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elleng

(131,102 posts)
Sun Aug 5, 2012, 03:09 AM Aug 2012

Record Spending by Obama’s Camp Shrinks Coffers.

President Obama has spent more campaign cash more quickly than any incumbent in recent history, betting that heavy early investments in personnel, field offices and a high-tech campaign infrastructure will propel him to victory in November.

Since the beginning of last year, Mr. Obama and the Democrats have burned through millions of dollars to find and register voters. They have spent almost $50 million subsidizing Democratic state parties to hire workers, pay for cellphones and update voter lists. They have spent tens of millions of dollars on polling, online advertising and software development to turn Mr. Obama’s fallow volunteers corps into a grass-roots army.

The price tag: about $400 million from the beginning of last year to June 30 this year, according to a New York Times analysis of Federal Election Commission records, including $86 million on advertising.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/05/us/politics/record-spending-by-obamas-camp-shrinks-coffers.html?nl=todaysheadlines&emc=edit_th_20120805

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davidpdx

(22,000 posts)
2. I just hope Obama's campaign can keep raising money
Sun Aug 5, 2012, 07:31 AM
Aug 2012

The incompetence of Romney's campaign is encouraging, but the amount of money they can raise scares the hell out of me. I think Obama needs to be raising at least 80% of what Romney is.

 

Bluenorthwest

(45,319 posts)
3. I think politicans are addicted to this theory that the more money they get the safer they are
Sun Aug 5, 2012, 08:46 AM
Aug 2012

but I see no evidence that such a thing is true. The fact is that spending more on marketing is not a panacea, and there is a limit to how much marketing can help before it starts doing great harm to the candidate. With advertizing, it is simply not the case that more = better. More often = too much, people tire of it, stop listening, and then begin resenting the candidate. Same stuff applies to all products. Note that many products fail although they are skillfully marketed with large budgets and agencies working hard. If 'more ads' meant more success, why would any 100 million dollar film be allowed to lose money, when another 2 million in ads would bring in billions? The answer is that those ads do not make people do what they don't want to do. You can not sell that which people are not buying simply by nagging at them. It can not be done.

davidpdx

(22,000 posts)
4. I agree, at some point when you start carpet bombing
Sun Aug 5, 2012, 08:55 AM
Aug 2012

in terms of commercial people start ignoring it and it can even backfire. Romney may get to the point where that's what he has to does because he's so desperate.

 

Bluenorthwest

(45,319 posts)
5. I always feel I need to say something as so many seem to think ads are magic
Sun Aug 5, 2012, 09:14 AM
Aug 2012

Truth is they are more often poison than they are a tonic.

Arkana

(24,347 posts)
6. Strictly speaking, the campaign can't raise infinite amounts of money.
Sun Aug 5, 2012, 11:41 AM
Aug 2012

The SuperPACs, however, can raise as much as they want to. That's where the danger is.

Amonester

(11,541 posts)
7. Donate also to help create these new jobs!
Sun Aug 5, 2012, 11:50 AM
Aug 2012

Even if it's just for a few months (at least many can gain from the experience for later use).

THANKS!

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