monopolyman.jpgIt looks like John McCain is getting some of his campaign pointers from the Bush Squad. Today he's going to be campaigning here in my Seattle neck of the woods, but the public won't ever see him.

No, he's doing it the classic Republican way: With an elite fund-raiser costing a mere $33,100 per person. And you better be ready to pony up the big bucks if you want to hang with this crowd:

McCain has scheduled a 5 p.m., $10,000 per person photo reception at the Hyatt, followed by a $2,300 per person VIP reception and a $1,000 general reception. A Victory Dinner that costs $33,100 per person begins at 7 p.m.

Why isn't McCain doing anything public here in the Seattle area? Why not get out and grip a few babies?

Well, maybe it has something to do with McCain's public and not-so-public support for (and involvement with) Airbus -- an association that recently meant Boeing lost out on a big DOD tanker contract, costing the state thousands of jobs.

Of course, our wealthy Republicans, like wealthy Republicans everywhere, aren't really all that concerned about the plight of the proles, so they're evidently happy to write checks. But meanwhile, for working-class and otherwise "normal" Washingtonians, John McCain is roughly the equivalent of a possum who's been hanging out in the middle of the road for a few weeks.

Which no doubt explains why all the money being raised at this fund-raiser isn't going toward Washington Republicans. It's going elsewhere -- to the Republican parties of Colorado, Minnesota, New Mexico and Wisconsin, all of which are potential swing states this fall.

Indeed, it's probably a bit of a blessing. It's highly unlikely we'll be forced to endure a McCain visit this fall, because Republicans aren't really fond of massive crowds of protesters populated largely by working-class folks. If he does campaign in Washington, it'll likely be over in the more GOP-friendly eastern side of the state (though even that is a gamble, since Boeing is also a big employer there). Most likely he'll find excuses to campaign elsewhere.

McCain's fund-raiser, incidentally, is taking place in Darcy Burner's back yard. Darcy suggests a donation of $33.10 to her campaign as a statement about the difference between the new generation of Democrats, and old-style Republican hacks like John McCain.