It’s no longer just a slogan, Kamalanom, it’s a fact. Earlier today the Harris-Walz campaign released some campaign fundraising news. In the 82 days since Kamala Harris became the presumptive nominee of the Democratic party, the campaign has raised a cool $1 billion in campaign donations. Which begs the question, Why am I still getting text blasts every 30 freakin’ minutes?
It was only about 10-12 years ago, by my recollection, that the standard wisdom was that it would take about a billion simoleons to run a successful national campaign for President. But that estimate was based on an 18-24 month election cycle. Harris has done it in 82 days. That has to be a record. Next Traitor Tot will probably be squealing for matching funds to pay off his goal beagles.
Now for a quick reality check. That doesn’t mean that she has a billion lying around campaign headquarters. The campaign has been spending money all along on things like advertising, rallies, and one of the most robust grassroots ground games I’ve ever seen. But in every FEC reporting cycle the campaign is clobbering Trump with the all important cash on hand. And most importantly, there’s no reason to think that the donation fire hose is going to peter out in the next 27 days.
But this embarrassment of riches with such a short time to go also brings a certain responsibility. *Full Disclosure* It was only a couple of weeks ago by my recollection that the Harris campaign spread some of that wealth around to the DNC, the DSCC and the DCCC to help out tight races facing a fundraising disparity. Unlike Traitor Tot, the Harris campaign knows how to win.
Unfortunately more is needed, specifically in the Senate. While MAGA Mike Johnson continues licking his nuts, most GOP insiders quietly admit that Johnson will be turning his gavel over to Hakeem Jeffries in January. But the Senate is still in grave danger, and that’s the one Kamala Harris must have if she wants to get a cabinet in place and appoint judges.
Bob Casey in PA, Elissa Slotkin in MI, Tammy Baldwin in WI, and Sherrod Brown in OH are all being outspent 27 days out. But here’s the McGuffin. They aren’t being outspent by their opponents, hell, they tend to have the fundraising edge in donations. They’re being outspent by Single Candidate dark money PAC’s dumping millions of dollars, sometimes as much as $10 million a crack into negative advertising. You’ve seen this before. Last minute monster donations from Peter Thiel and Ditch McConnell into Ohio in 2022 saved Beggar Vance from what should have been about a 3 point defeat.
But here’s the good news. Let’s just say that the dark money PAC’s in those states are dumping in $10 million a pop. The problem there is that the PAC’s must spend the money directly and independently of the campaign, and they can only post contrast ads, read as negative ads. These are mucho more expensive than the rates that the campaigns get.
On the other hand, these Senate campaigns are Democratic campaigns. Just like the Harris-Walz campaign is, and that the DNC and DSCC are organs of. As such, any of those can make in-kind loans to those campaigns, which can be forgiven after the campaign.
As such, those funds go directly into the campaign coffers, where they can be used for lower priced campaign ad buys, positive media advertising, and paying grassroots volunteers for things like voter registration, campaign field offices, door knocking, and phone banking. Anything the Harris campaign, the DNC, or the DSCC donates directly to the campaign goes at least twice as far than the PAC money goes, and with much more effect.
As long as the fundraising for the Harris campaign continues apace, there’s no reason I can see why the campaign, as well as the DNC can’t afford to help them fill the discrepancies. The wisest choice might be to funnel it to the DSCC, and let Gary Peters spend it most effectively for the most at risk races. And let’s not forget that the Democrats already have challenger candidates within the margin of error in TX and FL, and a close race in NV.
To me this just makes common sense. If Harris wins, the Senate is the keystone to her whole first two year agenda. And how bad will the Harris campaign feel if they wake up on November with the next President of the United States, and a GOP controlled Senate? Especially if they wake up with some $200-300 million in the bank, and $40-50 million of that could have tipped critical races? If it could work for a sh*theels like the Hillbilly Imbecile, then it can damn sure work for the higher quality Democratic candidates. Measure twice, cut once, not the other way around. There’s no reset button in real life.
I thank you for the privilege of your time.
Money doesn’t DO anything until it’s spent.
So Democratic Party purse-string holders, spend it wisely, but please, spend it if you’ve got it.
“… Kamalanom …” Love it. On point. Context specific. Carries the force of change that is safe and healthy. Can’t be antidoted. it’s a genuinely robust sunlit antidote to todays toxic political petri dish. It puts daylight and distance between the dangers posed by the various oppositional and accusatorial myopic detractors, their plotting, schemes and lies.
Murph, you probably could have gotten your fellow Chicagoan Al Capone elected president. Who, by the way, would have been a far better president than Il Douche.
And also was broke down for tax fraud. And Donnie can’t pardon himself for state crimes.
C’mon V.P. Harris! Send some of that over to MT for Jon’s race. Send some to Allred. Send whatever you are not using, and I don’t think you will spend $1B for this campaign, but spread it out. If you only win the w.h. you’ll be a one-term president pure and simple. If you only win the w.h. and HoR, you still might only be a one-termer. You need the house and senate. BADLY. Man, don’t mess this up when you have the wherewithal to get an across the board win.