The Sunshine Empire

In the pre-season period to the beginning of the General election run which will commence with the National Conventions in August and September, there hasn’t been much to comment about.  But today brings us the political news that Barack Obama’s campaign brought in $52 million this past month, dwarfing the haul that Senator John McCain brought in.  Yet herein lies the kicker.  Although the two Democratic Congressional campaign committees and the presumptive Democratic Presidential nominee have vastly out raised their Republican counterparts, the Republican National Committee has vastly out raised the Democratic National Committee.

Now since Obama clinched the nomination he has taken over the party apparatus, as every non-incumbent nominee does at this point in the process.  His money men have shown great prowess in raking in the campaign cash, and if they do not the Obama campaign’s expectation of having a decided advantage will dry up as the RNC dumps millions into ad buys the cash strapped McCain campaign will be unable to do.  It may turn out that Obama did not refuse public financing in the general election out of a game for a huge advantage as merely leveling the playing field against the RNC.

Now I can only blame Howard Dean for the disappointing fund raising numbers from his organization even considering the horrible condition of the Republican brand.  But his insight into developing the 50 strategy in 2006 should not be discounted.  But on CNN every morning I see more McCain ads on by and large as opposed to Obama ads.  But I live in Florida and I don’t think the Obama people have much of an expectation here.

But polls seem to be able to give the supporters of every single candidate some glimmer of expectation.  Newsweek has Obama and McCain basically tied a week after saying that they were on their way to a landslide election of epic proportions.  Which one to believe?