Back in business...

I've been out of state the past few weeks, but we are back in business now.

With the disclosure releases making their way to the public today it will be interesting to see how the various camps spin it.

For Republicans (not just conservatives) the problem I'm seeing is too many fence sitters. Most potential donors are probably waiting until there is an obvious between Ed & Van before giving.

That is understandable. The trouble is, if they wait too much longer, there may not really be a choice. Another couple of quarters with Corker outraising their combined totals will be very difficult to overcome.

I've stated before that I'm a "Van Fan," so it should not come as a surprise that I'm happy Van is ahead of Ed by $80,000 or that it is costing Ed a ton to raise money these days. It should also come as no surprise that I'm a little miffed at Ed's continued use of "puff polls" to garner support. I mean really, how accurate can a poll be if you poll a group you called to the week before? Hardly a random sample. Hardly ethical polling, but pretty standard for the firm apparently -and for the Bryant Campaign. You might recall the same firm showed Jim Henry down by 8% a week before the last gubernatorial primary. You might also recall Jim losing by multiples of that - one of many similar scenarios. Corkers people are hot because their internals apparently show Bob trailing Ed by a much smaller lead (and Van's leading that one). Politics is politics, but if Ed is going to be this sly, he better get better at hiding his tracks.

I have a strong feeling we will be seeing great things from Van this quarter. Rumor has it he is hiring staff and getting into campaign mode which should allow him to use his time more efficiently. Ultimately though, Van is going to have to post big numbers to give us all enough ammo to go tell Ed to quit throwing the race to Corker.