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Obama can’t help Clinton’s debt

Dan Grech Aug 8, 2008
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Obama can’t help Clinton’s debt

Dan Grech Aug 8, 2008
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TEXT OF STORY

Scott Jagow: Hillary Clinton is in Nevada today, campaigning for Barack Obama. She promised she would do this. But Obama vowed to help Clinton erase her campaign debt. Dan Grech looks at how that’s going.


Dan Grech: Remember this appeal by Barack Obama on behalf of Hillary Clinton last month?

Senator Barack Obama: Senator Clinton still has some debt. There are many supporters of mine here who have not yet given something to help her retire that debt.

At last count, Obama supporters had come up with less than $100,000. Massie Ritsch with the Center for Responsive Politics explains why it’s been a tough sell:

Massie Ritsch: Hillary Clinton is like a furniture store that’s having a going out of business sale, but all its merchandise is gone. There’s nothing for people to buy.

Clinton owes more than $20 million. More than half of that is money she lent to herself. Then there’s this cruel irony for Clinton:

Ritsch: Clinton has almost exactly what she owes that she raised toward the general election. The problem is that if those people had already maxed out in the primary, she can’t touch their money. She has to return it.

Obama just has to hope Clinton isn’t thinking about that while she stumps on his behalf.

I’m Dan Grech for Marketplace.

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