John McCain, aided by Sarah Palin, reports an August cash haul

Lost in the long weekend's focus on Hurricane Gustav and the pregnancy announcement concerning Sarah Palin's 17-year-old, unwed daughter was this: John McCain's campaign has become a money-raising machine in its own right, indisputably showing it can play in the same league as Barack Obama.

For August, the almost-official Republican presidential nominee raked in about $47 million -- his best monthly showing yet, significantly more than the $27 million he raised in July and ever-so-close to the $51 million Obama took in that month.

No word yet from the Obama forces on their bottom line for August. No doubt it will be a hefty number, but McCain and his backers would get a psychological boost if they best the Democrat for the month.

McCain already was headed for a strong August when, with three days left in the month, he selected Alaska Gov. Palin as his running mate on Friday. The pick fired up social conservatives and resulted in a $10-million fundraising spurt through Sunday, Jim Kuhnhenn of the Associated Press reports.

-- Don Frederick

Comments

[Peter]

Im still not conviced she was the best choice. Talk about distractions on the sideline tonight at the convention. Have you seen these attacks on Palin, they are shameful. Ive even seen some questionable pictures of her at http://www.theveep.com Wow people will stop at nothing in politics

[Chris McClum]

The cash haul was not due to Palin. After the convention McCain can not receive any more contributions so his supporters are making a last contribution for this campaign cycle.

[M Saleem Chaudhry]

As enunciated by Jim Kuhnhem of AP , best monthly showing of McCain,about 47 millions in August with heft add up of 1o million by spurt up on nomination of Sarah Palin as VP,can't be source of much consolation as the cost of the news of pregnancy of unwed 17 year old daughter of Palin along with DUI case of her husband, is likely to outweigh the petty gain in fund raising, by tilting the voters minds in November.The simplistic rationalization being worked out by McCain camp is also not going to help slagging numbers for Republicans.

[Peter]

Talk about distractions on the sideline tonight at the convention. Have you seen these attacks on Sarah Palin, they are shameful. Ive even seen some questionable pictures of her at http://www.theveep.com Wow people will stop at nothing in politics, Hope McCain chose wisely.

[arthurW from VA]

But McCain is limited by the Fed spending caps so ultimately he will get outspent by Obama.. or has his campaign not officially signed the papers for Federall matching etc?

[Tom Tee]

Most parents hope their children grow up with the moral values they had as kids. Sarah Palin's daughter IS the embodiment of her mother for both got pregnant before marriage. Republicans are spinning this new morality by calling Bristol Palin's out of wedlock pregnancy an "early baby". Wow, the hypocrisy.

[natalie]

All the papers can trash all they want but compared to the Clintons and others - this is nothing that no other American family may be going through.
I for one I am a Dem and will be voting for them.

[Andrew]

Who cares? He's got four days to spend it.

[John Bailo]

It's always good to "make show" as the Germans told the Beatles in the Rathskeller.

[Don]

*whew*
It occurs to me that these elections grow exponentially more expensive as the years past. If I had one tenth of one percent of what is being spent by all parties concerned this time around, I could finish college with money to spare, I certainly hope it is worth it to whoever wins. I know I could certainly never afford to run!

[Jerome Thomas]

By nature, I tend to afford troubled people and families the benefits of all doubts. Ms. Palin's family dramas would be easily dismissed in the vacuum of ordinary familial anonymity. But Sarah Palin's last-minute selection, John McCain's abreviated vetting of her, the piecemeal disclosures and her party's seemingly desperate rush to rationalization are troubling, especially in the context of her possibility of becoming president of the United States. Her selection puts lie to John McCain's claim of Barack Obama's lack of experience and Republicans' absurd assertion that Palin is "more experienced" than Barack Obama and Joe Biden. It is obvious to the most casual observer that John McCain's reputation as a maverick springs from the same myopic, dismissive and impulsive arrogance as George Bush's self-description as "The Decider." Predictably, evangelical leaders, right wing pundits and so-called Christian conservatives fall into hypocritical lock step to defend McCain's train wreck of bad choices, suspicious motives and practical and moral values. Both McCain and Palin's family histories are spotty. Sordid may not be too strong a word. Right wing attacks on Barack's race, religion, cultural origins and political accomplishments reveals the McCain camp as duplicitous at best and evil at worst. Barack has remained above the fray. His demonstrated family values and qualifications to be our President are impeccable. To vote for John McCain and Sarah Palin over Barack Obama and Joe Biden would rank as an insult to real American values and substance - both familial and political - and perpetuate Republicans' relentless assault on this great country.

[M Saleem Chaudhry]

As enunciated by Jim Kuhnhem of AP , best monthly showing of McCain,about 47 millions in August with heft add up of 1o million by spurt up on nomination of Sarah Palin as VP,can't be source of much consolation as the cost of the news of pregnancy of unwed 17 year old daughter of Palin along with DUI case of her husband, is likely to outweigh the petty gain in fund raising, by tilting the voters minds in November.The simplistic rationalization being worked out by McCain camp is also not going to help slagging numbers for Republicans.

[Anna Louise Kerri]

It's only because he can't take any more donations from supporters due to public financing. Obama can, and it will play to his advantage.

[Alex]

Sarah Palin needs to drop out of the race. She is causing such a distraction. Sarah its time for you to step down as McCains running mate. Sarah Palin do the right thing for McCain and the Republican Party.

[Jeff]

The sexism and misogyny we saw the Obamabots use against Hillary is now being directed at Sarah Palin and her 17-year-old daughter. They've ignored their messiah's instructions that children of candidates are off limits just as he knew they would.

This will backfire badly against them. I can't wait to hear her give a rousing speech at the RNC and then wipe the floor with Joe Biden in their debate. Obamabots, you've just woken a sleeping giant.

[Kim]

As both McCain and Obama have said, candidates' families should be off-limits. Personal lives should be off-limits. We elect our politicians to govern; their personal lives are none of our business.

Palin is a creationist who believes that God created the world 6 thousand years ago, thus the geologic record, the astronomic record, all modern science has been fooled by evidence that God fabricated.

[Kim]

And for the Palin supporters who decry the sleaze thrown at her by presumably Democrat bloggers, I remind you that various disgusting attacks on Michelle Obama have been made by presumably Republican bloggers, for example, that she (a graduate of Harvard Law School) shouted "Get Whitey!" during a church service.

Hey, there is enough sleaze for everyone.

[Jared]

Who in their right mind would give Mc Cain money? The same people that voted for Bush? Are you kidding me?

[Tom]

I cannot believe any Republican that thinks this is a good situation.
McCain, if trying to pander to Clinton women, picked her polar opposite.
Sorry John, but the ISSUES are still the most important thing, not the body parts.
You are sorely lacking in the issues, and therefore, you will not win.

[billinvirginia]

Once again, the press missed the point of this story. After McCain accepts the nomination on Thursday night, he cannot receive any further funding from private contributions. Thus, the effect noted here is of a lot of supporters who have decided to get in under the wire. This is not representative of what will be happening in subsequent months because, for McCain, there are no subsequent months. Instead, he gets $82 million in public funding for the remaining two months of the campaign, which works out to $41 million per month. Obama should be able to beat those numbers.

[Bob]

I believe this GOP convention should be renamed to "The New Liberal GOP convention" given the fact that every issues introduce by McCain-Palin ticket do not stand for the GOP that I know anymore.

[calman]

All the money can't buy votes for McCain/Palin "ABSENTEE MOTHER" from the main stream Americans. What a "Reality Show" we've had the last couple of days with the hype of family values from GOP and right conservatives!
I'm a new blogger and didn't have that much fun for awhile.