Republican National Committee Very, Very Low on Cash

[marmar]

Posted by stevebenen at 12:44 pm
May 24, 2010

Republican National Committee Very, Very Low on Cash

This post originally appeared on Washington Monthly.


Since Michael Steele took over as chairman of the Republican National Committee, the party’s budgetary decisions have been the subject of widespread consternation, intensified by the fact that RNC fundraising has fallen far short of expectations.

These concerns have escalated in recent months, in light of expense reports pointing to unnecessary spending on private planes, limousines, catering, flowers, softball equipment, and an outing at lesbian-themed bondage nightclub.

A CNN report this afternoon will likely raise the anxiety levels among Republicans to new heights.

An internal Republican National Committee document obtained by CNN paints a damning picture of the committee’s financial standing compared to the past five election cycles.

The document, pulled together during a recent review sparked by concerns over RNC spending practices, said the committee had $12.5 million in cash on hand at the end of April.

By comparison, the average cash on hand at the end of April from 2002-2009 was $40.4 million. And that average includes the odd numbered years when there are fewer election contests.

Looking only at even-numbered years, this year’s $12.5 million end of April COH is less than one-third the amount the RNC had on hand on April 30 for the 2002 ($47 million) and the 2006 ($44.6 million) midterms.

Republicans clearly believe 2010 represents a unique opportunity to elect a slew of right-wing candidates, and possibly even take control of Congress. But the fear within the party has been that the RNC would lack the resources necessary to take advantage of the opportunity. Those fears appear justified. ..........(more)

The complete piece is at: http://blogs.alternet.org/speakeasy/2010/05/24/republican-national-committee-very-very-low-on-cash/

[BrklynLiberal]

1. Wait! Wait! Don't go anywhere. I am looking for my violin....

Oh good..here it is...

:nopity:

[nadinbrzezinski]

16. DUUZZYYY

Even if we aren't doing them anymore.

:hi:

[Scurrilous]

2. LOL

:thumbsup:

[sakabatou]

3. Let them eat cake!

:evilgrin:

[drm604]

4. At least there's some good news amidst the doom and gloom.

I'm glad to hear this.

[lpbk2713]

5. Tell em to check with Cheney.

Cheney and his monkey bankrupted the US Treasury. They could
give the RNC all they need out of pocket change.

[femrap]

6. It's about time I got

some good news. I wonder if the Dems are lower as well.

[Arkana]

7. All the usual suspects are donating to the teabagger astroturf fronts.

The lunatics are running the asylum now, Mr. Steele--get used to it.

[jberryhill]

8. Softball Equipment?

That can only mean one thing...

[donco6]

9. Check those stripper G-strings.

Probably a few $1 stuck in there somewhere.

[marmar]

10. And in-room adult movies on all the hotel bills.....

:P

[nichomachus]

11. Well, I'm sure BP will be able to grease some palms n/t

[Winterblues]

12. Didn't Rove and friends form their own "RNC" so people could still donate but just not to Steele

I don't think Republicans will be short any money.. In fact I believe Corporations will come through "Big Time" for them as they usually do.

[gratuitous]

13. Once again, the Republicans have shown feet of clay

Is there a possibility of a Republican "tidal wave" come November? Well, there's always a chance. But the GOP isn't enjoying its customary 4-1 fundraising edge for the general election. Democrats have held their own against the Republicans by mobilizing a ton of volunteer support, and this year will probably be no different.

Meanwhile, the Republicans are going to be forced into an unfamiliar situation. They will have to budget their expenditures, and make some hard decisions about where they’re going to spend their campaign dollars. Keep in mind that one of the measures of status in both parties is the amount of money the national campaign spends on one’s race, whether the candidate needs it or not.

That means Republican incumbents, even “safe” ones, might have to use their own campaign war chests rather than counting on the national party to cover many of their expenses. That’s not going to sit well with some of the old guard campaigners who are accustomed to having all the money they want.

In addition, some of the newcomers are going to have to either self-finance their runs (see Carly Fiorina in California) or come up with a lot of dough on their own, because they won’t be able to count on the national party spending a lot of money on an untried candidate. The national party is also going to have to prioritize its expenditures, weighing the chances of breakthroughs and upsets against pouring money into an effort they deem a loser. It will make for some easy ads for Democrats: “The national party doesn’t think funding Delmer Dinglefritz is a good idea; why should you vote for him?”

And back to the subject of volunteers. The Republicans don’t do long hours on little sleep and meager rations very well. Their people like to style themselves as professionals, not scruffy volunteers, and working three months without getting paid doesn’t appeal to their penurious little souls, especially if the payoff is as dicey as a political campaign.

But trust the “liberal” media to spend a lot of time and energy telling the hoi polloi that low treasuries for Republican campaigns is good news – as always – for Republicans.

[Arkana]

14. Indeed.

For a party that's supposed to sweep back into power, I'm just really not seeing the signs.

[Jester Messiah]

15. Boy that's a shame... yep....

So, anything good on TV tonight?