Reply #133: Campaign financing

[Missy Vixen]

>If Dean had been a real fiscal conservative he wouldn't be in this mess.<

Do you have the slightest idea of how much it costs to mount a presidential campaign? I realize that it's much more fun to take shots at Dean, but the facts that remain are these: $41 million was a drop in the bucket for nationwide office space, venue space for rallies, rental fees, airfares, hotel rooms, on and on and on and on. Why do you think that * is raising $200 million?

Do you think that it was smart for Kerry to mortgage his house to raise campaign funds? If he were a "real fiscal conservative," why wasn't he raising money for his campaign a long time ago? He's still evidently not seeing the financial numbers he wanted, but he'll be bailed out by the DNC, so I guess it doesn't matter.

Here's another head-scratcher for you: How much do you think it costs to mount a campaign for local office, for instance, city councilperson? We live in a town of 5500. My campaign (earlier this year,) cost just under $2500. That was yard signs, buttons, mailing list purchase, postage, mailing fees (including a $150.00 bulk mailing permit,) printing costs and not a lot more. One of my (Republican) colleagues spent over $6,000. This was for an office paying the princely sum of $250.00 per month.

I talked with Rep. Laura Ruderman during my campaign. She raises $250,000 when she campaigns for her current position. I believe state representatives are paid about $30,000 per year. She also doorbells the 20,000 houses in her district. All of them.

If my piddly little campaign could spend $2,500, it doesn't shock me at all that a nationwide campaign could burn through $41 million. I suppose this doesn't make me a "fiscal conservative," either.

Julie