Obama Reelection : 552,462 individual donors in second quarter -- more than the total it received in all of 2007. Of those donors more than 260,000 were “completely new to the Obama organization. Big Grassroots Support !

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Huffington Post -
Obama 2012 Campaign Touts Grassroots Strength, Calls On GOP Candidates To Name Big Donors -
By Jordan Howard -
July 13, 2011 -


Obama 2012 Campaign Touts Grassroots Strength, Calls On GOP Candidates To Name Big Donors


Some excerpts :

WASHINGTON -- On a conference call with reporters this morning, Barack Obama's 2012 reelection campaign touted the their second-quarter fundraising numbers, the number of individual donors and amount of grassroots support for the campaign.

Campaign manager Jim Messina called the first weeks of the campaign, "a test of our grassroots strength, and the results are in." The reelection effort, he added, had 552,462 individual donors -- more than the total it received in all of 2007. Of those donors more than 260,000 were “completely new to the Obama organization.”

"This should end any Washington chatter on whether our grassroots base will be engaged," Messina added.

The fundraising numbers offered more than just a chance for the Obama re-election team to tout its enduring support and wide-ranging reach. It also gave them an opportunity to create contrasts with those in the Republican primary field.

"Given the lack of grassroots enthusiasm surrounding some of the Republican candidates, it will be interesting to see to what extent they rely on special interest and Washington lobbyists to fund their campaigns," said Obama's campaign press secretary Ben LaBolt, speaking on the same conference call as Messina.

The campaign also called out the Republican field for the current unwillingness to disclose "bundlers" -- big-time campaign fundraisers who raise and pool donations.

"Just like in 2007 and 2008, we will disclose the names of major fundraisers for the campaign on Friday when we file," said LaBolt. "Anyone who has raised over $50,000 for the campaign will be disclosed, just like they were in 2008. President [George W.] Bush disclosed his bundlers. None of the GOP candidates in the race have committed to disclosing their bundlers and they are all accepting donations from special interest PACs and Washington lobbyists."

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