An Obama Minute
Some of Sen. Barack Obama’s supporters want to crank the money bomb idea up a notch by building a site, An Obama Minute, capable of raising $1 million in one minute:
As the Democratic Presidential hopefuls approach Pennsylvania’s Apr. 22 vote, Senator Barack Obama’s (D-Ill.) campaign, trailing in statewide polls, is set to get a shot in the arm. Later this week, a small band of independent Obama supporters plans to launch another new fund-raising Web site, AnObamaMinute.com, with the goal of raising $1 million dollars in one minute.
Last week the Obama camp announced it had raised $40 million in March alone, nearly twice the amount raised by Senator Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) during the same period. In all, he has raised some $234 million. Through February, Clinton’s campaign had raised $156 million.
AnObamaMinute.com calls for pledgers (who can pre-register) to register a donation within 60 seconds, at 1pm on Apr. 21. Could the site be interpreted as just another stunt in an environment where $1 million isn’t what it used to be? “There is certainly an element of theater,” admits one member of Obama’s national finance committee who’s familiar with the project (the campaign is participating to make sure all contributions meet federal giving requirements). But, it is also another ambitious fund-raising effort in a political season marked by campaigns that have aggressively pushed the boundaries of raising money, both off and online.
Larry Sabato comes away with great praise for Obama’s fundraising:
Obama is already the greatest fund-raising success in American history.
He’s also one heck of a way to stress test web servers.
Republicans can do this stuff. I’ve seen first-hand how grassroots activists pull together to raise money for a candidate. With a little encouragement, motivation, and creativity John McCain can do it too. The first place to start is to set a public fundraising goal. If Marc Ambinder is correct and the campaign wants to raise $57 million by the GOP convention let the world know about it. Give supporters something to strive for. They don’t simply need to trust their supporters they need to put their faith in them. From my experience they won’t let the campaign down.
“Obama: $1 Million in a Minute”
