I got an email today from my pal Joe Biden.
Friend —
See? We’re pretty close.
$200 million.That’s what Republican-aligned special interests have pledged to spend on the 2010 election. Just to put that in context, that’s nearly $40 million more than every interest group spent on the 2008 presidential election — combined.
I have to wonder, if those numbers are even half right, what is wrong with this scenario? Why, if people/companies, have such large amounts of cash they are willing to give away, why do they waste it on campaigns (no matter which party)? Wouldn’t it be better served by investing in communities? In real projects to better our infrastructure, grants for schools and libraries, food and shelter for those not able to provide from themselves? They could get their name in giant letters across the face of a public hospital they paid to build, in blinky lights on a much-needed South Park bridge replacement.Millions spent on political campaigns is such a fruitless, impractical endeavor. What’s the expression – pissing in a river . . . (or maybe watering your lawn while it’s raining)
I so utterly agree with you Monica! Polarisation is expensive. And I think, when it comes to specific issues, so much could be done with the money spent on arguing and advertising – climate change, for instance, we could research new ways of providing clean energy. or abortion – we could research new ways of reducing teen pregnancy rates. We really are speaking of enormous sums, and I honestly don’t understand the lack of pragmatism driving people to donate to these funds. There ARE worthy, pragmatic alternatives. I think we need to concrete the abstract here…