Obama Benefits from Inequality

Not all dollars are created equal.  Just as Obama's team used mastery of the intricacies  of delegate selection to help secure the 2008 nomination, their mastery of campaign finance rules is helping to win the 2012 election.

1.  Primary dollars are worth more than general election dollars.  A contributor can give a maximum of $2500 dollars for the primaries and the same amount for the general election.  Primary money may be rolled over into general election funds but general election funds may not be used before a candidate is nominated.  Romney could only stare wistfully at his large general election bank account during the summer, having tapped out much of his primary money securing the nomination.
2. Uncontested dollars are most valuable.  Obama was able to successfully define Romney, as a heartless plutocrat, during the summer with only minimal resistance.
3. Dollars from small contributors are worth more than those from major donors.  As anyone receiving 4 e-mail solicitations a day knows, small contributors can be tapped again.  Major donors are done with direct contributions to the campaign once they give $2500 to the primary and general campaigns.  Reliance on fewer, but larger, contributions accounted for Romney being general election rich, and primary poor, during the summer.
4. Campaign dollars are worth more than party dollars.  Much of Romney's massive fund raising has been in coordination with the RNC.  In addition to  $5000 to the campaign a donor may contribute $30,800 to  the national party committee.  But only 21 million may be spent by the committee in coordination with the campaign.  RNC coordinated advertising, in support of Romney, is limited to that amount.  Also lower advertising rates and preferential availability of ad time apply solely to the campaign.
5. Campaign dollars are worth more than super pac dollars. In addition to limited contributions to the campaign and the party committee, wealthy donors may give uncapped contributions to Super Pacs.  But, TV stations are not required to make time available for super pacs ads, nor may they be offered the preferential rates legally mandated for campaign ads        ( this is more fully covered in the post "Obama's October (and September) Surprise").    Also if the devil(as Republicans see him) is fiddling better than Romney at the crossroads, soulless Karl Rove may send his money down the road to congressional and senate races.
6. Campaign dollars are more effective than third party dollars.   LA Times reporters Melanie Mason and Matea Gold reported on the problems of mixed messaging. Super Pacs, and political parties, above set limits, may not coordinate with the campaign.  Although sometimes buried under a jagged jumble of news cycles, a consistent focused message is the goal of a campaign.  Obama has a more focused message because his campaign places 90% of its ads, in contrast to less than 50% by the Romney team.

Romney's most devious stratagem to date, was giving his campaign staff a $200,000 bonus after the inept Republican convention.  He sought to sow dissension among, the already less highly compensated, and better performing, Obama staff.  He failed to account for the morale and resume value of being on the winning side.  Perhaps, Romney does not understand the value of a dollar.