SAME OLD STORY – AT 1:30 P.M. ET:  The opportunities for Republicans this year are enormous.  Is the party ready for the fight?  Are you kidding?  From The Politico:

With $11 million on hand at the end of June — and about $2 million in reported debt — the RNC’s paid get-out-the-vote (GOTV) effort will be limited to just targeted House races, POLITICO has learned.

And the committee is only going to be able to spend money on those relatively inexpensive House races, thanks to a $10 million line of credit that was approved at the meeting here. Until then, said one incredulous Republican, there was no money available for paid GOTV activities like mailers and automated phone calls.

Even with the line of credit, though, the party can’t afford to assist their many gubernatorial and Senate candidates with any dollars for paid voter contact and will have to effectively outsource that operation.

The expectation — and it’s only that because the party is barred from coordinating with third-party groups — is that the new organizations that have sprung up amid the RNC’s woes will step in to pay for such GOTV efforts in statewide contests.

COMMENT:  Republicans have traditionally worked hard to lose elections, and with a very good record of success.  Apparently, some in the party want to continue the hallowed tradition. 

One reason for the shortage of cash is the image of the RNC as run by incompetents.  We do hope that funding elsewhere will do the job, but the lack of major financing from the national organization has got to do damage, create confusion, and disrupt the chain of command.  It's also not a great advertisement for the Republicans' ability to govern.

Same old story.  But, as Sinatra might have put it, leave us we should pray that revulsion over Democratic rule is so great that even the Republicans won't be able to mess up their victory.

August 7, 2010