AP: Clinton loaned herself $6.4m

[WillYourVoteBCounted]

Source: Associated Press

AP: Clinton loaned herself $6.4m

Posted by Scott Helman, Political Reporter May 7, 2008 09:18 AM

INDIANAPOLIS -- The Associated Press has confirmed this morning what many have been wondering in recent days: that Hillary Clinton, short on cash, long on debts, and facing a steep climb to the Democratic nomination, loaned herself another $6.4 million over the past month.

That brings to $11.4 million the amount of personal funds Clinton has put toward her campaign to date, though aides said donors had subsequently chipped in to cover the $5 million loan she made herself earlier this year. Barack Obama's fund-raising advantage left Clinton with little choice but to give herself money. The $6.4 million is likely to have helped her fund a rush of TV ads in Indiana and North Carolina in the closing days before yesterday's primaries.

Clinton made another explicit pitch for money in her speech last night, though it's unclear, given her underwhelming result last night, whether supporters will be eager to pony up once again. She has added a campaign stop in West Virginia today, but look for much of the media focus to be on Clinton's difficult days ahead and on growing calls for her to consider pulling the plug.

Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/politics/politicalintelligence/2008/05/ap_clinton_loan.html

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Sen Clinton's campaign finances are a worriesome indicator of how she might run the US economy.

[antigop]

1. Hillary supporters need to chip in and help her out. n/t

[OKthatsIT]

17. She loaned herself $11 million this year...WOW

...she must be fuming mad at Progressives.

[TwilightGardener]

2. Romney discovered that wasting your own money, instead of donors' money, is

quite painful--so he dropped out. Hopefully nobody will give her a dime and she'll do the same.

[ckramer]

3. Fool and his/her money

Romney lost millions of his family fortune, what did he get? Nothing. Fool. (He's not cut out to be president anyway. Only he himself didn't realize that)

Hillary might (will soon) be the same. She's a closet republican, a warmonger, and loyal to Israel more than America. That why she expect herself to become a U.S. president is beyond me.

[SexiJesi23]

25. Why is she so loyal

To a foreign country anyway? I mean I could understand loyality to a country that is not emersed in so much destruction but why that particular country?

Sorry if I offend religious people but I don't understand where this loyality comes from I mean just because its israel doesn't mean they have good leadership or are good people.

[rolleitreks]

4. Tell the AP it's "lent" not "loaned."

[muriel_volestrangler]

11. Although 'lend' is traced back to 1000 AD by the OED, 'loan' as a verb does go back to 1200

so it has a fairly good history behind it.

[rolleitreks]

12. Yeah, I know it's debated, but it just doesn't sound right to me! n/t

[The Call Up]

5. On MSNBC last night

Tim Russert said that her campaign would likely try to negotiate with the Obama Campaign where she'd get out of the race if he paid off all her debt including the debt to herself.

Considering how she's been scorching the earth, it seems to me this would be extortion. "We'll go away and stop our negative campaign if you give us millions of dollars .." This really bothers me and should bother all those who contributed money to Obama's campaign.

Obama needs all that money to beat McCain. I hope he doesn't bail that dishonest couple out of the mess they created for themselves. They should be punished for their bad bahavior by letting them pay off their own debts. The Clintons have made over $110 million dollars in the last 5 years, so Obama shouldn't be giving money that his contributors have invested in him and his campaign to the Clintons so that they don't have to pay for their own mess.

[spinbaby]

6. She wouldn't dare!

She placed her bet and lost. It's her debt.

[OKthatsIT]

18. Oh yes she would.

Next question...you think she'll be interested in public office after she loses?

[BearSquirrel2]

28. Actually ... her campaign has to pay it back ...

She is going to have to raise money so her campaign can pay her back. She isn't allowed to just GIVE her campaign money.

[ckramer]

7. Obama should NEVER do that!

Let Hillary join millions of Americans declaring bankruptcy.

[sybylla]

10. I don't think they can do that - at least in the way Russert implied

I believe that campaign finance laws set limits for campaign to campaign transfers. The deal that would most likely have to be made is that Obama agrees to bail her out by either taking her on as VP whereby the money they raise jointly would pay off her debts, or he some how arranges fundraising (possibly through his own big donors) to help her out.

[MessiahRp]

20. Which I wouldn't want...

:puke:

Frankly she's toxic. Republicans are frothing at the mouth to get to vote against her, to the point where they feel sabotaging Democratic Primaries is their only hope.

She's run a completely negative campaign, stealing the playbook of the worst RWers around.

I want her nowhere near the ticket. Not to mention if she wants to be an asshole and keep going, let her. He's going to win anyway and she will become more and more irrelevant to the party thus killing her career.

He'll owe her nothing, won't have to pay her campaign debts in anyway and the Clinton dynasty will die.

Hooray.

Rp

[BearSquirrel2]

29. That bridge is closed ...

4 months ago before Hillary went destructive, they could have paired on a ticket. Now they've got video of her talking about how McCain would be a better president. Obama is going to win the nomination. Hillary is out of luck AND her campaign HAS to pay her back.

Why would Obama even CONSIDER paying her to leave. All he has to do now is coast and he has the nomination.

If Hillary is smart, this is a smokescreen. She should just raise the money needed to pay herself back and cut her spending drastically in the next two states and get out.

[Ian David]

8. She won't drop-out until she raises enough to pay herself back. n/t

[sybylla]

9. But...but...but

What happened? I thought after her big "wins" in April supporters were throwing money at her in record amounts. :shrug:

[The Call Up]

13. Yeah and since

she claimed to "win" the tiebreaker last night (by winning Indiana) money should just be rolling in for her. Hmmm sounds like reality is finally colliding with her ever constant spin on reality.

[InkAddict]

14. How much interest did she charger herself and where does she

keep her stash, 'cause I can't borrow my own funds from my bank account without either a penalty fee or signing up for standard VISA credit card fees?

[BRLIB]

15. Media will prop her to keep up the dog fight because that money,

or most of it, goes to them!!

[pipi_k]

16. If she really wanted to do something meaningful with her money

I have a suggestion...

There are lots of people displaced by Hurricane Katrina who STILL don't have decent places to live.

Six-point-whatever million dollars could have bought some mighty decent housing for a lot of them

Instead, she's wasting it on a campaign that looks more and more pathetic each day.

Way to go, Hillary!

If you're losing the game, keep pouring money and effort into it....


bleh




PS...some people might see this as an indicator of her persistence...

Well, hemmorrhoids are persistent too....

[MidwestTransplant]

22. Not to mention that the money is only going to weaken the guy who would help the Katrina victims.

[gratuitous]

19. I'm finally leaning toward Obama

And I think for the good of the party, Clinton should drop out. That being said, I think she has more nerve than a bad tooth to charge Obama with being an elitist. Common, working-class Americans don't routinely have the wherewithal to sink $11 million of their own money into what is increasingly becoming a vanity run for President.

[Javaman]

21. Oh yeah, that's money well spent...

:eyes:

[Spazito]

23. I can't help but wonder how much of the 6.4 million went to pay

Penn and how much went to pay out the debt to small vendors? My bet is at least half went to Penn.

[REACTIVATED IN CT]

24. When the May reports (for April acitivity) come out in 2 weeks

I'd love to see an analysis of her payables - an aging report of you will. Sure there are some that are incurred each month like health insurance and communications, but I'd like to see if she still owes the small businesses in Iowa, New Hampshire, etc

[Spazito]

27. Yes, me too....

She should, imo, pay off the small vendors/educational institutions/city/town expenses BEFORE her consultants receive any money. They can afford to carry her debt much easier than the little guys.

I am very interested in seeing the April filing and doing a comparison such as you mentioned.

[mitchum]

26. Maybe her good friend Rupert Murdoch can cover her debts

[GetTheRightVote]

30. It is to bad that she has hurt her own image so much with people such as myself

until her dirty games I was not against her like I am now.

[darue]

31. ya, what the hell. everybody's got 6 million laying around to blow. give it to the nominee please...

what exactly do these people _do_ for that kind of money?