Seven more state results are in. Despite having been the strongest fund raiser, Dr. Dean hasn’t done well. In Oklahoma and South Carolina Dean, to use Senator Liberman’s terminology, finished at the bottom of a three-way tie for third.
So what in the world has he done with all his money? David Bernstein provides insight by contrasting Dean’s spending with Senator Kerry’s:
One strategic difference can be seen in the salaries. Both campaigns spent roughly $1.8 million on staff salaries in the three months, but Dean relied heavily on a handful of campaign leaders and a large number of low-paid staff. Kerry hired a couple dozen experienced, high-paid middle-management staff, and spread them out.
Aside from Trippi, only four Dean people were earning more than $5,000 a month; the national finance director, the New Hampshire coordinator, and two deputy campaign managers. Kerry had 13 making at least that. Perhaps the most important comparison: Kerry�s Iowa director, John Norris, was paid $9,170 a month; Dean�s, Jeannie Murray, earned barely half that salary.
One of Dean�s $5,000+ deputy campaign managers, Andrea Pringle, joined the Dean staff just last August. Pringle is a partner at Whistle Stop Communications, which specializes in direct mail. Her influence may help explain why the campaign spent $2.6 million on direct mail from October through December — including more than $900,000 paid to Whistle Stop. Kerry spent just $500,000 on direct mail over the same period.
The two campaigns spent pretty evenly on travel and lodging, but Dean�s campaign became increasingly event-oriented. The campaign spent roughly $900,000 on event costs — three times as much as Kerry. (This included a $48,000 holiday party at Davio�s in Boston in December.)
Technology — the trademark of Trippi�s young, hip, Internet-driven campaign — swallowed up another $900,000. Kerry spent just $100,000.
Of course, Trippi made sure to spend plenty on advertising as well — after all, like most campaign managers, he was paid by commission on ad buys. Of the $5.1 million Dean spent on media for the three months (Kerry spent $3.9 million), almost $4.5 million was bought through Trippi�s agency. At Trippi�s fifteen percent commission (revealed after he was fired), that meant he was personally making close to $200,000 a month. That figure certainly increased in January — giving Trippi a nice windfall of commissions to cushion the blow of losing the actual campaign.
Guess we needn’t shed too many tears for Trippi. Blog for America is great and all, but $900,000? Reading stuff like this almost gives one the impression Dean has blown a lot of money or something.