Schadenfreude
patriot and widower
translation, the gop does not have a front runner yet and the big money boys are waiting on the sidelines until one develops or a favorite declares his candidacy
while the gop talked big about jobs during the previous election, they have not done anything in congress about jobs
voters may say wtf when it comes to the next election and jobs still have not been forthcoming
the current crop of gop candidates all say that they understand that the problem is jobs, but have not brought forth any real ideas as to how they will materialize jobs other than tax cuts for the wealthy and cutting the deficit - that may sound good but still no results
pawlenty and romney seem to be in the lead, but can either of them give obama more than a run for the money when it comes to producing results - can either of them bring in the independent voters that will decide the next election
talk will no longer be enough
Top Republican fundraisers in standby mode
while the gop talked big about jobs during the previous election, they have not done anything in congress about jobs
voters may say wtf when it comes to the next election and jobs still have not been forthcoming
the current crop of gop candidates all say that they understand that the problem is jobs, but have not brought forth any real ideas as to how they will materialize jobs other than tax cuts for the wealthy and cutting the deficit - that may sound good but still no results
pawlenty and romney seem to be in the lead, but can either of them give obama more than a run for the money when it comes to producing results - can either of them bring in the independent voters that will decide the next election
talk will no longer be enough
Top Republican fundraisers in standby mode
USA TODAY
By Fredreka Schouten WASHINGTON -- As the 2012 presidential campaign begins in earnest, many of the Republican Party's biggest fundraisers have remained on the sidelines.
Only a fraction -- about 60 of the more than 530 party leaders who collected money for the GOP's 2008 nominee John McCain -- have donated to the federal campaign accounts of next year's potential presidential contenders, according to a USA TODAY analysis of contributor data from the Center for Responsive Politics.
"I'm not going to give money to people who are just thinking about it," said David Girard-diCarlo, a top fundraiser for McCain and President George W. Bush. "I've got a whole bunch of friends who are at least thinking about it ... I'm going to wait and see."
On Monday, former Minnesota governor Tim Pawlenty became the first major Republican candidate to formally launch a presidential exploratory committee. Pawlenty and other Republicans weighing bids have raised money for months through federal political action committees (PACs) to build their campaign organizations and contribute money to candidates and political parties in key primary states.
Donations to those PACs offer a snapshot of candidate strength among bundlers, as top fundraisers are known because they "bundle" contributions from friends, family and business associates. Bundlers are crucial because presidential candidates must raise tens of millions of dollars in a short time.
In 2008, President Obama raised a record $409 million to win the Democratic primary. Last week, his campaign asked 450 of his top bundlers to each collect $350,000 by year's end. That goal was first reported by The New York Times. If successful, the fundraising push would pump more than $157 million into Obama's re-election account before the first GOP primary.
So far, the Republican early check writers favor former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney. Overall, 36 fundraisers who collected at least $50,000 for McCain's presidential run had donated to Romney's PAC through the end of 2010, campaign records show.
The Romney backers include Lewis Eisenberg, McCain's finance chairman in 2008, who donated $5,000 to Romney's PAC and has committed to raising money on Romney's behalf.
Romney, who co-founded a venture capital firm, "is the only likely candidate who has truly been successful in the private sector and the public sector," said Eisenberg, an investment banker in New York. "He understands that this is largely about the economy, jobs and that we have to make some hard decisions on debt."
Romney spokeswoman Andrea Saul declined to comment "since he's not a candidate at this point."
Pawlenty ranked No. 2, counting 15 McCain bundlers among the contributors to his PAC, the analysis found. Pawlenty has never run for national office before. He has been gauging donor support at what his supporters have dubbed "friend-raisers" around the country.
"We are very confident we can raise the resources needed to be competitive and win," his spokesman Alex Conant said.
Morgan Stanley executive William Strong, a top Bush and McCain fundraiser, is among the early Pawlenty supporters. In a USA TODAY interview, he praised Pawlenty as a "conservative Republican who moved the needle in a decidedly Blue State" on issues such as balancing the state budget. "All of the issues we are facing as a nation, that we are trying to address as Republicans, he's already done and done successfully in ... Minnesota."
Strong also donated to Romney because "I hadn't met Gov. Pawlenty yet," he said.
The analysis also identified five donations from McCain's elite fundraisers to the political action committee operated by former Alaska governor Sarah Palin, McCain's 2008 running mate, who also is weighing a presidential bid.
Fred Malek, a McCain fundraiser, was among them, donating to Palin and Romney.
Even so, he said he's not committing to a presidential candidate until he fulfills his obligations as a fundraiser for the Republican Governors Association at the end of the year.
"I'm highly supportive of those who we think are going to run," Malek said. "But I'm not going to get involved ... this year."
Contributing: Jack Gillum
(c) Copyright 2011 USA TODAY, a division of Gannett Co. Inc.
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