I've never really given much money to political candidates before, but this year my husband and I are thinking about making a significant campaign contribution.  Here's my dilemma: We really, really, really want a Democrat to be the next president.  I have fairly strong feelings about which candidate is better, but what's most important to me is having a Democrat in office.  So my question is should I donate money now, or is it better to wait until there is an actual nominee?  Or should I do both, but in smaller amounts?

I'm also wondering about our charity contributions in general for 2008.  I already wrote a diary about charity here, but this year I'm wondering if we should "blow our charity budget" on a big political donation. Sometimes it seems like the most important thing we can do for our country and the world is get Republicans out of office, so maybe it makes sense this year to donate lots of money to the Democrats, and neglect other causes temporarily.  That doesn't feel quite right, however.

I'm sure I can't be the only one wondering about these things right now, so I'm hoping to hear what others are thinking.