Search Salon

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Recently in Salon News

The kingmaker speaks
Pat Choate, the man behind the strategy to craft a left-right-center coalition with Pat Buchanan out front, reveals the plan to seize the White House next year.
By Fred Branfman and David Weir
[11/11/99]

Follow the soft money
A new ad featuring Hillary Rodham Clinton marks the beginning of what will likely be a long season of soft-money spending.
By Anthony York
[11/10/99]

Gore's premature obituary
The media hyped the vice president's dip in the polls over the summer, but ignored his resurgence in the past month.
By Eric Boehlert
[11/10/99]

Bill Bradley: Al Gore's debate coach
The vice president may call his main opponent a "bad Democrat." But Bradley helped Gore prep for the most celebrated debates of his career.
By Jake Tapper
[11/10/99]

Choice or corruption?
Mexico's PRI holds its first-ever primary and -- surprise! -- the insider candidate wins.
By Scarlet Pruitt
[11/10/99]

Complete archives for News

- - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - -

"Maxing out" refers to the $1,000 individual campaign contribution to candidates allowed under federal law. However, instead of going just to top contributors, the e-mail went to everyone who had registered on Forbes' Web site.

"Well, we wish that [all of the e-mail recipients "maxing out"] was true -- but in many cases it wasn't," wrote campaign webmaster Rick Segal in a follow-up e-mail Wednesday night. Puzzled recipients had alerted Segal to the problem. "When I opened up my in box this morning," the second e-mail read, "I was swamped with messages notifying me that all was not well in cyberspace." Though the original message was signed, "Cordially, Steve Forbes," Segal accepted full responsibility for the gaffe.

Thursday afternoon, Segal was still did not know how many people had received the erroneous e-mail. "Suffice it to say it received very wide distribution."

Though recipients' reaction to the glitch, according to Segal, was confused but friendly, he was eager to tell supporters that the message was not a ham-handed hint to send more funds. "We are very grateful for any support you give the campaign," Segal wrote.

Ironically, billionaire Forbes could use the money. According to the Federal Election Commission, though the $20 million Forbes has raised puts him behind only George W. Bush and Al Gore, he has already spent more than 90 percent of his war chest.

Among the Republican contenders, only lightweights Gary Bauer and Alan Keyes have spent a bigger chunk of their assets. Despite his spending, Forbes' poll numbers routinely hover in the single digits. Luckily for Forbes, the candidate himself is underwriting most of the uphill presidential quest, having donated $16 million to his campaign thus far.

On the Democratic side, another presidential hopeful is having more luck using e-mail. Bill Bradley slammed Al Gore's health-care commercial just hours after it orginally appeared on the vice president's Web site on Wednesday by circulating an e-mail accusing Gore of copying the former senator's ideas about health-care reform in the new spot.
salon.com | Nov. 11, 1999

- - - - - - - - - - - -

- - - - - - - - - - - -

  Get a printer-friendly version

  E-mail a friend about this article

  Backflip this article to find it again

- - - - - - - - - - - -

Search Salon