Ben Carson Burned a Ton of Cash on Live Music and Private Jets
Source: Mother Jones
Republican presidential candidate Ben Carson's latest fundraising report with the Federal Election Commission shows that his campaign brought in an impressive $8.5 million over the last three monthsfour times as much as Mike Huckabee, a politician with comparable appeal among Sean Hannity-watching conservative activists. Yet during that same perioda time in which Carson was sporadically campaigning while giving paid speeches, struggling to retain staff, and not running any television adsCarson managed to spend a whopping $5.4 million. Much of that money went toward more fundraising, because his campaign depends heavily on third-party direct-mail firms. But, in stark contrast to Carson's fiscal conservative message, his campaign spent big money on private jets, luxury hotels, and slickly produced events.
Carson's campaign kickoff, for instance, came with a hefty price tag. While other candidates, such as Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders, have taken advantage of cheap outdoor public spaces and free media, Carson dropped $25,448 to rent the Detroit Music Hall. The campaign also spent $64,521 on "musical entertainment" over the last quarter, much of it on the kickoff event. That included $20,000 paid to Alexi von Guggenberg, the producer of the song that plays in the background of this Carson campaign video, which has less than 30,000 views on YouTube; $15,500 to the Selected of God choir, which performed at his Detroit event; $10,271 to the contemporary classical vocal group Veritas, which also performed a few songs at his kickoff; and $18,750 to producer Kevin Cates.
The Carson team has also spent big money on luxury travel and accommodations, an area where campaigns often emphasize frugality. (Hillary Clinton staffers are commuting from DC to New York City exclusively by bus.) His campaign spent $60,035 on private plane rentals from Addison, Texas-based Starbase Jets. And it spared little expense on lodging. Carson and/or his staff checked in at the Luxe Sunset Hotel in Bel Air at a cost of $827; the Algonquin in New York City ($814); the Rosewood Crescent in Dallas ($704); and the five-star Umstead Hotel and Spa in Cary, North Carolina ($405).
Carson, who led one national poll last month, promised to run an unconventional campaign. His first big FEC report backs him up on that.
Read more: http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2015/07/ben-carson-campaign-private-jets-luxury-hotels
The Grift-o-rama of the futile candidacies continues.
The Republican primaries: Where running for president isn't a career, it's a lifestyle!
TwilightGardener
(46,416 posts)dembotoz
(16,785 posts)vinny9698
(1,016 posts)Gotta to go where the money is. I am running. Send me money.
Blue Owl
(50,259 posts)n/t
Cryptoad
(8,254 posts)get up and act crazy, and they will give you $millions to travel around for year or two living the high life,,,,,, ! sweeeet !
arcane1
(38,613 posts)Exhibit A.
Fred Sanders
(23,946 posts)Fleecing the ignorant and stupid never fails, the flock are too ignorant and stupid to ever catch on.
dballance
(5,756 posts)The GOP is excited to have a person of color running on their dime.
In absolutely no universe would a black man be their nominee.
People are still comfortable saying "I'll get that ni**r" in most parts of the South.
msongs
(67,361 posts)hack89
(39,171 posts)A Simple Game
(9,214 posts)graegoyle
(532 posts)NCjack
(10,279 posts)n2doc
(47,953 posts)This is just a big grift. Working pretty well, too.
corkhead
(6,119 posts)olddots
(10,237 posts)unfortunately he is holding crappy cards .
lolly
(3,248 posts)All those luxury hotel rooms generate tax money for local governments. Airline employees, chefs, etc. will get some extra money in their paychecks thanks to the gullible twits who forked over their money to this campaign.
Best of all--it's money that isn't spent on actual campaigning against a Democratic nominee! Keep it up, Carson!
Enrique
(27,461 posts)in reaction to every story about Ben Carson.
It reminds me of people bringing up Bobby Jindal's nationality for no reason.
Octafish
(55,745 posts)You too can enjoy all this crap if you are a rethuglian. Those of us with real money never have worked a day in our lives.
WestSeattle2
(1,730 posts)does best. Palin started the scam - using election cycles as self-enrichment opportunities. Most of the GOP lineup is just running their version of the scam - and their lofo supporters send them cash, like the village idiots they are.
Sunlei
(22,651 posts)Good thing Republicans top poll is Donald Trump, their primary favorite to win, spends his own money.
Mr.Trump listed only 68 donors on the recent federal disclosure.