The old time labor unions in 72 believed that it was better to not take sides in a primary election. So they didn't. Today there is a new generation of leaders in the trade and factory worker unions. They are strongly considering entering into the primary contests. If they do their choice will be Gephardt. If they enter the fray Gephardt will win the election.
Money is only valuable to candidates as a means to run advertising to persuade voters to vote for you. The unions can put hundreds of thousands of votes in a candidates column and not give the candidate a penny. But Unions do more than just exercise their political machine. They give money to candidates they support and that amount of money makes the three million raised by Dean on the web look like peanuts.
We are not into the real primary season yet. Dean has not debated the other Democrats for the nomination. They will eat him alive. We know Dean does not have a good staff or a quick brain. Who with a brain would brag that he was breaking into the Democratic country club, just after his son was arrested for breaking into a Country Club.
Plus no Democrat with a brain would admit wanting to be in a country club. Dean can't get the working class base so important to a democratic victory by talking about the Democrats having a country club for him to break into.
While Dean was raising 7 plus million as a governor preparing to run for the presidency, I would remind you that Governor Bush was 4 years ago raising 20 million dollars. Dean as a governor candidate for a party nomination is about 1/3 of a Dubya as a fund raiser.
Dean still has not raised as much money as some other democrats. He has just raised more money in the last quarter and he has raised it on the web. Many of the other candidates have lists of supporters that they can contact directly.Most candidates will raise money as early as possible so they don't have to raise money during the primary campaign. If they money is Pac or Union money they will try to get it before the season starts so no one snoops into who gave what. I think the others will allow Dean to bragg about fund raising. Drawing attention to your fund raising is like Gary Hart Drawing attention to his sex life. It most likely will come back to byte you.
It is anohter indication of the amateur status of Dean.
Gephardt, Lieberman, and some of the others have huge databases of donors. They may not need to beg on the web.
But Deans problem is not money. He is a cocky amatuer that does not know when to shut up. He will most likely shoot himself in the foot. The best you can say aboute him is he talks before he thinks. That is a terrible flaw.