Campaign spending

[LuvOrlando]

I was surprised when, right before McCain gave his concession speech, the announcer said Obama spent nearly 1 Billion Dollars on this election, A BILLION DOLLARS!!!!!! I looked at my DH and said "I didn't know that, did you know that?" He said no. So is there a place where I can check on this fact? I'd also be interested in the amount McCain spent as well.

I really really really hope Obama, who is supposed to be for the people, did not really spend that much on his election considering the fact we have American's who can't feed or clothe their kids for the winter. To me it would be obscene... right up there with Marie Antoinette's "Let them eat Cake".
BUT, I am not making any judgments until I see some numbers. Maybe the announcer was just being bitter.

 

[SHAYMARAYSMOM]

Can you try going to factcheck.org

 

[Topper]

http://www.factcheck.org/askfactcheck/who_spent_more_money_on_advertising_mccain.html

 

[John Smith1]

 

[Jennifer S]

There really should be some kind of limit on the amount you can spend. That is a ridiculous amountof money - on both sides. Think of all that could have gone for.

 

[of the seas]

It was donations! It did not come from our taxes like McCain's $$ did. Why not talk to all the people who donated the $$.

 

[casndan]

I'm not sure about the campaign spending but I would like to clear one thing up. Marie Antoinette NEVER said "Let them eat cake".

http://ask.yahoo.com/20021122.html

 

[Geoff_M]

Thanks to Obama breaking his promise to stick with public financing and then winning, McCain/Feingold is officially dead... The sky is once again, the limit.

And the $1 billion dollar figure doesn't take into consideration all of the $$$ spend on Obama's behalf by the likes of George Soros, MoveOn, and labor unions.

 

[LuvOrlando]

I read it, and am completely and thoroughly disgusted.

I don't understand how anyone involved, from the Politicians themselves down to the people who funded the extravaganza, could live with themselves. What sort of morality is it they function with? Certainly not a single one of them could in any way be described as a humanitarian, not when a campaign took precedence over the humans in need everywhere I look. I can't help but think about the millions of Americans who could have avoided foreclosure, or brought their kids to the Dr. & gotten medicine, or kept their families warm with all that money All of that money and its potential, thrown away on vanity

 

[Galahad]

It was donations! It did not come from our taxes like McCain's $$ did. Why not talk to all the people who donated the $$.

Well now wait. There is a limit to what you can spend if you use the voluntarily "checked off" public money, which McCain did. He did so, ostensibly, because that system is suppose to prevent donors "buying" an election. Obama promised early in the campaign to use that system too. When it became clear that he could raise a lot more on his own he changed his mind and opted out of that system. McCain did not, putting him at a $$ disadvantage from the beginning.

 

[joviroxx]

It was donations! It did not come from our taxes like McCain's $$ did. Why not talk to all the people who donated the $$.

It's not from taxes but from contributions voluntarily made at the time you file your tax returns. Ya know, that little box that asks if you want to donate $3? That's the public fund, established to help reform campaign spending.

 

[allison443]

It's not from taxes but from contributions voluntarily made at the time you file your tax returns. Ya know, that little box that asks if you want to donate $3? That's the public fund, established to help reform campaign spending.

You know, I never understood that little box...doesn't it say something like "checking this box will neither increase your tax owed or decrease your refund" or something similar to that? So where does the money come from? Maybe is it tax money which you owe anyway being directed specifically to the campaign fund?

 

[Geoff_M]

You know, I never understood that little box...doesn't it say something like "checking this box will neither increase your tax owed or decrease your refund" or something similar to that? So where does the money come from? Maybe is it tax money which you owe anyway being directed specifically to the campaign fund?

If you check the box, $3 of your taxes owed will go to the public election fund instead of US Treasury's general fund. The $3 will come from you "taxes", but is not a tax in and of itself (you aren't charged $3 for checking the box).

 

[akhenaten]

I was surprised when, right before McCain gave his concession speech, the announcer said Obama spent nearly 1 Billion Dollars on this election, A BILLION DOLLARS!!!!!! I looked at my DH and said "I didn't know that, did you know that?" He said no. So is there a place where I can check on this fact? I'd also be interested in the amount McCain spent as well.

I really really really hope Obama, who is supposed to be for the people, did not really spend that much on his election considering the fact we have American's who can't feed or clothe their kids for the winter. To me it would be obscene... right up there with Marie Antoinette's "Let them eat Cake".
BUT, I am not making any judgments until I see some numbers. Maybe the announcer was just being bitter.

while you are fact checking...find the thread on the dis asking who donated to ther candidates campaign...
see how many here donated...to President-Elect Obama.....
many who never donated to a politician before...

he spent my money just as I wanted him to!!!

I also donate to those who can not feed /clothe their children..through many different organizations....

 

[LuvOrlando]

Do you think that I will change how I feel because someone I am familiar with made the choice, or because my feelings may be unpopular?
That's just not how I operate.
Just because something is legal doesn't make it ok to me, I have Someone way bigger to answer to than a collection of folks on a board.

 

[shasess]

I donated to BO's campaign and as much as I feel like one billion dollars is a HUGE amount of money, it was well worth it.

What I find is funny is that in past elections the Rep have always outspent the Dems and it was no problem but for the first time a Dem is out spending a Rep and it's the end of the world!

 

[LuvOrlando]

But the guys platform was all about helping regular people

 

[Galahad]

I donated to BO's campaign and as much as I feel like one billion dollars is a HUGE amount of money, it was well worth it.

What I find is funny is that in past elections the Rep have always outspent the Dems and it was no problem but for the first time a Dem is out spending a Rep and it's the end of the world!

There is another perspective on that though. Many Democrats and the media did slam Republicans for years for spending more and "buying" the election. Now that they can play too, it's OK to do........

We either need to prohibit private financing or campaigns or eliminate public financing of campaigns.

I'm impressed with Senator McCain sticking to his pledge on that even though it hurt him.

 

[Geoff_M]

What I find is funny is that in past elections the Rep have always outspent the Dems and it was no problem but for the first time a Dem is out spending a Rep and it's the end of the world!

According to who??? The OP was commenting on the mind boggling amount of money spent on this election. It's ironic that not long ago people were concerned about such things to the point that Congress acted in a strong bi-partisan manner to try and curb the unchecked spending on such campaigns. In an irony the "McCain/Feingold" bill was the passed into law. It's only taken 6 years for all of that to go completely out of the window.

Being a good Navy man, McCain went down with his own ship.

 

[tonilea]

Well, at least we aren't cheap.