"the most expensive election in American history"

http://www.democracynow.org/2010/11/3/election_roundtable_breaking_down_the_results
...
AMY GOODMAN : And I think we also have to
talk about where that money goes— $ 4 billion,
unprecedented for midterm elections , though it
wasn’ t unprecedented for the presidential
election a few years ago . But that —
JOHN NICHOLS : No, it actually is
unprecedented . Let ’ s be clear . This election will
cost the better part of a billion dollars more
than the presidential election. And there’ s
substantial evidence that this is going to be the
most expensive election in American history . It
could well get well above $ 4 billion. And the
important thing to understand is that that
money didn ’ t just play in the races that we all
talk about. It didn ’t just play in Senate races
and in some congressional races. Karl Rove , in
the final days , put a million dollars into
California to beat an attorney general candidate
who he thought was attractive as a future
contender .
...
They ’re going into 2012 , and they will
go in with dramatically more money than they spent this year.
...

Which means that if we donate every penny we have and end up living in the streets, we'll never even be a drop in the bucket.

Okay, so all of the wealth is concentrated at the top 2%, but why sweat the details?