How much does money matter?

A lot!  No question about it! 

Well, some questions...  When the election is decided and Great Minds dissect the results, it's possible that money will have been a less important decider than ...something else.  "Likeability"?  If it turns out to be likeability (vs. not just money but money partnered with "lie-ability"), then where does that leave the Kochs, Adelson, Rove & Co.?

Is it important that Obama is doing better money-wise now, in the final weeks, than Romney? 

Mitt Romney's campaign raised $170 million in September, nearly matching President Obama's $181 million haul and far surpassing his previous record, an August effort that brought in just under $112 million. ...The Hill

Who won September?  The guy who gets more or the guy who says he's doing better that he was?  What's left of The Hill's report indicates that Romney won that round.  Hmm.  But the headline reads, "Team Romney banks $170M in September, trails Obama by $11M."

I'm confused.