Barack Obama quietly smashes record

In the weeks leading to the second quarter deadline, the press painted a bleak picture of the Obama campaign. Using poll numbers they made it seem that Hillary was an unstoppable juggernaut.

They should have known better though. Early polls, especially among Democrats and in primaries without a strong incumbent, don't mean much in predicting the final outcome. Many polls have shown that Hillary's support is soft, based probably on the fact that people recognize her name more than the other candidates.

The Obama camp made little effort to combat the media spin, instead concentrating on perfecting its grassroots organizing plan. The fundraising strategy that worked so well in the first quarter was further developed this time around with numerous low-ticket events.

When reporting time came around, the Obama camp revealed it had smashed previous records for cash raised in a single quarter. Maybe not to the extent predicted by Carville or in this blog but still quite impressively when the stats are analyzed.

Obama raised $32.5 million compared to Hillary's $27 million and $9 million for Edwards. More importantly $31 million of Barack's cash is available for the primary compared to only $21 million for Hillary.

Barack thus pulls ahead of the "front-runner" in primary election funds.

As some $6 million of Hillary's donations are restricted for a possible general election bid, it probably means that many of her donors this quarter have maxed out in primary contributions.

Barack repeated his performance last quarter in attracting record numbers of small contributors. These supporters may repeat donations in the future just as donors from last quarter gave again this time around.

A supporter who gives money makes an investment in the campaign indicating a greater depth of commitment. Many of these donors may become reliable volunteers for the ground campaign as well.

It's an extraordinary accomplishment for a campaign that just started six months ago. In comparison, Barack's top rivals have been preparing for many years.

Team Obama has every reason to be joyous and proud, but not overconfident. A lot of work still must be done to raise their candidate's name recognition. Volunteers need to prepare for field operations further down the road particularly in getting Obama supporters to the polls or to vote by mail.