New numbers from the Federal Election Commission give a fairly straightforward assessment of where the Democratic race for the White House is right now - Advantage Obama.

The raw figures for January show that Barack Obama raised $35 million for the primaries - a huge amount.  Hillary Clinton raised $13 million.

Any other year, that would have been phenomenal.

Instead, Clinton is at a financial disadvantage in this race.  Even after lending her campaign $5 million, she was still over $7 million in the red at the end of January.

Compare that to Obama, who had $18 million in the bank with only $1 million in debts.

You can also see the edge in advertising dollars.  Remember the advantage that Obama had on Super Tuesday?  He was on the air in over 20 states, while Clinton had ads up in only eleven.

In January, Obama spent $18 million on radio and television advertising, while Clinton spent $11 million.

If you are thinking about running for President, how much money will you need for the primary race?  Both Obama and Clinton have been spending about $1 million a day.  Each.

Long term, the advantage remains with Obama in terms of money.  Money doesn't always mean victory (just ask Ron Paul) but it certainly helps.  And for now, the Money Teeter Totter is definitely weighing more on the Obama side.