Free Republic

Now even Bo, the nation’s first pup, is being used to raise money for his the reelection campaign of his owner, President Obama. Cute for sure, but not everybody’s wagging their tail over what is the first use of a presidential pet to raise campaign cash. On the Obama-Biden campaign website, Bo is featured because it is the third anniversary of his adoption. “It’s a promise Barack made to his daughters--that if he won the election in November 2008, he would buy them their long-awaited puppy. On April 14, 2009, Barack followed through on his promise to Malia and Sasha--the...

WASHINGTON — A few weeks before the Republican primary in Florida in January, the billionaire owner of the NFL's Miami Dolphins hosted a fundraiser for Mitt Romney at his oceanfront home in Palm Beach. The average voter wouldn't know about the event at the home of Stephen Ross because Romney's campaign doesn't follow the practice of other major presidential candidates who have willingly identified big-money fundraisers and the amounts they collect. A review by The Associated Press of campaign records and other documents reveals hints about the vast national network of business leaders bringing in millions to elect Romney. The...

Few things in life are free, including a photo with republican presidential hopeful, Newt Gingrich. In an effort to funnel more cash into his campaign, the former house speaker will charge $50 a snapshot for anyone who wants a photo with him, according to a CNN report.

Democrats disappointed with President Barack Obama are withholding campaign donations, leaving him well below his campaign’s fundraising goals, political analyst Karl Rove writes in an opinion column in The Wall Street Journal. Reports issued by the Obama campaign show that donations have trickled in at a rate of about half of the $50 million a month needed to reach the campaign’s goal of a $1 billion war chest for the 2012 race. Through January, the president had raised an average of $24 million a month for his campaign and the Democratic National Committee (DNC). Compared with an average of $29...

Obamas’ Fundraising Day: Barack Having $35,800 Per Head Lunch With Mega-Donors – Mooch To Hit Bowling Party, Cocktails With De Niros… Somehow Jay Carney will claim this isn’t related to Obama’s reelection campaign. (ABC News) — Fresh off an all-day Friday fundraising swing that landed close to $5 million for the 2012 campaign, President Obama and the first lady are kicking off the week with another round of money events expected to raise at least $1.2 million more. The president this afternoon will host a private, roundtable discussion with 20 of his wealthiest supporters at the W Hotel in Washington,...

Remember when the Obama campaign hinted that they could raise a billion dollars to keep Barack Obama in the White House? Good times, good times. In February, Obama raised $45 million, but that was in partnership with the DNC, which has claim on some of that cash: President Obama‘s reelection effort added $45 million to its coffers in February, a boost in fundraising as the campaign builds up its national infrastructure.The $45 million haul was raised jointly by the Democratic National Committee, Obama for America and two joint fundraising committees — the Obama Victory Fund and the Swing State Victory...

Just reading "New Details on NSA‘s ’Spy Center‘ and Secrets From Domestic Eavesdropping Operation ’Stellar Wind’-- The Blaze/ March 16, 2012" http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2860168/posts reminded me that I wanted to report to you all that the Secret Service spied on a post I set up to report on Obama using the athletic fields of our university here on the eastside of Seattle. On Feb. 17 Obama made one of his frequent fundraising visits, this time to Washington State to shake down a couple billionaires who live near by. He spoke at Boeing in the morning, then flew to Kirkland. The trip was...

During the past year, Barack Obama has attended over 100 fundraisers. Even in a cynical, political town, such as Washington, DC Obama is racking up some staggering numbers, with time spent out of the office leading the list. We are a generation that is used to executives who work outside of the office using air travel, telework, video conferencing, off-site, motivational conferences, international, simulcast product launches and a host of other 21st century management techniques to enhance a worker’s performance. But in this age of out of the office “productivity” activities, the average American is a mere piker compared...

A group of conservative leaders pledged to raise a combined $1.78 million for Rick Santorum's campaign and SuperPAC after meeting privately in Texas this weekend with the Republican presidential hopeful, POLITICO has learned. More than 200 conservatives from all over the country convened at the Houston Omni for a Friday fundraising reception for Santorum's campaign. They then met to plot strategy with the former senator Saturday morning, discussing how to overcome Mitt Romney's growing advantage in the GOP primary and fend off Newt Gingrich. "The message was, 'we're all in,'" said South Dakota businessman and conservative organizer Bob Fischer, one...

The Senate Conservatives Fund (SCF) announced today that it has launched a new 30-second television spot highlighting the conservative record of Don Stenberg, candidate for U.S. Senate in Nebraska.

The Associated Press and other mainstream media are so biased in favor of President Barack Obama that they should register with the Federal Election Commission as Obama super PACs, Rush Limbaugh says.

The Democratic party continues its bold stand against hateful rhetoric, such as the C-word, this time in Alabama: An Evening with Bill Maher March 17, 2012 Chairman’s Reception at 7pm Performance at 8pm Come join Alabama Democrats at the Von Braun Center Concert Hall in Huntsville for an Evening with Bill Maher. 700 Monroe Street Southwest, Huntsville, AL 35801. Tickets are $100 and include admission to the pre-event Chairman’s reception and prime seating at the performance. Paid for by the Alabama Democratic Party. P.O. Box 950. Montgomery, AL 36101. (334) 262-2221. (800) 995-3386. Now, if every Republican officeholder is expected...

.....With an unusually large proportion of his donors already giving the maximum contribution allowed by federal law, Mr. Romney’s campaign has made repeated appeals to grass-roots donors in recent days... Mr. Romney has tacked a request for help onto the end of his stump speech in recent days, directing supporters to his Web site,... ........A spokeswoman said on Wednesday that Mr. Romney raised $11 million in February, bringing his total for the cycle to $77 million, much more than any other Republican in the race. But relatively little of it has come from small checks. Through the end of January,...

Despite the herculean efforts of the national media, President Obama’s reelection campaign continues to fall short of its groundbreaking “Hope and Change” campaign in 2008. In January, its fundraising haul actually fell below the level raised in January 2008, when Obama was a first-term Senator running against the Democrat establishment’s favorite candidate. They’ve resorted to raffling off dinner with the President, but eventually had to cut the price of raffle tickets from $5 to $1. Now, it seems, the Obama campaign has decided to resort to SEIU-style intimidation to fill its campaign coffers.

Monday was a holiday here at The Fix — and we ain’t talkin’ about President’s Day. January fundraising reports were due by midnight last night, which made Monday the highest of political nerd holidays: FEC Day. And you can find all the numbers here. Given an extra six-plus hours to let the data stew a little bit, we now present you with our January fundraising winners and losers... WINNERS * President Obama: All four Republican presidential candidates raised good money but also spent heavily in January. Obama faced the prospect of a well-funded Mitt Romney ending the nominating contest in...

The Democratic National Committee outraised its Republican counterpart by about $3 million last month, according to reports released Monday. The DNC raked in $13.3 million in January, compared to the Republican National Committee’s haul of $10.5 million. The Democrats’ report includes $6.2 million in contributions to the committee, as well as $7 million channeled through the Obama Victory Fund, a joint committee set up by President Barack Obama’s reelection campaign and the DNC. But the Republican fundraising arm had more cash in the bank by the end of last month, the Federal Election Commission reports show. The RNC had $23.4...

It’s not unusual for candidates to use leftover cash from aborted campaigns to form political action committees. But traditionally politicians have opted for so-called leadership PACs that allow them pay for political staff, travel the country and dole out contributions to favored candidates – all of which helps them keep themselves in the political spotlight and curry favor for potential future runs. Super PACs, which were spawned by a 2010 federal court ruling, could be used to maintain a political staff and fund a politician’s travel, but not to make donations to candidates. On the other hand – unlike leadership...

TULARE, Calif. -- Newt Gingrich's presidential campaign has a history of near-death experiences and he insists another resurrection is on its way. "I'm very happy to continue this campaign based on real solutions that ... are going to attract a lot of Americans," Gingrich said Monday during a fundraising swing in California. "We've done it twice and I suspect you're about to see us do it again." The third time may not be the charm. Gingrich sustained a string of disappointing performances in several state contests last week and has watched rival Rick Santorum emerge as the leading conservative opponent...

Two years ago President Barack Obama railed against a certain type of political action committee known as super PAC's as a "threat to our democracy". Today his reelection campaign confirmed that both administration and campaign officials will fundraise for Priorities USA Action, a super PAC backing the president. In October of 2010, shortly before the shellacking his fellow Democrats took in the mid-term elections, Mr. Obama spoke at a rally in Philadelphia. He attacked these groups which the Supreme Court ruled could raise unlimited sums from corporations, unions and other groups, as well as individuals. He implied they all had...

– The Newt Gingrich campaign held a meeting with approximately 60 donors Friday in Las Vegas, including casino mogul Sheldon Adelson, a source with knowledge of the session told CNN. Gingrich, who attended the meeting, had a brief discussion with Adelson at the session, the source said. The long-time friends are legally barred from speaking about the Adelson family's $11 million contributions to the super PAC supporting Gingrich's White House bid.