Before the checkbooks

Once upon a time, not so long ago when a candidate for higher office sought supporters with which to build what was hoped to be a formidable campaign infrastructure, it began more quietly and over a year in advance.

The prospective candidates would go from town committee to town committee not solely to deliver their intra-party stump speech, but to learn of other candidates running for local office that year, and would lend them whatever celebrity they might possess as well as other intangible assets they might have acquired to help those locals win their respective races.

It made sense, it's better to have a few Selectmen or Town Council members in your corner than not. Besides, successful local campaigns are rarely won alone, and political alliances being what they are, the savvy higher office candidate could well be seen by winning office holders and their entire teams in several communities, as an asset.

Knowing the locals who serve the behind the counter in countless coffee shops, or as youth sports coaches, and so forth can't possibly hurt either.

The candidate that gave so willingly of his time and efforts one year will be remembered the next by the very people that will delegates then.

Then the folks with the big checkbooks arrived!

Not inclined to spend the extra time or bother to rub elbows with the unwashed masses, instead of working with "the little people" they seem to have chosen to simply write checks instead.

Here's a run down of the contributions to town committees made by just two candidates lately.

Town Committee Contributions