The GOP financing strategy

With a lack of fire and small donations from "the base," it sounds like the GOP is trying to compensate by tapping their big donors.

The (McCain) campaign has set up a hybrid campaign committee that will allow individual donors to contribute roughly $70,000 to Mr. McCain’s election efforts, far more than the $2,300 maximum that can be given to a general election campaign.

Only $2,300 of the money would go directly to the campaign committee, $28,500 would go to the national committee, and nearly $40,000 would be divided among the state parties of four crucial states: Colorado, Minnesota, New Mexico and Wisconsin.

Related: (NationalJournal) It sounds like Karl Rove is trying to organize the GOP's 527 structure, coordinating the donors, the targets, and the strategy.