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A lot of people, including some fundraising pros, think I’m wrong to be underwhelmed by Barack Obama’s take. Well, allow me to retort.
I expected Obama to win the 1Q money primary. I also expected Romney to win the Republican side of the 1Q money primary. Regarding the latter, here’s what I wrote on Monday:
I know pols and their supporters have gotten addicted to low-balling in order to spin actual results to look better than they are, but I’ll break with that pattern and be perfectly candid: If Mitt hadn’t proven more skilled at running the “sausage factory” part of politics than McCain and Giuliani, I would have been stunned.
I would have been likewise stunned if the combination of Obama’s celebrity and his “New New Thing” status hadn’t proven sufficient to outpace the Clintons and their ancient McAuliffe-approved methods. The question for me wasn’t whether Obama (or Romney) would win their money primaries, but by how much. For Obama, I had the bar raised high. I thought there was a chance that he would raise more in the first quarter than Hillary would raise in the first and second quarters combined. I thought a number north of $30 million, perhaps well north of $30 million, was in play.
For a newcomer, Obama did great – no question. But he’s not just any newcomer. He’s a mega-celebrity politician. Furthermore, his impressive amount of celebrity flows directly and exlusively from his career as a politician. He’s the first of his breed, and his campaign will challenge a lot of ancient precepts.
Meanwhile, one major candidate has yet to report on his 1Q fundraising efforts. 
Reports are that collections on the Aventine have been impressive.
Compliments? Complaints? Contact me at Soxblog@aol.com.
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