On the eve of the Iowa caucuses presidential candidates are being cagey about just how much money they have raised in the last quarter; throwing around round numbers in the hopes of shoring up confidence without showing their hand. Mike McCabe of the Wisconsin Democracy Campaign says that despite rhetoric about reaching out to voters, this season of primaries is all about the money.Fundraising by presidential candidates this cycle is already dwarfing records set in previous contests -- nearly half a billion has already been raised 10 months out from election day. The early primary contests in Iowa and New Hampshire are meant to showcase candidates' skills at "retail politics," that is, selling their message door-to-door. But a cursory glance at money raised thus far suggests that retail politics have acquired a decidedly "luxury item" price tag.McCabe says public financing and campaign reform would put voters back in the driver’s seat. His group joined a coalition last fall asking the candidates to spell out their platforms on campaign reform and election laws. So far, only Obama and Edwards have responded.McCabe says it’s hard for voters to know where candidates stand on key issues, partly because they aren’t always willing to stick their necks out, and partly because of the focus on fundraising.“One of the worst things that has happened to politics in recent years is horse race-style coverage in the media, where there’s so much emphasis on who’s ahead in the polls, and who has the most money.” It's hard not to listen inside the echo chamber of media reports that conflate fundraising totals with job qualifications. Do voters really get to make an independent choice with all those dollar signs twirling before their eyes?