Today's installment of campaign-related news items that won't necessarily generate a post of their own, but may be of interest to political observers:
* Both President Obama and Mitt Romney return to the campaign trail today, with scheduled events in Nevada and California. Obama's team, meanwhile, will keep ads off Colorado airwaves for the rest of the week.
* Priorities USA Action, the main pro-Obama super PAC, raised $6 million in June -- less than a third of the haul collected by Restore Our Future, the main pro-Romney super PAC, which raised $20.7 million in June.
* One of the more interesting ads of the month comes by way of Sen. Claire McCaskill (D-Mo.), who launched this spot in the hopes of elevating Rep. Todd Akin (R), whom she sees as the weakest GOP candidate in running against her.
* Speaking of Missouri, the Democratic Governors Association is investing another $500,000 in support of incumbent Gov. Jay Nixon (D), who is favored to win a second term.
* How bad are things for the California Republican Party? It's in danger of shrinking to the rank of a minor party.
* In New Jersey, the latest Quinnipiac poll shows Obama leading Romney by 11 points, and Sen. Bob Menendez (D) leading his GOP challenger by 13 points.
* In a Washington Post op-ed, former Florida Gov. Charlie Crist condemns "zealots" who are "overreacting to contrived threats of voter fraud by significantly narrowing the voting pool."
* And in an unexpected twist, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) apparently supports Sen. Joe Manchin's (D-W.Va.) re-election bid, and has donated $250 to the conservative Democrat's campaign.
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How bad are things for the California Republican Party? It's in danger of shrinking to the rank of a minor party.
Yeah, even the Xtian Right nutbags up in Porter Ranch, the last bastion of wingnut Republicanism in the San Fernando Valley are quieting down. It's a good look at what will happen over the next 20 years to the national Republican Party as it follows its anti-immigrant, anti-intellectual bent. This is all the result of Wilson and Prop 187 18 years ago. It's really nice living in what is nearly a Republican-free state. I'm only reminded they still exist once a month when I go out to the air museum in Chino. What a change from 45 years ago when I first came to Los Angeles and it was run by a fascist moron like Sam Yorty, and the John Birchers ran what we called Orangutang County. Hell, even the LAPD isn't that much a bunch of jackbooted thugs anymore.
And in an unexpected twist, Sen. Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) apparently supports Sen. Joe Manchin's (R-W.Va.) re-election bid, and has donated $250 to the conservative Democrat's campaign.
Fixed it (Manchin's political ID) - why wouldn't one conservative Republican support another one?
I think the more glaring issue is the lack of funds for the Obama reelection campaign. Of course with the "Citizens United" ruling, any thoughts that these elections would be won on little more than money and the whims of the Romney billionaire cabal, is illusory. The only way Obama can compete is to get lots of money by calling modifying the tactics he used in the last election season.
Obama needs to do whatever he can to call in the big guns. The billionaires have expressed their desire to have a greater participation in government, what ever that means. And they will do anything possible to get Romney elected even if he were an alien from Mars, it would be explained and rationalized. Mars would suddenly retroactively become a U.S. colony?? :) That is how high stakes presidential politics work, and Obama's core arsenal is money.
The Obama folks better start pulling all and every stop now. Romney has little to offer in the way of substance so I am certain the elections will be about pounding the public with lies and fear. Unless of course, Obama can get substantial funding to enable him get his message across to the populace.
http://blackrepublicanandmyworldview.wordpress.com/2012/07/19/running-on-fear-the-tale-of-the-2012-elections/
@Benevolent
While I agree with your statements - when I'm feeling pessimistic - there is more to a campaign than $$.
If the Obama campaign can put out a strong message - using the funds available, if President Obama can make strong arguments during the debates, and if the Obama campaign can get out the vote - especially in States with new restrictive voter ID laws - then the money difference will be less important.
I also think that Harry Reid's statement on C-Span (copied from transcript on NPR.org) is important:
Yes - I know - lots of IF's.
* Priorities USA Action, the main pro-Obama super PAC, raised $6 million in June -- less than a third of the haul collected by Restore Our Future, the main pro-Romney super PAC, which raised $20.7 million in June.
Well no matter how much you spend advertising a bad product you won't be able to sell it. -- Harvey Weinstein who says he spent as much on publicity for The Artist as for his The Idiot Brother.
Guess who that is in this campaign?