Not long ago either here or on Daily Kos, someone posted a diary about how pirates signaled their intentions to other ships as they were about to be attacked. A white flag suggested that the other ship ought to consider standing down. If that did not work, the skull and crossbones went up indicating "look, we're pirates and we intend to board your ship and we're not messing around". If the red flag went up, it was because they were about to be attacked.
Yesterday, the Obama campaign announced loudly that they just purchased 30 minute chucks of prime time netowkr television on a Wedneday night. Thus far, we know that it will go up on NBC and CBS around 8 or 8:30. That ain't cheap, and at first I wondered if it's really worth it. As I went to bed last night, it finally hit me: They are flying the flags. And this morning, two online pieces confirmed it.
How much money do they have? Another reason for the GOP's current woes -- and the Democratic Mo' -- is that Democrats have better utilized the internet and the post-McCain-Feingold fundraising system. Just yesterday, we learned that Obama has purchased 30 minutes worth of time on network TV for October 29. That begs the question: Just how much money does the Obama campaign have now to spend? We'll find out those September fundraising by as late as October 20. (Did he top $100 million for the month? That's the rumor). As that University of Wisconsin Advertising Project made clear, Obama is outspending the McCain camp in battleground states -- big time.
Jonathon Martin at The Politico
A point I should have made below on the new Ayers spot: Today's ad news reflects the starkly different financial status of the two campaigns.Obama, clearly flush, is buying up half-hour chunks of primetime network TV later this month.
McCain, trying to stretch every dollar, is leaning on the RNC to underwrite his commercials.
The difference: Obama can advertise what he wants, when he wants and how he wants while McCain is constrained by campaign finance rules and must tailor his ads to meet FEC muster.
It's the best reminder yet that Obama's decision to opt out of public funding was well worth the, very limited, bad press he got for the reversal.
You see, the infomercial is not intended to tell a story. It's intended to be THE story. It's a flag to the McCain campaign and the Republicans that they will not be able to spend Obama and that he will be able to do what he wants, where he wants, and how he wants. It may also be intended to make McCain think long and hard about where he wants to spend money over the next few weeks and he will not have as many options. Oh, to be a fly on the wall at McCain Headquarters.
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