Although I appreciate the organization ‘opensecrets’ … I don’t trust the organizations and groups that give over information for reporting purposes.
Millionaires and billionaires and corporations have a habit of being able to fudge, fake, deflate or exaggerate reported numbers for their own benefit.
I worked in a small way for political organizations at the local level in southern Ontario … nothing major but nothing minor either. One of the things I learned was that money and those with lots of money easily influence people without having to spend any money - all they have to do is promise money later. It means a campaign can count on the expertise of highly trained people who volunteer for a campaign.
Who do you think has more chance of winning an election … a campaign filled with inexperienced college student volunteers who have no resources or wealth of their own … or a campaign filled with business/media/advertising/political/legal professionals who are all volunteering their time and personal resources to a campaign … and all of this is never reported as a financial number in a spreadsheet or report, and if it is, it is almost impossible to calculate the value.
Yeah that’s fair. I don’t think we should devalue the potential for grassroots movements to achieve results though. The potential for grassroots campaigns to achieve success, particularly in smaller races where a candidate can focus more, is still significant. We just need to remember that we’re up against what is still a large number of voters that simply favor moderate politicians, even if they can’t name a moderate policy position they favor.
Although I appreciate the organization ‘opensecrets’ … I don’t trust the organizations and groups that give over information for reporting purposes.
Millionaires and billionaires and corporations have a habit of being able to fudge, fake, deflate or exaggerate reported numbers for their own benefit.
I worked in a small way for political organizations at the local level in southern Ontario … nothing major but nothing minor either. One of the things I learned was that money and those with lots of money easily influence people without having to spend any money - all they have to do is promise money later. It means a campaign can count on the expertise of highly trained people who volunteer for a campaign.
Who do you think has more chance of winning an election … a campaign filled with inexperienced college student volunteers who have no resources or wealth of their own … or a campaign filled with business/media/advertising/political/legal professionals who are all volunteering their time and personal resources to a campaign … and all of this is never reported as a financial number in a spreadsheet or report, and if it is, it is almost impossible to calculate the value.
Yeah that’s fair. I don’t think we should devalue the potential for grassroots movements to achieve results though. The potential for grassroots campaigns to achieve success, particularly in smaller races where a candidate can focus more, is still significant. We just need to remember that we’re up against what is still a large number of voters that simply favor moderate politicians, even if they can’t name a moderate policy position they favor.