Campaign Spending

[Wilma]

Does anyone know how much the candidates have spent on campaigning?  I have heard about the millions that Obama is raising but what about what is being spent?  And how does it reflect on what that candidate might do as president?

[sixdogsmom]

I am pretty certain that John McCain is limited in what he can spend on campaigning since he took government funds. Obama did not take government funds, (at one time he was going to take them then decided against it), and he has raised massive amounts of money most from single donors. He is also spending massive amounts of money, I think that he paid off Joe Bidens' campaign debt as well as Hillary Clintons'. As for the exact numbers, I don't know what they are, but this last month a huge amount was raised.

[Warph]

For the first time ever in U.S. history, the candidates for president have raised more than $1 billion. To find out where all this money is coming from, click on the candidates' names below and explore the options to the left. The candidates now file campaign finance reports monthly. The reports for September are due October 20th:

http://www.opensecrets.org/pres08/index.php

[Wilma]

I heard this morning how much more Obama is spending than what McCain is spending.  They also said that Obama had paid off Clinton's campaign debt and Biden's campaign debt.  Sounds to me as if he is buying support. 

Just whose money is he spending.  It isn't his.  Now, I am wondering if we want someone that can spend someone else's money so freely spending ours.  If you haven't made your decision yet, consider this.

[dnalexander]

The amount of money that has to be spent on running for President and most other offices is ludicrous. Some of the founding fathers thought that the average person was capable of occupying all government positions. A position I happen to agree with. We waste a lot of money in the name of government. I'll stop there to discuss my thoughts on campaign spending and government waste of our money is way to big for this forum. I don't know where to begin. With my rehab going well after my surgery my comments and typing ability can't be done by cut and pasting. Don't get me started. Two topics both Democratic and Republicans Presidents and Congress's have abused us on in the last many years.

David

[Wilma]

One of the newscasts pointed out how much more Obama is spending.  In one state it was 8 times as much as McCain is spending.  I am not sure that I want someone who is so free handed with someone else's money spending mine.

[dnalexander]

I don't fault either campaign how much they spend that is just how the game is played now. The amount they have to spend is just wrong. I would like to see it decrease. We could  use that money for a lot of things, pay down the debt, and a million other things. Right now we have been using the credit cards of my grandkids, great grandkids, to finance our mistakes.( I have no kids.) To have them born with this enormous debt is wrong and more dangerous to the safety of our nation than probably any other threat we are currently talking about. We as a nation have been living off credit cards and counterfeiting money off the color copier machine for far too long.

David

p.s. the money is what we give them specifically to campaign with through our donations to candidates or parties etc. My point is I think given the choice we would all choose to spend it on other important topics. I know the problems I just haven't been able to find the solutions that we all agree on. There fore we need to debate and hash it out.

[sixdogsmom]

Isn't campaign spending like operating a business? I mean the money is spent here in the United States on things like media, paper, rents, transportation, etc, etc. What about the people who make buttons and t-shirts? Don't they have families and homes to support? I know the amount spent seems obscene, (and it is), but I am against a woman wearing a $300,000 dollar outfit to a political event and bragging about the fact of the cost. Until we the voters decide that there should be some rules about spending and other campaign issues it will continue. A lot of it stinks, there is no other way to put it; it just stinks.

[dnalexander]

SDM, more like a drunken night of spending money on booze and strippers. Seemed like fun at first, but the next day when you sober up you see the only person that gained any thing is the stripper. (No you don't have to ever have been there to know what I mean. I am sure you all have watched enough tv to get this description.) For all the rest of you with first hand experience, "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas".

David

[sixdogsmom]

Even booze and stippers are part of the economy David. They have to pay rent and buy groceries just like the rest of us. Nothing wrong with party hardy, so long as the money doesn't go across the border on the back of a dope carrying mule. I am convinced that a large part of our economic failure can be blamed on illicit drugs and the gangs that support that trade. What is the solution to that? There is only one solution; give the drugs free to those that want to use, so long as the usage remains within a restricted area. Good riddance to them that use them to death!