The Billion-Dollar Waste

Everyone predicted this years' US Elections will be the greatest spending spree ever; but the numbers I see now at The Center For Responsive Politics website Opensecrets.org are just staggering - as I write this, money received by the Presidential candidates:

• Bush(R): $338,341,211
  
• Kerry(D): $310,851,634
  
• Nader(-): $2,800,717
  
• Badnarik(L): $555,800
  
• Peroutka(C): $361,018
  
• Cobb(G): $100,366
  

...and of this already spent:

• Bush(R): $222,175,200
  
• Kerry(D): $197,610,497
  
• Nader(-): $2,740,841
  
• Badnarik(L): $521,496
  
• Peroutka(C): $352,615
  
• Cobb(G): $86,187
  

Compare total campaign campaign receipts over the years:

• 1976: $171.0 million
  
• 1980: $161.9 million
  
• 1984: $202.0 million
  
• 1988: $324.4 million
  
• 1992: $331.1 million
  
• 1996: $425.7 million
  
• 2000: $528.9 million
  
• 2004 so far: $838.2 million
  

This is an incredible waste of money, even if dwarfed by money wasted in Iraq, in the armament business, or on SUVs.

It is also of interest to look at campaign contributors per sector. Hesiod at Counterspin wondered why Kerry, in the third TV debate with Bush, didn't seize the issue of the shortage of flu vaccines to blast outsourcing and greediness of pharmaceutical corporations - maybe because he received $460,737 from them (Bush got $904,679).

As expected, Bush gets $2,199,385 from Oil & Gas and - surprising ratio - $160,595 from Tobacco - Kerry 'only' $223,300 resp. $18,800.

Also as expected, Kerry gets $2,267,990 from Computers/Internet vs. Bush's $1,736,155, and $2,805,924 from TV/Movies/Music vs. Bush's $1,232,750.

As for some big fish - Finance/Insurance/Real Estate gave $30,508,873 to Bush and $11,844,568 to Kerry, of this Banks alone contributed $2,913,317 resp. $1,104,396 - and Insurance $2,878,523 resp. a mere $630,058.

Defense gave $718,743 to Bush, $327,728 to Kerry - again, a surprising ratio relative to other contributors.

Overall, these numbers would indicate a not too important role of corporations - they show that no single industry contributed more than 1% to these campaigns. However, they might just reflect widespread tricksery. We Europeans know - or at least most Germans know - onetime Chanchellor Kohl and the late Liberal Party leader Möllemann's method of dividing up large donations and 'receiving' these from false, stolen or borrowed names.