Barack Obama gives campaign staffers extra cash, BlackBerrys, laptops

[Pirate Smile]

Barack Obama gives campaign staffers extra cash, BlackBerrys, laptops


Barack Obama is sharing the wealth with campaign staffers.


BY KENNETH R. BAZINET and MICHAEL McAULIFF
DAILY NEWS WASHINGTON BUREAU

Updated Friday, November 14th 2008, 10:14 AM

WASHINGTON - Barack Obama ended his campaign so flush with cash he's telling staffers to keep the change - and then some.
Long-suffering political footsoldiers who toiled tirelessly, at least since September, to put Obama in the White House recently learned they will be getting extra paychecks worth a month's salary, the Daily News has learned.

And boy, are they grateful.
"I think it's a very nice gesture for people who slaved away and sacrificed for the past year," said one pleased ex-staffer.
"It was totally unexpected, and you can't believe how helpful this is with the holidays coming," the lower-level worker said. "A lot of people thought they were going to be broke and would have to try to find a job in this rotten economy. It's a huge help."

In addition to the cold cash, staffers also have the option of keeping their campaign-issued computers and BlackBerrys - but must pay income tax on the hardware if they do.
It's an almost unprecedented move at the end of a presidential campaign, even a winning one, because usually they are flat broke, having taken public financing and gone through every last penny.

But Obama skipped public financing and raised more than $600 million, including more than $150 million in September, and nearly $40 million in the first couple of weeks of October.
If this silver parachute approaches his September payroll, it'll be worth upward of $3 million.

http://www.nydailynews.com/news/politics/2008/11/14/2008-11-14_barack_obama_gives_campaign_staffers_ext.html

[CaliforniaPeggy]

1. Well, we knew he had a heart...

And this proves it!

Good for him...

What a great President he is going to make...

:D

[LittleClarkie]

2. I'm happy for the staffers I know if they're included in this deal

I hope so. They worked their asses off.

[JI7]

3. good for him , and they deserve it

[Buzz Clik]

4. Do you think he'll give me the telephone I used during GOTV?

Or maybe just the earwax stuck in the receiver.

[Cha]

5. I read they're helping out

the DNC, too, and who knows who else?

[Lisa0825]

6. and schools.....

spread the wealth! LOL! I am so proud to have donated and been a small part of this campaign! :woohoo:

[Cha]

11. Oh yeah, I'm just

Beaming thinking about all the Good our monies are doing:bounce::woohoo:

[bridgit]

7. hahaha, it's like working for upper Comcast managment...

:thumbsup:

[blonndee]

8. If the rest of them are anything like my local coordinator (and I'm sure they are!)

they deserve it, and then some. Good to read this.

[MarthaMyDear]

9. That's great news...so many people...

did so much for the campaign.

It's a tough economy to get through right now, but their sacrifice prevented us from having to suffer through more of the crap we've dealt with the last 8 years!

[Barack_America]

10. That's very nice. I'm sure most staffers were working so hard on the GE that they didn't...

...have the chance to line-up employment for after Nov. 4. This extra month's salary will really help them out.

[Max_powers94]

12. nice

[struggle4progress]

13. Uninformative four paragraph story quoting one anonymous staffer:

Obama Campaign Donates Campaign Office Leftovers to Schools
As Offices Close, Nearby Schools Benefit From Campaign Merchandise
By SUNLEN MILLER
Nov. 14, 2008

... "Tens of thousands of dollars of resources have been put into schools across the United States in less than four days," said Valarie Swanson, marketing director for iloveschools.com. "The Obama campaign was specific that they wanted all their resources to go to schools" ...

The Obama campaign contacted Swanson's organization a couple of weeks before the election was over, with one requirement -- that 100 percent of the leftover campaign goods from specified offices would be pumped into school districts ...

"It was like Christmas in November," Jean Schmalzried, director of federal programs for the Sto-Rox School District in Pennsylvania, said of getting a phone call the morning after the election by an Obama staffer. "This has never happened before."

Obama's Pittsburgh campaign office donated to her school district at least five flatbed trucks of office supplies, including 12 Dell computers, multiple 17-inch LCD monitors and three printers. Much of the equipment was brand new, given to the schools unopened in boxes ...

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/story?id=6248887&page=1

[phusion]

15. A man of his word...

what a refreshing idea!

[Catherine Vincent]

14. What a sweetheart!

[LisaL]

16. They do need a bonus for a job well done. Dah.

[csziggy]

17. I know the field organizer for my area was hoping he'd get re-imbursed for out of pocket

expenditures. Most of the time our Obama office had no money on hand for printer supplies, extension cords and other miscellaneous expenses. If we could not find a local donor to supply those needs the FOs would buy them out of their own funds. When you are talking toner for a heavy duty laser printer, that adds up fast!

They were all happy to get the laptops, though - some had no computer of their own or only old desktops.

[sonias]

18. Good for him - they worked their butts off

And they deserve every perk he can afford to give them. They were way underpaid to begin with. I consider this a great economic stimulus package for our economy. These staffers will spend it.

GOBAMA!

:woohoo:


Sonia

[markevil]

19. He will get twice the staffers 4 years from now..

Generous and brilliant....Every boss in the country should take cues from him

[w4rma]

20. Wow. Obama is going to rock as a President. (nt)

[Doityourself]

21. I simply LOVE him! n/t

[RollWithIt]

22. To the victor goes the spoils... but actually, most of them are now out of work....

The vast majority of campaign staffers had no jobs effective November 5th. They deserve a bonus to get them through the holidays.