| An analysis of the two presidential campaigns' spending habits makes it clear that Barack Obama and John McCain are running two different campaigns, an article from Bloomberg shows. The Obama campaign has spent significantly more on staff salaries that the McCain campaign has. Obama's campaign had a June payroll of $2.3 million. McCain spent around $725,000 on staff salaries during June which is even less than the $935,000 Hillary Clinton, who exited the race on June 5, spent. The McCain ground game at this point seems to be severely lacking the resources it will need. Obama is investing in staffers all across America ... even in states where he has little chance to win electoral votes. In past elections, this might be deemed a mistake. Not this year though. Obama has the financial resources to place staffers across the nation and his campaign is very smart to do so. This election is not just about electing Barack Obama (though, obviously, that is the principle goal). This year we have the opportunity to build a true governing majority that will enable Democrats to bring real progress. The fact that Barack Obama has staffers in traditionally red states does not necessarily help him win the presidency, but it will make him a more effective leader if he does in fact become president. Obama may not immediately see a return on his investment in deep red states but those who criticize his spending are missing the big picture: a year like 2008 doesn't come around often. We would be fools not to try to seize this opportunity to build a governing majority that could last a generation. |
