Kombiz made some pretty charts:
The image is hard to read, you can click here to see a bigger version.
In short, the RNC has been generally spent far more than it brings in. What that means is that its once dominant cash advantage has quickly evaporated:
Click here for a larger version of that image. But bottom line, the $24 million cash-on-hand that Michael Steele inherited from his predecessor is now less than $10 million. Rather than hoard cash in anticipation of a tough election, Steele's RNC has bled it. And given his penchant for ritzy hotels and bondage clubs, it's easy to see how his profligate ways has had a detrimental effect on his committee's bottom line.
Tim Kaine's DNC hasn't exactly been raking it in, either. And I think a $2,000 expenditure in a bondage club is less offensive than $500,000 to Ben Nelson for ads praising his work on a health care bill he tried to kill.
But the overall picture doesn't look good for the RNC. In the 2007-2008 cycle, the RNC raised $428 million compared to the DNC's $260 million, helping offset weak fundraising by the GOP's House and Senate committees. Similarly in the 2005-2006 cycle, the RNC raised $243 million to the DNC's $131 million. In this 2009-2010 cycle, The RNC has barely outraised the DNC $109 million to 100 million. And, as noted, the cash-on-hand picture makes things even worse for the RNC.
The RNC has been the GOP's traditional cash cow, propping up the party's electoral prospects every cycle. Yet Steele's financial mismanagement of it has eliminated that powerful weapon for the minority party.
This cycle clearly favors the GOP, yet their cash position will be a limiting factor in their ability to make serious gains in November.
