Obama racks up $25 million in fundraising...

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/politics/chi-070404obama-money,1,1955904.story?coll=chi-newsbreaking-hed

Obama nearly equals Hillary in total fundraising, and likely outstrips her in fundraising for the Dem primary. So it's Hillary $26 million, Obama $25 million and Edwards $14 million. Bush has really been a good fundraiser for both parties.

 

It's the 100K individual donors that's impressive.

 

Romney and Edwards seem the most impressive candidates. Obviously they have no shot.

 

I wouldn't say Edwards has no shot. If one of the 2 big-dog Dems stumbles he is in prime position to spring forward as the alternative candidate. In a three man person race he is in trouble, though.

 

Outside of looks and money, in what way does Romney impress you?
I'm serious.

 

First, as a Republican who won statewide election in Mass. without even knowing his politics, he sounds like a middle of the road guy.
Second, Mormons seems honest, and that's a trait that Hilary Clinton can't even fake.
Third, I actually think the myth of the superiority of American values and culture is important, he seems to either beleive the myth or that the myth is true. Either way, he gets it.
Fourth, I've given up on voting for president based on policy positions that aren't huge differences, such as Mondale-Reagan. Nader proved it by saying that Gore or Bush wouldn't make a difference. Ralph proved to be as wrong as any American politician as ever been. You can blame Flrida election officials or the Tennessee voters for 2000, but the real person to be blamed for Bush is Nader. He sold enough people that there was no difference between Gore and Bush that voting for Nader would be an intelligent vote. Those that voted for Nader, gave us Bush.

I'm going to vote for the person not the issues, Romney seems the least full of shit and most squared away of the republicans. And Edwards seems the most thoughtful of the dems.

 

OK, fair enough, but you have to reckon with the fact that the positions Romney held -- which are amply documented on YouTube, among other places -- that got him elected in MA are not positions he's using to run in the GOP as it's presently constituted. He looks like a real rookie trying to reconcile them.

 

Any more athletic than Hilary on Iraq?

 

Hilary is shitting her pants.

If Obama can keep up in money, he has an excellent chance.

 

Tremendously so.
Check out the letter Mitt sent to the Log Cabin Republicans when he was running against Teddy Kennedy for the Senate in which he argued that he was better on gay rights than Kennedy was.
That'll play in SC.