6/30/2008

Buying The Presidency: Clinton's Debt Has Caught Up With Her

No Deal for Clinton. She played fast and loose with her campaign funds. Her campaign mis-managers broke the bank. We commented before on the fact that she had loaned her own campaign $20 million dollars to keep her futile efforts alive. And now what? She's trying to pay herself back! I'm not even kidding. She wants her failed campaign to pay her the $20M back.

From CNN:

Under campaign finance laws spearhead by current presumptive Republican nominee John McCain, Clinton must pay herself back before the party's convention in late August, or else she is only allowed to receive $250,000.
From hillaryclinton.com
You and Hillary can write the next chapter of America's history together. By helping us pay off our campaign debt, you're not just helping Hillary elect a Democratic president and grow our majority in Congress. You're making it possible for her to work as hard as she can on the issues we care about.
The next chapter? Would that be Chapter 7 or 11? Can't recall where we left off. I hate to say 'I told you so', Hill, but you had to know that this was a bad idea. No matter what your opinion of the woman, her campaign, or her stance on the issues, you must see the stupidity of this. Right? Well, don't fret, Hill, there may be light at the end of the tunnel. Here are some steps you could take to get your money back:

  1. Jack your campaign's interest rate to the default and start charging them fees on top of fees. you'll have them owing you $40 million in no time!
  2. Have your lawyer send your campaign some letters threatening legal action.
  3. Call neighboring campaigns and tell them that you are trying to get a hold of yourself to collect a debt. That'll really get them going!
  4. Report the bad debt to the credit bureaus so that their other interest rates get jacked in Universal Default.
  5. Call about 20 times a day, asking why they don't pay their bills, threaten to garnishee their wages, and tell them you're going to take their house away.
Or... you could, I don't know, kiss that money goodbye?! But just to be fair, here are some tips for Hill's campaign for dealing with their overdue debt that they can't pay.
  1. What's done is done - you can't change the past. Going forward, we've got to have a plan. Let's start by putting those credit cards in the shredder and getting on a written gameplan. You'll also need a debt repayment plan, and for that I'd recommend the debt-snowball.
  2. If you start getting harassing phone calls (I have no idea where they'd get that idea), then explain your situation and your repayment plan and agree to speak with them no more than once every two weeks, IF they are nice. Otherwise, they get the dial tone.
  3. You may want look at temporarily boosting your income by taking on a second or third job. Deliver pizzas to other campaigns. Babysit or clean house for other candidates. Sell so much "Hillary Clinton in 2008" stuff on ebay that your supporters think they are next.
  4. Try cutting unnecessary spending. Ad buys, catering, staff. Already done those? Oh. Try eating out less, and cutting cable TV out.
  5. If things get really bad, look at making a Pro-Rata plan, showing what you have coming in and how your are dividing that out against what you owe. So long as you are paying something on each debt, you are less likely to be sued.
  6. I know $20 million is a lot of money, but bankruptcy is not the answer. It's a decision that will haunt you and you'll always regret. Especially when you get that letter naming yourself as a creditor in your campaign's own bankruptcy. Also, you can't borrow your way out of debt. That's what got you here and that doesn't seem to be working out too well.
Seriously, you knew the risk. And in all seriousness, it's sickening to ask supporters to pay your bad debts - TO YOURSELF. Anyone donating money to this 'cause' needs to understand that your are literally lining her pockets. Hopefully folk will remember this the next time she runs for president, and there will be a next time. So is Mittens in the same boat? Have not heard any thing about him for a while.... Mitt lent his campaign ~$15M. So was he able to pay it back, or did he just write it off. his website only offers a hearty "thank you".

Clinton/Romney in 2012! The all debt, all the time, ticket.

Does the way these candidates handle money change the way you think about them?

0 comments:

Blog Widget by LinkWithin