You've got to be kidding me.
Sources close to the presumptive campaign tell NBC News that Fred Thompson's fundraising is down "markedly." One claimed it has "slowed down big-time." The pace is described as a consequence of the delayed announcement to enter the race.
"The Friends of Fred, Inc." will report to the IRS its revenue by July 31st. Sources reveal to NBC News that number will be in the range of about $3 million. Five million dollars had been the talked-about June goal. Sources describe an early burst of donations in June and say the summer fundraising has fallen off. While additional fundraisers are planned, sources say the scheduling of fundraisers was "frozen" for a time while the team was going through some internal strains.
Maybe there's some expectation management going on and the numbers are better than hinted at here, but I laughed when Thompson and his people proclaimed he would run a "Howard Dean" type of race, as though saying it would automatically create this grass- and netroots phenomenon. If it was that easy, everyone would be doing it. But it's not.
To make matters worse, Thompson's non-campaign campaign has already lost two top-ranking officials, including his campaign manager.
So McCain is dead, Giuliani is tanking hard, Romney would be having trouble raising money if he didn't have his checkbook to fall back on, and now, the party's savior, seems to be exciting absolutely no one and can't raise money or put together an organization.
So who will be the GOP's next savior? Gingrich? Cheney?