Breaking: Obama sends national e-mail with NO plea for money!

This is no Friday joke.

Word has just been received at The Ticket that President-elect Barack Obama sent out an actual e-mail today without asking for more money from tired donors. No, really.

The N.Y. Times' Katharine Seelye recently reported growing donor fatigue among eager and happy Obamaites to whom it has occurred that they've already given nearly $1 billion to buy all this change to believe in, even many long weeks after the ex-freshman senator won the White House already.

And when's it gonna end? "I'm way over this thing," Obama volunteer Abe Silk complained this week on Huffington Post. "You guys really want me to donate $25 to 'make the inauguration a success'? What on earth does that even mean?"

And then comes an additional $27 million already in the can toward a $40-million-plus anticipated for one inaugural party before even ex-president Bill Clinton asked for just a little bit more earlier this week.

Now comes word, via the Swamp, that Obama actually dispatched an electronic missive earlier today praising as "an ideal leader" Virginia's Gov. Tim Kaine, Obama's newly named part-time chair of the Democratic National Committee. "Gov. Kaine has seen the power of the 50-state strategy firsthand," says the president-elect's message. "And under his leadership, Democrats will continue to organize and compete in every corner of our country"

Then, Obama asks for -- wait for it! -- not money, but questions from grass-roots Democrats that Tim will answer in a video on the DNC's website. Amazing!

Kaine doesn't actually take part-time office officially until Jan. 21. So you've probably got till that morning before you get a money letter from him. Of course, before then you might get one or two more from outgoing DNC Chairman Howard Dean. Unless you change your e-mail real quick-like.

-- Andrew Malcolm

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Photo credit: Coinsite.com

Comments

[DJRoberts]

I got so tired of e-mails asking for more and more money that I finally unsubscribed to their e-mailing list! HOWEVER, I am not only tired of all the begging, I am tired of all the EXTRAVAGANCE. Give us a break Obama isn't Louis XVI and this isn't Versailles. Americans are out of work and out of money, just like the poor French peasants before the French Revolution. Or, in spite of all therhetoric about recession, does he just NOT GET IT?

[Kramer]

I get them all the time sometines two-a-day. I replied that I will not donate anymore money until Obama appoints a single progressive to his cabinet. So far he only has Clinton Corporatists. We just had the longest election in history, but Obama wants us to tell him what we want hiim to do. I thought that is what the election was about? Obama is baiting and swithcing. He is aksing us again what we want because he is not going to do what he promised us. We have been deceived by the slick politician from Chicago. The only change coming is Obama changing his positions.

[s. paul]

I have to agree and am glad I am not alone in feeling annoyed by these constant requests for more money. It shows a kind of division between the campaign trail rhetoric where the message was understanding the struggles of the middle class and the constant requests for MORE money. I know it is an historical time and everyone wants to be in on the action but it does seem in bad taste to celebrate this hard given the state of the economy... May I suggest a nice potluck and byob for Jan. 20th?
FYI: I campaigned for Obama and am a democrat.

[Maryanne Conheim]

There will be no inauguration in my lifetime worthier of a national celebration. That said, I am taking the President-elect at his word, and celebrating not by attending a ball, but by by volunteering to counsel people whose homes are being foreclosed, and helping them, if at all possible, find ways to remain in their homes. I wish, though, that every single American descendent of a slave could go to Washington and see Barack Obama take the oath of office.

[M. A.]

One big change Obama could and should have made was to cut down the inaugural celebration costs. Instead, he's not scrimping on anything. How much do you think the security is costing for the train ride? Then there's the cost of transporting him out of DC so that he can ride back to DC on the train!

He has accepted a lot of money from big donors so that he can have this huge, costly gala. He should have pared the costs down from what other presidents have spent -- now that would have been a nice, sincere change to set the tone. But no, he wants this high-priced coronation at any cost, and he will owe these big donors big time.

[Hazell McFerson Schiavo-Campo]

As an early supporter of now President-elect Obama, dating from February 2007, with a donation of $2300.00 and subsequent donations from my husband in the same amount, we now find that we are being marginalized and totally ignored. Never mind that some of excess funds were returned to me, because I was over the limit, and although I received a mass-mailed thank-you note from the Obamas, I and my husband are increasingly annoyed--to put it mildly--by the constant requests for donations without any semblance of the party, the president-elect, or anyone along the line offering to help procure tickets, invitations, etc., or even show minimal appreciation for our assistance at a crucial time in the campaign. This also extends to Senator Webb. During his campaign against Senator Allen, my husband and I volunteered to assist his campaign and opened our home to scores of volunteers to make gotv telephone calls; but even this has been ignored and requests for assistance for tickets, etc., have resulted in a perfunctory response. I truly am beginning to wonder how many increasingly disgruntled supporters are being created by this slight of hand treatment? In closing, I imagine that it would be too much to even expect a routine response to

[Haitiana4Obama]

I think it was the Democratic National Committee which were pushing for Obama to help them recoup some of the campaign debt and help Clinton retire her debts as well. I too was a bit tired of the "Donate and get a cup" emails, but hey this is what most of us signed up for, contributing our money voluntarily and avoiding taxation to repay those expenses. As for the cost of inauguration, team Obama have actually been frugal in the spending as well as what they're willing to accept from Donors. Compared to the $250,000 and more for special packages during Bush's inauguration, I think $50,000 for smaller packages is in favor of allowing more people an opportunity to attend events as well as allow those whom wouldn't be able to afford it a chance to raise money. Please remember too that many groups which weren't ever considered to participate in the parades are being included, as well as other demographics, such as the first female to deliver a sermon, and LGBT bands, as well as many other firsts. Give the man a chance to bring change about! Thanks for hearing me out.

[Rabbi/Dr. Erwin Bloom]

I'd like to suggest that a "reverse mortgage" be made available to all homeowners...regardless of age....so that anyone who would be losing their home could at least stay in the home without paying a mortgage....There must be a way of doing this which will benefit both the home owner and the mortgage companies...

"Yes We Can" and Yes We Will..

[Antonio Carlos Ribeiro]

I hope special sucess to President Obama, e this govern light the Brazil's President and anothes of the Latin America.
God save the valorous american people.
Obama will be a good president because have a great capacity and humanity person.