Money

The sky's the limit (0.00 / 0)

I awoke, and thought of this diary, with the thought that Obama's incredible fundraising proves that there is never a shortage of campaign resources.

But I talked myself out of that, because:

- He was running for president.
- He was running for president when neither party had an incumbent or semi-incumbent (like a sitting VP) for the first time since ... I forget. Maybe 1952.
- His early success made it a two-person race very quickly, so there was little competition for available money. People had only one choice to make, Clinton or Obama.
- He's Barack Obama.

So forget that. But there is still considerable energy, and, properly motivated, that energy will pony up some considerable cash.

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by: Jim Corrigan @ Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 08:49:39 AM CDT

Is money a problem? (0.00 / 0)

It is generally assumed that campaigns cost too much. This is true and not true. On the scale of American business, spending a billion to elect the leader of the free world is chump change. On the scale of individual citizens making a difference through their contributions, campaigns cost too much.

At times, I have considered devoting this entire blog to campaign finance issues. That would have merit, but two things stop me: one, I think other people are doing good work and not getting recognized. The National Voting Rights Institute (www.nvri.org), now merged with another group, springs to mind.

Two, I don't think the problem can be solved. The last major piece of reform was McCain-Feingold (Shays-Meehan in the House). Last year, one campaign found a way around McCain-Feingold: John McCain's.

But picking on McCain aside, we can't get the money out of anything. How would we ever get it out of politics?

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by: Jim Corrigan @ Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 08:58:08 AM CDT

Money talks (0.00 / 0)

Those Noises From The Left I Do Not Hear Them

Yes, we know.

It's a weird phenomenon, not limited to Feinstein. Noises from the right are all that can be heard in congressional offices.

http://www.eschatonblog.com/

Feinstein, consciously or not, fears well-funded right-wing opponents. But in recent years, left-wingers have been well-funded too.

To state the obvious, do "well-funded" and "left-winger" belong in the same sentence?

The acid test will be whether we see campaign finance talk coming out of the GOP. For now, they can't reconcile it with the rest of their philosophy, but they may will change their tune if they slide into being unable to compete.

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by: Jim Corrigan @ Mon Jun 29, 2009 at 09:52:52 AM CDT

I spoke too soon (0.00 / 0)

This version is way bloggy. Communal, even.

That'll learn me to doubt Cyndi.

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by: Jim Corrigan @ Wed Jul 01, 2009 at 14:08:38 PM CDT

Losing Cokie, winning money (0.00 / 0)

It's fair to say Sarah Palin lost the Cokie Primary this morning, because Cokie was dismissive of her chances to be president. But of course that just feeds into the Palin narrative, a trick that will work long enough for her to get a new trick, if she has one in her.

I've heard anecdotally that Palin can raise unbelievable amounts of cash for the GOP. I'm going to try to get some hard data on this.

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by: Jim Corrigan @ Mon Jul 06, 2009 at 09:10:34 AM CDT

Bundling (0.00 / 0)

By far, the most pernicious force in political fundraising is bundling, the practice of one person collecting donations and "bundling" them into a pool for the candidate. Though this is an efficient, potent weapon, it is a breeding ground for abuse. There have already been cases of people donating thousands of dollars in the name of their four-year-old.

Barack Obama had an opportunity to avoid bundling, at least in the general election, and passed on it. I can't say I blame him. But we can't expect either party to lay down this arm.

So now what?

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by: Jim Corrigan @ Mon Jul 06, 2009 at 10:36:24 AM CDT