Obama Raised $52 Million last month

Democrat Barack Obama raised $52 million last month for his presidential campaign, more than twice as much as Republican rival John McCain in a significant boost to his financial cache for the fall contest. The Obama campaign and the Democratic National Committee ended June with a combined total of $92.3 million in the bank. The figure represents a notable fundraising jump, especially for the DNC. Obama reported $72 million cash on hand and the DNC $20.3 million. But the Democrats still lag Republican John McCain’s presidential campaign and the Republican Party. Last week, McCain reported raising more than $22 million in June, which was his best month of the year. Together, the McCain campaign and the Republican National Committee began July with about $95 million in the bank.

The reason for the discrepancy, greater fundraising by Obama and the DNC but less money in the bank than McCain and the GOP, is because until now the DNC had spent much of its money, leaving little cash on hand.

New Strategies Reshape Public Policy

You probably haven’t heard the name Tim Gill, and that’s just the way he wants it. Carrie Earll, Senior Director of Issues Analysis for Focus on the Family explains, “Tim Gill is stealth. He’s under the radar. When he goes after a candidate he doesn’t make homosexuality the issue. He picks something else because he knows the issue of homosexuality is still risky among the electorate.” A Colorado native, Gill still calls Denver home. He made his millions in the 80s and 90s as the founder of the publishing software giant Quark, but in 2000, he moved to full-time philanthropy. Gill favors giving to main-stream charities like the Denver Aquarium. He ties the money to so-called “non-discrimination” policies and establishes himself as a community pillar. But it’s in the area of politics where his giving is starting to get the most attention.

McCain Meets Billy Graham

Republican presidential nominee John McCain had the chance to pray with an old acquaintance of his family on Sunday. He met privately with Billy Graham and his son Franklin at Graham’s home in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina. The three men met for almost an hour. It was McCain’s first time to meet the evangelist. The elder Graham had prayed with McCain’s parents twice while John was being held as a prisoner of war in Hanoi during the Vietnam War. Franklin Graham said his father “expressed gratitude for the senator’s long and brave service” to the country. McCain has been trying to court the religious and conservative vote, but he insists the meeting wasn’t a political one. “They have known my family and me for many years, and the great leaders of this nation,” McCain said. “I appreciate the opportunity to visit with him and am very grateful for the time they spent with me.”