Message to the Presidential Candidates

[William769]

They came to the Vineyard to raise money - a lot of it - and they did. We will not venture a guess as to how much money these presidential candidates garnered during their rush through the Vineyard over the past few days. Let's just say it was well into the millions. But then presidential campaigns in America are expensive and that explains why the Island is now a favorite whistle stop for leading candidates in a scramble for funds to fuel their run to the White House.

The political parade to the Island is just about over. It concludes this evening with a fundraiser for Democrat Barack Obama at a private residence in Oak Bluffs. The cost for "guests" is one thousand dollars per head; two thousand three hundred dollars per individual for "hosts." Unless his schedule changes, that's it for Mr. Obama on the Vineyard. No public events, just a quick hit for Island dollars - and gone.

Republican frontrunner Mitt Romney followed the same pattern: in and out of the Vineyard for a dinner limited to big contributors. Indeed, Mr. Romney's hurried campaign visit suggests more interest in the Island now than he showed during his years as Massachusetts governor.

Democrat John Edwards's visit was more accessible to the Island public. He came for an expensive fund-raising event in Chilmark but also invited guests to attend an earlier gathering for a more affordable contribution of fifty dollars, where he answered questions, including one from a little girl about poverty in Africa. He also made a brief stop at the Chilmark Store, long enough to shake a few hands.

But if there are lessons to be learned from the swirl of presidential contenders on the Vineyard in recent days, they are best found in the Island campaign performance of Hillary Clinton, now the Democratic frontrunner. This is not an endorsement of the Clinton candidacy. But she deserves praise as the only candidate to stage a genuine public political rally that was affordable for ordinary folk and free for many hundreds of others. Hillary Clinton made her case for the presidency before an audience of thousands at the Oak Bluffs Tabernacle. Only later were there exclusive fund-raising dinners.

http://www.mvgazette.com/commentary/editorials/?doc=20070828_editorials

[PATRICK]

1. I had a comment years ago

that only Dems are capable of drawing many large enthusiastic, spontaneous crowds as a matter of course. it will be repressed from having the "wave" effect by the media up to a point, but in raw demonstration of being a people's party, the majority, there is nothing the GOP can do to match it. I hope they remember this gfor the campaign in 2008, but I think Kerry used it fairly well. I did detect from memory(which may be faulty) that much less note was paid to this than in past Dem rallies.

[redqueen]

2. "the only candidate to stage a genuine public political rally that was affordable"

oh really?