The Importance of Money in the Campaign

Money in Politics is the money used in campaigning for someone running. Its like a voluntary system that protects someone’s freedom of speech. It is the money that is donated and used for all the “Vote For…” stuff, advertisements, ribbons, and posters. The money they raise is mostly used for the campaigns because they are a big deal, huge, and last a long while. Campaigns are also expensive because Americans expect them to be personal. That obviously takes up time and money.

People like to see their candidates in person and show up in small towns, to show how much they care. Democratic and Republican candidates raise as much money as they can and create political action committees years before the actual election. The most expensive part of the campaign would be the amount they would use for media advertisements.

Campaigns are expensive. Both candidates can spend almost $3 billion together. In 2012 both candidates spent about $1 billion each. Because candidates use so much money for their campaigns it could also mean that money is just like corruption.

Money doesn’t only mean campaign stuff. Money can tip the outcome of a close election and it buys access to officials. However, money cannot buy election results. A weak candidate still needs the money because without being able to raise big money then that leads to losing general elections, losing party nominators, or giving up before they could even get started. That’s why the candidates need big money. Without it they just lose everything before they can even start the race.

“The corruption in the US does not stem from officeholders putting money in their pocket. This is systematic corruption of the process itself. When you are dealing with billions and billions of dollars. Much of that focused on buying influence it overwhelms the system and it is much harder to defend against and maintain representation for ordinary Americans” said Mr. Wertheimer. He says that we Americans have gone through a different kind of corruption compared to other countries.

The idea of candidates asking for contributions to fund their campaigns was completely foreign to George Washington in 1789. Back then wealthy well-connnected candidates financed their own campaigns and often times became the gift-givers themselves. Washington, along with many others, actually would offer free whiskey to encourage more votes. Which would be illagal today. Fundraising and campaigning, as we know it today, may come from Andrew Jackson in 1829, the first candidate for president without a prestigious family background extensive education or merch personal wealth. When he made his bid for the White House, he harnessed the power of the media and formed and early grassroots movements to win the presedency.

William McKinley had received more than $16 million in contributions for his campaign in 1896. Because of this, campaign finance became a hot topic among the public, and more regulations and had begun from there. During the corporate fundraising scandal around his own successful campaign in 1904, President Theodore Roosevelt had banned al such contributions. After signing the Tillman act in 1907 corporations and banks were prohibited from giving money for campaigns. Public Utility campaigns grew increasingly powerful and had a lot of influence over public policy under president Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In 1935, congress banned them from making political contributions with public utilities holding act with very little resistance.

In 1943, after the change in the economy along with The Great Depression came great changes in the political process. As a party loyalty declined and political communications became more critical to the campaign process candidates depended more on skilled technicians and the media resources they could muster to persuade more independent voters to vote their way. Here is where political action committees PACs were formed to raise funds from individual members especially for candidates.