Fundraising is Not an Independent Variable  This is reposted
from the GOP Tech Summit on Ning. The RNC will be collecting
ideas for online activism and its broader implications (my focus
here) through the end of the week -- and this is your chance to
get your two cents in.    Traditional campaigns usually unfold
in this order:    1. Raise money and stockpile resources so that
you can afford to get your message out.   2. Spend the money to
get your message out and gather support, usually through
expensive mediums like TV, radio, or mail.  Barack Obama flipped
this model in 2008. Yes, he was able to raise impressive sums
early on from bundlers like David Geffen and Penny Pritzker.
Considering how the campaign unfolded, this round of funding can
be likened to angel investors in a startup: they give enough to
buy the pencils and fund operations for a few months, but the
company is ultimately expected to sink or swim of its own weight
by selling direct to the consumer.  In this case, selling direct
to the consumer