You know, there are just some things that look and sound ridiculous, even if you're obviously opinionated and obviously trying to make a point. This is one of them. John King looks like a fool with his touchy-feely screen while fantasizing about
April 5, 2011

You know, there are just some things that look and sound ridiculous, even if you're obviously opinionated and obviously trying to make a point. This is one of them. John King looks like a fool with his touchy-feely screen while fantasizing about what one billion dollars could do.

His reference to one billion dollars goes to the current meme about what the Obama campaign 2012 might end up spending. Of course, he forgets to note a few things, like the absence of corporate cash funneled through anonymous 501(c)(4) associations, and the DNC's announcement that they won't accept corporate funds for the convention. I also thought it was interesting that King chose red states' deficits as his comparison point for what that billion could do. Poor red states. They won't see much of that money.

But you know, one billion dollars is an insane amount of money to have to raise to keep ahead of the TeaBirchers' funding paths. As I write, I'm busily tracking over $5 million funneled through one public donor-advised fund to right-wing "policy" organizations. So while the Republicos want to make a big stinking deal out of the money spent by Obama's side of things, just remember they'll end up spending more between their secret money tunnels, their anonymous corporate donors' ad buys, and the inevitable stirring-up of the "angry base" by the Tea Party.

Reuters has a more cynical take:

Aides note the huge number of individual donors who gave to Obama’s campaign — a record 4 million. But only 25 percent of the money came from small donors who gave $200 or less, according to the non-partisan Campaign Finance Institute in Washington.

My response: True, but 68% gave $2,300 or less. Not exactly the big money, high-rolling donor base, is it?

Reuters continues:

Obama will inevitably lose many of the individual donors who backed him four years ago, said Anthony Corrado, a professor of government at Colby College and expert on campaign fundraising.

“That’s something that we’re not going to see this time around, that level of excitement about the Obama candidacy that we saw last time, from people who are not traditional donors or traditional Democratic primary voters,” he said.

Maybe. Maybe not. I think these folks are a little bit quick to write off the Democratic base, which may not be starry-eyed about their President but who might be white-hot furious over the Republicans' overreach since November, 2010.

We know what's at stake here. Whether President Obama has disappointed us or met expectations, he's a far sight better than the alternative. I don't know about you, but the idea of President Pawlenty gives me the heebie-jeebies. Vice-President TeaBircher doesn't do much for me either.

Let's just see how it all rolls out. In the meantime, John King's fantasy life is really best left off my TV screen.

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