Are you people insane throwing all of your hard earned

[cboy4]

money at a politician?

I can see donating once maybe, but to keep throwing your money at these already wealthy people over and over!?

I'm stunned by the frequency some people admit they're sending checks.

It's almost like a gambling problem or something.

Maybe I'm missing something, but my extra money goes to charity.

[Occam Bandage]

1. It's strange how half of DU suddenly decided that donating to politicians was a bad thing

at the exact same time that Barack Obama opened a fundraising lead over Hillary Clinton.

[H2O Man]

20. Coincidence.

No other possible explanation.

[GalleryGod]

35. Yes. Guess what ? I'll do what I want with my money.

And it ain't going to Madame Hill

[Eurobabe]

43. amazing isn't it?

:eyes:

[krabigirl]

51. When people are giving large percentages of their paychecks, and can't afford to..

I think that's scary. For any candidate.

I think all candidates should get public financing. Enough of this crap.

[stray cat]

2. If we could have prevented 8 years of Bush it would have helped many people.

I probably should have given some money to Gore in 2000 if I really wanted to help people.

[Marrah_G]

3. I wish I had extra money to give- It wouldn't be all to politicians though

I can see giving small donations here and there if you can afford it, but some people seem to go overboard.

[SoFlaJet]

13. I have 4 beautiful grand children

who need shoes and underwear and their parents who need milk and washing machines-TBH I'm not in any kind of position to donate to millionaires

[SoFlaJet]

4. "extra money?"

that is a concept I know not of...I can't believe the Clinton's who are worth someone said around 200 million are asking workers to go without pay...

[Marrah_G]

6. Because due to campaign laws they cannot pay the workers out of their own funds.

[John Q. Citizen]

17. They could loan their campaign money to pay their workers. if they wanted to.

[SoFlaJet]

19. Oh thanks marrah

didn't know-so you can LOAN your campaign money though?

[Marrah_G]

58. yes

[Kittycat]

72. Yes. It's been reported that Romney ponied up $35M of his fortune

Just to lose.

[Divine Discontent]

77. and the television stations thank him for his 35 million he earned in a manner

that I'm sure I don't agree with. hahaha

[LostinVA]

5. I agree, Damien -- and I have a GREAT charity for you to give to

The "Lostinva Would Love to Go to Japan One Day Fund" 503 (c).

[cboy4]

16. LOL. Is that similar to the "Lostinva Would Love to Go to

Australia One Day Fund" 503 (c)? :eyes:

[LostinVA]

38. New Zealand -- get it right

:eyes:

[LostinVA]

60. Hey check your PM

[DemocratSinceBirth]

7. I'm Thinking Of Putting The $2,300.00 Max On My Visa Card

I have never seen a safety deposit box and a wallet in a casket...

[flyarm]

18. don't do that..that is foolish! eom

[cboy4]

22. You're not "leaving us" already are you?

You should send some of that money to Lostinva's Go To Japan charity.

[FreepFryer]

8. If you think thru your political donations properly you're not 'gambling'. MONEY TALKS.

(sig irony alert)

[peace13]

9. My politician wasn't wealthy.

He was just the kind of person to throw money at. I hope that you are working hard at election reform if you are advocating that the voters not give candidates money. Let's just let the Corps finish us off now!

[flyarm]

10. what my hubby just said to me ..the powers that be ..allow people false hope

because they want Obama to be the top dog because they know they can crush him easily..then destroy the common mans hope..and they then have total control of us.

then hubby said..you know that..i am not telling you something you don't know.


Those powers have so much shit on Obama..just wait..i don't have to tell you..you will find out ...but by then it will be too late for our country.

fly

[DS1]

15. what 'shit' ?

out with it

[peace13]

24. If you believe that they have *hit on Obama

you must also believe that the *hit they have on Hillary will also sink the ship. Maybe we should just throw in the towel now. The one thing that you have to add into the mix is that almost everyone across the globe is sick of the rethuglican rule. Voters are coming out 2:1 for the Dems. I think we could run just about anyone and still win. Mind you, our candidates were not my first or second picks so I understand that we are trapped in a corner here. Peace, Kim

[SammyWinstonJack]

28. It was too late for our country when TPTB shoved Kucinich and Edwards out of the way too make way

for two sides of the same coin. x(

[flyarm]

31. absolutely..you understand it alright..but the masses..they continue to vote for false hope and

bullshit...well we all pay for their ignorance i guess ..we always have.

fly

[GalleryGod]

39. Thanks, I appeciate the slur

What are you a socialist?

[flyarm]

67. no dear a life long dem who has put my money where my mouth is..

starting dem clubs where ever i live..( i have lived in 9 states)..i have paid for an anniversary party for the oldest dem womens club in the nation..i have paid for audits of the voting machines for the entire county i live in..i was one of 5 people in my county in 2004 to do a test on our dre voting machines...i have worked with the jersey gals about 9/11 since i got to watch my co-workers burn to death on 9/11...3 of whom i knew..well....i have worked my ass off for dem candidates to get them elected , i have worked with pilots for truth..i have worked with election reform and recruited people to work on it in two states i live in..i have sat through and helped with court cases of dem candidates who had their elections stolen..

and i was a 2004 ELECTED dem delegate for my state.

i put up big big bucks to get the 2004 election recounted...and that does not include my time.

i have done public speaking for the dem party about 9/11

and i run 6 nationwide dem internet groups and work rapid response for the DC DNC.


and that is only a start..

i do research on candidates i support..do you?

any other questions?

fly


oh and i vote...

‘Obama Girl’ Didn’t Vote
So, did the “Obama Girl” actually vote for Barack Obama on Tuesday?

Actually, no.

Last summer, the music video “I Got a Crush on Obama” was a Web hit, splashing a seductive performance by a 26-year-old model named Amber Lee Ettinger across millions of screens and prompting deep thoughts about candidates and sex appeal, the YouTube generation of voters, viral marketing and so forth.

On Tuesday night, City Room ran into Ms. Ettinger at an election-watching party in Greenwich Village and asked how things went at the polls.

“I didn’t get a chance to vote today because I’m not registered to vote in New York,” she said.

more: http://cityroom.blogs.nytimes.com/2008/02/06/obama-girl...

[MaryRN]

69. Thank you, Fly, for living your beliefs so passionately, so patriotically AND..

for speaking from a place of authenticity; knowledgeable, informed AND ALWAYS putting your $$ where your mouth is. A victim of the cult of personality is something YOU'LL never fall prey to.

Obama who???

[SammyWinstonJack]

64. But I am tired of paying for their ignorance. Would that they be the only ones too pay.

That would suit me just fine.

[flyarm]

29. do read all the comments on the comment section...of firedoglake..

What has this man ever really accomplished? Other than being given the best spot in the convention to get the top media ..and unknown...a virtual unknown outside Chicago..then after the convention he gets elected ..but who did he run against?? Alan Keyes??? who's own daugther said she would not vote for her dad..something is not right here..who is this guy??
DO READ THIS WHOLE BLOG AT FIREDOGLAKE..AND ESPECIALLY THE COMMENT SECTION!


did anyone here think the repigs would only swift boat a Vietnam vet?

oh pleaseeeeeeeeeeeee....



http://firedoglake.com/2008/02/06/nobodys-hands-are-perfectly-clean-in-politics/#comments


http://www.mydd.com/story/2008/2/4/20117/25087


from another du'ers post..sorry i don't remember who posted it to recognize that du'er...

Markos Moulitsas: Obama's Comm. Dir. a "smear-meister best known for his work trashing other Dems"
Given some of the tactics we've seen coming from the Obama camp, including the Harry & Louise mailer which revived Republican attacks against universal health care, it might be time for a flashback to a story from early last year. This'll be of particular interest to those who supported the Dean campaign in 2004.

We had warning that these smears on Obama's opponents would be coming:




Bloggers Blast Obama Spokesman

Barack Obama's campaign is being hit again, this time by bloggers who are taking aim at chief spokesman Robert Gibbs over his role in a controversial attack ad that ran early in the 2004 presidential campaign. The barrage leveled against Gibbs was kicked off by Democratic blogger Jerome Armstrong, a founder of MyDD.com, in a scathing indictment titled, "Robert Gibbs, the drag on Obama."

The genesis of Armstrong's rage against Gibbs has to do with Gibbs's involvement during the '04 cycle in the secretive 527 political group "Americans for Jobs, Health Care and Progressive Values," which created the infamous Osama bin Laden ad attacking Dean for lacking military and foreign affairs experience. In his blog posting, Armstrong called the ad "the single most disgusting ad I've ever seen occur in a Democratic primary." He suggested that Gibbs is two-faced, asking, "Does Gibbs still believe that a Presidential candidate with 'no military or foreign policy experience' is 'unqualified'? Then how, Gibbs, is Barack Obama going compete with John McCain on foreign policy?" Armstrong, you might have guessed, worked for the Dean campaign in 2004 and, more recently, for Mark Warner, the most fleeting of '08 Democratic presidential aspirants.....

...influential liberal blogger Markos Moulitsas Zuniga of Daily Kos, who together with Armstrong co-wrote "Crashing the Gates," piled on, calling Gibbs a "smear-meister best known for his work trashing other Democrats.

"Obama clearly dipped into the slimiest corners of DC to pluck out Gibbs," Markos wrote.

More: http://blog.washingtonpost.com/sleuth/2007/02/obama_spo...


Just a little reminder for the next time you hear the candidate of hope, unity and change describing how he's transcending negative DC politics-as-usual.

[Eurobabe]

48. Oh stop the negativity, will you?

Watch when Edwards endorses Obama, do you really think that he will endorse Clinton??

:eyes:

[flyarm]

59. i don't follow what others do..i can think for myself..unlike those following this guy..

this was posted here on DU..today..i guess i am not the only one who see's it!!

And Obama Wept (ABC News on the Obama cult)
Inspiration is nice. But some folks seem to be getting out of hand.

It's as if Tom Daschle descended from on high saying, "Be not afraid; for behold I bring you good tidings of great joy which shall be to all the people: for there is born to you this day in the city of Chicago a Savior, who is Barack the Democrat."

Obama supporter Kathleen Geier writes that she's "getting increasingly weirded out by some of Obama's supporters. On listservs I'm on, some people who should know better – hard-bitten, not-so-young cynics, even – are gushing about Barack…

Joe Klein, writing at Time, notes "something just a wee bit creepy about the mass messianism" he sees in Obama's Super Tuesday speech.

Read the rest...
http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2008/02/and-oba...




oh and if we do not start questioning Rezko..good luck to us when the repigs get to it..they are taking notes..and remember who is pres and rove is still floating around..and if you think they want anyone but McCain in office to cover up their crimes..i have a bridge to sell you!! they will do anything to keep the white house in repig hands..they have many many crimes to cover up remember...and they will do anything and everything to protect themselves..unlike us who are too scared shitless to look under the surface of one of our own..

wouldn't want any negativity now would we?

fly

[Eurobabe]

68. Well there are whackos in EVERY campaign

those who carry it to the limit. We saw it with Dean, I could not stand him or his supporters, but after he dropped out I gained respect for him -- and became more tolerant of his ardent supporters.

I am not in love with my candidate, I learned never to fall in love with a politician after 2003, supporting Wes Clark. Once bitten, twice shy.

[MaryRN]

70. Thank you for confirming that.

[ananda]

11. hmm

I gave a few bucks to Edwards after Iowa,
and a few bucks to Clinton after ST.

None of that will break my bank.

Also, I'm not sure that individual donations
mean that much any more anyway....

The current political operation seems much
more dependent on b i g money and influence,
even against the interests and wishes of the
people who are supposed to be represented but
clearly aren't.. including me.

[DS1]

12. The way I see it is: If you're not voting for my candidate you're not worth my time

so why should I give away my money to someone else can spend it on YOU ?

[cboy4]

23. Are you drunk this morning? n/t

[DS1]

26. no, just cynical

[cboy4]

27. Just remember the legal limit for cynical is .08

haha

[DS1]

32. err, ok. I don't know why my original reply makes you think this, however

My point was that I'd rather not spend money on people who don't agree with me in the first place

[cboy4]

40. I'm just giving you a hard time. n/t

[AngryAmish]

14. Give money locally, where you will see a return on an investment

And in my business I give a fair amount to union leader elections.

[Speciesamused]

21. Like poor people giving money to the church.

They do not need it either. Big business.
I have never in my life given any money to
politicians. I do help animal charities and volunteer
my time. Peace

[Skinner]

25. This thread doesn't make any sense.

This is a website filled with politically aware and active people. Of course members are going to donate to their favored candidate(s). Because they care about what happens in this world, and they want to do what they can to help.

Whether a politician is "already wealthy" is beside the point. Candidates aren't putting the money in their own pockets. It is used to fund their campaigns.

And another thing -- the more donations candidates receive from regular folk like us, the less they have to depend on powerful, deep-pocketed interests that may not share the same priorities as the rest of us.

But I strongly suspect I'm not telling you anything you don't already know. So what is the point of this thread, exactly?

[flowomo]

30. you could ask that of a lot of threads, lately

n/t

[Catherine Vincent]

33. Some guy yesterday posted that he gave his car note to Obama campaign, I think.

That may be what the OP is talking about. He claims he'll work overtime this week to make it up.

[cboy4]

41. Ding Ding Ding.

You are the winner cat_girl25

[cboy4]

34. The point is, I donated money to a candidate.

That candidate dropped out.

What exactly did I purchase skinner?

Did my local food bank need that money more?

Probably.

My point is I do not understand how people send $25 after $25 dollar checks to politicians.

I understand, as I said, once.

But not check after check. That's out of hand in my opinion.

[Skinner]

47. Why not donate "check after check"?

Would you prefer that they give it all as one lump sum? That's how the rich and poweful donate: "Max out" all at once.

The rest of us spread our donations out, because we can't all give everything all at once. Give what we can when we can -- especially if/when we think there is a need.

What is wrong with that?

[underpants]

52. ## PLEASE DONATE TO DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND! ##

[Skinner]

54. rofl

:thumbsup:

[cboy4]

53. No, I've read posts that imply the people are cutting

checks out of spite.

It's not always about finances and spreading out donations.

My point is where does it stop?

Are people placing limits on how much of their income they're spending?

I think the answer is some are not, and that's irresponsible.

[Skinner]

61. Don't believe everything you read on the Internet.

Nobody on DU is going without food or heat because of a political contribution.

Yes, there are times when politicians, like televangelists, prey on the vulnerable. And it is wrong.

But everyone posting here (well, almost everyone) is perfectly capable of making a rational decision about what they can afford. If a rational person decides to make some sacrifices to help a candidate or cause that they support, who are we to judge? Why is it our business?

[cboy4]

62. Prey on the vulnerable?

hahaha. I wish to thank underpants.

But seriously, yea I don't disagree with what you're saying.

I don't get the fixation, but then people prolly think the money I spend on baseball tickets is insane.

It's all relative I guess.

[Skinner]

65. I'm probably not a good person to judge baseball ticket spending.

I don't really "get" sports.

:shrug:

[cboy4]

66. lol whatever...you know, maybe if you didn't spend all of

your income on politics, you could take your family to a Nationals game.

Although I realize the Nationals barely classify as professional baseball.

[onenote]

80. and some of us can afford to, and do, both

Nats tickets and political contributions -- and donations to a wide variety of charitable organizations (environmental, cultural, educational, etc.)

As you suggested -- no one should stand in judgment of how you spend the money, and you should reciprocate.

[Indenturedebtor]

49. I have donated in such amounts

I'm donating to Obama because he has refused to take PAC or Lobbyist money this campaign. That's something I've wanted to see from a candidate for a LONG time now. Someone has to fund his campaign, and if I didn't give him that 25 bucks here and there I would feel very bad if he lost.

We all have to give a little if we don't want the Corporations to give a lot!

[Skinner]

50. Good God!

That's insane!

[cboy4]

56. Alerting. nt.

[Kittycat]

75. Who or What are you alerting? The Admin?

[cboy4]

78. Yea, I alerted on skinner because he was mocking me

:sarcasm:

[Arkansas Granny]

55. I also donated money to a candidate that dropped out. Now I

will donate money to the candidate that I feel has the best chance of defeating the Republican candidate this fall. Over the long haul, I will decide how much money I can afford to donate, but until I reach that limit I will send small checks since I can't send the full amount all at once.

The amount of money I will be able to send may be just a small drop in the bucket, but enough small drops and the bucket overflows. If the candidate I choose to support does win the GE, I will feel that I made at least a small difference that affected that outcome.

BTW, I also make regular, small donations to charities of my choice and extra donations when the need is greatest, like the recent outbreak of tornadoes. Even if I can't afford much, the little I can afford does add to the total and, therefore, makes it relevant.

[cboy4]

63. I understand. You sound like a generous person

A.G. :)

[GalleryGod]

36. Thanks,Skins. I thought that the OP was "calling out" all the donors

by calling us "insane"

[cboy4]

44. Ummm, that's an expression. "The price of gas is

insane."

See?

I don't actually think people who donate need psychiatric help.

[onenote]

37. thank you!

[incapsulated]

74. "what is the point of this thread, exactly?"

rofl, I ask myself that about just about every other thread in this forum.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

42. Kick & rec for sanity. It's kinda like giving arsonists kerosene.

[cboy4]

45. Yea kinda

:spray:

[bigwillq]

46. I haven't donated at all this cycle

I did donate to Dean a few times back in 2004.

[Thrill]

57. Politicians need money to win. Especially when its time to go against

the Republican attack machine.

If you want change it takes a little sacrifice.

Some people volunteer long hours. Some people open their wallets and purses. Its all for a good cause. I think before you try to tell people not to do this. You need to realize how important this election is to our lives and future.

[hill08]

71. no I am not insane

I cannot let this media creation Obama win the nomination just because he managed to throw more money at the primaries.

He seems to love the old style politics of "money talks" too much to say that it is not "rich versus poor."

[Kittycat]

76. You're New. Welcome do DU.

:eyes:

He has money to throw, because of his supporters. Most of what he earned last month was from the "little people" like me, not corporations. He's also not infusing his campaign with his money, nor is he in the position to - like the Clintons and their Quid Pro Quo chest.

[EFerrari]

73. I haven't been working much for over a year so my small change

has gone to DU and two other orgs. The stuff I can spare has gone to Dennis and to John because I back them no matter what.

Clinton and Obama don't need my money. The homeless guy who works for me once a week does.

[no name no slogan]

79. I'm not bothering with the presidential primary races this year

Neither one of the two remaining candidates really does much for me. Instead, I've been giving $$ to congressional and legislative races.

The legislative races in particular run on a much smaller scale-- plus, it's easier to influence laws at the local and state level than it is at the national level.

People are all wrapped up in the presidential race, but it seems they forget that a Democratic president can't do a damn thing if s/he doesn't have a Democratic congress (or state house).

Don't agree? Just look at the Clinton years from 1994-2000. No Democratic congress, and a whole raftfull of regressive Republican legislation.

[CorpGovActivist]

81. Charity > Political donations in my book, too, cboy. K&R n/t