ST. PAUL, Minn. – Despite all the deep cuts and nasty bruises of this interminable primary campaign, Barack Obama emerges amazingly strong against John McCain, considering that he’s history’s first major-party black nominee and is running as an unreconstructed liberal from the Democratic Party.
Possibly Obama’s biggest strength – largely ignored so far – is that because he was forced to compete in contests in all 50 states, he now has impressive, experienced political organizations up and running in each one.
“This long process, while it may have worn us out personally, has allowed us to set up organizations in every corner of this country in places that John McCain has yet to visit,” Robert Gibbs, a top Obama aide, explained on the plane from Chicago to St. Paul last night.
The “real organizations and ready volunteers” paused to savor last night’s victory, he said, but went right back to work today in hopes of enjoying an even bigger victory in November.
Sen. McCain boasts no such operation. When he was the early GOP front-runner last summer, he had all the trappings and organization of the nominee.
But he drove it into the ground, leaving him broke and alone, which is the only way he really seems to know how to campaign anyway.
This Obama advantage extends well beyond political drudgery such as signing up volunteers, organizing phone banks and distributing yard signs.
It also means that Sen. Obama has become known to people, even those who aren’t terribly interested in politics but usually vote in general elections.
Now this has not been all good, because the introduction of Obama included the likes of the Rev. Jeremiah Wright.
But it’s not as bad as it would have been if he were still a blank canvas and the only people holding paintbrushes were Republicans.
This all may seem subjective and speculative, but there’s one barometer that never lies in politics.
That’s money and, because of these advantages, Obama is flush with it. Obama has shattered all records, raising more than $265 million from 1.5 million people.
Compare that to McCain, who has scraped together just over $90 million.
Obama still has a tall hill to climb, but he starts his general-election campaign from a very strong position.
churt@nypost.com