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Obama Campaign hurting for cash?

cpwill said:
No. Incumbents typically (as I understand it) have a money advantage.



I notice all those decrying corporate spending are silent on unions....
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Not at all. Unions have been mentioned many times. They don't have enough money to counter unlimited corporate and individual donations. Not even close.
 
AdamT said:
Not at all. Unions have been mentioned many times. They don't have enough money to counter unlimited corporate and individual donations. Not even close.
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That is incorrect - Unions traditionally have been among the biggest spenders. Take a look at OpenSecrets.org Biggest Spenders since 1988:

1 ActBlue
2 AT&T Inc
3 American Fedn of State, County & Municipal Employees
4 National Assn of Realtors
5 National Education Assn
6 Goldman Sachs
7 Service Employees International Union
8 American Assn for Justice
9 Intl Brotherhood of Electrical Workers
10 American Federation of Teachers
11 Laborers Union
12 Teamsters Union
13 Carpenters & Joiners Union
14 Communications Workers of America
15 Citigroup Inc
16 United Food & Commercial Workers Union
17 American Medical Assn
18 United Auto Workers
19 National Auto Dealers Assn
20 Machinists & Aerospace Workers Union
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gosh, sure are alot of unions.....

but of course that includes older elections. What if you looked at our most recent election?

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees is now the biggest outside spender of the 2010 elections...

The 1.6 million-member AFSCME is spending a total of $87.5 million on the elections after tapping into a $16 million emergency account to help fortify the Democrats' hold on Congress. Last week, AFSCME dug deeper, taking out a $2 million loan to fund its push. The group is spending money on television advertisements, phone calls, campaign mailings and other political efforts, helped by a Supreme Court decision that loosened restrictions on campaign spending.

"We're the big dog," said Larry Scanlon, the head of AFSCME's political operations. "But we don't like to brag."..
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But maybe they are an outlier? And all the other big spenders are evil corporate types in their evil corporate buildings doing evil corporate things?

NA-BI593_AFSCME_NS_20101021210401.gif


huh.... three of the top five.... are unions...
 
cpwill said:
That is incorrect - Unions traditionally have been among the biggest spenders. Take a look at OpenSecrets.org Biggest Spenders since 1988:.
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Come on, CP, stop playing dumb. The point is that this is NOT a traditional campaign year, and due to Citizens United, there will be no more traditional campaigns. With unlimited contributions, the money that unions can bring to bear is a drop in the ocean compared to the deluge from corporations and wealthy individuals. Why do you think the unions have opposed Citizens United?
 
AdamT said:
Come on, CP, stop playing dumb. The point is that this is NOT a traditional campaign year, and due to Citizens United, there will be no more traditional campaigns. With unlimited contributions, the money that unions can bring to bear is a drop in the ocean compared to the deluge from corporations and wealthy individuals. Why do you think the unions have opposed Citizens United?
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Exactly. We are still in the infancy of corporations learning how to wield their fortunes to buy the country lock stock and barrel. But they will learn fast and its only a matter of time until corporations are able to outspend other interests by at least three or four to one.

And of course, the war on unions and union members fits right into that.
 
Where's the $billion war chest?
 
AdamT said:
Come on, CP, stop playing dumb. The point is that this is NOT a traditional campaign year, and due to Citizens United, there will be no more traditional campaigns. With unlimited contributions, the money that unions can bring to bear is a drop in the ocean compared to the deluge from corporations and wealthy individuals. Why do you think the unions have opposed Citizens United?
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:shrug: hey, if the unions face a future in which they are no longer "the big dog"s, then I'm fine with that. They've been the big dog for a long, long time. That's not the way it worked in 2010, but I agree that unions power will be diminishing with their membership.

But to claim that money was somehow blocked or limited from politics before Citizens United is silly. Like water, money always finds a way in - thanks to the size and scope of government, it's too good a buy (and too dangerous) to leave alone.
 
cpwill said:
:shrug: hey, if the unions face a future in which they are no longer "the big dog"s, then I'm fine with that. They've been the big dog for a long, long time. That's not the way it worked in 2010, but I agree that unions power will be diminishing with their membership.

But to claim that money was somehow blocked or limited from politics before Citizens United is silly. Like water, money always finds a way in - thanks to the size and scope of government, it's too good a buy (and too dangerous) to leave alone.
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Of course money was limited before CU. Seriously, you don't seem to have a clue what the laws were then and how they've changed.
 
AdamT said:
Of course money was limited before CU. Seriously, you don't seem to have a clue what the laws were then and how they've changed.
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:lol: yeah. and the existence of the SEC means there couldn't have possibly been a mortgage bubble :lol:
 
cpwill said:
apparently the bloom is off the rose, and so now being bloomless is a virtue :shrug:
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CPwill...I disagree with you more often than not...but Ive always respected your honesty...dont change please :)....you know damn well that all the super rich corporate I want mOAR have aligned with the superpacs...donors giving far more than EVER in history...donors pledgeing 100 + million thats just ONE GUY sheldon Adelsen. Obama is not lagging behind in past numbers...hes lagging behind the REPUBLICANS who have the entire 1% s wealth behind them...which means they have 99% of it ALL behind them.....Enjoy it...it will change back in the future...and thats the main reason I will pull that lever for obama...
 
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lpast said:
CPwill...I disagree with you more often than not...but Ive always respected your honesty...dont change please :)....you know damn well that all the super rich corporate I want mOAR have aligned with the superpacs...donors giving far more than EVER in history...donors pledgeing 100 + million thats just ONE GUY sheldon Adelsen. Obama is not lagging behind in past numbers...hes lagging behind the REPUBLICANS who have the entire 1% s wealth behind them...which means they have 99% of it ALL behind them.....Enjoy it...it will change back in the future...and thats the main reason I will pull that lever for obama...
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You hate the rich so much that you will vote for a candidate that you perceive as being "against them" despite the fact that that candidate wants to cut your medicare?

Romney and Obama both appeal to, hang out with, and collect alot of money from the uber rich. Obama did particularly well in 2008 from the Big Bankers, and he's done alot of fund raising this time with the Hedge Fund guys. Hilariously, one of his bundlers is a guy that works at Bain Capital.

Of those two men, however, only one of them also hangs out with people who celebrate cop-killing.
 
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cpwill said:
You hate the rich so much that you will vote for a candidate that you perceive as being "against them" despite the fact that that candidate wants to cut your medicare?

Romney and Obama both appeal to, hang out with, and collect alot of money from the uber rich. Obama did particularly well in 2008 from the Big Bankers, and he's done alot of fund raising this time with the Hedge Fund guys. Hilariously, one of his bundlers is a guy that works at Bain Capital.

Of those two men, however, only one of them also hangs out with people who celebrate cop-killing.
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Are you channeling TD? :lol:

The FACT is that most of Obama's campaign money came from small donors, while nearly all of Romney's money comes from wealthy individuals and corporations.
 
:shrug: good. I hope that he uses it all to great effect, campaigns on reforming our idiotic tax code, our labyrinthal regulatory system, and our doomed entitlement structure, wins by an overwhelming sweep, and thus has a mandate to do all those things.
 
cpwill said:
:shrug: good. I hope that he uses it all to great effect, campaigns on reforming our idiotic tax code, our labyrinthal regulatory system, and our doomed entitlement structure, wins by an overwhelming sweep, and thus has a mandate to do all those things.
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Absolutely! I'm sure that the 0.001% has the interests of the other 99.999% at heart.
 
AdamT said:
Absolutely! I'm sure that the 0.001% has the interests of the other 99.999% at heart.
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Ah, the 'default to the 1% partisan hackery card'. Sorry, that is just one of the many cards that has expired.
 
AdamT said:
No. In fact, thanks to Citizens United, this may be the first time in history that an incumbent president is outspent in an election.
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Why is that?

Is it because people have turned on Obama?

Is it because people are out of work and have no funds to contribute?

Is it because Obama is doing such a great job that he doesn't need the money, he'll win without it?
 
Born Free said:
Why is that?

Is it because people have turned on Obama?

Is it because people are out of work and have no funds to contribute?

Is it because Obama is doing such a great job that he doesn't need the money, he'll win without it?
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It's because the wealthy and corporations can now make unlimited donations.
 
Generic comment, applies equally to all parties and all candidates and all elections: I'm saddened by the fact that outspending one's opponent is even necessary. To me, it is clear proof that the average American voter is too naive to understand what is going on around them, and that paid advertising that is nothing more than a bunch of half-truths and lies-by-omission are so effective.
 
you know, if this was truly a JUST world, then obama would get no donations, and be stuck taking public financing.

that way, he'd be forced to go back and keep his word in regards to his agreement with mcain on taking public financing.
 
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