The Little Campaign That Could

One of the more amazing things I've witnessed this cycle is how John McCain was able to run his campaign on the fumes of fumes, on only earned and free media, and still manage to find himself the unambiguous frontrunner for the Republican nomination.

McCain adviser Charlie Black credits campaign manager Rick Davis, who laid down an order: no matter how much money came in, marginally less than out was coming out. A number of key advisers, including McCain wordsmith/alter ego Mark Salter, worked without salaries for months. Even as their political fortunes improved, the campaign didn't go on a hiring binge.

According to the FEC, even with McCain's loan (collateralized on the campaign, and not on money from federal matching funds), he ended the year with only $3M on hand.

That money was gone by New Hampshire.

Since then, he's raised and spent about $9M, including more than 1 million over the past week off the internet.

Though fundraising commitments are soaring, the McCain campaign wears their pecuniary problems as a badge of honor: they found a way to secure the Republican nomination on the cheap without taking money from the government.

Comments

It's amazing to think back to last summer when the McCain campaign was imploding and the buzz was that he would drop out. Politics is a funny business...

http://www.political-buzz.com/

Posted by matt | January 31, 2008 3:06 PM

It helps when you get free/glowing media from almost every network/paper/etc.

Posted by Paul | January 31, 2008 3:10 PM

Free Media coverage?

So, you are admitting that John McCain is only a front runner because the media gave him free coverage and promoted him as a front runner to the American people until he could get to NH.

Interesting?

The media is picking our candidates for us. Promoting some and ignoring others. Why is that OK?

And, MATT, I don't see anything funny about electing a person who believes that he will be the Commander and Chief of America. When did we become a military dictatorship? A man who says that he really doesn't understand economics. Hello, Recession! A man that has said that he doesn't care if we have troops stationed in Iraq for 100 years, my great-grandchildren's children will be stationed in Iraq. McCain is beginning to resemble that great fiddler, NERO. And, there is nothing funny about that.

Posted by tmcitizen64 | January 31, 2008 3:11 PM

John McCain has not been vetted...

Due to his late surge -- and a largely adoring press cohort -- McCain hasn't received virtually any scrutiny on his long political career.

Sure, some might have heard the phrase "Keating 5," but what else do people not know about John McCain -- both politically and personally.

I'm sure that will change once the general election hits, but I think it's an interesting thing for Republicans to consider in the next few days.

Posted by Vermonter | January 31, 2008 3:11 PM

Rick Davis, Steve Schmidt, and the rest of the McCain team's work resurrecting this campaign will be studied by political professionals for years.

I'm amazed, simply amazed.

Posted by willie | January 31, 2008 3:23 PM

"earned and free media" is apparently a euphemism for "the corrupt MSM helping McCain lie, mislead, and conceal material information."

As a homegrown example, see my comment here. Ambinder missed a big McCain story, and apparently has no interest in pursuing it even after he presumably now has more information.

Posted by TLB | January 31, 2008 5:24 PM

I have to admit as someone who isn't going to vote for McCain that the "ground-game" of his campaign is something to be amazed at. I remember the news footage from last summer of McCain carrying his own bags through the Phoenix airport -- and now it looks like he will be the next president.

Posted by ProfNickD | January 31, 2008 7:37 PM

John McCain has not been vetted..I'm sure that will change once the general election hits, but I think it's an interesting thing for Republicans to consider in the next few days.
Posted by Vermonter

The media fellating corps that has given McCain 30-40 million worth of adulatory publicity while dissecting and dissing his opponents only wishes to carry him to the General election as Bob Dole 2.0. A trussed up turkey that ANY Democrat is guaranteed to defeat. And in fact, Dole was just a little old, crusty, and out of step....McCain is not trusted by his own party and is someone with deep, serious personal and past performance flaws.

People are shocked to learn the guy that they think is ready on Day 1 to be Commander in Chief was passed over by the Navy as unfit to be Admiral despite his family clout. A major thing that less than 1 in 100 Republicans knows...that the Navy determined he was unfit to serve several levels below CiC, and retired him.

That a FOIA request showed McCain lied about his war college thesis and the press refuses to out their "Present" to the Democrats, on.

And we only have McCain's word on his POW experience vs what the Vietnamese and possibly Putin's KGB and the Chinese have tucked away on thousands of pages of files and dozens of hours of videotape on. But I am not concerned about any blackmail because the media only wants to carry him to the Convention, then help destroy him after that, as unelectable.

Posted by Chris Ford | January 31, 2008 8:20 PM