Charlie Cook: “One of the most frequent questions I get is about the massive influx of money coming into various political entities. One of the greatest canards in politics is that money determines elections. The reality is that money is important in politics—it is always better to have it than not—but what matters most is who is spending their money smarter.”“Furthermore, when the tide is running strongly against a party, spending moves the needle less than one might imagine. Republican pollster Neil Newhouse recently said, ‘Money is an amplifier, not a magic wand,’ adding that ad volume ‘can’t change a hostile climate.'”