Republican National Committee tops $200 million in fundraising ahead of midterms

[DonViejo]

Source: CNN




By Dan Merica, CNN

Updated 6:03 AM ET, Tue July 17, 2018

(CNN) - The Republican National Committee has raised more than $200 million this election cycle, according to an RNC official, the fastest the committee has reached the milestone in a midterm period.

The fundraising achievement, which was expected after the committee came within $900,000 of $200 million last month, is significant for a party that is trying to buck historical norms in 2018. The political party in power traditionally gets rejected at the ballot box two years after they take power, a fact that President Donald Trump has mentioned numerous times in public and private as Republicans prepare for November.

The RNC raised $13.9 million in the month of June -- the most it has raised in that month in a non-presidential year -- bringing its total fundraising haul to $213 million for the 2017-2018 cycle.

The committee has $50.7 million in the bank and no debt.

Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2018/07/17/politics/rnc-fundraising-numbers-200-million/index.html

[C_U_L8R]

1. Russian bots contributing bitcoin?

On the internet, no one knows your a Putin stooge.

[lagomorph777]

18. I was going to say Roubles.

[beachbum bob]

2. thru 2nd Quarter of 2018, ACT BLue has raised almost $1 BILLION

Last edited Tue Jul 17, 2018, 11:28 AM - Edit history (1)

so the democratic war chest will not be an issue. Many big dollar GOP donors still sttting out because of GOP's DACA failures

[heaven05]

14. whew

that was my upcoming question...thanks. I trust this rather than a possible RNC lie.

[hedda_foil]

17. 2019??

[PoliticAverse]

3. "the RNC had $47 million in cash on hand, five times as much as the $9 million the Democrats have."

[Thekaspervote]

7. Beachbum's point, I believe is that the gop gives pretty much to the rnc, Dems give

In many different ways... directly to candidates, organizations like the ACLU, Eric holder and Obama’s gerrymander group and others. I don’t believe money will be an issue... as the last 2 organizations mentioned have big money and intend to spend it on the midterms..others too. also, individual dem candidates are out raising repukes even in deep red states

[Roy Rolling]

4. Spend it All on Fox News

Gin up the base, give them a sense of pride Republicans are punching Americans they don't like in the face. They paid for liberal tears, the base expects the head bullies to deliver.

Or go build $200 million worth of a wall to prove Republicans are tough and serious.

Better yet, give it all to charity where it might actually help someone.

[Scarsdale]

19. Mnuchin is working to get

"dark money" kept hidden, so we will not know who the large donors are. Time to get big money OUT of politics, especially since Russia is now controlling our elections.

[BumRushDaShow]

5. HERE is what they are NOT telling you to keep you demoralized

(in addition to what beachbum noted in post #2)

Fundraising in Congressional elections, 2018

<...>

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC) raised almost $57 million in the first five months of 2018, which is about $15 million more than the National Republican Campaign Committee (NRCC), which raised just under $42 million. The DCCC raised more than double the amount of the NRCC in April and May to create that advantage, as the two major parties' House campaign committees were roughly equal in amounts raised and spent after the first quarter. Both the DCCC and NRCC each reported having almost $61 million in cash on hand as of May 31, 2018, with neither committee having any debt. At the end of the first five months of 2016, the NRCC reported a cash balance of approximately $57 million and the DCCC had approximately $51 million.[2][3]

The Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) reported having almost $18 million more in cash on hand at the end of May than the National Republican Senatorial Committee (NRSC), although the DSCC also reported owing about $4 million in debt. Both major parties’ Senate campaign committees raised approximately $27 million during the first five months of 2018. Disbursements by the NRSC during this period were over $14 million greater than those by the DSCC, driven largely by the NRSC's repayment of $9.5 million in debt owed at the beginning of 2018.

https://ballotpedia.org/Fundraising_in_Congressional_elections,_2018

I.e., Democrats are sending their money either to the DCCC or the DSCC or the individual candidates. This is NOT a Presidential election year where the DNC would have a more prominent role, but it IS a biennial Congressional election year and that's where the money needs to go - particularly since there is no incumbent Democratic President and no declared 2020 Democratic candidates. In the past, I expect it may have been the opposite with the hope the DNC would funnel money accordingly.

IMHO, no matter how much money the party receives, the bottom line comes down to turnout and having candidates actually running - either against GOP incumbents (far too many GOPers had no Democratic opposition) or for open seats.

[Mc Mike]

8. Turnout. If it isn't close,

the repugs can't steal it.

[BumRushDaShow]

9. Right. And here in PA

fortunately there is a gubernatorial election too this year so that tends to increase turnout. The Democratic disgust of Corbett (R) back in 2014 helped to propel Wolf (D) into office, breaking a long tradition of governors here almost automatically gaining a 2nd term.

Hope the disgust is even stronger this year to send a message!!!!! We need 2006 anger and more!

[Mc Mike]

10. I'm glad we got rid of our '10-elected teabag nazi dimwit.

I felt bad for the states that kept theirs, Scott, Snyder, Walker, LePage, etc.

We have an '06 level of repug nazi-ness, mutantcy, and criminality. And an exponentially worse repug at the top. (Though li'l bush sucked as bad as he could, he just couldn't suck as bad as the repugs' new world champion suck-er.)

[BumRushDaShow]

11. Wish we could have gotten rid of teabagger Toomey

[Mc Mike]

12. He was a rightwing retread. A perennial losing candidate.

If Onorato had tried even a little bit over here, we'd have had Joe S. If we hadn't unexpectedly 'flipped', for the first time since '88, we'd have McGinty.

[BumRushDaShow]

13. There was quite a bit of vote splitting

because we got AG, State Auditor General, and State Treasurer, so there was conscious stuff going on.

[Mc Mike]

15. I just can't see it, from the pov of any vote splitting Dem voter.

Literally, a weaselly looking, far right constantly running and losing teabag vulture capitalist. Or any even remotely warm body.

Easy choice, for me. No matter what kind of behind the scenes state and national Dem infighting had occurred.

[BumRushDaShow]

16. They should have hit the staight ticket but didn't

There were people splitting around Clinton & McGinty. It's just bizarre to see although it's possible that there were a number of (I)s voting for the top 3 (D) state-level people but not for Clinton & McGinty.

[Mc Mike]

20. I don't mind straight ticket voting, but always enter my choices race by race,

even on a 5 or 6 page ballot (ES&S ivotronics is our machine). Because there have been times when a straight ticket vote wound up inexplicably causing the top of the ticket to not get a vote. Machine glitches.

I got to hear a garbled version of this by a publicly electioneering young guy, at a poll where I was doing election protection in '12.

There had been some kind of smartphone blast, early on election day '12. He got from some political group that the thing to do was make sure your vote at the top counts, just vote for the top of the ticket, a straight ticket vote wipes out your vote for the top of the ticket (Obama).

So I went to talk to him, as he was walking away from the outdoor line, and said people can vote straight, one at a time. Prez O wants help from those victorious lower ticket Dems. He seemed honest, just got something from who knows where that distressed him that Prez O would get cheated out of votes. (If I had to guess who knows where, it would be some Rove outfit.)

It doesn't take a lot of effort to vote straight Dem, race by race. Maybe 2 extra minutes. I always throw a marker in, if there's an unopposed race (I vote Gi Gi Sullivan, if the Dems are offering a real lemon, unopposed.)

[BumRushDaShow]

22. Here in Philly, we have the Danaher 1242 machine

which is actually a membrane push button machine (they call it a "DRE" or "Direct Recording Electronic" ). I think most of the surrounding counties here also have them. It looks like this but has a curtain that can attach that obscures the voter from public view -



They generally look like this, although we had blue curtains -



The screen here looked like this where pushing next to the #1 would be the straight (D) ticket -



When they first set up the machine for a voter, all the lights are blinking and when you select one, it goes steady (and for straight, the whole column goes steady and turns off the other blinking lights in other columns except any ballot questions).

I saw that last month, the city put out an RFI for new machines - http://www.phila.gov/rfp/Documents/Election%20Systems%20RFI%20for%20Review%20and%20Posting%20FINAL.pdf (PDF)

Some of the recent articles are indicating that there is no way to get them all replaced by 2020 although the RFI is indicating we are aiming for 2019, which would be good (but they want to have enough time to test and train staff)!

[Mc Mike]

24. Good info, thanks. Good luck over there.

I can't do the tech work to show you the iVotronics, but it's basically a multipage cartoon looking screen. Page one, cartoon box graphics with the candidates' names, no hard print like yours. Tap in the field like an ipad touchscreen, to make the selection. It puts a cartoon check by the cartoon name. Finish page one's selections, then tap to go to page 2.

There's a review page, shows 'unvoted on' races. You have to touch buttons, there's a graphic one and a hard physical light up spring pushbutton, twice to get acknowledgement that you voted. People who failed that were referred to as fleeing electors, (an alarm would go off after a couple of mins), we'd have to run after them and say, get back to your machine and push the button again. Or your votes will get wiped, so nobody changes them on you. Your vote won't count.

I helped 2 fleeing goper voters, as a poll worker pre-'08. I'd have done it, out of dedication to the 'one person one vote' democratic ideal, even if there wasn't a big mouthed repug 'minority inspector of elections', in my precinct and the other precinct at other tables in our polling location.

[BumRushDaShow]

25. That's why they need to get rid of those touch screen machines.

Believe it or not, the fast food places use the membrane touch panels for the cashier to register the orders and they take a lot of abuse.... although the Wawas have the terminal glass touch screens for consumers to order food. To me, the simpler the mechanism the better but then people want "instant" results so....

I miss these oldies but goodies (although they weren't handicapped accessible but they did have a paper trail - I think like a ticker tape)!

[Mc Mike]

27. We voted usiing those click down selection check, big lever machines until post 2000 HAVA, too.

The lever recorded all your clicked down selections, made a ca chunk to advance the scrolled paper, and opened the curtain. Slide back a little window to write in.

Paper trail is essential. The electronic machine companies that make those voting machines had to change the design of machines they'd already made to NOT give a paper trail receipt with the vote.

You get a receipt with a donut or candy bar purchase, s.o.p. .

[BumRushDaShow]

28. Yup. I think our old lever machines were 40+ years old when they were replaced in the early '00s.

Interesting article about our machines here in Philly - http://thephiladelphiacitizen.org/rage-against-the-voting-machines/

[Mc Mike]

30. Good article, thanks for the link, BRDS.

Last edited Wed Jul 18, 2018, 10:06 AM - Edit history (1)

Personally, age of a machine doesn't make me trust it less. The simpler the machine or device, the better it is, when it's older. Less likely to fail, less chance it has parts that break down through planned obsolescence materials engineering. An electronic module won't fail and cost hundreds of bucks to replace, etc. The old ones can run forever, like old cars in Mexico or Cuba. New cars will blow a computerized electronic module, and the whole module needs to be replaced.

The only worry is, the older it gets, the more chance that replacement parts won't be available. But if a company has a contract for replacement parts from a gov or public entity, the company has a profit motive reason to stay stable and in business.

They stole it in '00, then used their theft to make us buy machines that made it easier to steal things, electronically.

[Thekaspervote]

21. Thank you for that great break down. Media says shit like rnc dadada but then leaves out the

Other side of the story!! I hope everyone here on DU sees your post!

[BumRushDaShow]

23. I know I have seen many posts on DU

about both incumbent AND new Democratic candidates "out-raising" their GOP counterparts - and this includes those in swing and (R) districts. So IMHO, it's not a fluke. There IS money flowing to them from somewhere and it doesn't HAVE to be from the DNC. It's the "bottom up" strategy rather than "top down" and it's something that mirrors the party philosophies in a way.

I.e., (R)s tend to be "autocratic authoritarian" and "top down" and (D)s have (at least of late) encouraged "grassroots" and "bottom up". So when you see your "bottom up" working and doing well, then you know you are moving forward.

But the media narrative is trapped in time and wants to suggest that if you don't have stratospheric "top down" fund-raising, then you are in bad shape. IMHO, that really should only apply to Presidential election years and shows their bias for those GEs, as this really doesn't work as well for mid-terms unless the state/local fundraising apparatus is deficient and the national has to step in to throw them some bucks.

[moonseller66]

6. Whose on first?

Gotta wonder what the priorities and patriotism of the Kochs, Mercers, Adlesons and their ilk really are.
Since they aren't stupid, they know they're selling out this country. More people should understand this - but won't.
Meanwhile they go about their daily greed...

[Iliyah]

26. Russian money as well.

[bluedigger]

29. That's a lot of rubles!

Those GOP Congress Comrades are going to get sick of borsht on the dinner circuit.

[riversedge]

31. Well...umm. This is NOT good for America.