Follow the money

Traditionally, in American politics, the term "money primary" refers to the period between the first candidates in an election announcing their intention to run, and the holding of the first primary or caucus for that election. The short version: the more money in one's campaign account, the more support one appears to have as a candidate, and the more likely other donors, the media, etc. are to take one seriously as a candidate. Conversely, the less money one raises, the less of a serious candidate one appears to be.*

It's no secret that Senator Clinton has lagged behind Senator Obama in fundraising in this election cycle. Nor is her campaign the first to report money troubles. But this latest article from Politico is a troublingly negative report on the Clinton campaign's recent fiscal woes:

Hillary Rodham Clinton's cash-strapped presidential campaign has been putting off paying hundreds of bills for months — freeing up cash for critical media buys but also earning the campaign a reputation as something of a deadbeat in some small business circles. A pair of Ohio companies owed more than $25,000 by Clinton for staging events for her campaign are warning others in the tight-knit event production community — and anyone else who will listen — to get their cash upfront when doing business with her. Her campaign, say representatives of the two companies, has stopped returning phone calls and e-mails seeking payment of outstanding invoices. One even got no response from a certified letter. Their cautionary tales, combined with published reports about similar difficulties faced by a New Hampshire landlord, an Iowa office cleaner and a New York caterer, highlight a less-obvious impact of Clinton’s inability to keep up with the staggering fundraising pace set by her opponent for the Democratic presidential nomination, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama.

No matter your political orientation, nobody likes being portrayed as a deadbeat, and I'm mildly surprised that the campaign would engage in what looks like a pattern of stiffing small business owners to prioritize media buys. Of course, I expect time on tv is important, but so is returning people's calls. To be fair, the article goes on to talk to several vendors that have experienced no problems whatsoever with the Clinton campaign's business. That said, avoiding calls from creditors is something meth addicts and single mothers on welfare with too many credit cards stereotypically engage in, not presidential campaigns. The Clinton campaign must have a similar level of fear about Barack Obama's fundraising numbers in order for this to have become the issue it apparently is.

*Look at widdle Alan Keyes, with his $299,186 itsy-bitsy campaign account! Who's a big presidential candidate, then? Who's a big presidential candidate! Alan Keyes! Yes he is! Yes he is!