15-Love: Team Obama




(image via smh)

Wow. We expected neither Team Obama nor Team Romney; here we are, however, at the end of 1Q for 2008 fundraising, and we have two unexpected breakout stars. From Ron Christie of TheHill, breaking down exactly what Obama's "win (the battle, not the war)" means:

"Senator Barack Obama solidified his position as the man with the momentum, money and excitement in the Democratic race for president with his staggering first-quarter filing. Senator Obama raked in $25 million in the first three months of this year — staggering when you consider he was a member of the obscure caucus in the Illinois state legislature just two years ago.

"Delving deeper into Obama’s donation disclosure should give those in Senator Clinton’s campaign a serious headache. Senator Clinton received contributions from 50,000 donors to Obama’s 100,000. In fact, Obama had 50,000 Internet donations alone.

"Moreover, 90 percent of Obama’s donations were $100 or less — people he can return to in the future for additional support. By contrast, much of the money raised by Senator Clinton appears to have come from big-dollar events where the donors gave the highest amount possible under campaign finance laws. Senator Clinton now has to scour for new donors and new sources of interest.

"Perhaps most revealing about Senator Obama’s first-quarter report is the amount in which he raised specifically for the Democratic primary. Of the $25 million he’s reported, $23.5 million is eligible to be spent in the primary. Senator Clinton, on the other hand, did not break down the amount of money she raised for the primary versus the general election. The distinction here is that Obama can focus all of these dollars on winning the Democratic presidential primary; Senator Clinton cannot spend funds collected for the general election unless, and only unless, she secures the nomination."

The full, fascinating post here. (Obamamania)