In fact, liberal/left- and union-organized PACs and 527 committees have been running millions of dollars in television ads in at least 90 congressional districts since the spring to soften up potentially vulnerable incumbent Republicans by driving up their negative poll numbers.

Anyone who doubts the advantage these folks enjoy need only look at the list of the largest political action committees. Cleta Mitchell, a Washington attorney who follows these matters closely, has been warning for months that McCain’s rules favor the left and reports regularly to anyone that will listen on the size of their war chest. The first dozen are all pro-Democratic with exception of the Realtors who historically give half their money to candidates of each party. MoveOn.org’s PAC has raised and is spending more than 14 million dollars in hard money and one has to drop down to the 13th largest PAC to find the first right of center PAC, that of the National Rifle Association.

As of June 30th, left wing and union 527 committees had raised more than $105 million as opposed to about $20 million raised by their pro-GOP counterparts. Where I come from, a 5:1 advantage is meaningful.

The whining of folks like Harold Ickes who say the left isn’t putting up much money this year should be taken for what it is: the poor mouthing that inevitably accompanies an appeal for even more. Republicans on the ground know that he and his soul mates have already raised and spent enough to salt the clouds in the hope of generating the storm and tsunami they so fervently are hoping is developing.

The GOP hope is that they spent much of their millions early and will squander the rest. Most of them feel it’s bad enough that they have to deal with the problems that put them in a hole in the first place without the added burden of overcoming the McCain handicap.