If I wanted to donate some small amount to help fund flipping the House what would be the best vehicle to use? The DNC? Picking individual races as the come close that someone like Sam Wang identifies as best battleground districts? Or what?
Nothing you do as an individual is going to matter in the slightest, unless you happen to be Bill Gates, or someone of similar means.
Oh bullshit. Lots of funding comes from grassroots, $100 here and there. I donated to Obama each time and eliminating the threat of this tyranny of the minority is at least as important to me. I want to put some small amount of my money where my mouth is. The point of these House elections is that small amounts have outsized impacts. The key is putting it where it is needed to most and I don’t know how to do that.
Of course not - but if everyone thought like that - how many people would vote?
The election would end up being decided by one person.
HGTV, I think, but don’t they have sponsors for that show already?
Off to petition for a change of venue to CS (or The Barn House).
Either the DNC or individual races would be a good idea. Unless you’ve got a whole lot of money to give, you’d probably do best either to give it to the DNC, a state-level Democratic organization, or a single individual candidate who’s in a battleground district.
And my point is that it doesn’t matter on the scale you’re able to donate. $100 won’t buy even one 30 second ad during a prime time show in a decent sized market. It might buy say…40 bumper stickers. Have you ever decided who gets your vote because of a bumper sticker? I haven’t either. It might buy 20 yard signs or t-shirts. Same question about influence on your vote. Same answer.
Donating small sums to this candidate or that candidate may make you feel like a player…but you aren’t really going to affect the outcome in any significant way.
My vote by itself does not matter much either. My donation to Red Cross does not do much by itself. My donation to the Presidential campaign obviously did not buy an ad. It each case I am part of a mass of people and my small actions as part of that mass do make a difference.
The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee is probably your best bet: www.dccc.org
Do I smell fear?
The Koch Brothers added together have more money than Gates (or anyone else in America), and despite everything they could do Barack Obama is still the President.
You’re absolutely right! It really sucks that campaigns have to spend an individual’s money the minute it arrives in their bank account, and can’t combine donations for larger purchases. Ah well, I guess we should just leave the donations to the millionaires and billionaires who can actually fund 30 second commercials and stuff.
Hey, there’s no question that money alone doesn’t win campaigns. But lack of money is a pretty serious handicap in an election – so donate to your heart’s content.
And since Oakminster doesn’t seem to grasp the 101’s of electoral campaigns, the point of bumper stickers and yard signs isn’t to convince people to vote for someone. It’s to increase name recognition, engage supporters for other activities, and generate momentum in a campaign.
Hah! My first thought was to report this thread for a forum change.
But maybe MSNBC can start a new reality show: Flip this House [of Representatives]!
Exactly right. The DCCC is tasked with the best allocation of resources to elect congressmen from the Democratic Party. They’ll have the best chance of shifting money around as the races develop.
And never let anyone tell you that small donations don’t count. Take it from a pro, they do.
This - D-trip is the place.
ETA: which reminds me, I’ll flip them another $100 today.
Vote in the primaries, at least get a say as to which candidates are on the ballot.
I was about to call bullshit on this, but holy crap, it’s (almost) true! According to this article, the Koch brothers together have $72B, and Gates’s wealth is … $72B. I had no idea they were that rich.
Oh, and one more vote for DCCC. Last election, I shot both them and the DSCC (same thing, but for the Senate) some money. The idea is that they can identify the races where some extra money can make a difference, and allocate it appropriately.
DCCC for congressional seats and ActBlue for state level moderate and progressive Democrats everywhere.
:rolleyes:
Nice cheap shot, but my point remains. It does not matter where an individual makes a small campaign contribution as far as the ultimate outcome is concerned. The individual’s impact is even less when considered on a national scale, such as in hopes of seizing control of the house. The OP can give his money to the candidate of his choice, to the DNC, to any PAC he likes. He’s pissing in the ocean.