any plan on how to govern, how to make all of those things he said he wants to do happen and how to finance them.
This whole thing was a really bad idea, Sanders could have ended his career as an important Senatorial gadfly but he's over-exposed his weaknesses. And those are just getting a general airing. The longer this continues the more it's going to damage him and the left that championed him. I was sad when I first thought that, I'm not so sad about it after the past two months.
The Republicans would eat him alive if he got the nomination.
TTC, it didn't have to be this way. Sanders could have returned to the Senate as an honorable man with a great deal more influence.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Sanders and his wife/adviser have second thoughts about the family trip to the Vatican for 5 minutes of face time with the pope. I also wonder if Jane Sanders is still getting paid out of campaign funds.
By the way, where is Tad Devine? I haven't seen him around lately.
TTC, it didn't have to be this way. Sanders could have returned to the Senate as an honorable man with a great deal more influence.
ReplyDeleteI wonder if Sanders and his wife/adviser have second thoughts about the family trip to the Vatican for 5 minutes of face time with the pope. I also wonder if Jane Sanders is still getting paid out of campaign funds.
By the way, where is Tad Devine? I haven't seen him around lately.