Now all information for this will be from
http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/index.asp
I am using the "Total Spent" only for this.
After using that nifty calculating feature on my computer, I find that the campaign spending so far in this primary race totals to $691,479,424. (I hope that is right, there were a lot of numbers). But dear God, 691, 479, 424 DOLLARS. USD. CASH. That isn't even counting all the little people who were very minor candidates.
What could I do if I had that kind of money? Well for one, I could go through my University's 5-year teaching program about 8, 643 times. Or, one could send that many kids to college. If I estimate a house costing $200, 000 - then I could buy 3, 457 houses. Apparently it costs a parent about 300, 000 dollars (It's in the high 200 thousands) to take care of a kid until the age of 18. That is almost 2,304 kids.
But in the end, only one person is going to be president. Only one of them is going to win the game. Whoever is vicepresident doesn't really matter, we know that. The rest just goes to waste, with the exception of someone furthering or ruining their stupid reputations and political ambitions. Think of what could have been paid for if, instead of putting it towards these elaborate campaigns, contributers gave money to charity or if candidates put some of this money towards issues they are talking about. Health care? Poverty? Social Seecurity? Hey, Detroit is in the news a lot now thanks to Kwame, you could pay off Detroit's debt with that cash and help Michigan not be such a sucky state compared to the rest of them. Sound cool? I think it sounds better than spending thousands or millions of dollars on that self-promotion.
This is the state of the United States' debt: Debt Clock
I am just really angry that this many candidates (of which, I do not want any in the White House) have spent this much money. Honestly, our Nation is in so much debt right now. I cannot respect these people- spending so much money. I really cannot respect the democrats at all at this point, spending that much money in addition to all the stupid bickering that is dividing the party; how much money has gone towards petty bickering and trying to out-do each other.
That money could have helped fix some schools or paid off some national debt. It makes me sick that these people are/were fighting to run our country and in the process are wasting money and/or creating and putting themselves into debt. It doesn't help our country at all. It makes it worse.
Here's a list of what I used to find the total. It's here for shock and awe purposes. Hopefully you're as disgusted as I am after looking at this.
$154,767,643 - Barack Obama
$135,828,257 - Hilary Clinton
$56,657,944 - John McCain
Joe Biden - $10,552,631
Sam Brownback - $4,207,846
Chris Dodd - $15,004,617
John Edward - $45,906,115
Jim Gilmore - $376,339
Rudy Guiliani - $56,793,731
Mike Gravel - $524,129
Mike Huckabee - $15,271,687
Duncan Hunter - $2,539,906
Dennis Kucinich - $4,427,828
Alan Keyes - $281,204
Ron Paul - $28,735,134
Bill Richardson - $22,887,736
Mitt Romney - $103,820,052
Tom Tancredo - $6,709,482
Fred Thompson - $22,901,877
Tommy Thompson - $1,210,742
Tom Vilsack - $2,074,524
If you want to check my calculations and correct me, feel free. I'll correct it.
What is your opinion on campaign spending? What is something you would use the money for? I mentioned how many more kids could be supported, sent to college to be teachers, buy houses- give your own example of how much this money could have bought.
The candidates don't have a choice. If someone wants to be president, they have to spend a ridiculous amount of money.
True they have to spend money, but they are spending more than they need to. I honestly have a hard time swallowing that they need that much money to self-promote and mud-sling. If they put their money where their mouth is instead of using it to blacken the others face or make theirs more visible, that would be better. Right now ti looks irresponsible.
As for Ex-Candidates, some of them continued to collect gross amounts of money after they were not viable to win the election or continue to collect money despite that their campaigns are functionally over. Many of these are funded by individual contributions. For example, over 99% of Huckabee 15 million something was from individual contributers. So much money comes from individual contributers, and it takes away their money for these people to help make a media show.
In February alone Obama spent $41,476,232 and Clinton, $30,478,110. That's about 27% and 22% of their campaign money spent so far. You know they are going to spend more. There are about 7 more months until the actual election. Primaries end on June 1st.
2004 election, when it was done, totals that I just added up came to $846, 334, 708 by the time they were done. (The first time I did it it was 775, 657, 321, but you can double check me if you want). I expect this years to succeed that.
Oh and just looking at 2004. Bush spent $345, 259, 155 and Kerry spent $309, 708, 090 and it was an extremely close election. Did Bush really need to spend that extra $35, 551, 065 over Kerry when it was so close? Did either of them did to hit the 300 millions to stop any chance of the other candidates? Why not 200 millions or 100 millions? The highest primary spender was Howard Dean at $52,113,785 and in the actual general election it was Nader at $4,567,299. Gross and unneeded spending.
How do you know it was unneeded? Have you seen their budget? Spoken to their financial advisors? Do you know much about finance or about campaigning?
You don't think candidates continuing to take money from individual contributors and spending it after they have no possibility of becoming president is wasteful and unneeded? You think it's completely justifiable that they absolutely HAVE to spend THAT MUCH money to campaign? There is open criticism from other political advisers, supporters, donors about Clinton's campaign spending and how she collected money- but a person that isn't an adviser, supporter, or donor can't say the same things when they observe what the other parties see?
Guiliani and Mitt Romney had more cash than McCain. Heck, Ron Paul raised more than Huckabee and Huckabee did better than him. Money can't win an election. Sure, one needs money to become president, but I think we're past the point where the candidates have been weeded out due to lack of money. They've all demonstrated that they can raise the money. None of these people are going to magically drop of the face of the media if they don't continue to raise more and more than they already have. Spending more money is not going to buy them the nomination.
And no, I haven't talked to their financial advisers or about their campaign strategy. Have you?
Spending the money AFTER they have no chance of becoming president is questionable (though that money might help them get ahead politically, and thus, in their mind, be able to help a largery amount of people). But I don't see what's wrong with the lead candidates like Obama spending a large amount of money if that's what they need to do to succeed.