18 ms·
> The President needs to raise upwards of $1,000,000,000. The Senators need to raise upwards of $10,000,000 each. The Representatives need to raise upwards of $
by rcfox 15y ago
> The President needs to raise upwards of $1,000,000,000. The Senators need to raise upwards of $10,000,000 each. The Representatives need to raise upwards of $2,000,000 each.
Why?
- maeon3 15y agoTalking points on news stations are not free. Elections are popularity contests, the more money you have to buy airtime the more chances you get to get citizens to vote for you.
- redthrowaway 15y agoMedia blitzes in battleground states don't pay for themselves. Since records have been kept, the presidential candidate who raises the most cash has won 94% of the time.
- endtime 15y ago>Since records have been kept, the presidential candidate who raises the most cash has won 94% of the time. Correlation is not causation...I'd expect the candidate best at winning elections also to be the candidate best at raising money almost all the time.
- rcfox 15y agoTo be fair, he didn't imply a causation.
- endtime 15y agoI think he did, given that he was answering the "Why?" which referred to a claim of logical necessity: "The President needs to raise upwards of $1,000,000,000."
- redthrowaway 15y agoBoth are true. The candidate most likely to win will raise the most money, and the candidate who raises the most money will be most likely to win. Positive feedback loops are not a logical fallacy.
- wisty 15y agoMore cynically, companies donate hoping to recoup the favor. They don't donate to a candidate unless they think there's a good chance the candidate will be in a position to pay back the favor.
- jellicle 15y agoBecause they like their job and want to continue to have it next January?
- trafficlight 15y agoHe's talking about campaign funds. $1 Billion is a little high though. According to Wikipedia for the 2008 presidential election, Obama raised $779 million and McCain did $383 million. There were 148 canidates and all total the 2008 election raised $1.64 billion. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundraising_for_the_2008_United_States_presidential_election http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fundraising_for_the_2008_United...
- despite2 15y agoSaying Obama "needs" to raise $1B was probably wrong, but the predictions I've heard are that he will raise $1B.
- Vivtek 15y agoAnd honestly, I don't think the media industry accounted for more than a few hundred thou. He can afford to stiff them - and thus he did so. By doing that, he simulated having a spine on an issue that has clear bipartisan public support and is guaranteed not to piss off the _real_ power - banks. Obvious calculus. Obama's a shitty President, but man is he a fantastic campaigner.