More numbers from the IL 6th District

[minvis]

I posted this initially on the Illinois forum.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=150x11583

[radio4progressives]

1. When You say "Numbers" you're referring $$$ , right?

Is that how the race is going to be decided, by how much money is raised?

[minvis]

2. That's right

the numbers I'm referring to is money. I'd rather that the race not be decided by how much money is raised, but if you look at the financial numbers in this race I think you'll find some interesting pieces of information on who's giving money and what each campaign is spending their money on.

[minvis]

3. Huge amounts of money spent by Duckworth

Almost $400,000 was spent by Duckworth in the past two months. $250,000 alone on mass mailings (12 of them)and media buys (3 of those). Another $30,000 was spent on polling, yet not a peep has been heard on the results.

[MrBenchley]

4. Yeah, it's an election year....

Meanwhile, Cegelis shot her wad LAST year.

You'll also notice Tammy's two largest expenses are for direct mail and media buy (ads)....don't see either of those among Cegelis' expenses at all.

[minvis]

6. Yeah, it's two months of a primary

and $400,000 has already been spent. This is all because she has no ground game and is forced to blanket the district with mailings and media buys. Cegelis has spent $250,000 for the entire two year cycle and has volunteers working the entire district. I ask you, who's wasting money now?

[MrBenchley]

7. Sure seems like Cegelis has wasted hers....

By the way, if she has volunteers working the district, where did the money go in 2005?

[minvis]

9. Look at the reports in the OP

It will tell you what she spent it on in 2005. If you think it was a waste, that's your opinion. I'll leave it up to others to take a look and decide.

[MrBenchley]

10. I did...which is how I knew

what each candidate spent their money on.

I'm still intrigued by how these volunteers become an expense.....

[dsc]

11. By all of the following

They need phones, they need paper, copiers, food, transportation, supplies, lists of voters to canvas, and a whole host of things. A good ground game is very expensive and also very necessary. Kerry paid for Ohio Dems not learning that lesson.

[MrBenchley]

19. LOL!

Funny, when I look at the Cegelis numbers, phones are $1,835....

http://www.fecinfo.com/cgi-win/pml1_sql_efview.exe?DoFn=C003940072006&server=PML2

"A good ground game is very expensive"
Evidently a really lousy one is also expensive.

[dsc]

21. That is one item I mentioned

I have been a volunteer before and know that even though I worked for free they still had to pay some cost to have me in the field. They often provided a van to drive us, they always had stuff to hand out, maps of voters homes, and other things which clearly cost money.

[MrBenchley]

22. Feel free to wade through and find the other items

[minvis]

13. when did I say volunteers were an expense?

My post was that Duckworth needed to spend all that money on mailings and media because she didn't have volunteers on the ground canvassing with information on their candidate. That is why Cegelis has not spent money on mass mailings and media buyS. If you have the people to meet voters face to face, the need for mass mailings is not that great.

You still haven't said specifically what money spent by Cegelis was "wasted". Was it all of it? Was it just the money spent in 2005? The payroll expenses, rent? What is it?

[MrBenchley]

20. LOL!

"You still haven't said specifically what money spent by Cegelis was "wasted"."
And that's why she spent three-quarters of her dough in a non-election year...hokay.

[minvis]

23. Look at each line item

Specifically, which one(s) are wasteful. Consulting fees, fundraising costs? which ones? Perhaps we can have a real debate instead of just sniping at each other.

[MrBenchley]

24. Been there, done that.....

[minvis]

25. More like

Been there, done nothing.

[Ken Burch]

17. Again Benchley obsesses about what Cegelis did with the money

Even though that has no bearing on who would be the best nominee.

[MrBenchley]

18. Again, it has a big bearing on who would be the best nominee

Which is why the Cegelis backers squeal in rage whenever her dicey finances are mentioned.

So Ken, if she's left depending on volunteers during the election year, where oh where did that money go in 2005?

[dogman]

5. Maybe the polling showed AMT and health care are big issues.

You may have heard much more than a peep.

[minvis]

8. Maybe, but

you're telling me they spent $30,000 on polling to see what the big issues in the district are and then didn't also ask if they support Duckworth, Cegelis or Scott. How is she going to raise all this money without telling her contributors that the polls say I have a chance. Come on!

[dogman]

12. Since most polls are Q factor, it's likely they are tracking her Q.

They need to determine which ads are having the most impact so he campaign know where to spend the funds to gain the most. Any other polling at this juncture would be pretty much wasted. Who cares who's ahead now? The idea is how to get ahead in two weeks. What issues will get the attention of voters is far more important. She is not having trouble raising funds.

[minvis]

16. I stand corrected on the polling

You're probably right that it was issue oriented polling not horse race polling. Still it underlines the point that if she had been engaged in the district at an earlier point, she probably would have had a better grasp of what issues concerned the 6th district instead of spending $30,000 to find that out.

[madfloridian]

14. This number jumped out at me.

Duckworth: $118,447 on Direct Mail

That's a lot of mail.

I can't find any huge figure like that for Cegelis.

[minvis]

15. That was for 12 direct mailings

That's a lot of direct mailings. Direct mailings weren't as necessary for Cegelis because she has been using volunteers canvassing door to door with literature to get her message out. I happen to be one of the volunteers doing this for her. It's been great to be involved.