Conservative and Republican third party groups flood the election with cash

The many Democratic voters who sat out Tuesday’s elections because they don’t think mid-terms are important don’t share that view with third party special interest groups who spent a near record amount of cash on the 2010 election.

Open Secrets said, as of Oct. 28, that the Center’s research indicates that all outside groups have spent $455 million to influence the election, and that’s more than the money spent to influence the presidential election in 2004. They needed to spend another $130 million during this election cycle to match the record spent in the 2008 presidential election. They may have already done that, and the numbers have not yet been added up.

OS reports that “overall this cycle, outside groups,” including the national Republican and Democratic Party committees, “unions, trade associations, nonprofits and “super PACs” such as American Crossroads, have so far favored Republicans. Conservative-oriented groups have spent $1.34 for every $1 liberal-affiliated groups have spent.”

If you take out the political parties, these independent non-party-committee organizations have also spent more this cycle than they did six years ago: $280 million this cycle versus $200 million in 2004. Not only that, but the gap between Republican-aligned and conservative groups and Democratic-aligned and liberal groups is even larger.

OS reports that so far this election season, third party Republicans spent $2.12 for every $1 that Democratic-aligned and liberal groups have spent, according to the Center’s analysis.

In the wake of the Supreme Court’s Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission ruling earlier this year, these groups have been able to raise unlimited contributions for political messages, and OS said numerous corporations and wealthy individuals have invested millions to fund advertisements this year. Funding political advertisements with such high-dollar donations was previously illegal.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce pumped millions and millions of dollars of unregulated and untraceable cash into Republican coffers that most likely came from foreign companies and governments. The chamber refused to tell the American people where it came from; telling us to just trust them. I’m sure lots of the money came from companies and governments where American jobs are being outsourced and going to Republicans who support outsourcing.

Obama raises more cash from individuals in predominately Republican Livingston County

The Livingston County Press & Argus did a nice piece of journalism using Open Secrets to report that Democratic Presidential nominee Barack Obama has raised more money in predominantly Republican Livingston County that GOP nominee John McCain.

According to the report, Obama had raised $35,637 through Sept. 21; more than $3,300 that McCain‘s $32,267 in individual donations. It’s rather surprising because the county has long been a GOP stronghold, and the last time the county went for a Democrat was in 1964, choosing President Johnson over conservative icon Sen. Barry Goldwater.

The joke, originated by an editor at the newspaper itself, was that Livingston County Democrats could hold their meetings in a phone booth. It appears we will need a larger and more lavish phone booth.

The county’s Representative in Congress since 2000 has been a Republican, both state Representative and the state Senator are Republicans, all the members of the County Board of Commissioner are Republicans, all county-wide partisan offices are held by Republicans and only some five partisan township offices are held by Democrats. In light of that, Obama winning the money race is huge.

The spin Livingston County GOP Chair Allan Filip put on it is embarrassing. Since taking over as the chair of the county party less than two years ago, he has come out with some unbelievable whoppers, but this one is right up there. He claims it’s because the Obama campaign is charging for yard signs,

All I have to say to that is a lot of people must be paying a lot of money for those signs.

"What I do know is what could be contributing to some of that is he was charging for collateral, such as yard signs," Filip said. "Just out of speculation, that could be a part of it. I think the reason why he was doing it was because he was trying to get his total number of small donations up.

You are embarrassing yourself. The McCain campaign also charges for yard signs as well. I like their classy “nobama” signs, and for a mere $8.95 you can have one.

Better buy a lot of make up that $3,000.