# Do you make financial politicial contributions? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [June 8, 2011, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-make-financial-politicial-contributions/584734 "2011-06-08T13:09:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 17\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Omar\_Little](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/omar_little/32/269_2.png) [@Omar\_Little](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Omar_Little)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 1:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-make-financial-politicial-contributions/584734/1 "2011-06-08T13:09:26Z")
So do you contribute from your hard earned paychecks to political campaigns, parties, political action committees? How often? How much? Poll to follow. ---
**Author:** ![Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/6bbea6/32.png) [@Living\_Well\_Is\_Best\_Revenge](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Living_Well_Is_Best_Revenge)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 1:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-make-financial-politicial-contributions/584734/2 "2011-06-08T13:35:45Z")
Absolutely not. I can’t see myself ever doing that. ---
**Author:** ![Ravenman](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ravenman/32/2929_2.png) [@Ravenman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ravenman)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 1:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-make-financial-politicial-contributions/584734/3 "2011-06-08T13:44:40Z")
I have only given to a few people I personally knew, but I always designate funds to go to the presidential election fund on my tax return. I think public financing is much preferable to our current system. ---
**Author:** ![Anaamika](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/5f9b8f/32.png) [@Anaamika](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Anaamika)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 2:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-make-financial-politicial-contributions/584734/4 "2011-06-08T14:19:48Z")
Nothing, ever. Not even a dime of my money. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-make-financial-politicial-contributions/584734/5 "2011-06-08T14:23:07Z")
I contribute about $300 a year, maybe a little more. I’m a liberal, by the way. Fear me. ---
**Author:** ![Lynn\_Bodoni](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e47c2d/32.png) [@Lynn\_Bodoni](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lynn_Bodoni)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 2:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-make-financial-politicial-contributions/584734/6 "2011-06-08T14:23:23Z")
I contribute about $300 a year, maybe a little more. I’m a liberal, by the way. Fear me. ---
**Author:** ![Skammer](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skammer/32/143_2.png) [@Skammer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Skammer)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 3:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-make-financial-politicial-contributions/584734/7 "2011-06-08T15:32:41Z")
The first and only time I ever contributed money to an election campaign was for Obama. I think it was $50. I wanted to give $100, my wife wanted to give $0, so we compromised. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 3:37pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-make-financial-politicial-contributions/584734/8 "2011-06-08T15:37:52Z")
**Lynn** , it’s illegal to vote twice. I’ve never given money, nor could I ever imagine myself doing so. It seems like what you’d have to contribute to actually make a difference would far exceed any tangible benefits realized. ---
**Author:** ![suranyi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e36b37/32.png) [@suranyi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/suranyi)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-make-financial-politicial-contributions/584734/9 "2011-06-08T18:05:02Z")
I give some money to the Democratic party most years, and I gave quite a bit of money to the Obama campaign in 2008. ---
**Author:** ![Rachellelogram](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rachellelogram/32/8689_2.png) [@Rachellelogram](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Rachellelogram)\ **Post date:** [June 8, 2011, 7:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-make-financial-politicial-contributions/584734/10 "2011-06-08T19:56:37Z")
No. As a great man once said, “Anyone who is capable of getting themselves made President should on no account be allowed to do the job.” ---
**Author:** ![Procrustus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/procrustus/32/2994_2.png) [@Procrustus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Procrustus)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 1:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-make-financial-politicial-contributions/584734/11 "2011-06-09T01:01:21Z")
I just gave $50 to some lawyer running for State Attorney General. Now he owes me big time. ---
**Author:** ![Darth\_Sensitive](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@Darth\_Sensitive](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Darth_Sensitive)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-make-financial-politicial-contributions/584734/12 "2011-06-09T01:05:33Z")
I, a broke college student, gave 2 $5 donations to the Obama campaign, in conjunction with two of those “everyone who donates in the next 2 days is in the running for a chance to meet the candidate and ask him questions” things. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 4:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-make-financial-politicial-contributions/584734/13 "2011-06-09T04:16:29Z")
I often contribute to the Democratic party, and in 2004 my wife and I gave a lot of money to the Kerry campaign and the party. We both also did some volunteer work on the campaign. We gave at similar levels for Obama’s campaign. ---
**Author:** ![chizzuk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/e36b37/32.png) [@chizzuk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/chizzuk)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 4:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-make-financial-politicial-contributions/584734/14 "2011-06-09T04:44:40Z")
I donated $25 to Obama in 2008. That was the only time. I generally detest politics and was pretty surprised at myself for doing it. I don’t regret it, but I don’t know if I’ll do it again. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 4:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-make-financial-politicial-contributions/584734/15 "2011-06-09T04:47:45Z")
“I contribute annually between $100 and $500” Some years have been more, some less. I hate that it comes up when I’m Googled, though. 😕 Edit:I donated to HC but not to BO. I didn’t donate to the DCC that year, but I gave $600 to David Loebsack (D-IA) instead. ---
**Author:** ![Cyberhwk](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/7993a0/32.png) [@Cyberhwk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cyberhwk)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-make-financial-politicial-contributions/584734/16 "2011-06-09T04:52:17Z")
I gave $50 a month to Obama’s campaign in 2008. I’ve also given money to political causes including the [ACLU](http://www.aclu.org/), [Equal Rights Washington](http://www.equalrightswashington.org/), and the [Electronic Frontier Foundation](http://www.eff.org/). ---
**Author:** ![TriPolar](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tripolar/32/3008_2.png) [@TriPolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TriPolar)\ **Post date:** [June 9, 2011, 4:52am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/do-you-make-financial-politicial-contributions/584734/17 "2011-06-09T04:52:48Z")
I’ve given some large amounts. It’s illegal to bribe them any other way.