The Key to Winning Elections; Money or Policy?

http://www.recallscottwalker.com/

The decisive re-election of Governor Scott Walker in Wisconsin during a recent re-call, highlighted a tragic flaw in the current election philosophy.  The Democrats continually harped that the reason they lost was they were out-spent by the Republicans, 7-1.  The national Presidential election has also resounded with this same concern; that the party who spends the most will be the party who wins the most.  Now, fundraising has become the primary occupation of electoral candidates.

Back in 2005, I wrote an article entitled, "Not Loud Enough or The Wrong Message", where Democrats were complaining they were losing elections because they were not able to clearly articulate their message.  I still believe today, as then, 

"The problem with the Democratic platform has nothing to do with clarity, definition or volume, it has everything to do with substance and character."

In Wisconsin, Governor Walker determined that several government employee unions were placing an undue burden on the State with their benefit packages; packages that included benefits the typical Wisconsin resident never saw and couldn't afford.  It was clear that eliminating or requiring the union members to pay for these premium perks themselves, would save millions of dollars and balance State budgets.  Walker was right, by cutting these freebies, the State was able to balance the budget.  

http://althouse.blogspot.com/2011/02/
how-much-respect-did-demonstrators-show.html

The union members were naturally upset.  They demonstrated, left their debris and hatred littering the State Capital, and finally petitioned for a re-call election to oust Walker.  But, in spite of their efforts, the Governor won re-election, not because of the money spent by either side, but because the majority of the people in Wisconsin didn't want to pay for the benefits of government union members.

The Presidential race is also showing signs of policy vs. the pocketbook.  In another article, "Obama Barely Beats Nobody" we saw how 2 different primary candidates who spent literally nothing on advertising, garnered 40% of the vote from Obama and in Tennessee, where Obama ran unopposed, he only won 60% of the vote.

Finally, a parting quote from "Not Loud Enough or The Wrong Message",

"Whether we like smaller or larger government, involvement in international affairs or prefer isolationism, most people want security in their homes, their jobs and in their community. The electrate has learned that policies change, storms arise and the world moves on. Because of this, they will always lean toward leaders they feel have character, integrity and the charisma to lead in a crisis regardless of the party."

Obama Barely Beats Nobody

President Obama has thrown his campaign to full swing, pulling out all the stops to regain the Presidency and it is a good thing he did.

On May 9, in West Virginia, he won a stiff primary battle against Keith Judd.  Obama took home 60% of the vote while Judd only held on to 40%.  Judd is a convicted felon serving time in a Texas Penitentiary.

Undeterred, 2 weeks later, President Obama beat John Wolfe in Arkansas by the same margin, 60% to 40%.  Wolfe is a Tennessee attorney who never ran an ad or made a speech in Arkansas at all.

And the same day in Tennessee, President Obama also won 60% to 40% over, . . . let's see who was it?  It was, it was . . ., a . . . Nobody.  That's right, with absolutely no opponents, Obama was only able to garner about 60% of the Democratic vote.

So, the man that Larry Flynt, owner and publisher of Hustler Magazine, gushed over and said , "President Obama as over-performed . . . he's done a marvelous job," can barely eek out a victory with his own party, even when there is no opposition.

Saddam Hussein and Vladimir Putin do much better than that.

There you have it, President Barack Obama, the only sitting United States President who barely beat nobody.

Photo from:
http://www.theonion.com/articles/frustrated-obama-sends-nation-rambling-75000word-e,18516/

The Gingrich Who Can't Handle Money

Poor Newt.
The old guy from the establishment, who thought he was anti-establishment.
The old guy who thought he was the only "true Conservative" in the campaign.
The old guy who couldn't remember who he was supposed to sleep with.
Now, he is the old guy who can't handle money.

After a hard-fought battle for the Republican Presidential Nomination, consisting mainly of flailing helplessly at shadows on the wall and ghosts from his past, Newt Gingrich finally tossed in the towel.  He will grudgingly be forced to support Romney as the Primary Pick, but not because he feels Romney is the right choice.  It is because it is the only way to get someone to bail him out of the mess he made. You see, Newt's campaign owes about $4,000,000.

Regardless of what he believes or says, the only "true Conservative" spends more than he makes.  Not only was his campaign spending more than it was taking in, he was hypocritically stating how he was the best choice for President so he could bring the Country back into balance.

Joel Siegel stated in his article in Good Morning America entitled, Newt Gingrich $4 Million in Debt: Staffers and Creditors Fume how much is owned and to whom.

Now, Romney and the Republican National Committee are suggesting that they may help to bail him out of this mess.  That would be a big mistake.  Newt, the size of the mess you make is not nearly as important how well you clean it up.

Julie Bykowicz in her article entitled ‘Newt Inc.’ Bankrupt as Campaign Operates on Shoestring, explains that while the campaign is upside down, Newt has amassed over $7,000,000 in assets before the campaign began from his consulting the past 10 years.  Therefore, the honorable and truly conservative action on his part would be to liquidate enough assets to pay back the debt that he created.

My advice to Mitt: Don't bail Newt out.  He is a big boy and has the means to fix his own mistakes.

Photo from Blue Herald

Very Funny Newt!

I just love it when comedians pretend to run for President. They really help us see the irony of the political process .

Orrin Hatch - Follow The Money

"Follow the money, always follow the money," was the best kept secret in Washington until "Deep Throat," the inside informant for what ultimately became known as Watergate, told Woodward and Bernstein in the movie, "All The Presidents Men." Following this advise, they eventually exposed illegal campaign activities and motivated the resignation of President Nixon.

On another note, I learned from a friend years ago, that the State Department has a policy that US dipolmats can only live in the country they are working for 3 years. At that time, the only options are re-assignment or retirement. It seems that after this time, their loyalties become clouded because of the depth of immersion they have experienced as part of their employment.

How do those 2 pieces of information correlate?

Point #1

Those who know me realize that I have felt Orrin Hatch, (R-UT) has been in Washington too long and needs to retire. He appears to have lost touch with the attitudes of his constituents here in Utah. He has also become so immersed in the culture of the Capital City, that all his closest friends seem to be Democrats, rather than Republicans. He claims this is so he can better influence the Senate and be more effective in working for us. I am afraid that he has scratched too many backs and owes too many favors, that it influences his choices more than him influencing the other members of the Upper House.

Point #2

After a little research, my son, Aaron, sent me a couple of interesting articles regarding Orrin Hatch and his money trail. This is an excerpt from his email.

Just browsing around today and came across this. It is pretty telling, 78% of Orrin Hatch’s campaign contributions are from out of state.

http://influenceexplorer.com/politician/orrin-g-hatch/e5aa63ec4a0746fbb9961b325ddb3627

He also is the only republican in the top 10 recipients from MPAA.

http://influenceexplorer.com/organization/motion-picture-assn-of-america/90b570b10c2b4483a1af69149521324a

So, Orrin Hatch receives 78% of his political contributions from people and companies that are outside the State of Utah. That leaves only 22% of his funding coming from his constituents. This begs 2 questions.

1. If he is that much more popular outside Utah than in, maybe he should leave Utah and represent them?

2. If he is receiving over 3/4 of his salary from people and companies outside Utah, where does his loyalties and allegiance lie, that is if he wants to keep his job? At least he says he wants to keep his job.

Regarding the MPAA or Motion Picture Association of America, these statistics are very interesting. Here is the list of the top 10 Congress people who have received contributions over the time the records were kept.

1. Max Baucus (D-NT) - $27,151

2. Dianne Feinstein (D-CA) - $25,466

3. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) - $23,800

4. Howard Berman (D-CA) - $22,300

5. Harry Reid (D-NV) - $22,300

6. Orrin Hatch (R-UT) -$22,140

7. Hillary Clinton (D-NY) - $21,900

8. Barbara Boxer (D-CA) - 20,900

9. Jane Harman (D-CA) - $20,788

10. Gray Davis (D-CA) - $20,500

Now, if your remove those from California, which the MPAA should be giving money to, and consider those outside of California, Orrin is the 4th largest recipient of MPAA funds, ever. That is 4th place out of 485 Representatives and Senators in the entire Congress.

Normally I would consider 4th out of nearly 500 to be a commendable showing, but when it is being influenced to sponsor and support such bills as SOPA and PIPA, this puts Orrin Hatch on my naughty list. I already expounded my apprehension, no, it's not apprehension, it is simply fear of this legislation.

I have called his office and voiced my opinion about him as well as these bills. I was assured by a kind staffer, that he is not supporting PIPA in its present form and asked that it not be debated or voted on yet. Unfortunately, he was one of the original sponsors and didn't change his position until popular opinion overwhelmed his switchboard.

Too bad he didn't think to stop it before it was written, I might have supported him then.

Photo courtesy of Reddogreport.com