by Paul West
Any day now, Barack Obama will become the first candidate to rake in more than half a billion dollars.
Money matters in elections, as John McCain was painfully reminded when he tried to watch pro football on TV last weekend.
"Every other ad was an attack ad on my health care plan," he complained.
That dollars fuel American politics is hardly breaking news. When George W. Bush took over the family business of running for president, his strategist, Karl Rove, predicted the new boss would wow the world with his fund-raising prowess.
Bush tapped an array of lucrative networks, starting with the cash machine his father painstakingly built over 15 years as a presidential candidate. On top of that, George W. piggybacked his own connections: associates in major league baseball, the oil business, Texas politics and a generation of baby boomers who had never been politically active before.
The result: Bush became far and away the most prolific campaign fundraiser in U.S. history. After a haul record of about $100 million, all in donations of $1,000 or less, Bush wound up in the Oval Office. Four years later, as an incumbent, he banked $259 million.
Obama has blown those records away, seemingly, overnight. He arrived on the national scene barely four years ago, roughly the same time he and his wife paid off their student loans.
Even more important than his jaw-dropping total is the way the money's being collected and spent.
Roughly half has come in donations of $200 or less, thanks to the maturing of the Internet. Obama's campaign relentlessly emails its donors, who number in the millions, asking for another $10 or $20 at a time. (As recently as Bill Clinton's 1992 presidential campaign, there was no email in politics, because it was not widely used yet.)
Obama is using his war chest to clobber McCain with TV and radio commercials, and the Republican has seemed helpless to respond.
According to a recent University of Wisconsin Advertising Project analysis, Obama has aired at least 50,000 more commercials than McCain. On Oct. 29, he'll become the first presidential candidate since Ross Perot in 1992 to run a half-hour, prime time infomercial on major TV networks.
Obama's success as a money magnet came at a steep price, at least in the eyes of reformers. He was the first presidential nominee to opt out of the public financing system, breaking a campaign promise in the process.
The public system, created in response to the Watergate scandal, was designed to contain the influence of big money in politics and level the playing field by limiting the nominees to the same overall amount of spending.
Obama's decision means he can spend unlimited amounts and is constrained only by limits on individual donations. And it's likely to become the norm.
"Every candidate will have to seriously consider" opting out in the future, said Frank Donatelli, deputy chairman of the Republican National Committee.
Top Republican officials, as well as some outside campaign finance specialists, had figured that McCain would be able to neutralize Obama's money advantage (by going private, ).
"We expected to be competitive," said Donatelli, estimating that the party will raise as much as $120 million for the national campaign.
Instead, Obama appears to be gaining the most lopsided financial advantage by a presidential candidate since Nixon's 1972 re-election.
The throw-weight of Obama's arsenal isn't the only difference. He also has a competitive edge when it comes to content.
A wave of new Republican attack ads, funded jointly with McCain's public dollars and private money raised with the RNC, are hampered by rules that force each "hybrid" commercial to target congressional Democrats along with Obama, a clumsy combination that dilutes the impact of the message.
Obama, by contrast, is free to focus his ads strictly on his opponent. Maintaining complete message control was one of the reasons his advisers gave for going private.
There were also predictions that Obama would be distracted by the need to solicit donations, at the cost of time better spent campaigning. But these days the Republican ticket seems at least as busy chasing private dough for the party's stretch drive.
The size of Obama's spending advantage won't be fully known until after the election, when final disclosure reports are filed. But the difference is increasingly obvious.
His campaign manager recently put a $39 million prize tag on Obama's effort in just one key state--Florida. By contrast, McCain has $85 million for the entire country, forcing difficult choices that are making it harder to close the gap in the polls.
When McCain complained about the deluge of Obama ads during that football game, he left out an important fact: He saw no ads at all for his own campaign.
He was in Virginia, one of a handful of states that could decide the election. For the better part of at least two weeks, McCain has run no ads in northern Virginia, a crucial battleground, while Obama has been saturating the airwaves.
Rove, in the latest electoral map on his web site, put Virginia into Obama's column and gave the Democrat a total of 313 electoral votes, well above the 270 needed to win.
If those numbers hold, two weeks from Tuesday, it will be due in no small measure to Obama's success in rewriting the fundraising playbook.
His chief strategist, David Axelrod, who would replace Rove as the nation's reigning political svengali, is enjoying the reversal of fortune for Democrats, who typically get outspent.
Awash in cash, "we've been able to do everything we wanted to do," he said.
Axelrod, a veteran of countless campaigns, was asked when the last time was that he found himself in that position.
"Never," he replied.
Comments
and thanks again, Trib, for inundating us with your brainwashing substitute for impartial journalism. Oh and by the way, I see you announced that this REPUBLICAN newspaper is endorsing B.O. the communist. I will NEVER buy another Tribune and buy any products that you advertise. Thank you for your impartiality and excellent journalism (sarcasm intended).
Posted by: Sheila | October 18, 2008 9:24 AM
Are they laughing at us from Kenya………watch this video from World Net Daily.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/index.php?fa=PAGE.view&pageId=78309
Posted by: Ann | October 18, 2008 9:30 AM
WSJ article on McCain cutting Medicare 1.3 billion bucks over ten years:
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB122315505846605217.html?mod=special_page_campaign2008_mostpop#printMode
Posted by: Osama Angry | October 18, 2008 9:37 AM
Iam one of those donors to Barack's campaign. Although I dont pay over $200 a month, I know the little I pay will make a big difference in Nov 4. Lets win this election at any cost to save our country from the divisive tactics the GOP is playing: Divide and rule!
Posted by: dave | October 18, 2008 10:18 AM
It' not all about money...the man is a genius. If he runs the country the same way he ran his campaign, then we as a country will reach the pinnacle one more time 'till the next Republican comes and tears it apart.
Posted by: jai | October 18, 2008 10:40 AM
Simple-
Middle East money-
Posted by: LOAM | October 18, 2008 11:03 AM
"If he runs the country the same way he ran his campaign, then we as a country will reach the pinnacle one more time 'till the next Republican comes and tears it apart."
Haha, that's much like saying "if that car salesman takes care of me the same way AFTER I buy that car the same way he did before"...
Obama is peddling his snake oil to the masses, and the ignorant optimism is astounding. The worst case of gullibility since the "duping" of sub-prime lendees. The majority of americans believe everything the media spoonfeeds them, and they will be sorely dissapointed under an Obama presidency. Obama has an agenda, and it's not the middle class, it's not America, it's his own ego fulfillment..
Posted by: gary | October 18, 2008 12:57 PM
People are already voting with their dollars. Most of Obama's money has been raised through his internet connections to individual voters. I have given money to a political campaign for the first time ever. After the nightmare of the last eight years, this is the most important election of our lives.
Posted by: jefflz | October 18, 2008 1:04 PM
While our style of government is a republic, not a democracy, we are an economic democracy - people "vote" with their dollars. And they're voting for Obama.
Posted by: BC | October 18, 2008 4:49 PM
Yep, the libs got more money this time using hate etc.
But it don't make for good platforms.
Voting for the old man.
Posted by: Lulu Zoe West | October 18, 2008 5:25 PM
I've seen command environments in the armed forces at the highest level and some of America's most--influential board rooms.
From the Cub Scouts to Microsoft to the Pentagon I have never seen a person as unqualified for command or leadership.
Oscar Wilde said there is only one thing worse than not getting what you want; getting it.
Obama and the left may be very close to understanding what Wilde meant.
Posted by: John Carpenter | October 18, 2008 6:18 PM
Do any of you wonder, as I do, just where Obama is getting all this money? Not the $200 donations, but the $200,000 donations. I also wonder who is pulling his strings. He has been in the U.S. congress for less than four years and has spent three of those years running for president. Who has "smoothed the way" for him? I wonder about these things.
Posted by: Bonnie | October 18, 2008 7:00 PM
The latest ad in Chicago is a killer:
McCain in his own words admitting he voted for Bush 90% of the time, juxtaposed against the line from Thursday's debate "I am not George Bush. If you wanted to run against George Bush you should have run 4 years ago."
Is this negative? No. Factual.
But it is LETHAL.
Posted by: ornery | October 18, 2008 8:23 PM
Obama broke his promise (he actually signed a document) that he would abide by the public funding act. Now he outspends John McCain by 800 percent. Why doesn't anyone seem to care about this. He, or those backing him, are buying his way into the White House. It doesn't matter that he does not have the experience to be president, maybe he can buy that, too.
Posted by: Bonnie | October 18, 2008 8:25 PM
Intelligence will trump experience anytime, anyplace. Obama will be sworn in as our 44th president of this great Republic in 94 days! whiteagle38
Posted by: R. Juneau | October 18, 2008 9:48 PM
Obama will never draw in a salary what he had to spend to get there. This guy is high maintenance, if he wins, in four years he'll be back for another half billion of your money because he will desire a second term. You're all on his doner rolodex and since he's going to give you all that big tax break you will have those checks ready in 2012.
Posted by: vla | October 18, 2008 11:42 PM
John C, I've seen few of those "command environments" in the last eight years that produced results like the Obama campaign staff. But I'm sure you'd prefer another inbred moron with "executive experience" like George Bush. Oooh, or maybe some corporate execs like the guys who bankrupted our economy would be a better choice? Um, thanks but I'll take my chances with "that one".
Posted by: Tom O | October 19, 2008 1:31 AM
Barack Sings: John McCain
(Purple Rain, Prince)
The Artist: WilliamBanzai7
I never meant to cause the GOP any sorrow.
I never meant to cause them any pain.
I only wanted to give Americans hope for tommorrow
And while I'm at it get them laughing at that clown McCain
John McCain, John McCain
Vote for him for more of the same
John McCain, or is it John McSame
I only want to see you laughing at that clown McCain.
I never wanted you to be a full time DNC lover.
I only wanted you to be some kind of independent friend.
Baby I could never steal you from another.
It will be such a sham if we get 4 more years of the Neocon insane
John McCain, John McCain
A vote for him is a vote for more of the same
John McCain, or is it John McSame
I just don't want to see Americans suffering underneath that clown McCain
"My friends" you know, you know, you know times are changing.
It's time we all reach out for something new,
That means you too.
You say you want a charismatic leader,
But you can't seem to make up your mind.
I think you better open it,
And let me guide you from the people without brains.
John McCain, John McCain
Hes a man without brains
John McCain, or is it John McSame
If you know what I'm singing about up here.
C'mon raise your hand.
John McCain, John McCain
Vote for him for more of the same
John McCain, or is it John McSame
I only want to see us, only want to see us
lead by someone whose got brains
Posted by: williambanzai7 | October 23, 2008 2:31 AM