Updated: John McCain was first to fire off a post-debate fundraising pitch

That wasn't long.

Within 25 minutes of the end of tonight's debate, the first pitch for money was sent. John McCain was first out of the block, sending a fundraising appeal even as his aides still were spinning reporters about why he had won the debate and Barack Obama and lost.

But McCain also went on the fundraising offensive. His missive, sent on behalf of the Republican National Party, said the debate proved he would make a better president than Obama, and then made the pitch: "We won't win without your support. ...

"I'm asking you to help us by making a contribution right now to McCain-Palin Victory 2008."

UPDATED: Obama sent his pitch out a few hours after the debate, once again denouncing McCain as "offering nothing but more of the same failed Bush policies," and seeking donations of $5 more or more.

Candidates sending such e-mails expect people receiving the e-mails will respond by tapping their credit cards to send them a few more bucks. That has added up, particularly for Obama.

Obama’s fundraising machine is a hybrid. Half of it runs on old-fashioned fuel: big money donations. The rest arrives in the political equivalent of nickels and dimes.

An analysis by the Campaign Finance Institute shows that 51% of Obama’s money has come in increments of $200 or less in August, compared to 41 % of McCain's money.

Overall, Obama had raised $222 million in contributions of $200 or less, or 49% of the total $454 million he has raised in his presidential campaign. The CFI notes that’s more than McCain or Hillary Clinton raised in their entire campaigns (excluding money she loaned herself).

Of course, Obama also has raised more than McCain in donations of $1,000 or more -- $147.7 million, or a third of his total, to $109.6 million for McCain, or 54% of his haul.

The Campaign Finance Institute notes that big fundraisers play a significant role in each candidate's campaign. Obama and McCain have relied on 500 bundlers each to collect high-dollar donations.

-- Dan Morain

Comments

[Emil]

John McCain is a smart guy, and being first out the door and asking for donations works for me. He will make a fine presidend. Obama came across as haughty and confused. That also helped me decide that I much rather have inexperieced vice-president than an inexperienced president.

[Sherry]

Our country is going to **** in a handbasket. The high cost of fuel has driven up the production and shipping cost of everything. Consumers have nothing left over after filling the tank and paying more for the necessities of life to spend on extras, save or invest. We need to get ourselves out from under our dpendency on foriegn oil.Just as gas prices start to fall slightly and we felt like there might be hope along comes Ike and causes them to spike to an all time high. Families everywhere are wondering where else they can cut back to cover the cost of fueling up the family vehicle to get back and forth to work and take care of the necessities of life. There is no money left for relaxation and family fun. The stress level continues to rise. Most areas of the country have seen a sharp rise in their electric bill as power companies pass their increased production costs on to consumers. The cost of every consumer product has risen sharply. Americans are stretched to the limit. Jobs are being lost, foreclosures are increasing at an alarming rate. Seems even the family pets are suffering the high cost of fuel as almost daily a sad new story is on TV about shelters being forced to euthanize record number of surrendered pets from those forced out of their homes due to foreclosure or they simply can't afford to feed them anymore. The energy crisis in our country is far reaching and needs immediate attention. Our economy is in a sorry state of affairs directly related to the high cost of fuel. We have become so dependant on foreign oil that we have neglected to fully utilize such natural sources of energy such wind power & solar power. Along with modern technology such as plug in cars, hybrid cars, v2g technology ,and regenerative braking, technology we still seem to be floundering as a nation as to devising the best plan utilize all that is available to us and lift ourselves out of this mess we are in. We need to take o ur closest look at which candidates put our economy and energy crisis at the forefront of their agenda. There is a new book coming out soon called...The Manhattan Project of 2009 by Jeff Wilson.

[Frieda]

"JOHN IS RIGHT"
"JOHN IS ABSOULTLY RIGHT"
"JOHN IS RIGHT"
"I GIVE SENATOR THE CREDIT"

Obama repeated this 6 times...why? Was he endorsing McCain? heh

Obama was interrupting McCain too many times, he came across like an impatient child. Why?

Obama was on defensive 80% of time and that "I have a bracelet too" moment was childish specially that he could not remember solder's name.

I won't be surprised that McCain team will come up with a commercial where they list # of times Obama said "john is right"

[Liah]

McCAIN is always in WAR MODE and if we elect him...

EXPECT MORE WARS AND LONG RECESSIONS !!!

The Same OLD SONG with GOP.

GOP decided a wrong war and now we are loosing our homes !

GOP GOT US IN THIS GREAT MESS!!

McCAIN belongs to the same CORRUPTED current administration.

[John]

I was struck by how much the Republicans are diving for the center. It used to be that, if you even hinted that you didn't agree with the Iraq war, you were an anti-american terrorist pinko commy. Now, McCain doesn't even seem to want to talk about it at all.

I thought Obama could have helped people understand his points with some simple analogies. Claiming that the "surge was successful" is basically just another "mission accomplished" moment. Further, the US military in Iraq is like a bus that's been driven into a ditch. Supposedly the bus is now less stuck because the bus has been driven even farther into the ditch (even more troops in Iraq) but, eventually, success is going to be judged by getting the bus out of the ditch entirely. True success would have been not driving the bus into the ditch in the first place, but that's another story.

[Peter]

Yes, John has some good ideas on foreign policy as he should have- he's been beating the drums of war since Annie Oakley. And a smart man will give credit where credit is due. But there's way more to leading this country than having more foreign policy experience. Who has more character? OBAMA. Who has better judgement? OBAMA. Who has a better tempermant? OBAMA. Who is more intelligent? OBAMA. Who is going to restore our credibility in the world? OBAMA. Who has a better grasp on the economy? OBAMA. Who has better judgement??? Who has better JUDGEMENT!!? Who is more inspiring? OBAMA. What Obama lacks in foreign policy he makes up for in the respect and likability he will command from world leaders.
Get it? Good...now, go call your hillbilly cousins in Florida and tell them to vote OBAMA!!!!!

[A voter]

When Obama agreed with McCain, I thought he showed he can be bipartisan on some issues and not just disagree because he is the opposite party.

McCain lost me when he wouldn’t even look at Obama. I thought it made him look like he was a snob.

Aside from the debate itself, I don’t think we need a hair trigger like McCain and we certainly don’t need the confused Palin.

[forbesfart]

McCain is a snake.Truth escapes him. These pro McCain statements are made up by one or more paid staffers.

[Vierotchka]

Not so. Hardly was the debate over that Obama sent his pitch by email to all those who are registered with barackobama.com - just five minutes after the debate was done.

It is plain to see that Obama won the debate by some twenty points over McCain - as anyone who knows anything about debates will tell you if they are honest.

[NATO]

Did anyone else hear McCain say that he wanted to set up coalition of democratic nations to go against rogue nations and counteract the dissidents in the UN (ie Russia and China)? I think that is a great idea...perhaps we can call it NATO.

[El Charro Negro]

Ron Paul is the better candidate for this country, MCcain as a brother o abel, Cain, is a negative person, The same of Bush administration only bad desitions, and the economy in wrong way.

[Independent]

Clearly looking at it with a open mind McCain won this debate. Obama kept agreeing with McCain and trying to sugar coat it with careful words and make his own. It was hilarious to hear Obama talk about is plans and changes we need for the counrty but have no record or any attempt to do any of that in the past. His ups sounded good though. Am I the only one that cringed when he tried to come back with his own bracelet story? It hurt watching. Mccain proved that he is the most experience in foreign policy.

[steve eyes]

What McCain is not getting is that Americans, Main St, is more scared of losing their dreams, more concerned about our families, more afraid of not being able to meet our basic needs of health care, paying our bills, etc, than we are of the terrorists.

In other words, American people have a lower opinion of the people in power, corporate America who steals from the poor to give to the rich and politicians who ignores our needs than we are of the terrorists an ocean away.

At least we expect the terrorists to try to crush the American dream, but for our own representatives to do so is ten times more frightening.

[Camisoul]

McCain doesn't make me feel secure. He's too eager to rattle sabers and fly off the handle. We've had enough of this behavior and we're paying a high price for it. In view of his age and medical history (what little we're allowed to know about it), his likely PTSD from his POW days, and his VP pick, I'm really, really concerned. Yes, Palin's a smart lady, but lacks not just experience but EDUCATION. Yes, she's got a degree, but a law professor versus a hockey mom journalism major? Sorry, I need someone who's studied and can speak concisely and coherently.

Good God, people, conservatives are coming unglued on this ticket. Even George Will doesn't support McCain. (Holy crap, is this another sign of the End Times?)

Who would I rather see sit in a meeting with other world leaders? Obama.

Who has been campaigning consistently (not opportunistically) to help the average working class person? Obama.

McCain is in bed with the very people who brought this financial mess. He's no more like you and me than my friend's pet gecko. Unless that gecko's married to a beer heiress and has more houses than he can seem to count.

[brkdckdwg]

WHEN i read the news today that there are some who thinks that sen obama was deferring to mccains expertise when he conceded this or that point to mccain are grasping as fairy dust,trying to pull a rabbit out of a hat weave straw into gold make a silk purse out of a sows ear and put lipstick on a pig {oops i guess that saying is copyrighted by the mccain camp...ooh wait a minute mccain and his camp ignore copy right infringement} sen obama came not praise mccain but to bury mccain under ithe avalanche of lies half truth and denials mccain has been touting,SO WHEN sen obama said john was right that the economy is in trouble and needs to be fixed mccain took it to mean that sen obama was in agreeiment only he knows has been around washimgton long enough and that only he knows the people to reach out to with the skills knowledge and insight to bring an end to this terrible crisises that has befallen the american people that only he has a grasp on what it takes to fix this once a century mess{MADE ME STOP& think of THE keating five scandal ethics violations the deregulation fiasco votes against middle class tax cut votes for massive tax cut for the big businesses the rich his eight plus homes numerous cars and private jet.IT ALSO MADE ME think of the numerous times hes stated he knew nothing about economic and that yes he had read the paulson plan and then no he hasnt read it..that he was suspending his campaign until this thing was taken care of ,that he got the ball rolling on fixing this thing so was now resuming his campaign ooh he the economy BUT MOSTILY IT MADE ME think wasn't it you and gramm that got us into this mess in the dirst place.} AND WHEN sen obama acknowledged that mccain was a vet mccain took it as proof of his superiortywhen it came to vets and the issues that affected them and their families that only he knew what it took because he was one of them semper fi ,one for all ,all for one l,eave no comrade behind ,gungho ahoy there matey general quarters etc etc and that vets know hes going to take care of them if hes elected president{MADE ME think on whose watch did walter reed hospital fall into such disrepair and for how long did those condition exist before mccain found out about them? and what actions did he take to improve them when and if he found out about them ?did he vote yes on bills to increase veteran health care benefits,did he vote yes on bills to improve the lives of vets and their families did he vote yes on the bill to increase educational allotments to GIs did he vote yes on the bill that gave full benefits to national gauad members who are shipped to war zones regardless of length of tour, did he vote yes on the bill that gave those put in harms way a reasonable length of time away from the battle field ? and what is grade given to him by those he said knows he'll take care of them ?AND WHEN sen obama said yes john the surge is working mccain took it to mean that it proved his great ensight when it came to military matters that only he has the steady judgment and forsight to see beyond the battlefields of today but to gaze out upon the battle fields of tomorrow and to that end the drums of war must be sounded constantly in the face of threats real or imagined to show the world that when it comes to america interest we are more than willing to shoot first and take a body count later and that only he has the foriegn policy credentials,temperment and military background for such an awesome responsibility didnt his daughter say none has more military baggage than her family{MADE ME think if the surge is working than why are we still paying the combatant to not only stop fighting amongst themselves but not to attack us pf the surge is working in theres peace in the land why set up neighbor hoods to keep the various group from attacking each other if the surge is working why is it most foot soldiers say its not WHICH MADE ME think who was it that connect iraq to those that attacked us on nine eleven,and who was it that said iraq had weapons of mass destruction that we would be greeted as lliberators that the ethnic groups there are as close as three peas in a pod,that the war would pay for itself ,that ben laden must not be allowed to set up a base from which to launch another attack upon the us that in afghanistan it was all over but for the crossing of the Ts and dotting of the Is, who was it that didn't know which country bordered which and which group iran was allegedly training for cross broder incursion into irag and who was it that made the hundred year stay in iraq remark and who was it that sent his frontmen on a factfinding mission to georgia but accuses the other guy as trying to look presidental for taking a trip that he suugested be taken and last but not least IT MADE ME THINK think that iwho was it who touted his running mates close proximity to russia as her having foreign policy experience SO FORGIVE ME WHEN I SAY I COMPLETELY UNDERSTAND WHY SEN OBAMA KEPT SAYING YOU'RE RIGHT JOHN{ HUMORING JOHN BECAUSE HE WAS HAVING REGANISH EPISODE}