Saturday Q&A

Quite a few questions came across the comments sections over the past week, and I've been having a bit of trouble keeping up with the volume.  But since Q&A is part of this site, I wanted to put up a Saturday post offering answers where I'm able.

A lot of questions are moot now given the events of the past week.  But there are timely ones which I'm attempting to answer today.  Also - questions which have been emailed directly to me is still the best way to get a question seen!  Here goes:

Kasturba asked: Can Senator Clinton use general election funds to pay for primary election debt?
A: No.  The Federal Elections Commission (FEC) only allows donors to contribute a maximum of $2,300 per candidate per election (meaning you can give up to $4,600 but only $2,300 can be used in a primary election and $2,300 in a general election).  I believe that dollars raised for general election funds must be returned (as John Edwards had to do) or possibly transfered into another federal account.  They certainly cannot be used to pay off primary campaign expenses.

Judy asked: Can pollster Jon Zogby legimately be a DNC Member?
A: Yes, though Jon Zogby doesn't actually sit on the national committee, his brother Jim is on the DNC (Thank you Susie Turnbull for the clarification).  But there are other political professionals who sit on the DNC and provide useful counsel to the Party.  We have people on the national committee from all walks of life: lawyers, business professionals, teachers, retirees, you name it.

Remember: this whole Superdelegate thing is a rarity, most of what we do in the four years leading up to a presidential election is build the Party, shape opinions, advocate for legislation and elect Democrats from the local level on up.  We can use all of the constructive feedback we can get from all various walks of life.

 
Grand Panjandrum asks how long before the VP selection process starts and will we have a nominee before July 4th?
A: Typically what will happen is that some names will be "teased" to the press in order to create conversation and to see what public opinion is on certain running mates, but it's unlikely that it will formally begin until *after* July 4th and we'll see an announcement sometime in early August.

On the subject of Momentum...
If this week is any indicator, yes, momentum has been and still is a part of this campaign!

Comments

[Steve]

For the VP selection, Webb or Sebelius are the best choice for BO.

[eagleye]

I'd like to see Obama consider someone from outside the realm of politics as a VP. I think it's a mistake to limit the choices to only those who are already in the political world. Someone from the field of education or business might be the smart choice, and could offer a fresh view. I've never thought that political experience is all that valuable. I'd rather have somebody who is smart and has a history of exercising good judgement.

[Diamond E.]

Thanks, Ed.

By the way, I was wondering if anyone suspects as I do that Mark Halperin might be a closet consultant for the Clinton campaign?

He posted a rather foolish question on his blog and got a befitting response on daily kos.

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/5/10/144613/060/280/513315

[Kasturba]

Thanks for responding. The $25 million debt is so reckless it is shocking. The idea of having Obama supporters pay Mark Penn makes me feel a little sick. Even Clinton supporters should refuse to pay Mark Penn.

If Obama does hold fundraisers for her hopefully they will use money raised to first pay off small vendors who are suffering by the unethical approach of that campaign. Shame on them for stiffing poor working class folks.

[Susie Turnbull]

Just a note -- pollster Jon Zogby is not on the DNC - Jim Zogby, his brother, is! Jim is a long-time DNC Member and is co-chair of the DNC's Ethnic Coordinating Council.

[eagleye]

Here's an interesting article on the guy who was the strategic thinker behind Obama's success in winning delegates.

http://www.politico.com/news/stories/0508/10249.html

[John]

My question. Is it possible the 'party' (either beforehand via a deal) or the convention can choose the vice presidential candidate since the presumptive prez. nominee won't have a majority of delegates, even in June? For instance, if formerly Clinton-supporting supers move to Obama publicly for president, what is to stop them from voting for Clinton for v.p. during the convention? And if all of this is worked out beforehand, why have a convention at all (or at least one covered by the media)?

[Kasturba]

Dear Mr. Super,

Speaking of momentum... will a blowout in WV and Kentucky change perceptions of momentum and change the race?

[Joe]

Now here's an interesting article:

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/05/12/us/politics/12rove.html?hp

I'm going to go with "no comment" on this one...

[basil]

Here's an opportunity to respectfully urge Senator Clinton to step aside-

http://DearSenatorClinton.start-a-petition.com

[Mike]

Hey Ed-

My reading of the FEC regs on general election money is that it can be transfered to another Federal account (or state account, if the money qualifies under state rules), but each donor must be offered the opportunity for a refund. Also, I believe it can be used to pay HRC's PERSONAL debt (the $11.4 million she owes herself). However it almost doesn't matter since there are so many vacancies on the FEC, they don't even have a quorum to meet and vote on any pending complaints.

Basically, HRC or McCain, or anyone can do whatever they want with their money, pretty much with impunity until the FEC vacancies are filled. At that point, they've announced that they will consider complaints in the order recieved, so they will have to go through everything from 2006-07 before they even get to this election! If anything, those violating FEC rules this year can expect to pay a fine sometime in mid 2010....