She said she should have become an active candidate sooner than January, when she quit as president of the American Red Cross. When she started making calls for support in early February, she said, it was too late. That's ridiculous, the wife of a former senator. Dole also painted a grim picture of the cycle of defeat that ensnares a cashless campaign. In fact, it's a kind of Catch-22.
Inadequate funding limits the number of staff at headquarters and in key states.
It restricts your ability to communicate with voters. It places a ceiling on travel and travel staff. Over time, it becomes nearly impossible to sustain an effective campaign. But her campaign was beset by other problems, and her candidacy never gathered steam. Dole yesterday spoke fervently of the historic nature of her campaign and the excitement she generated among many women.