WP: Fundraising Specialists, Independent Groups Gain (Campaign Finance)

[kskiska]

The McCain-Feingold campaign finance law affirmed by the Supreme Court locks in place the Republican Party's fundraising advantage over the Democrats and could hasten what partisans and election experts see as a major transformation of the political system.

The Democrats "are going to be in trouble," said Gary Jacobson, a University of California at San Diego political scientist and an expert on money and politics. Unless the party develops new sources of cash to replace now-banned "soft money," "they are going to be at a major disadvantage."

Rep. Thomas M. Reynolds (N.Y.), chairman of the National Republican Congressional Committee, was blunter: "Today's ruling breaks the Democrats' back."

But although the law gives an advantage to the GOP because of its ability to raise still-legal smaller contributions known as "hard money," a number of strategists believe both parties will be weakened in the long run. And the role of "independent" groups acting in behalf of Republican or Democratic candidates, some of which are not required to disclose donors or expenditures, will grow.

more…
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54469-2003Dec10.html

[pinto]

1. oh, misread it, I thought it said

Fundraising Socialists Gain Independence, Finance Campaign

[hedda_foil]

2. Hmmm ... Joe Trippi, you're a genius!

You and moveon.org.

The DLC can scream and howl all they like and Terry Mac can pretend that he's a power broker, but campaign finance reform actually gave us our chance to put our own dollars together for the candidate of our choice ... not of the corporations who gave them their big bucks.

Certainly the DNC can't raise the kind of hard money that's needed to take on the Bushbuckmobile. They have no idea how to get the base committed because they're about nothing but marketing. They have no idea how to be responsive to their voters ... or even that they should be.

But Dean and Trippi (and we) can match Bush's bucks and put even more and more highly motivated (unpaid) troops on the ground day after day after day whenever and wherever they're needed.

Meanwhile, moveon and a couple of other groups have got their acts and their (and soros' dollars) together to make incredibly hard-hitting ads. One of the most recent moveon ads actually decreased Bush support by 4% with just one ad. The unions are on the ball, have money to spend on ads and getting out the vote and are incredibly motivated too.

Plus, we've got thousands of experienced researchers and Bush-watchers all over the country who have the ability to tell exactly what Rove and Bush and the gang are doing and how to protect our guy's back.

The DLC doesn't just have no message and no clue ... they have no way at all of raising the kind of money that's needed to even begin to run this campaign.

None of our other candidates has any way to do it either. The $2,000 per person limit means that no Democrat can come anywhere near the bankroll that's needed to fight this campaign through big buck donors like Bush can.

But we've got to get through this primary season quickly and without killing each other because the general election money doesn't kick in until mid-July. We need to match Bush's $200 million from now until then and the more we spend as Democrats to get one of ours nominated the less there will be for the big fight between now and the formal nomination.

The convention in and of itself means nothing. The general election campaign has already started and will only intensify as our candidate emerges.

Dean and Trippi know this as well as they know their own wives (maybe better right now). Most of Dean's suporters know it too. Most of the other candidates and their supporters are having a lot of trouble with the most important part of the equation.

And CFR is one of the main reasons why. The game has changed but the players who play by the rules of yesterday's conventional wisdom don't quite get it yet. Their business has changed and they don't have the flexibility to mold shape it for all of today's needs because they don't quite get what those needs are or what their "product" needs to be, much less how to finance and sell it in George Bush's America. I don't think Rove does either ... though he's doing better than the twittering Dem consultants who are still trying to play by Clinton's rules (that never worked for anyone but Clinton, and probably aren't the reason he won in the first place).

Thank God Dean and Trippi figured it out because their strategy is the only prayer we've got just from a technical point of view.

And no, none of us are supporting Dean because his technicals are better. But they ARE the price of admission to what will be the most punishing race in our history.

[Eloriel]

3. I love it when you talk

politics

:-)

[dusty64]

4. Is this rightwing spin?

If it breaks the Democrats back why were the loudest cries from the rightwing yesterday. I'm confused.

[bushisanidiot]

5. It IS Right Wing Spin

It's assuming quite a bit. That most rich people who donate to campaigns are repuke and they will donate the max and that there are more of these rich repukes than there are middle class dems who will give 1/2 or 1/4 the max. Personally, I believe there are more liberal voters in this country (see election 2000) and that we will have the benefit in the long run. The repukes don't have a campaign with out corporate donations. We outnumber them greatly in voter rolls and they only way they can win is to purge voters from the rolls (see election 2000) or use rigged Diebold voting machines.

They know it's not the money that counts. It's who counts the votes.