I feel we're going to have to get used to this type of roller coaster politics filled with uncertainty...the public option debate being no exception.
Remember this crazymaking fundraising thing? When word spread that Obama was having fundraising trouble?
Pushing a fund-raiser later this month (September), a finance staff member [for Obama's campaign] sent a sharply worded note last week to Illinois members of its national finance committee, calling their recent efforts “extremely anemic.”
[snip]
The signs of concern have become evident in recent weeks as early fund-raising totals have suggested that Mr. Obama’s decision to bypass public financing may not necessarily afford him the commanding financing advantage over Senator John McCain that many had originally predicted.
-- Article
and the National Review had a field day with it
Now, it looks like this other great strength in fundraising is turning into a major weakness. The New York Times reports that the Obama campaign is describing recent fundraising efforts as “extremely anemic” and looks to fall far short of its goal of raising $450 million between the campaign and the DNC.
McCain, on the other hand, is sitting pretty...
-- Article
But we learned later that September that Obama's campaign nabbed $150 MILLION. IN September. So much for fundraising trouble.
Okay. That was September...here's another one from June.
McCain posted his largest campaign contribution haul to date in June for $22 million, and Obama held off until the last day to post, raising fears he'd fallen behind as conservative bloggers gloated
Why hasn’t Barack Obama revealed how much money he raised in June? A number of his supporters are a bit antsy about it — is he still pulling in those record-breaking numbers? If so, why hasn’t he said anything?
The Obama campaign has[n't] (sic) said anything because they’re embarrassed by the June fund raising numbers, especially coming after Obama’s high-profile rejection of public campaign financing. Which is turning out to be a bit of hubris the liberal messiah is going to end up regretting.
-- Blog
And a Wall Street Journal had a leak that their June fundraising was "underwleming" at a mere $30 Million.
When the Obama campaign finally released its official numbers...
$52 Million blowing McCain's best month out of the water.
And then there was the thing with him holding back the PACs until the last month of the campaign. And the Bradley affect. Obama's speech right before the election that this was no time to relax.
There is a distinct pattern of not tipping his hand, and a pattern of him not using his full bag of resources until the very end of the fight.
I have a suspicion this is a pattern we will have to get used to.
Does this mean he's playing some crazy 3-D chess? That all events are pre-arranged and planned? Or does this mean this white house tends to evaluate things as events unfold and doesn't make a move until it knows where the pieces actually are before using all the resources at its command?
I don't know.
What I do know is, the White House's approach to Health Care Reform seems to fit the pattern...hanging back and drawing from its foot soldiers to get as far as it can before pushing things over the edge...
Who's been the central organizing point for many of these Public Option rallies?
Organizing For America.
Who founded Organizing For America?
Obama's Campaign.
I believe this Wednesday Obama is going to once again reaffirm his support for the public option and will put his weight behind the effort. And you know what? Maybe I'm wrong. Maybe I'll be flat out wrong and disoriented. But I'm going to wait until Wednesday to feel that way. Today, I'm confident we've elected the right person for this job. Today, I'm confident we're going to win.