Thursday, November 15, 2012

Returns on Political Investments

From a Faithful Reader:

... [O]utside groups spent more than $1.3 billion in independent expenditures to influence the outcome of the election, we now get to see just what all that money bought them -- or didn't.

Turns out some of the smart money wasn't so smart after all when it came to making political bets. This year, the pro-business GOP Crossroads fundraising combine and the U.S. Chamber of Commerce weren't as good at picking winners as the labor movement ...

And the stats?

AMERICAN CROSSROADS -- 1.29% return on investment -- Total spent campaign 2012: $104,710,472

CROSSROADS GRASSROOTS POLICY STRATEGIES -- 14.40% roi -- Total spent campaign 2012: $70,709,963

US CHAMBER OF COMMERCE -- 6.90% roi -- Total spent campaign 2012: $32,676,075

SEIU COPE (SERVICE EMPLOYEES INTERNATIONAL UNION COMMITTEE ON POLITICAL EDUCATION) -- 74.94% roi -- Total spent campaign 2012: $14,594,501 ...

And so on and so forth.

It's good to keep in mind that some political spending is more potent than other political spending. For example, actual campaign funds from actual campaigns get the lowest media rates for their t.v. ads, while outside groups -- whether union or corporate -- pay the highest media rates for their ads.

(And if you didn't know, American Crossroads was Karl Rove's traveling carnival, while the SEIU outside groups were union.)

Re the PACS super, Mr. Colbert says it all:



The odds are high that many, if not all, multi-bajillionaires will want better results from the dollars they throw at future political campaigns.

1 comments:

Unknown said...

to call the gNOp "pro-business" is ridiculous. It's "pro-selfish." Liberals are far more "pro-business," as well as "pro-labor," and "pro-21rst Century." The bush economic debacle, as we all know as a fact, was caused by a republican. It took President Obama to undo that mess, which he's done. I'm glad America won on Election Day!!

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