Show me the money!

Peter Freyne, writing for the Vermont weekly Seven Days, had the jump on the national media regarding the potential for Trippi trouble with this note. "Dr. Dean, sources say, has taken control of the campaign checkbook from the Trippster and handed it to Deputy Campaign Manager Bob Rogan."

At TAPPED, Garance Franke-Ruta learns that "Trippi's departure was precipiated, in part, by a revolt of the donors and fundraisers."

One presumes that those aren't the $25 dollar a head internet donors we've heard so much about, but rather the sponsors of the $500 a head brunches and $1000 dollar a plate dinners that the Dean campaign has been increasingly dependent on, and who are even more important as the Iowa/New Hampshire spending spree has put the campaign in a serious cash crunch.

How serious? Serious enough to stay off the air in every Feb. 3 state. Serious enough to suspend staffers paychecks (and can layoffs be far away, just as the campaign schedule starts to intensify?). Initial reports of a $5 million balance have been downgraded to estimates of $3 million, with about that much in outstanding bills.

When Joe Trippi's small donor magic started to attract the attention of the big money donors, building a campaign war chest that blew away all expectations, Dean decided to opt out of the public financing system. His rationale was a strategic plan that would allow him to compete with George Bush in the spring. His actions, though, belie that rationale. He blew much of it away losing to John Kerry and John Edwards in the Iowa winter, and dumped the rest on a New Hampshire campaign that resulted in a dramatic 40+ point downward turn against John Kerry.

To his credit, Dean isn't pointing fingers. He says he approved every expenditure. It's hard, though, given that, to credit him with the mantle of fiscal responsibility that he's worked so hard to claim.

Dean went into Iowa the top dog, and came away an underdog. He's not the underdog anymore. That distinction has been assigned to John Edwards.

He's a dead dog, and dead dog's don't hunt.