Hillary Clinton: Well on Her Way to Buying the Presidency

by max blunt at 02:25PM
2008 Election Campaign: Hillary Clinton Claims Lead in the “Money Primary”

Demonstrating her appeal to the financial oligarchy which dominates official American politics, Senator Hillary Clinton reported raising $26 million in campaign contributions in the first quarter of 2007, nearly three times the previous record for any big business politician, Democrat or Republican, at this stage in a presidential campaign.

Clinton confirmed her position as a frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination in the “primary” that really counts: the contest for the support of the billionaires and millionaires, as well as business lobbyists, Hollywood moguls and the trade union bureaucracy.

While first-quarter reports are not legally required to be filed with the Federal Election Commission until April 15, the Clinton campaign released its report as early as possible, in an effort to intimidate rivals and win favorable media coverage.

Similar public relations concerns led her leading rival, Senator Barack Obama of Illinois, to delay releasing his own fund-raising figure, either so that it would not be overshadowed by the boxcar Clinton number, or to maximize the impact should he match or exceed her total.

Obama is believed to have raised considerably more than the $14 million reported by former senator John Edwards, the Democratic vice-presidential candidate in 2004, who stands third in early polls of likely Democratic primary voters.

Other Democratic contenders reported smaller numbers: $6 million for New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson, $4 million for Connecticut Senator Christopher Dodd and $3 million for Delaware Senator Joseph Biden. LINK