Can we stop putting a halo on Obama’s opt-out fundraising?

First, contrary to the myth perpetuated by this story and many others, Obama has not had, in terms of percentage of donors, a vastly different donor base than John Kerry did.

As far as percentage of funds, he’s not had a difference that’s very significant at all.

And, since his largest donor, by background, was the good folks at Goldman Sachs, to claim that he’s brought some new small-donor ethos to his fundraising is ridiculous.

It’s become the greatest myth since Straight Talk Express.

The reality is that Obama loves the small donors for marketing purposes for this myth.

And, for marketing purposes for active volunteers.

Donate online with a credit card? Obama’s got your e-mail address. His campaign is looking for you on Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, etc. To the maximum degree possible with credit cards, and even more with debit cards, he’s finding out personal profile information on you, etc.

Contrary to former Federal Election Commissioner Bradley Smith, rather than proving the old public-financing system for presidential elections is superfluous, it proves it needs revamping:

Obama’s campaign will “put to rest all the shibboleths about campaign finance reform -- that it is needed to prevent corruption, that it equalizes the playing field, or that tax subsidies are needed to prevent corruption.”

Horse hockey.

It would be easier to do either ID theft of small donors, or credit card fraud directly against credit card companies in many fake small-donor amounts, than against fat cats.

Also, the coin and move the calendar to 2012. Huckabee, or somebody more charismatic, who can appeal to the Religious Right without being dogmatic, and values “Main Street” over Wall Street or Grover Norquist, and who’s enough younger and more wired than McCain, could pull an Obama.