Why aren't the Democrats competitive in fundraising? by gimleteye

It is clear enough that money from independent donor groups-- reinforced by a recent decision by the US Supreme Court favoring unlimited independent expenditures by corporations-- has massively swerved to conservatives in this election cycle. Noted from Politico to Alternet: "Right-wing interests are collecting millions for attack ads, financed through shadowy groups awash in undisclosed donations. We know a bit about the efforts of some far-right billionaires, including the Koch brothers, but we can only see the tip of a large iceberg — the rest is deliberately (and legally) kept from view. To quantify this a bit, groups helping Republican Senate candidates outspent Democratic-friendly outfits $10.9 million to $1.3 million over the last five weeks. That’s not a typo — the advantage was eight to one. Spending from both parties’ candidates was relatively even, but the GOP drive to take the Senate benefits because right-wing organizations are pumping huge sums into ads that benefit Republicans."

So where did the Democrats, go? The GOP avers that Democrats always benefit from the support of unions, offsetting the Chamber of Commerce. But unions have scarcely been energetic in this crippling recession. In its first term, the Obama White House has been the least donor-friendly in generations. The digital magic wand, through which Obama captured hundreds of millions on the internet, isn't working so well, today. The widening gap between political rhetoric and facts of the ground hasn't helped. We will see soon enough if fickle American voters have such short-term memories that they are willing to return control of Congress to the same special interests who drove the economy off the rails.