THE NC Herd Fan
Hall of Famer
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I Root For: Marshall
Location: Charlotte
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Can $1billion buy the Presidency???
The Buying of the Presidency 2008
Quote:Barack Obama is well on his way to buying the Presidency. The effect of Obama's financial advantage has now even been admitted by the New York Times, whose editors and political writers already may be lighting up their victory cigars, like Red Auerbach, the Celtics coach of legend.
I figure he'll end up spending around $600 million +/- by election day on the general election plus the $350 million +/- on the primary and that's a nearly cool billion.
Quote:The state where the Obama campaign has been carpet bombing the airwaves most vigorously this past weekend was West Virginia. If you watched TV over the weekend in the Mountaineer State, you could not have missed the Obama ads -- an extraordinary buy of $1.2 million per day for 5 days, with ads running in every media market in the state. The McCain campaign, had it spent all of its $84 million for the general election on TV ads, would have had $1.4 million to spend per day for campaign ads for the last two months for all 50 states. Obama has just spent almost that much per day in one state with fewer than 2 million people and but 5 Electoral College votes.
I would still like to have an independent audit of his contributions, I just don't trust the on-line route that could be easily manipulated if he had a few billionaire supporters.
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10-21-2008 03:09 PM |
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BGSUalum1987
Noah's Dad
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I Root For: BGSU!
Location: In The Philly 'Burbs
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RE: Can $1billion buy the Presidency???
The obscene amount of money spent on this entire campaign - and I'm talking both parties back to the beginning of the primaries - is revolting. And the fact that sheer spending power is such a dramatic factor in electing the president should have all of us embarrassed and appalled.
Can't really blame the candidates or the parties, at this point. That's the way the game is rigged and their simply playing to win. But the whole process disgusts me.
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10-21-2008 03:16 PM |
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dwr0109
1st String
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Joined: Jul 2005
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Location: Under a Bodhi Tree
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RE: Can $1billion buy the Presidency???
Campaign inflation. Didn't Bush raise the largest "war chest" in history in 2004?
Don't like it, then work on a petition calling for publicly financed elections. Each candidate gets a set amount of money. I wouldn't want to pay for it, but at least it levels the playing field and forces candidates to campaign based on their policies and stances, and not just advertising $$.
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10-21-2008 03:38 PM |
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cb4029
The spoon that stirs the pot.
Posts: 18,793
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RE: Can $1billion buy the Presidency???
dwr0109 Wrote:Campaign inflation. Didn't Bush raise the largest "war chest" in history in 2004?
Don't like it, then work on a petition calling for publicly financed elections. Each candidate gets a set amount of money. I wouldn't want to pay for it, but at least it levels the playing field and forces candidates to campaign based on their policies and stances, and not just advertising $$.
Internet donations are public financing.
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10-21-2008 03:42 PM |
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dwr0109
1st String
Posts: 2,220
Joined: Jul 2005
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I Root For: Winning
Location: Under a Bodhi Tree
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RE: Can $1billion buy the Presidency???
No, they aren't.
Each candidate gets a specified amount of $$. I guess taxpayers would have to foot the bill. Either way, there would be no more talk about "special interests." Like I said, I don't want to pay for it. Maybe venues, and networks hosting the various debates could foot some of the bill.
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10-21-2008 04:14 PM |
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