California relelgated to being an ATM again

by Brian Leubitz [courtesy of Calitics - Front Page]

Well, we had our very brief moment in the sun on Feb. 5, but we're back where we are used to being now: the nation's political ATM. Tomorrow, the Big Dog makes a swing through the Bay Area for his wife, hoping to pick up a quick mil for her campaign:

Hillary Clinton may be campaigning elsewhere Monday, but her purse is in California. And her husband is carrying it. Bill Clinton will try to fill it with upward of $1 million from three private fundraisers in the Bay Area on Monday, including two at homes in Saratoga and Portola Valley, to try to keep pace with the Barack Obama money machine.

California has always been a cash cow for presidential campaigns, but until now, candidates usually have made an effort to extend a live hand. With California's Feb. 5 primary but a memory - and the campaigns long moved on to states from Louisiana to Maine and soon on to Ohio and Texas - stand-ins will be the best Californians will get. The campaigns aren't looking for votes at this point, though. They want money.(SJ Merc 2/17/08)

California Matters, ahem, almost as much as Ohio. Honestly, I don't think anybody could have predicted that we would go into March, or even April, for the nomination, but here we are, back in the rearview mirror, wondering who our nominee is going to be.

The Obama campaign is hoping to bring somebody along the lines of a former Sen. Bill Bradley, or somebody like that for a fundraiser, but no specifics were given. California will always have a net ouflow of political dollars. And that's not necessarily a bad thing. It's just the way it's going to be until the time comes when California is competitive again. I'm hoping that's going to be a long time. So, man the ATM watch towers if you must, but let's just make sure that California stays firmly in the blue column for the foreseeable future.  Thanks.