Posted on 04/28/2010 4:37:23 AM PDT by Kaslin
Republicans are being out-fundraised on the national level as the November mid-terms approach. But they’ve got a significant “enthusiasm advantage” that could prove to be more important.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) raised a combined $43 million as of the last March reporting cycle. The National Republican Congressional Committee (NRCC) and the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC) raised $25 million.
That’s an $18 million difference – not chump change in an election season that everyone is watching. But there is a 20-point “enthusiasm gap” between Republicans and Democrats, according to the latest Gallup tracking poll. Fifty-seven percent of Republicans say they are "very enthusiastic" about voting, compared to 37 percent of Democrats. Independents also indicate higher Republican voting tendencies this fall.
That could mean everything during the mid-terms, when getting voters to the polls is more than half the battle. President Obama has already started on a national campaign to counter Republican grassroots enthusiasm, with speeches and online videos that plead Democrats to come out to the polls.
Obama has an uphill battle ahead of him. This summer is shaping up to be a repeat of last summer’s tea party mania, and special elections in Virginia, Massachusetts and New Jersey seem to indicate that the tide has turned in the Republicans’ favor.
Then again, money talks. Even if it doesn’t talk, it generates buzz, and buzz talks. In their bestseller “Game Change,” Mark Halperin and John Heilemann talked about the “freak show” of media coverage that led to Barack Obama’s unpredictable election. Obama arguably won because he generated enough money-less buzz to begin with, and then capitalized on that buzz to out-raise his opponent for the rest of the campaign.
Additionally, there is an upper limit to an “enthusiasm advantage.” Obama out-spent McCain by more than 60% in 2008, and we all know how that ended up; McCain was underwater on television, direct mail, and paid campaign staff. This discrepancy led Karl Rove to conclude that golden rule may translate into “he who has the gold rules.” Furthermore, incumbents have fundraising advantages across the United States, and the majority of incumbents are currently Democrats.
NRCC Chairman Sen. Pete Sessions (R-Texas) has reiterated his desire to simply keep pace with Democratic fundraising efforts, even if Republicans cannot match them. After that, grassroots support can carry the GOP to victory.
But that overall political strategy would seem to butt up against political spending strategies in the next two elections. Both the NRCC and the NRSC have indicated that they will spend all the cash they have come this November, without saving any for the 2012 Presidential cycle. That means they know this November is important.
Those Republicans organizations might not have any choice except to spend everything they’ve got if the numbers stay where they are.
Let them waste their money.... it will help the economy is the losing effort come November!
Well now...do ya think chairman Teele and his fellow scumbag blowhard Senator Cornyn have anything to do with the lack of funding? mmmmm?
Donations to the various Republican Party organizations are down because people have wised up and are donating dirctly to the candidates. Local ads by local candidates are more effective and less costly,
Ding ding ding we have a winner, no more calls .....
ditto
Who is chairman Teele?
LOL ooops need more coffee this morning. STEELE
No. Not one thin dime.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) raised a combined $43 million as of the last March reporting cycle.
Does that include our taxpayer money that is being filtered to them through organizations such as ACORN, the Unions, and GE? Let’s not forget their biggest donor Goldman Sachs?
They can keep their dirty money, it won’t matter (it didn’t get Corizine elected, did it?)
I've been deluged with solicitations from the RNC this spring. I've never been a member of the Republican Party, never donated to them, and my state doesn't require me to register to vote according to party affiliation. Not sure how I got on their mailing list unless my address was shared by some individual candidate who I donated to. I've taken to writing "Not one thin dime until you adhere to CONSERVATIVE principles" with a red Sharpie across their solicitation. Then, I stick it back in their return envelope and mail it to them. Thus far, it hasn't helped with the solicitations, but it is a good way to vent.....
This is NOT the whole story. The RNC may not be getting money ... but CONSERVATIVES are getting money ... which is not added into this comment. I don’t give to the RNC, I give to DeMint’s conservative fund. And I think the RNC may be starting to feel the “financial pinch” from their conservative base that doesn’t want the same kind of “behavior” from the RNC that we got when “we” (not me!) nominated the RINO John McCain. What I LIKE about this post, the financial message from the conservative base is finally being felt ....but I’m not going to hit the panic button and send $$$ to the RNC because of this, I’m going to smile and know the conservative strategy is working. Let ‘em sink. Send the money to REAL CONSERVATIVES so they can re-take the party.
Angry conservatives will show those rotten RINOs like they did in 2006 and 2008. Damn the country! Bring on the civil war! Anything is better than a RINO! /ss (slight sarcasm)
Get rid of Steele and I’ll start donating again. Until then I’ll donate directly to conservatives.
Exactly. After the 'pubs tried to screw us with amnesty back in '05 or so, I quit donating to the party or any of the various committees (NRSC, etc.). I now only give to candidates individually and only if they represent conservativism or at least a sharp improvement over what's in office already.
No sense giving to the party if the money will be used only to help RINOs.
Sounds like Custer's Last Stand, y'all.
First thing Obama did was to spread a bunch of long jack all over his left-wing political apparatus. They'll have money, tons of it. And money attracts more money -- the corporations will pay peace money to appease Obama's 'Rats.
But Magic is also going to try to turn the prisons out and get the illegals into the voting booth. That's Armageddon.
It will if Obama gets a bill allowing ex-convicts to vote in federal elections ...... if he does, you'll see him start commuting sentences with an autopen -- hundreds of thousands of them, commuted to time served, just in time to register to vote -- hell, with a voter-registration card stapled to the back of the letter, HINT HINT.
You are probably right, it must the reason why he wants a civillian army.
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