The Note: Money Don't Get Everything It's True

— -- WASHINGTON, Feb.7

In the twenty-year history of Bush-Clinton-Bush-Clinton(?) American politics, here are the five biggest stories respresenting the greatest political achievements, from greatest to less great:

1. George W. Bush's fundraising, 1999-2000.

2. The large governor of a small Southern state (a/k/a "Bill Clinton") defeating an incumbent Republican president, 1992.

3. George W. Bush's consolidation of the Republican base, 1999-2004.

4. Bill Clinton's surviving impeachment and thriving in his last two years in office, 1998-2000.

5. Laura Bush's enduring popularity, 1999-present.

Today, the effort to rejigger that list begins in earnest, as the Hillary Clinton for President finance operation (years in the making) moves a bit more above ground.

"She's going to raise more money than all the other candidates put together," in the first six months of 2007, said John Catsimitidis, identified by the hypnotic (how else to explain all these scoops?) Ben Smith of Politico, as "a New York supermarket magnate," although he should probably be called "the most blabbermouthy donor on the planet and a man completely without any sense of how to set expectations."

On a day when Clinton's finance team is bringing its big, bundling guns to Washington to get every oar in the water (The Note mixes metaphors!!!), we ask:

Why is Clinton such a formidable fundraising force?

Let The Note count the ways and whys:

Terry McAuliffe:There may be two "greatest presidents in the history of the United States" in his view, but The Macker by every possible account plans to put another Clinton in the White House, and there is only ONE "greatest fundraiser in the history of the Democratic Party."

Whitehaven and Chappaqua: Outside of Hyannisport, there are no greater venues within the party for fundraising, donor maintenance, and donor cultivation.

Bill Clinton: He's laying low for now, but just wait until the two-for-the-price-of-one Fundraising Spouse-in-Chief starts to buckrake, $4,600/head, in places such as Ohio, Georgia, Michigan, Texas, California, etc.

The (other) surrogates: There are plenty of other big names (former cabinet secretaries, Carvilleian staffers, etc) who can do events that will pull in tens of thousands and maybe hundreds of thousands.

EMILU's List: Early money is like unstoppable, and Ellen Malcolm's army of checkbook-toting ladies is going to produce millions and millions for the one candidate who puts her skirt on one leg at a time.

The (other) lists: Contact lists, phone numbers, mailing addresses, and e-mails in abundance, allowing Clinton to reach out and touch a lot of givers.

Iraq: Long seen as Clinton's worst enemy, in fact it is now her best friend for fundraising -- bringing down the Republican Brand overall, bringing down McCain's numbers, and allowing pollster Mark Penn to dazzle donors with data galore showing today's snapshot demonstrating Clinton's electability, thereby shooing away a potential donor's reason not to give. (The Politico's "GOP Views Clinton As Virtually Unbeatable" headline will be pointed out to many a Clinton donor today.)LINK

The Empire State empire: Bush had Texas money; Clinton has her own large, wealthy home state, with single buildings on the East Side holding more donors who can and will max out than the entire state of Delaware has. Q. How much can Clinton raise in New York alone? A. More than any candidate has ever raised in one state in the history of the Republic.

Old rich friends: Sure, there have been some defections to other candidates, but in every big city in America (and plenty of medium and small ones) there are bundlers who bundled for Bill in the '90s, and are ready to bundle for her now. (Get those Lincoln Bedroom lists and FOIAs for Clinton letters on behalf of corporate interests to the executive branch ready for cross referencing.)

The fierce organizational zeal of Patti Solis Doyle: Possessing the instincts of a Chicago alderwoman on the take (The Note means that in a good way.) and the authority to say "yes" and "no" (There are no "maybes" in HillaryLand.), the campaign manager has her eye on the money prize. LINK

The Internet: A lot of people have spent a lot of time thinking about how Clinton can leverage her campaign strengths, including her historic-first female candidacy, into the free gold of Web riches.

The chits: The Hill chronicles the money Clinton has raised for and given to other Democratic officeholders. LINK

Lack of candidate shyness: She will ask with the audaciousness of Bill Nelson and the repetity of Chuck Schumer.

Primal belief in the fundraising imperative: Like Bill Clinton, Rahm Emanuel, Karl Rove, and George W. Bush, Hillary Clinton knows that only a fool goes into political battle without substantially more resources than the opposition. While other candidates turn to their staffs and ask, "Do I really have to go to all these fundraisers??," Clinton will work tirelessly to make sure that what has to happen happens.

And lastly, money begets money: This is an axiom embraced by all (successful) fundraisers. The more that comes in, the more that comes in. Now that may seem counterintuitive. Why give money to a moneybags? But that's easily explained by the simple principle that in politics -- as in Hollywood and high school -- people (and money) congregate around the "winners."

This morning, Sen. Hillary Clinton's presidential campaign hosts a couple of hundred people at briefings by the Senator and her staff at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Washington, D.C. The scent of a winner will be in the air.

The attendees, report the Washington Post's Jeffrey Birnbaum and Matthew Mosk, are expected to raise at least $25,000 each for Clinton's campaign this year. LINK

Last night, Sen. Clinton hosted "about 70 top fundraisers" from around the country to a reception at her Washington, D.C. home. "The high-dollar rainmakers committed to collect at least $250,000 each" for Clinton's campaign, "and many have pledged $1 million."

While Sen. Clinton is raising coin in Washington, DC, former Gov. Mitt Romney (R-MA) is in his native Michigan today (where, as he likes to say, "the Romney name is golden") to deliver an 11:15 am ET speech on the economy at the Detroit Economic Club. Romney holds a media availability immediately following his remarks, tentatively scheduled for 1:35 pm ET.

Per the Wall Street Journal's Wirey Jackie Calmes, Romney will "endorse free trade and reject the isolationism and protectionism that has taken hold in both political parties."

On the issue of entitlements, Romney "won't propose changes in Social Security, Medicare and Medicaid . . . but instead will press for all sides to come to the bargaining table."

On the issue of energy, Romney is expected to tell his "Motown" audience that "any increase in automotive fuel-efficiency standards should be part of a comprehensive energy policy."

He will also push for making President Bush's tax cuts permanent, shielding savings and investment income from taxation, and limiting the power of trial lawyers, per Bloomberg News. LINK