64%

[J.E.D]

End Citizens United. Public financing all the way.

 

[kiwiman127]

It's not your decision anyway, don't worry about it...

We're not supposed to worry about corruption of the system?!?!

Why do you start now?

Transparently Corrupt: Links between Obama

White House Cronyism Is Disturbing, But Not New - Tad DeHaven - Townhall Conservative Columnists - Page 1

Amazingly, Obama has declared that all the projects received funding “based solely on their merits.” But as Hoover Institution scholar Peter Schweizer reported in his book, “Throw Them All Out,” fully 71 percent of the Obama Energy Department’s grants and loans went to “individuals who were bundlers, members of Obama’s National Finance Committee, or large donors to the Democratic Party.” Collectively, these Obama cronies raised $457,834 for his campaign, and they were in turn approved for grants or loans of nearly $11.35 billion. Obama said this week it’s not the president’s job “to make a lot of money for investors.” Well, he sure seems to have made a lot of (taxpayer) money for investors in his political machine.

EDITORIAL: Obama's crony capitalism - Washington Times

Vulture Capitalism? Try Obama's Version

I question some of Obama's actions, but unfortunately this kind of stuff isn't new. Remember the secret participants who drew up our energy policies, who just happpened to be profitteers of the said national policy?
Obama and previous adminstrations and congress have all have increasingly have been lead by the nose by Big Money. We have entered the stage of Plutocracy.
Look at Paul Ryan's budget, a perfect example of another step in plutocracy. The wealthy benefit as do Corporate America and the rest pay for it. Hey, and people actually support this and think it's a great deal, even though a huge majority of the supporters will be getting fucked over.
And let's also be honest here, it's not just the GOP who is sucking up to Big Money, the Democrats never saw a big donor they didn't just love and bend over to please.
The system is corrupt, thanks to having a dominant two party system.

 

[occupied]

And if the other 99% of us cannot purchase the elections, I guess that just leaves us with the option of public protests, until the 1% shuts those down, then the whole thing goes up in flames.

Public protests are very effective but only when you can get the cameras to show up, they already have us there too.

 

[konradv]

We're not supposed to worry about corruption of the system?!?!

Why do you start now?

Transparently Corrupt: Links between Obama

White House Cronyism Is Disturbing, But Not New - Tad DeHaven - Townhall Conservative Columnists - Page 1

Amazingly, Obama has declared that all the projects received funding “based solely on their merits.” But as Hoover Institution scholar Peter Schweizer reported in his book, “Throw Them All Out,” fully 71 percent of the Obama Energy Department’s grants and loans went to “individuals who were bundlers, members of Obama’s National Finance Committee, or large donors to the Democratic Party.” Collectively, these Obama cronies raised $457,834 for his campaign, and they were in turn approved for grants or loans of nearly $11.35 billion. Obama said this week it’s not the president’s job “to make a lot of money for investors.” Well, he sure seems to have made a lot of (taxpayer) money for investors in his political machine.

EDITORIAL: Obama's crony capitalism - Washington Times

Vulture Capitalism? Try Obama's Version

I question some of Obama's actions, but unfortunately this kind of stuff isn't new. Remember the secret participants who drew up our energy policies, who just happpened to be profitteers of the said national policy?
Obama and previous adminstrations and congress have all have increasingly have been lead by the nose by Big Money. We have entered the stage of Plutocracy.
Look at Paul Ryan's budget, a perfect example of another step in plutocracy. The wealthy benefit as do Corporate America and the rest pay for it. Hey, and people actually support this and think it's a great deal, even though a huge majority of the supporters will be getting fucked over.
And let's also be honest here, it's not just the GOP who is sucking up to Big Money, the Democrats never saw a big donor they didn't just love and bend over to please.
The system is corrupt, thanks to having a dominant two party system.

Americans often don't seem to respond until things get desperate. Maybe we need an over-the-top SuperPAC election with Obama and his $BILLION$ slugging it out in the political cesspool until everyone gets good and sick.

 

[Trajan]

Right now, more than 80 percent of the money raised by superPACs has gone to pro-GOP groups. And, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, 80 percent of all the money raised by these groups has come from just 100 individuals — the wealthiest people in America.

Outside Money Making The Race A Rich Man's Game : NPR

For all of you math majors out there that means 64% of all the superPAC money raised thus far has come from 100 individual donors and has gone to pro-GOP groups.

and your point is ........what?

 

[alan1]

Is spending money a right? We're talking about free speech. When that much money is thrown around, it's no longer free.

Actually, spending money can be the exercise of ones freedom of speech and freedom of association. If I can afford to purchase a billboard, or radio time, or TV time to promote one candidate over another, why shouldn't I be allowed to do that? Why should I not be allowed to spend as much of my own money as I want to in support of a candidate that I agree with? As long as I don't ask for special favors from said candidate, what am I doing that is wrong?

How's that working? That's the whole point. Favors ARE being asked for and granted.

And there are laws against that.
Enforce the laws against it. Don't restrict the honest folk in lieu of enforcing the law.

 

[Trajan]

End Citizens United. Public financing all the way.

except for obama....

is your memory that short?

 

[Paulie]

I have mixed opinions about this.

On the one hand, I don't want billionaires buying special favors from politicians via campaign contributions.
On the other hand, it's their money, shouldn't they be allowed to spend their money however they want to?

I feel the same way. It's not the billionaires' fault that this ends in bad legislation for Main St. No one is holding a gun to the politicians' heads forcing them to pass the bills.

 

[Trajan]

I have mixed opinions about this.

On the one hand, I don't want billionaires buying special favors from politicians via campaign contributions.
On the other hand, it's their money, shouldn't they be allowed to spend their money however they want to?

It's not your decision anyway, don't worry about it...

We're not supposed to worry about corruption of the system?!?!

the only time I hear this is when a rep. may out raise a democrat..then its all about reforming the system yada yada yada....

 

[paulitician]

Your Dear Leader is rolling in Campaign Cash.

Obama kicks off battle vs. Romney with big money lead


WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Mitt Romney had his best fundraising month yet, but the presumed Republican nominee remained far behind Democratic President Barack Obama in the money game, filings with the Federal Election Commission showed on Friday.

Romney reported raising nearly $12.7 million last month, with some $10.1 million left in the bank as he sought to wrap up the nomination and focus on raising money for the costly fight to unseat Obama in the November 6 election.

The deep-pocketed "Super" political action committee (PAC) that supports Romney, Restore Our Future, brought in $8.7 million in March, with three-quarters of it remaining on hand.

Democratic PACs have struggled to match the prowess of Restore Our Future, but Obama's campaign - spared the strenuous nominating process faced by Romney - raised $27.3 million in March and had $104 million still left in the bank at the end of the month.

Both Republicans and Democrats are waging a war to raise as much money as possible to fund crucial television and radio air time and get-out-the-vote efforts, projected to total $1 billion on each side of the aisle.

Romney's $12.6 million came at a time when the former Massachusetts governor was still facing stiff competition from his last big conservative challenger, Rick Santorum, who has dropped out of the race.

The pro-Obama group Priorities USA is a Super PAC that can raise and spend unlimited funds but cannot coordinate with the campaign...

Read More:
Obama kicks off battle vs. Romney with big money lead - Yahoo! News

 

[alan1]

I have mixed opinions about this.

On the one hand, I don't want billionaires buying special favors from politicians via campaign contributions.
On the other hand, it's their money, shouldn't they be allowed to spend their money however they want to?

I feel the same way. It's not the billionaires' fault that this ends in bad legislation for Main St. No one is holding a gun to the politicians' heads forcing them to pass the bills.

People on this board often bitch and moan about lobbyists and large political contributors. It is still the politician that casts the vote.

 

[ladyliberal]

Right now, more than 80 percent of the money raised by superPACs has gone to pro-GOP groups. And, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, 80 percent of all the money raised by these groups has come from just 100 individuals — the wealthiest people in America.

Outside Money Making The Race A Rich Man's Game : NPR

For all of you math majors out there that means 64% of all the superPAC money raised thus far has come from 100 individual donors and has gone to pro-GOP groups.

I think your math is a bit off:

(fraction of money coming from top 100 and conservative) = (fraction of money coming from top 100)(fraction of top 100 money that is conservative)

which is not equal to

(fraction of money coming from top 100)(fraction of all SuperPAC money that is conservative)

So what's the actual number? Let's look at Open Secrets:

2012 Top Donors to Outside Spending Groups | OpenSecrets

By my hasty addition, we have

Conservatives: $92,624,373

Liberals: $1,508,0042

So conservatives account for about 86% of the top 100 donor money, so the total money that comes from conservative top 100 donors is more that 69%, not 64%.

 

[Paulie]

I have mixed opinions about this.

On the one hand, I don't want billionaires buying special favors from politicians via campaign contributions.
On the other hand, it's their money, shouldn't they be allowed to spend their money however they want to?

I feel the same way. It's not the billionaires' fault that this ends in bad legislation for Main St. No one is holding a gun to the politicians' heads forcing them to pass the bills.

People on this board often bitch and moan about lobbyists and large political contributors. It is still the politician that casts the vote.

There's always going to be someone looking to buy favors with their wealth. But us little people are the ones constantly reelecting these politicians that are screwing us over, so who's REALLY at fault here?

 

[buckeye45_73]

Ok so 64% of the superpac money goes to the republicans, and the other 34%..I'm guessing democrats? How about union money. 40-50% of union members are republican, how much "representation" are they getting from the unions? is 1% too high?

 

[buckeye45_73]

I have mixed opinions about this.

On the one hand, I don't want billionaires buying special favors from politicians via campaign contributions.
On the other hand, it's their money, shouldn't they be allowed to spend their money however they want to?

I feel the same way. It's not the billionaires' fault that this ends in bad legislation for Main St. No one is holding a gun to the politicians' heads forcing them to pass the bills.

People on this board often bitch and moan about lobbyists and large political contributors. It is still the politician that casts the vote.

It's typical liberal crap, lobbyists are evil, unless they're for the democrats, rich people are evil unless they're democrats, liberals never play by the rules they make, I mean they had a white chick being promoted at harvard as a minority, why?????? Because at Harvard, they didnt have any minorities, but they sure advocate affirmative action, they just find a loophole to get past it.

 

[Ernie S.]

Outside Money Making The Race A Rich Man's Game : NPR

For all of you math majors out there that means 64% of all the superPAC money raised thus far has come from 100 individual donors and has gone to pro-GOP groups.

Support public financing of elections. It'll cost us less in the long run.

While I don't like the idea of giving the government more authority, I have to agree. On balance, publicly-funded elections would be a net positive. I would add strict term limits to complete the package, to minimize the control that politicians and the moneyed few have over us.

I know the arguments against this. But the facts remain:

• Elected officials spend a great deal of time raising money rather than doing their job;
• Elected officials are paid-off servants to their highest bidders;
• Elected officials are controlled by a very small percentage of people;
• Elected officials make decisions based on pleasing their contributors, not on our best interests;

If this is okay with some of you, fine; not with me.

.

Any time you give government control over funding, you get the results the government wants. NFW should government be involved in campaign funding, EVER.

 

[paulitician]

Here's more on the Dear Leader's dishonesty & hypocrisy.


Obama attacks banks while raking in Wall Street dough

Despite his rhetorical attacks on Wall Street, a study by the Sunlight Foundation’s Influence Project shows that President Barack Obama has received more money from Wall Street than any other politician over the past 20 years, including former President George W. Bush.

In 2008, Wall Street’s largesse accounted for 20 percent of Obama’s total take, according to Reuters.

When asked to comment about President Obama’s credibility when it comes to criticizing Wall Street, the White House declined to reply.

Former White House Press Secretary Ari Fleischer says the distance between the president’s rhetoric and actions makes him look hypocritical.

It’s almost as if President Obama won’t cross across a Wall Street picket line except to get inside with [his] hand out, so he can raise money,” Fleischer said, referring to the Occupy Wall Street demonstrators who the president has been encouraging over the past week. “That sort of support causes him to look hypocritical.”

Being Wall Street’s campaign cash king is hardly the image President Obama has been trying to project in public, where he has been setting himself up as the champion of the progressive Occupy Wall Street movement and as the avenger of jilted Bank of America customers.

In fact, the Sunlight Foundation, a nonpartisan watchdog group that tracks lobbyist spending and influence in both parties, found that President Obama has received more money from Bank of America than any other candidate dating back to 1991...

Read More:
Obama attacks banks while raking in Wall Street dough - Yahoo! News

 

[Ernie S.]

And if the other 99% of us cannot purchase the elections, I guess that just leaves us with the option of public protests, until the 1% shuts those down, then the whole thing goes up in flames.

Well, Old Rocks in Your Head, there are 99 times as many of you as there are of me. If you are able to think for yourself, you still have a huge advantage.
The people who contribute to PACs have a bigger financial stake in the outcome, why not invest more money in it?

 

[alan1]

I feel the same way. It's not the billionaires' fault that this ends in bad legislation for Main St. No one is holding a gun to the politicians' heads forcing them to pass the bills.

People on this board often bitch and moan about lobbyists and large political contributors. It is still the politician that casts the vote.

There's always going to be someone looking to buy favors with their wealth. But us little people are the ones constantly reelecting these politicians that are screwing us over, so who's REALLY at fault here?

Buying favors is illegal for both parties involved.
I usually vote against incumbents.

 

[Artevelde]

Right now, more than 80 percent of the money raised by superPACs has gone to pro-GOP groups. And, according to the Center for Responsive Politics, 80 percent of all the money raised by these groups has come from just 100 individuals — the wealthiest people in America.

Outside Money Making The Race A Rich Man's Game : NPR

For all of you math majors out there that means 64% of all the superPAC money raised thus far has come from 100 individual donors and has gone to pro-GOP groups.

Support public financing of elections. It'll cost us less in the long run.

Not only will it cost the taxpayer much more. It will also stiffle democracy.