John McCain's campaign is reorganizing. This typically reflects a campaign which is not going well. His fundraising, while tremendously impressive compared to previous cycles, trails Hillary Clinton, Obama, Romney, Giuliani, and Edwards in the 1st quarter - not a particularly good sign for the putative frontrunner of either party. Still, it would be worse NOT to reorganize, and to continue to spend profligately without measurable results. Marc Ambinder of The Hotline reports:
Manager Terry Nelson is trimming some of the organization's vestigial edges to pare down costs and more efficiently distribute key staff. Contrary to rumors, the campaign is not shedding weight in order to slow down its cash burn rate.
Nelson has decided to eliminated several staff positions from the campaign's May budget, some yet to be filled. In addition, several campaign consultants will see their contracts modified. Others currently on retainer will work for the campaign on a per-project basis.Key departments, including political affairs, communications and the field staff in early primaries states -- were spared, and some instances, are still hiring.
Read the full post at the above link. McCain isn't on the ropes yet, but he has clearly taken some damage early. He has yet to devise a strategy to appeal to the Republican base while defending his support of BCFRA and the "Gang of 14." He hits home and gains traction on his steadfast support for success in Iraq and the GWOT generally, but with every other major or potentially major GOP candidate equally committed, it's not enough. His fundraising came in third among Republicans despite its being the most established organization of all.
It could be a mistake to read too much gloom and doom into these moves, though. Candidates should be able to change to more efficient strategies which gain them "more bang for the buck" without penalty, since we expect our Presidents to do just that.
Still, campaigns that are running well almost never "reorganize."
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2008 Presidential Race, Campaign Contributions, McCain
