May 12, 2008
For the past few months, most of the focus on the 2008 election has concerned the Battle Royale between Barack Obama and the Clintons. Scant attention has been paid to John McCain’s bid for the Presidency, other than the surprise at his decision to align himself with President Bush on so many issues. What is more surprising is that this strategy has not been paying off where it should: in campaign contributions.
In a shocking article by Jonathan D. Salant for Bloomberg on May 9th, it was disclosed that the McCain campaign is not drawing support from the PACs that supported Bush. The turnoff expressed by the American Road and Transportation Builders should come as no surprise, since McCain’s “gas tax holiday” would cut a primary source of revenue for federally-funded road projects. However, Salant’s article went on to discuss some other PACs that have been turned off by McCain. For example: pharmaceutical industry employees and PACs have given $339,729 to Obama, $262,870 to Clinton and only $74,850 to McCain through March. Ouch! Energy companies, whose employees gave $4.9 million to Bush and $757,502 to Kerry in the 2004 election, have given equal contributions of about $1 million to Obama, Clinton and McCain so far this year. Quoting statistics from the Center for Responsive Politics, Salant’s article pointed out that employees working in the securities industry contributed $9.2 million to Bush’s 2004 campaign, compared to the $4.8 million they gave to Kerry’s campaign. However, in the current campaign, Obama received $7.5 million from the securities industry and Clinton picked up $7 million. Meanwhile, McCain’s contributions from that industry are approximately half of what each Democrat received: $3.8 million through March. Ouch again!
Meanwhile, Ron Paul is trying to make trouble for McCain. Many were shocked when Paul’s book, The Revolution: A Manifesto, hit #1 on Amazon’s best seller list. (It is now #7.) The May 12 Los Angeles Times ran an article by Andrew Malcolm entitled: “Ron Paul’s forces quietly plot GOP Convention revolt against McCain”. This article pointed out how Mr. Paul’s supporters have been “… fighting a series of guerrilla battles with party establishment officials at county and state conventions from Washington and Missouri to Maine and Mississippi. Their goal: to take control of local committees, boost their delegate totals and influence platform debates.” With nearly $5 million left in his campaign war chest, Ron Paul is angling to get a prominent speaking spot at the GOP convention. If he succeeds, I won’t expect it to be more prominent than the slot given to Joe “The Tool” Lieberman.
Ron Paul isn’t the only Libertarian in the news. Former Republican Representative Bob Barr of Georgia, has announced that he will run for the Presidency as the candidate for the Libertarian Party. Surprisingly, Barr has drawn favorable responses from the live audience on Bill Maher’s HBO show, Real Time, during his appearances there. His refreshing criticism of the Bush administration on issues such as the domestic surveillance program and the erosion of due process, should bring him some supporters. Many remember him from the Clinton impeachment era, as one of Bill’s Congressional antagonists and an advocate of harsh partisanship. Since leaving Congress, he has cooled off and proven himself to be a likeable guy during his appearances on Maher’s show. Once he starts making public appearances, we may see him make a serious dent in McCain’s support.
McCain may seem to have benefited from the ongoing fight over the Democratic nomination, while he seemingly “rested on the sidelines”. Whether he knew it or not, trouble has been brewing among his fellow Conservatives. If he thought the Democratic Party had the monopoly on internal strife for this campaign, he might be in for a surprise.