What are the millionaire/billionaire donors hoping to get from the losers?

[NightWatcher]

What are the rich guys that give Ted Cruz, Carly Fiorina, Ben Carson, or the other OBVIOUS losers hoping to get for their money?

I know the people who donate to the competitive candidates are hoping to bribe them so that when they win, they'll get favors from them, pass laws, etc.

I understand the donations to the losers who currently hold some other office or position are merely a bribe disguised as a campaign donation.

Are the loser donations just money flushed away, a gamble, a payoff for an earlier favor, or what?

[Hydra]

1. Offhand, I would say it's keeping the gears greased

If we're talking about Republican candidates, if you're a big enough donor, you are getting access to their social network and whatever favors they can offer in return(assuming you didn't have it already). You are also getting message control for your subject, and that's fairly powerful in itself.

I don't think there's such a thing a wasted investment in politics. You're paying for power, and you usually get it one way or another.

[enough]

2. Consciously or not, it's a way of establishing their universal dominance.

If they give to everybody on one end of the spectrum, it establishes the idea that anyone who does not receive their money can't even begin to think about running. Essentially, you cannot be thought of as a serious candidate if you don't get money from them. If you do get money from them, you are by definition serious candidate.

So they're not spending this money only to back a successful candidate, but to completely own the entire process.

[Wellstone ruled]

3. Try this.

Indentured Severatude much like England of the 1800's. Feudal States of America.

[daybranch]

4. SSSSSh!

You must be a Bernie fan.!

[Wellstone ruled]

9. Some what.

And I will back our Party Standard Barrier as a live time Democrat. If you have been paying attention,you will understand my post.

[Juicy_Bellows]

5. Hot, steamy phone chatter at 2AM.

Honestly though, if you get some serious change like that from someone, I think that person is always in your life as long as they want to be.

[olddots]

7. they are just collateral damage in the oligarchy war

The clown car is just a front for what is really in play .

[0rganism]

8. a shift of the center, maybe with some benefits now

i think the big $$$ donors like it when political discourse centers around the rightwing agenda, where candidates will argue over how big a tax cut to give rich people, instead of whether rich people should be getting another tax cut at all.

also you gotta keep in mind, just because Cruz or Christie aren't likely to get the nomination, they're still powerful people in their own right - a senator, a governor, these are people who can get things done and stop other things from happening. get on their good side by donating to their long shot presidential campaigns, then hit them up for goodies in the off-season.