Campaign Finance

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/03/19/obama-raised-45-million-for-re-election-in-february/?scp=4&sq=obama%20campaign%20finance&st=cse

Summary
In Febuary, Obama's fundraising campaign announced that Obama raised over $45 in that month alone which is a great increase compared to the $29.1 million he has raised in January. In comparison, Republican G.O.P candidates, Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum, raised only $11.5 and $9 million, respectively. Though it appears that Romney and Santorum are greatly behind Obama, one of the reasons accounting for this is due to the fact that Obama is raising funds for both his primary election as well as general elections, whereas the two Republican candidates are raising money only for the primary.

Connection
Building the war chest is perhaps the most important task for a presidential candidate. Without sufficient funding, not matter how brilliant the candidate's plans are, he would be unable to gain support because every part of the campaigning process, from marketing to electioneering, requires money. In the recent past, the forced drop-out of many Republican G.O.P contestants can testify to the importance of having a expendable campaign fund.

Reflection
Obama's incredible ability at raising money is one of the main reasons for his success in 2008. His ads were ubiquitous, and thus, helped him gain facial recognition. Though the general elections have yet to start, Obama's continued prowess in raising funds is a good indicator of his possible success. If the Republican nominee is unable to match Obama's ability in gaining money, then he will lose at the starting line.