Scratching your head about "how can this race be so close?"

[enough]

http://thecaucus.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/10/20/cash-advantage-for-romney-as-campaign-enters-final-weeks/?hp

NYT
Cash Advantage for Romney as Campaigns Enter Final Weeks
By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE, JO CRAVEN MCGINTY and DEREK WILLIS

Mitt Romney and the Republicans entered October with a cash advantage of $34 million over President Obama and the Democrats, according to disclosures filed with the Federal Election Commission on Friday, as heavy spending by Mr. Obama offset his stronger fund-raising during the past two months.

Mr. Romney, the Republican National Committee and their joint fund-raising committee ended September with $183 million in cash on hand, compared to $149 million for Mr. Obama, the Democratic National Committee and their joint fund-raising effort, giving the Republicans a significant cash advantage just as the race began to swing in Mr. Romney’s favor in early October.

snip>

Despite an increase in giving to the leading Democratic super PACs, including Priorities USA Action, founded by former Obama aides, overall outside spending continues to benefit Republicans more than Democrats. Conservative groups have spent $463 million, more than twice as much as the $194 million spent by Democratic groups.

snip>

[progressivebydesign]

1. Buying our democracy, one billionaire at a time. Sickening.

I WANT so badly for the President to win, so that every fucking asshole billionaire like the Kochs and Siegel and Adelman, LOSE all that money they poured in to screw our Country''s election up. I want Karl Rove to break his foot kicking his desk when he realizes how much money he threw away, and now has to face the angry PAC donors who were told that it was a sure thing.. I want every POS involved in stealing votes and suppressing the votes from 80 year old ladies in Ohio and Pennsylvania to be working at Best Buy in January.

I thought of this today. with ALL Of the filthy secret money pouring into elect Romney, he STILL cannot buy a lead. That tells you how fucking putrid he is as a person and a candidate. If you have to spend a billion dollars to elect someone, then it tells you that your product is flawed.

The Koch Brother's money is akin to tying a pork chop around Romney's neck to make the family dog like him. They will NOT steal or democracy.. The President will win, we will get an HONEST majority on the Supreme Court again, and we will move to amend that third world law that allowed those fuckers to buy this election in the first place.

[lunatica]

5. I know exactly how you feel

I want them to feel the knots of rage in their fucking gut knowing their money didn't buy them a thing. I hope they turn every Republican lackey into a pariah, snubbed by the 1% so they lose their own next elections.

They deserve it. They earned it.

[ProudProgressiveNow]

13. I third that emotion. nt

[formercia]

2. Especially with early voting running such a high percentage for Obama.

It's so blatantly fraudulent for the pollsters to call the election close.

[snappyturtle]

3. This election is like a 10 month pregnancy....it's time for it to end and in the end

I don't think money is going to be as large a factor as earlier believed. imho

[enough]

4. I hope you're right. I keep thinking that the money is the only thing

making Romney even marginally viable as a candidate.

[aletier_v]

6. I don't think it's the money

cultural paradigms are enormously hard to shift.

I look at the references about Jack Welch, Clint Eastwood, Lee Iacocca, and what I see is a cultural mindset that worked well in the 20th century but not so good now...

that's not a money issue, that's an experience issue, a well-known model of the world that suddenly doesn't work like it used to. Money can't explain 50% of the electorate, I think. Perhaps 10%, maybe 20 but I don't see how it can account for 50%.

[Surya Gayatri]

7. Not 50%, obviously, but enough of a % of the low-information,

disengaged voters (say 5-10%) to push Willard's polls up, at least tempoarily.

If they didn't think there was a chance to buy or steal the election, they wouldn't be trying so damn hard.

[enough]

8. Your optimism about human nature is useful to me.

I'm less optimistic about the ability of most of us to stand up against well-crafted well-executed messages promulgating deep dishonesty and playing to our intimate fears.

To my mind, the real miracle here is that Obama is holding his own against the onslaught.

(I want to say, given the touchy paranoid nature of a lot of DU these days, that I really appreciate your comments and am speaking with no snark or sarcasm.)

[aletier_v]

10. I can understand the pessimism.

I felt that for many years and quit voting and participating after 1994. Late last year was my first political donation in two decades and for Occupy of all things. But fucking Bloomberg and the stormtroopers just annoyed the shit out of me. I have withdrawn all money and participation from banks, they do not get a single direct $ from me now.

For whatever reason, I'm more optimistic about what's happening than I was last year. I am deeply disturbed that Romney appears to have as much support as he does, because fifteen years ago I probably would have supported him too, and I can't help thinking that the past five or six years must have changed some perspectives. It certainly did in my family.

For whatever reason, I feel positive, especially about Warren's election and what may occur over the next few years.

[wisteria]

9. I pray the Republican groups effort prove to be a waste of money.

And, it seems so abnoxious to me that so much money could be thrown at a candidate simple to gain power, when so many people are going hungry and homeless in our country.

[snappyturtle]

12. You're so right wisteria! Just think of the number of people who could be lifted up

with the excesses in the campaign funding! Truly sickening.

[dimbear]

11. Just now heard on NPR "undecideds breaking strongly for Obama."

That's the end of the line for Mitch, IMHO.




*Forgot for a moment that this is the internet. Meant to say "his death nail."