money helps. But ideas win. Obama has better ideas than McCain.
Remember when Bush lied about being a compassionate conservative, uniter not a divider, no child left behind, humble foreign policy...adults back in charge...regular non=elitest guy...
Those ideas, along with record spending, a corrupt SCT decision and election fraud, put Bush in the white house.
Good/better ideas should win, but that's not always the case. The person who has more visibility and at least presents themselves well will almost always beat the substantially less funded opponent (unless the person is an incumbent). Unfortunately, elections aren’t just about ideas. They’re more often beauty contests than anything else. A person who speaks well, looks and sounds good, has a huge advantage.
It's about money here too. In addition to the other example I gave (mayor's race), we had a proposed state constitutional convention on the ballot this year. The opponents found a handful of very well spoken reps, and spent a lot of money running commercials for weeks. Very well done. Proponents spent a much smaller amount of money and their commercials frankly looked like they were shot in someone's garage. Not surprisingly, the measure failed badly. Here is a summary:
ConCon foes' big spending seen as big impact on Hawaii ballot$247,000 raised in days before election 'clearly had impact'
By Derrick DePledge
Advertiser Government Writer
The Hawai'i Alliance, a group of labor, environmental and business interests opposed to a state Constitutional Convention, received large contributions from the state Office of Hawaiian Affairs and the Hawai'i Government Employees Association in the last days before Tuesday's vote.
OHA and the HGEA Ballot Committee each gave the group $100,000, campaign-finance records show, part of $247,000 in last-minute donations from public workers, hotel, teachers' and firefighters' unions.
Voters rejected the Constitutional Convention 62 percent to 34 percent.
Labor and Native Hawaiian interests had argued that a convention could jeopardize existing rights in the Constitution, such as collective bargaining and Hawaiian rights.
"The outcome of a Constitutional Convention is impossible to predict," said Crystal Kua, director of communications for OHA, which was created by a constitutional amendment after a 1978 convention. "Given the uncertainty of the current political climate, OHA and the board felt that there was some cause for concern and that a convention will pose a potential threat to OHA and its beneficiaries, more importantly.
"There may be proposals to eliminate powers or protections for Hawaiians."
But many who wanted a Constitutional Convention said the large contributions to the Hawai'i Alliance, which paid for television, radio and newspaper advertisements, helped drown out debate.
"I think, clearly, it had an impact on the outcome," said state Rep. Della Au Belatti, D-25th (Tantalus, Makiki, McCully), who favored a convention. "The fact that anti-ConCon forces were able to do almost constant media blitz on the airwaves and in the newspapers showed that they were clearly well-funded."
The Hawai'i Alliance raised more than $585,000 through Oct. 20, campaign-finance records show, and received at least $247,000 in the final weeks before the vote, for more than $832,000 overall. The largest contributions to the group came from the National Education Association Ballot Measure Fund — at $350,000 — and the HGEA — at $310,000.
The NEA, the national public school teachers' union, also donated $150,000 to the Hawai'i State Teachers Association to oppose a convention. Other local labor unions also spent money on advertising in opposition.
Groups that favored the Constitutional Convention, by comparison, took in far less. Yes for Constitutional Convention raised $60,000, and It's Time Hawai'i raised about $7,900.
http://www.honoluluadvertiser.com/article/20081108/NEWS01/811080347/1001 
