According to the Wall Street Journal [subscription], the Democrats are strongly leading the Republicans in the campaign finance race. Currently, the Democratic party has a $100 million advantage. Obama, for example, has more contributors than the top three Republic candidates. This suggests that Americans are tired of Republican policies, the war in Iraq, and so on. In fact, Bush's policies seem to be helping the Democratic party on a financial basis.

But this isn't a political blog -- this is a money blog. If you are interested in trying to make money on this election you should check out Intrade.com, an exchange for political and current event-based wagers. Currently, the Democrats winning the presidency is a $56 contract. This means that if the Democrats win the election, "Intraders" stand to make $44 ($100 - $56). As you can see from the chart on the right, traders have been increasing their bets on the Democrats since the beginning of this year. It's worth noting that Intrade has an extraordinary record of making accurate predictions in both Senate and Presidential races -- talk about an efficient market!

All in all, in recent years people interested in politics have gained the ability to legally try and monetize their passions. Hey! They can use the proceeds to support their favorite candidates or causes.