Tuesday, February 10, 2004

Money Money Money

There was some talk a few months back that liberal interest groups might be able to raise enough money to, cumulatively, match the fundraising power of the Republicans in 2004. Pandagon has the scoop from The Hill that suggests that that scenario was a bit rosy.

Now, one positive in John Kerry's favor is that he decided to forego matching funds so he won't be subject to the spending limits those funds impose. However, that only helps him if he can hope to achieve the kind of fundraising success that Howard Dean was having. The Anybody-But-Bush feeling within the Democratic rank-n-file might help him get part of the way there, but Dean's success was not simply a result of his innovative fundraising strategy but also a direct result of his message.

Put another way, I have my doubts that Kerry can inspire Democrats enough to raise $700,000 in a single day from small donors the way Dean did a couple of days back. Let alone the $100-from-two-million plan that Joe Trippi envisioned.

If Kerry can't raise the kind of money to challenge the inevitable smears that are coming down the pike then being able to bypass those spending limits won't mean bupkiss.

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