More Money, More... Money

This has been the week of finance reports from the first quarter so far, and there's been numbers to marvel at. However, I would like, for a minute, to talk about what it all means.

Hillary Clinton whipped everyone, as was expected. She did it by raising $26 million dollars, which is unfathomable. Really, for a minute, I challenge you to consider that number, and how large it is. Watch, I'll write it out: $26,000,000.00 — that's ridiculous. In considering that, you may also consider that she had a vast, established network to draw upon for that action, and she obviously used it well. I am positive that a guy named Bill also helped her with raising some of those dollars.

Now consider Mitt Romney's $23 million. He has come out of nowhere to seize the mantle of chief GOP moneyman while barely being outside the margin of error on most polls. Where did it come from? How did he do it? Did he wring his entire list for all they were worth, leaving him with an unsustainable pace for the second quarter? I know for sure that Romney's money changed the entire dynamic of the GOP race, and he is already making headway in some polls because of it. If his fundraising successes were to be rated on eBay, for instance, it would look something like this:

THANK YOU VERY FAST SHIPPING AAA+++ EBAYER BETTER THAN I EXPECTED

Trust me on that. I am very serious about it. Romney may not be able to keep it up forever, but his Money Win in the first quarter is huge news, and has had an obvious effect on the other candidates, most of all McCain. The media have speculated that a big chunk of his money has come from Mormons, and I suppose that may end up being noteworthy — while likely not as politically formidable, it is certainly an established network similar to the one Clinton drew on.

Now, as a final step, consider Barack Obama's $25 million. He was in the US Senate for a scant 2 years, at the 2000 Democratic Convention he was essentially broke and had very little influence, and his first quarter report includes 100,000 donors, with $23,500,000 dedicated to the primary. He raised almost $7,000,000 online. He did it all without the benefit of a political legacy, an established nationwide network, or even a relatively considerable amount of political experience. He would like you to know that he is serious, and he is coming for you.

There were other remarkable figures, if not the kind that blow your socks off. Richardson raised a respectable $6 million, and Dodd raised $4 million. As I said before, this is plenty of money to keep the operation rolling but it doesn't make them competitive in more than a few major primary markets when you start talking about media buys — as a for instance, Romney is already making media buys in Iowa. That should scare everyone. Brownback raised $1.9 million, which is not nothing when you consider that more or less no one knows who he is.

Mike Huckabee seemed to be the alternative for conservatives who were tired of McCain, didn't trust Giuliani, and had no use for Mitt, but he embarrassed himself by only raising $500,000. That is not enough to keep the jet in the air, and is barely enough to hang around for one more quarter.

As for who the Democrat money totals benefit most, I happen to believe John Edwards will be the guy who comes out on top. Since Obama and Clinton have so very much money, they will get locked into a struggle in which they spend it all beating up on each other. Clinton has to get a little paranoid now that Obama has shown what he can do. A regular question recently has been about whether Obama has enough of an organization, or if it is sharp enough. If this proves his organization is mighty, Clinton has a major problem. If his organization is still in development, and he still managed to raise this kind of money, Clinton has a major problem.

This essentially means that Edwards can spend his money making policy statements, raising his profile even more, putting out commentary on Clinton and Obama, and raising more money. He will probably have to spend less money defending himself than anyone else in the top tier and can instead spend it proactively.

Everyone should fear the juggernauts, though. Especially the juggernauts. Clinton's pace won't drop off. Romney and Obama's may, but you don't usually get that far without some larger plan. I'm still having a hard time wrapping my brain around the sheer amounts of money. It is encouraging to see Democrats outraising Republicans, but for the foreseeable future, more money (and more guesswork) will continue to drive the political news.