Obama's campaign team denies donations are slowing

A young passerby points to a mural by artist Ron English composed of a series of portraits that are a combination of the faces of Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama and former US president Abraham Lincoln in Boston, Massachusetts, yesterday. Photograph: Reuters/Brian Snyder

US: BARACK OBAMA'S campaign has dismissed reports that its fundraising is slowing down after John McCain announced his biggest monthly haul to date, taking in $22 million (€13.8 million) in June.

Combined with the Republican National Committee (RNC), Mr McCain now has $95 million cash on hand and Republicans say they are on track to raise a total of $400 million before November's election.

Mr Obama, who hopes to raise a total of $450 million with the Democratic National Committee, has yet to release his June fundraising total but his campaign denied reports that the figure was "underwhelming".

One newspaper report suggested that Mr Obama raised $30 million in June - about $20 million less than most estimates suggest he needs to remain on course to reach his fundraising goal.

Among the challenges Mr Obama's fundraisers face is limited enthusiasm for the candidate among former backers of Hillary Clinton, some of whom want Mr Obama to offer more help in paying off his former rival's campaign debt.

Internet donations are also reported to have slowed down, partly because the end of the primary battle removed some excitement from the race but also because of disquiet among grassroots supporters over Mr Obama's apparent shift to the right in recent weeks.

Mr Obama and Mr McCain yesterday clashed over energy policy, with the Democrat suggesting that, after 26 years in Washington, his Republican rival is partly to blame for soaring fuel prices.

"In that time he has achieved little to help reduce our dependence on foreign oil. He's voted against raising our fuel mileage standards and joined George Bush in opposing legislation twice in the last year that included tax credits for more efficient cars.

"He's voted against alternative sources of energy. Against clean biofuels. Against solar power. Against wind power. Against an energy bill that represented the largest investment in renewable sources of energy in the history of this country," Mr Obama told an audience in Dayton, Ohio.

Mr McCain's campaign countered that, while the Republican supports such options as allowing offshore oil exploration and increasing use of nuclear power, the Democrat opposes them.

"The difference is Obama's 'Dr No' approach believes that every energy source has a problem and John McCain believes that every energy source can be part of the solution Americans need right now," spokesman Tucker Bounds said.

Mr Obama yesterday defended his suggestion earlier this week that, as well as urging immigrants to learn English, Americans should learn foreign languages.

"We should want our children with more knowledge. We should want our children to have more skills. There's nothing wrong with that. That's a good thing. I know, because I don't speak a foreign language. It's embarrassing," Mr Obama said.

Conservative talk show hosts accused Mr Obama of attempting to force Americans to learn Spanish after he spoke about the value of learning foreign languages during an appearance in Georgia. "I agree that immigrants should learn English. But instead of worrying about whether immigrants can learn English - they'll learn English - you need to make sure your child can speak Spanish," he said.

© 2008 The Irish Times

This article appears in the print edition of the Irish Times