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McCain Fund-Raising Falls Short Ronald Kessler Sen. John McCain is saying his presidential campaign will not meet its fundraising goals this quarter, and his campaign aides are claiming that Mitt Romney may wind up raising more. "We're going to pay a price for it because we got a late start," McCain told reporters in New Hampshire over the weekend. "We're not going to meet the goals we had." But later, McCain told reporters he did not know whether Romney would outpace him. His advisers did not downplay that possibility, but they also did not rule out finishing first. Because fund-raising is an indicator of future success, candidates prefer to downplay expectations about what the numbers might be. Figures for the quarter come out on April 15. A Romney spokesman said estimates run by the National Journal's March 24 Hotline that Romney would raise $30 million to $35 million during the quarter are "wildly inflated." Eric Fehrnstrom, Romney's traveling press secretary, told NewsMax, "Mitt's not a celebrity, and he hasn't run nationally before. We'll raise enough to run our campaign, but I doubt we'll finish ahead of the Big Two." Romney press spokesman Kevin Madden added, "It is universally accepted fact that fund-raising numbers should reflect the current standing in the polls and current level of name identification. Given that standard, astute political observers expect John McCain and Rudy Giuliani to lead the fund-raising pack in the GOP when first quarter money totals are released." Considering that he is not well-known by voters or contributors,"If Gov. Romney were to reach the $15 million threshold, that would be quite an achievement," Madden told NewsMax.
The Hotline said McCain is not likely to raise more than $30 million. In a Feb. 27 column, Dick Morris said McCain isn't raising the money he needs for his campaign.
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McCain told reporters in New Hampshire that his exploratory committee's opening in December and the rush of the busy holiday season did not allow his campaign to begin serious fund-raising until January. However, in part because of his Senate schedule, McCain attended only two fund-raisers in January and only two in February. Twenty are scheduled for this month, and another 20 in April. "These are moments, none of which at the end of the day impact winning the nomination," said John Weaver , McCain's chief strategist. "We're on track to do that. Every campaign would trade places with us. We wouldn't trade places with anyone else." Meanwhile, the Romney campaign recently hired Alan Philp, who was Jeb Bush's policy director, to be Romney's policy director. Former Republican National Committee Chairman Ken Mehlman told NewsMax that rumors he will join the Rudy Giuliani campaign are untrue. Mehlman, now with the law firm of Akin, Gump, Strauss, Hauer and Feld, said he is friends with all the candidates and will remain neutral. "I look forward to supporting the nominee," he said. "They are all good men."
Presidential Advice President Bush tried to discourage his daughter Jenna from doing her first book, a nonfiction account of an impoverished 17-year-old single mother in Panama who has HIV. The president's daughter met the young woman while interning with UNICEF. Her father warned Jenna that the media could tear her to pieces during her book tour, but the first twin was adamant about wanting to write Ana's Story: A Journey of Hope. Aimed at a teenage and young adult market, the book will be published by HarperCollins in the fall. The proceeds after expenses will be donated to UNICEF charities. Looking for a Few Good Cases The Justice Department's Civil Rights Division is looking for a few good cases to protect religious freedom. Under the Clinton administration, the department virtually ignored this area. Now the department is filing cases or friend-of-the-court briefs on behalf of high school students in Massachusetts who were suspended for handing out candy canes to other students with religious messages attached and against a school that opened its facilities to a range of community events but barred the Good News Club, a Christian organization that holds weekly religious lessons for children. The department also successfully stopped the city of Balch Springs, Tex., from barring seniors in a city-run center from praying before meals. From 2001 to 2006, the department reviewed 82 cases and opened 40 investigations in religious discrimination cases involving educational institutions alone. That compares with one review and no investigations from 1995 through 2000. The department asks the public to forward complaints to Eric.Treene@usdoj.gov.
Ronald Kessler is chief Washington correspondent of NewsMax.com. View his previous reports and get his dispatches sent to you free via e-mail - Go Here Now. © NewsMax 2007. All rights reserved.
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