1. Campaigns

2. Fund Raising How much money does to take to run for President?
In 2000 Republicans spent $94.5 million and Democrats spent $53.7 million during the Presidential election (Federal Election commission data)
Over $1 billion was spent to support both President Bush and John Kerry during the 2004 election
Where does it come from?

3. Individual Donors
Big individual donations go to both parties, but mostly to Republicans because of their support from the most wealthy individuals
Money is often collected at “fundraisers” where donors pay high prices to get into dinner parties where the candidate will attend and speak.
The biggest donors get to speak to the candidate and get their picture taken with them

4. PAC-Men
Republicans usually rely more on individual donors, while Democrats often rely more on PACs. Both parties use both sources however
Political Action Committees (PACs) are organizations that raise money for candidates that agree with their point of view
There are over 4000 in the U.S. today
They raise millions of dollars for the candidates they support
Why would people or PACs want to give so much?

5. Types of PACs Issue PACs Labor Union PACs Industry PACs
promotes a view on an issue
Labor Union PACs
promotes needs of workers
Industry PACs
promotes needs of a type of business
Professional PACs
promotes needs of a specialized profession
Corporate PACs
promotes the needs of a company
Political PACs
promotes a political party

6. #1 National Rifle Association (NRA)
In the election cycle they spent $16,821,436
They mostly support Republicans
They support candidates who are in favor of protecting gun rights
It is a good example of a PAC that promotes an issue

7. #2 Emily’s List In the 2003-2004 election cycle they spent $14,746,248
They mostly support Democrats
They are most interested in women's issues

8. #3 Democrat Republican Independent Voter Education PAC
In the election cycle they spent $9,000,564
Despite its confusing name, this PAC gives mostly to Democrats
It is the PAC of the Teamsters Union, which represents truck drivers and other industrial workers
It supports issues of organized labor.

9. #6 NEA Fund for Education
In the election cycle they spent $6,108,964
They are also a union, representing many public school teachers (Yes, I am a member)
They also tend to support Democratic candidates

10. #9 New Republican Majority Fund
In the election cycle they spent $4,692,690
It was created by Mississippi Senator, and former Majority Leader, Trent Lott
It gives to conservative Republican candidates only. It is the largest political PAC

11. #10 American Medical Association
During the Bush/Kerry election they spent $4,496,150
They are an organization made up of doctors and medical professionals
It is one of many PACs that represent the interest of a particular profession
It gives to both parties, but mostly Republicans

12. #20 National Automobile Dealers Association (NADA)
During the Bush/Kerry election, they gave $3,576,539
They represent car dealers
They give money to both parties, but slightly more to Republicans

13. #23 United Parcel Service (UPS)
During the Bush/Kerry election they donated $3,317,743
UPS is an example of a PAC that represents only one corporation
They support both parties, in order to promote their business

14. Campaign Finance Reform
Under old laws, and PACs and individuals were limited to how much they could give a candidate. They got around this by giving unlimited “soft money” to political parties, rather than the candidate directly.
In 2002, Senators John McCain (AZ) and Russ Feingold (WI) got a law passed to attempt to control the influence created by all that money in politics
It became known as the McCain-Feingold Act, the most recent attempt at campaign finance reform

15. McCain - Feingold
The law limits the amount of money you can give to a candidate per election. Individuals can give only $5000, PACs only $10,000
It totally bans all soft money used for campaign ads
All campaign advertising must be followed by a statement of who paid for it
There is a loophole however
“527” groups can raise unlimited money to run “issue ads”. They are supposed to be only about educating voters on the issues, but have been used to attack candidates on both sides

16. Where does the money go?
It costs a lot of money to put on a presidential campaign
Hundreds of staff members must be paid
Rent must be paid on headquarters in most major cities
The candidate and dozens of staff members and security must be flown around the country, usually in more than one state per day
Signs, banners, bumper stickers, etc. need to be printed
The biggest expense by far though is… advertising!

17. TV Advertising
Television advertising is the biggest expense of Presidential campaigns
It costs an average of $343,000 to produce a :30 TV commercial – and that’s before anyone sees it! (American Association of Adverting Agencies 11/2005)
To run an ad during a popular show is expensive. Here are costs to show a :30 ad – once!
American Idol (FOX) - $658,333
Survivor (CBS) - $412,833
The Apprentice (NBC) - $410,000
Monday Night Football (ESPN) - $323,000
Smallville (WB) - $111,700
America’s Next Top Model (UPN) - $92,045
(According to the Boston Globe 9/29/2004)

18. Is it worth it?
Yes, they wouldn't spend millions on it if it didn’t have an effect
It is used for several purposes
Promote their beliefs
Help create their public image
Attack their opponent
Defend themselves against an opponent’s attack

19. Propaganda
Campaigns use various propaganda methods, which are used to get people to believe or act a certain way
Some propaganda is obvious, but much of it is hidden, disguised as statements of fact
The Bandwagon, Name-Calling, Card Stacking, Plain Folks Appeal, Glittering Generalities and Endorsements (Testimonials) are the most common propaganda methods

20. Bandwagon
In the Bandwagon method, campaigns attempt to make it seem that voting for the candidate is the popular thing to do
Jump on the bandwagon and vote for Candidate ___, everyone is doing it!

21. Name-Calling
In Name-Calling a candidate attempts to give negative labels to their opponent
Calling them names like “Flip-flopper”, “Tax and Spender”, and “Friend of the powerful”

22. Card Stacking
In Card Stacking, you only tell one side of the story. You don’t lie, but you leave out important information
For example, a candidate might mention that he cut taxes, but leave out that crime went up because police officers were cut out of the budget to pay for those tax cuts

23. Plain Folks Appeal
In the Plain-Folks appeal, the candidate tries to make himself seem like a regular person
This is done to help the public relate to the candidate
The candidate might be a millionaire that never has held a real job, but they want to seem just like everyone else

24. Glittering Generality
A Glittering Generality is a statement that sounds good, but doesn’t really mean anything
“I stand for family values”
“Freedom first”
“Help is on the way”
I represent a “New American Patriotism”

25. Endorsement (Testimonials)
In an Endorsement (or testimonial) a celebrity speaks out for a candidate.
The idea is to use the celebrity's popularity to get votes for the candidate
People are more likely to listen a message if they are interested in the person delivering it

26. Mass Media
The mass media is made up of communications that reach many people, such as television, radio, internet, newspapers, etc.
People get most of their information on politics from mass media
They can be influenced by many sources
Some are free to campaigns, such as news coverage and debates

27. Political Cartoons
Political cartoons often can affect peoples opinions about a candidate
They appear in newspapers everyday
They can be positive or negative

28. How do we know if its working?
Campaigns must know if what they are doing is working
They need to know what public opinion is
Public opinion is what most people believe or want
Polls are used to measure public opinion
Campaigns change their commercials/strategy based on poll results