$150 Million

According to dkos, that's how much Obama raised. $150 Million

The Obama campaign has raised a stunning $150 million in September.

Some astonishing statistics from David Plouffe:

• 632,000 new donors last month alone.
• 3.1 million donors thus far.
• Average contribution for the month is still under $100 (for the year, the average is $86).
• Retirees and students are the two groups which have given the most contributions.

As Plouffe explains, this is a lot of money, but the campaign needs more. Funds are necessary to fight the "slime" from the other side (Plouffe's word, not mine), to fight the robocalls, the shameful ads, etc. Plouffe also explains that funds are needed as the campaign is expanding into new battleground, like West Virginia and North Dakota. He also calls us to action, stating:

"The finish line is too close for us to fall short. The country can't afford it."

$150 million is a mind-blowing amount of money, but extraordinary resources will be needed to combat the extraordinarily ugly tactics launched by the McCain campaign. As Joe Biden recently warned:

"You know what these guys are gonna do," Biden warned the 3,800-strong audience in a Henderson park, just outside Las Vegas. "You know, as that old saying goes – I thought they already threw the kitchen sink, but I think more is to come. I think other parts of the bathroom are coming. I don’t know, man, they’re going up and getting the bathroom sink. So look, we have a lot of reason to be encouraged, but it is far, far from over."

Barack Obama himself has echoed the same, seizing the urgency of the moment and saying that we need to "run through the finish line."

As someone who remembers the Democratic fundraising doldrums of the turn of the century, this is still kitten-playing-with-puppy heartwarming.

And look at that one bit: "Retirees and students are the two groups which have given the most contributions." STUDENTS. The group that's supposed to be either politically disaffected or too wrapped up in thinking that street puppetry will solve things to support causes that actually will solve things.

Incredible.