2011 Essays

What Obama's Fundraising Advantage Means

Mitchell, Lincoln A.

Despite President Obama's latest poll numbers showing that his approval rating lags behind his disapproval rating by a roughly seven points, the numbers are not all bad for Obama. A more significant indicator, at this time, is that the President has raised more money than all of his opponents combined. Similarly, all of the Republican candidates lag far behind where both candidates Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton were at a similar time in 2007. This means that, unless something substantial changes during the next few months, as the primary election approaches, the most visible candidate on television and in other advertising media as primaries and caucuses approach in Iowa, New Hampshire and other early states will not be Mitt Romney, Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry or some other Republican. Instead it will be Obama who has enough money now to match all of these candidates commercial for commercial and phone bank for phone bank. Obama will have the resources to defend in the face of a Republican primary campaign which, as things look now, will likely devolve into a contest to see who can portray President Obama in the worst light.