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COLUMNISTS
TODAY'S STORIES
21.04.2008
Red Dawn

One of the common tropes of the unending Democratic primary is that the only thing that can really force Hillary Clinton out of the race is running out of money. But, according to CNN, her campaign already has:

According to campaign reports filed with the Federal Election Commission over the weekend, the New York senator began the month of April with close to $32 million cash-on hand. But, according to the Associated Press, only $9 million of that total are funds that are able to be spent in the primary races. The report also showed Clinton owes more than $10 million, meaning the Democratic presidential candidate was in the red even before she heavily stepped up television advertising in Pennsylvania.

That debt figure includes the $4.5 million Clinton owes Mark Penn's firm (a complete breakdown is here) but not the $5 million of her own money that she lent her campaign. 

--Christopher Orr

Posted: Monday, April 21, 2008 11:40 AM with 10 comment(s)

Comments

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Rhubarbs said:

As a chief promoter of that trope, I would point out that "owing more than you have" is not the same thing as "having nothing." As long as you don't actually pay your debts, your cash on hand is still your cash on hand, and can be used to buy TV ads. "Run out of money" in this sense means "be unable to buy new TV ads due to lack of cash and credit."

April 21, 2008 12:04 PM

roidubouloi said:

In the modern world, "running out of money" means running out of credit, including money.  At the moment, Hillary is still able to run up debts.  Perhaps soon, vendors, aware of her fiscal situation, will start demanding cash, and that's when she will REALLY run out of money.

April 21, 2008 12:15 PM

roidubouloi said:

In the modern world, "running out of money" means running out of credit, including money.  At the moment, Hillary is still able to run up debts.  Perhaps soon, vendors, aware of her fiscal situation, will start demanding cash, and that's when she will REALLY run out of money.

April 21, 2008 12:15 PM

Chris Orr said:

Of course, guys. I didn't mean to suggest that the running-out-of-money trope was wrong; rather, that it might be approaching quickly.

April 21, 2008 12:21 PM

anonevent said:

Since we have to make sure that every statement made in this campaign has to hold up in a court of law, let's fix it:  The only thing that can force Hillary Clinton out of the race is when she believes she has run out of money.  Remember, her husband came up with the "depends on what the definition of 'is' is" line.  But she's only being American:  most people have trouble coming to terms with the fact that they don't have the money to buy whatever they want.

April 21, 2008 12:23 PM

BHLnyc said:

After seven years of George W. Bush, are we really prepared to hire someone who wasn't able to live within her means?

April 21, 2008 12:28 PM

williamyard said:

After she loses, she'll earn a fortune on the rubber-chicken circuit (as still will Bill). The earth she scorches does not include her donors' estates. So I wouldn't let a little thing like cash on hand worry me, twer I her.

Just dump some hay next to where the steers are lying in the snow; they'll survive until spring, and you can fatten 'em up again and send 'em off to be slaughtered, one by one.

April 21, 2008 1:00 PM

dbhuff said:

I think it was raised here before, but wouldn't a loan forgiveness be a 'campaign donation' probably far in excess of legal limits? As for rubber chickens, it took 7 years for Clintons to amass 100m, and these campaigns are burning that in 3 months. I'm not sure they can count on unending largess here...

April 21, 2008 1:38 PM

tomeg said:

Isn't McCain still broke?

April 21, 2008 6:31 PM

psantillana said:

If these people don't get paid, can she be forced to pay them from her 109 million? There are circumstances under which the corporate veil gets pierced, and the person becomes liable for the actions of the corporation. Does anyone know a little something about this?

April 21, 2008 9:18 PM