The political landscape

The Washington Post acknowledges a difficult landscape for Democrats: Senate Democrats Face Tough ’04 Election. The reasons are pretty obvious; the number of seats defended, expected retirements, etc. But the Post includes, correctly, the fact that “Democrats’ fundraising difficulties have grown more serious with passage of new campaign finance rules that severely limit access to their most easily raised cash.” That is, McCain-Feingold’s ban on “soft” money, which, as it typically originates with fat cats, is especially prone to be Democratic. The Democrats have gone in a short period of time from agitating feverishly for McCain-Feingold to matter-of-factly acknowledging it as a serious barrier to their ambitions. Maybe John McCain is a Republican after all.