Where does the money go???

[URY914]

In the past week we've heard about all the millions the candates are raking in. Well they all can't be nominated and I doubt if they will spend every last penny. So this begs the question, do they get to keep it or turn it over to the DNC/RNC party for the big dance?

[legion]

I'm sure there is a rash of things campaigns need to spend money on just before they shut down.

[pwd72s]

Follow the money....

[Shaun @ Tru6]

Invest in media, advertising and relationshiop marketing companies now.

[on-ramp]

money talks , BS walks.

God Bless America

[URY914]

Edwards will spend his left over $ on hair care products.

[MRM]

Most of it goes into media buys. The old joke in political circles is that campaigns spend ten thousand dollars producing a crappy ad because it's cheap and they're saving money. But they spend ten millions dollars repeating the same stupid ad over and over. The buy money is important because you have to commit to it and lock in to the good slots way in advance. The guy with the green can buy up all the good ad space.

[fintstone]

Obama and Clinton will run head-to-head and it will stay close throughout the primary. This will cause their supporters to contribute even more money than normal...then he will become her VP candidate and they will pool the money (as planned all along to avoid fund-raising/contribution limits)

[Rick Lee]

They will definitely spend it all and probably more than they have. Campaigns are notorious for always paying their vendors last. We require credit cards to do work for them. The day after the election, they literally disappear and all their vendors are left holding IOU's. Media buys are crazy expensive. Imagine running for US Senate in CA and being subject to the same fundraising limits as the guy running for Senate in RI. Who has the cheaper media market? It's insane expensive for this stuff. When I worked at the RNC I regularly went to deposit large six figure checks to our post office bank account for covering postage AND we got the non-profit stamp rate. Figure the professional fundraisers are getting a retainer of $20-$40k per month plus 10-15% of their gross and then the direct mail guys are getting some factor of the number of pieces mailed and then a bonus on returns.

[URY914]

OK, what if Edwards drops out today?

Where do the moneys go???

[legion]

Got to find a reason
Reason things went wrong
Got to find a reason why my money's all gone...

[wludavid]

Originally posted by legion
Got to find a reason
Reason things went wrong
Got to find a reason why my money's all gone...

So the loser is going to buy a dalmatian and get high?

[Rick Lee]

Oh, don't forget the cost of operating a huge private jet which most of the campaigns do too.

If Edwards drops out, I do not believe he can pocket any of his leftover campaign money. He has to either return it to donors, give it to other campaigns or donate to charity. This can be huge because then the other candidates come kissing his a$s and making promises in return for his leftover campaign cash and maybe endorsement. If he can donate $10 million to someone, that's the equivalent of months of campaign work, trying to get that much in $2500 increments from individual donors.

[legion]

Originally posted by wludavid
So the loser is going to buy a dalmatian and get high?

Pretty much.

[hytem]

Great question. And you won't hear it discussed on TV. Why? Because that's where the money goes. 80% of it. For all that deceptive advertising, which TV is raking in hundreds of millions in profits. You know, the negative stuff where you define your opponent falsely, and never say a word about yourself.

TV advertising is the reason why political campaigns are so expensive. And the politicians haven't done anything about it--partly because the NAB screams 1st Amendment every time they want to limit it, and partly because the Republicans have more money to spend and like the current system.

It's the high cost of campaigns that keeps the best people out of politics. Anybody who contributes to a political campaign these days demands something in return. That's why we are a nation governed now more than ever for special interests than the general public.

[Rick Lee]

Negative ads are not at all necessarily defining one's opponent falsely. If you've done something that your opponent can use against you, it's not false.

[Neilk]

All this money going to TV is why having a Tivo/DVR is going to be more important than ever come late 2007, especially in close states.