Posts tagged Mitt Romney
Holding Politicians Accountable
Scott Prouty, the man behind the infamous Mitt Romney 47 percent video, told Ed Schultz last night why he released the video and we couldn’t agree with him more:
He said he felt that people who couldn’t afford to attend a high-priced fundraiser should get a chance “to find out what the candidate actually thinks.”
“It’s official. President Barack Obama has raised $1 billion for his 2012 reelection campaign. That money includes funds raised for the official campaign committee (Obama for America), the Democratic National Committee (DNC), and the Obama Victory Fund and Swing State Victory Fund, both of which have transferred millions to state parties to man the campaign’s efforts to bring out voters.
"The only catch to this historic milestone: Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney is on track to also raise $1 billion in funds for his campaign committee, the Republican National Committee (RNC) and his joint fundraising committee, Romney Victory.”
Hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin donated $500,000 on October 9th to Restore Our Future, the Mitt Romney-aligned super PAC:
He has now given $1.45 million to Restore Our Future this cycle.
Earlier this year, he said that the wealthy have “insufficient influence” in our political system. One has to wonder at what point they have just enough.
1,014,484: That’s how many times television ads from President Barack Obama, Republican nominee Mitt Romney and other groups involved in the Nov. 6 election have aired during the general election campaign, according to Kantar Media’s CMAG.
The totals include spots that ran on national network, national cable and local broadcast stations between April 10, when Romney effectively became the Republican nominee, and Oct. 22, the most recent date for which CMAG data are available. The CMAG data don’t include ads that ran on local cable.
The WonkBlog over at the Washington Post lists the five topics missing from this year’s debates. We’d have to agree with this one:
5) One of the biggest forces shaping our elections. This is the first election where both campaigns have refused public campaign financing, freeing them from the spending limits that come with them. The Supreme Court’s decision in Citizens United also paved the way for individuals, corporations, and unions to make unlimited independent expenditures. Such changes have effectively dismantled key campaign finance reforms and given the richest individuals and organizations more leeway to shape the political landscape. But since both candidates benefit from the issue, neither was inclined to talk about it, and no moderator asked about it.
And when I went to Israel as a candidate, I didn’t take donors, I didn’t attend fundraisers, I went to Yad Vashem, the — the Holocaust museum there, to remind myself the — the nature of evil and why our bond with Israel will be unbreakable.
It’s the $1 billion campaign vs. the $1 billion campaign — and neither side has a clear edge in the money race headed down the home stretch.
Both President Barack Obama and Mitt Romney’s campaign, party committees and super PAC allies are all-but assured of raising $1 billion on each side of the campaign ledger by Election Day.
Before the last debate, how will Mitt Romney spend his time in Florida? Attending a fundraiser planned by the same donor who hosted the infamous "47 percent" video cash-grab.
Oh, plus two other fundraisers put together by get-rich-quick donors who are being targeted by multiple state attorneys general for profiting from “free government money” schemes.
Romney: $14 Million Raised by Five-Dozen Lobbyists
The Center for Public Integrity reports:
As Republican Mitt Romney works to unify the party faithful behind him, the number of lobbyists raising money to help him secure the White House has soared.
More than five-dozen lobbyist-bundlers have raised at least $14 million for Romney’s election efforts, according to reports submitted Monday. That includes 42 who raised nearly $9 million during the third quarter of 2012.
This isn’t much of a surprise. As both Roll Call and Politico reported, lobbyists are excited about the idea of a Romney administration.