Not too early for the money.....

Never mind that as of today there is well over a year before we elect another president, the process has started and will be a full court press. The almighty dollar is quickly falling into line to launch the bids of some really big names. Does this matter to the McUSA family? I say that it does if you are a realist.

Being a realist means that you get to have a philosophy or ideology, but you must keep them in the backseat as you look at the world around you. Red is still red even if your philosophy calls it blue. Realistically speaking we need to be concerned about who is going to run and why. Follow the money. Mit Romney for example:

In one day, he secured a jaw-dropping $6.5 million in contributions and pledges from others — and he still has at least a dozen fundraisers planned and nearly two more months to raise cash online and elsewhere before March 31.

Or, look at the current golden child of the DNC. Mr. Obama is hypercritical of the war and in order to look presidential has submitted a bill to pull out the troops. How much money is he getting? Well, what he (and Mrs Clinton) are doing is trying to look like they are above mere money in politics:

Obama, a freshman Democratic senator from Illinois, isn't accepting donations from political action committees and lobbyists. Following Clinton's lead, he also doesn't plan to accept public campaign financing for either the primaries or the general election.But he has asked the FEC if he can return donors' money later and still qualify for public financing should he change his mind. Jeffrey Katzenberg, a founder of the DreamWorks movie studio, is among his backers.

Now is the time to look at that and compare your personal philosophy to reality. Obama and Clinton are appealing to the voters who are offended that money plays such a big part, but in reality are setting themselves up via the FEC to rake in the ducats.

So far I cannot say I am for anyone. I don't like Mrs. Clinton and have barely heard of Obama. On the RNC side, I don't see a magic maker either. So I have to bide my time and see. If you have a similar quandary, I would suggest you go to a site like Votesmart and see how your philosophy matches up with the candidates. Also, you can write your reps and demand that they answer the questionnaire. I did, and I actually got back a letter that says "Mr (so and so)'s issues page on his website adequately addresses this issue." To me it is stuff and nonsense.

The world of message boards and blogs is chock full of prognostications and portents. For the realists among us, I think it is too early for to worry about the 08 elections. Better to study the 06 fallout and act on that in my view. Thanks folks.

Sources:
Candidates begin hunting for '08 funds