Dueling Campaign Swag

Days Until Bush Leaves Office = 300

We're still weeks away from the next primary, but the Clinton and Obama campaigns aren't taking any time off, to judge by what's been hitting my inbox this week.

As you might well guess, fund raising has been high on the docket for both candidates since the last round of contests on March 4, with both camps ratcheting up the frequency and urgency of their appeals for contributions to fund the (endlessly) on-going nomination race. Today, however, ushers in a new level of inducement from both Clinton and Obama.

First came an email from the Obama campaign offering four contributors a dinner with the candidate in exchange for a contribution. Call it "Party of Five" meets Powerball:

"Some of Barack's favorite moments of the campaign have been opportunities to meet and talk with the most important donors to this campaign: ordinary Americans just like you.

You've heard about all of these political fundraising dinners, hosted by Washington lobbyists and filled with representatives of special interests.

Contributions like these are at the root of what's wrong with politics. And John McCain and Hillary Clinton have built campaigns fueled by them.

But our campaign is different.

In February alone, more than 94% of our donors gave in amounts of $200 or less. Meanwhile, campaign finance reports show that donations of $200 or less make up just 13% of Senator McCain's total campaign funds, and only 26% of Senator Clinton's.

Our funding comes from a movement of more than one million people giving whatever they can afford.

And in the next week, four supporters will be selected for a new kind of fundraising dinner.

Make a donation in any amount between now and 11:59 pm EDT on Monday, March 31st, and you could join Barack and three other supporters for an intimate dinner for five.

We're reserving two of those seats for previous donors like you. Make your donation now:

https://donate.barackobama.com/dinner

This movement is changing the way campaigns are funded.

More than one million individual donors have demonstrated that this election is about more than a candidate -- it's about each of us having a personal stake in the future of American politics.

Meanwhile, Senator McCain has raised more than 70% of his total campaign funds from high-dollar donors giving $1,000 or more. Senator Clinton has raised 60% of her funds from $1,000-and-up donors. And both Senator McCain and Senator Clinton have accepted millions of dollars from Washington lobbyists and special interest PACs.

Refusing to accept donations from lobbyists and special interests has allowed this campaign to answer only to ordinary Americans like you. And this dinner will be an opportunity for you to sit down with Barack and your fellow supporters and talk about the issues that matter in your life and in your community.

Get the kind of treatment that John McCain and Hillary Clinton reserve for special interests -- make a donation in the next week, and you could share your story and your ideas with Barack in person:

https://donate.barackobama.com/dinner

With every single donation, we're building a movement to change American politics. Help the movement grow, and own a piece of this campaign today.

Thanks for your support,

David

David Plouffe
Campaign Manager
Obama for America"

For those with no appetite for the Obama campaign's offer of a seat at the table with their candidate during a group dinner date, the Clinton campaign sent out an email a little while later soliciting cash in exchange for a round-trip to New York and a one-night stand with their candidate:

"Contribute today and you could see Hillary and Elton. In the interest of harmony -- and melody -- I promise you there won't be any duets.

I'm really looking forward to the solo concert my friend Elton John is throwing in New York to help our campaign -- and I would very much like the chance to meet you there.

We're sending two supporters, along with their guests, to New York with VIP tickets for this very special, one-night-only concert on April 9, and it could be you. We will have a chance to talk just you and I -- and you will get to meet Elton John at the party we're throwing afterwards. It's going to be a great night.

Your support is so important to my campaign right now. As we ramp up our campaign in Pennsylvania, I need your help to make sure we have the resources we need to win. If you enter, you and I might see each other in New York on April 9. Make a contribution today.

Enter now for a chance to join me at Elton's solo concert in New York on April 9.

Elton's concert comes at such an exciting moment in our campaign. I'm seeing incredible enthusiasm as I travel across Pennsylvania and other states with upcoming contests.

We've got momentum at our backs, but a big task ahead of us. The Obama campaign is in the middle of a $3 million ad blitz in Pennsylvania, and we've got to do everything we can to overcome their fundraising advantage. Then we face competitive contests in Indiana, North Carolina, West Virginia, Kentucky, Oregon, and Puerto Rico -- and we are already getting started in those states.

There's no better time to support our campaign, and no better way to do it than to make a contribution. And if you enter today, you may join me and Elton for a one-of-a-kind concert.

Enter now for a chance to join me at Elton's solo concert in New York on April 9.

Thank you so much for all your support. I hope you know how much you mean to me and my campaign.

Sincerely,

Hillary"

B-B-B-Benny and the (New York) Jets, perhaps? You know I read it a mag-a-zay-een...

Both offers are pretty amusing, and there's plenty of contrast between the two grand prizes to remark upon. But we will refrain from over-analyzing; this page is, after all, a political blog, not Vanity Fair.

But, if you're Vanity Fair, that doesn't mean we're not interested...