A Democratic landslide?

Don Surber notes that Republicans are "raising the roof and raking it in" in terms of campaign fundraising, despite the general consensus among pundits that this will be a banner year for Democrats. The British Guardian reports:

John McCain, is attracting millions more dollars in funding than expected, which could allow him to match the much-vaunted Barack Obama donation machine. . . .
McCain surprised US political pundits by raising $22 [million] in June, his best showing since he launched his bid for the White House early last year.
Obama remains favourite to win the election, with polls showing him on average five points ahead, but McCain is showing increasing signs of making a fight of it in spite of his lacklustre campaign so far.

It so happens that I'm writing a column on the existential gloom that has taken hold among many conservatives about this year's election. Philip Klein's column contemplating an Obama presidency may or may not be evidence of defeatism, but certainly many conservatives have little hope that McCain can win.

In fact, many conservatives don't want McCain to win. They didn't support him in the primaries, and view the possibility of a McCain presidency with fear and loathing. But that doesn't mean that McCain can't win, or that there would be no benefit from the defeat of Hope.

The first step to winning, of course, is the belief that victory is possible. Many Republicans seem to have allowed themselves to be demoralized by the incessant drumbeat from the media that portrays Obama as an inevitable winner in November. Yet occasionally news leaks out to the contrary:

[I]n May, when Obama's victory seemed inevitable, some 115 former Clinton donors made substantial contributions to presumptive Republican presidential nominee Sen. John McCain of Arizona, according to an analysis done by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics for the Wall Street Journal. And, disgruntled Clinton supporters have put up Internet sites in protest, such as Together4us.com.

As little cause as conservatives might have to hope for a McCain victory in November, it remains a possibility, and perhaps my fellow right-wingers can at least appreciate the purely mean-spirited spite of breaking the Democrats' hearts.

UPDATE: Rusty links, but doesn't seem really convinced.