On Thursday, August 24, the Federal Government will write a check to John McCain for 84.1 million dollars. He can spend this money as he wishes but the goal of becoming the next President of the United States affords him with no additional allowance.
Barack Obama will raise and spend him into the ground. He will have an army of foot soldiers in every state registering voters and getting them where they need to be on November 4th. Along with other groups, I believe the Obama organization will be like nothing we've seen.
How does John McCain plan to deal with this? Step one - Sarah Palin.
This is Rovian Politics 101. I certainly didn't expect her, but I expected a right wing evangelical dream candidate. I know Rove had his hands in this selection, and I also know that he is a one trick pony.
The only way McCain can compete with Obama on the ground is to fight in the churches again. The only way he can get the churches to activate and promote his candidacy is to give them red meat. The only red meat they will accept is a creationist, anti-choice, anti-environmental right winger. And they get it in the form of an ex beauty pageant champion. They are practically foaming at the mouth.
Her selection is cynical to the extreme. It's a mockery of the office of the presidency. But it's a dog whistle that can't be ignored, and the Bush voters have reason to be gleeful now. There are too many variables in place this cycle for such politics, and the plot will not work this time, but I think it is important that we understand very quickly that this is about the ground game. This is about filling the hole that Barack Obama has already filled with millions of potential volunteers.
Perhaps this is just the Republican attempt to mitigate any post-election analysis that the party is a disaster. Most likely it's just part of the plan to throw up more distractions between now and the election. Any attempts to criticize Palin will be met with pearl-clutching indignation that Obama supporters are sexist pigs just like they were - wait for it - to Hillary Clinton.
It may be the difference between a Democratic landslide and a Democratic squeaker, but realizing the reason this has happened is important to keep it ours. It's all in the ground game.