A small post today. There may be more coming this afternoon, but I have (gasp) actual work that I have to do today. A Reminder:Dean's going to be online for a chat at washingtonpost.com. I wrote a question in yesterday regarding his recent comments concerning his "Southern Strategy." If he answers it, I'll let you know.
Only one link today. A Washington Post piece on Dean and his flirting with the idea of eschewing federal matching funds and thus lifting federaly-mandated campaign spending caps. I think there are only gains to be had if he forgoes the federal matching funds. Remember, if Dean does manage to get the nomination (a fight that's proving as bloody and expensive as any in recent memory) he'll have to face a virtually unscathed, popular president with a truckload of available cash and untapped reserves that we can't even fathom. Plus, he's got Karl Rove, Diabolical Genius at his disposal. While there are potential gains to be made in accepting the caps and forcing Campaign Fiance Reform on the table, the pitfalls in such a strategy are numerous. For one, I don't think Campaign Finance Reform is going to play a major role in the upcoming campaign, no matter what one candidate does. Second, any political hay Dean manages to make out of accepting spending caps will be significantly outweighed by the inferior financial position he'll place himself in as compared to Bush. Dean's going to need money, money and more money if he ever hopes to compete in November. And it will prove vital that he's unencumbered in his spending.
Peace & Love,
Tony
