Political Campaigning in 2012 in America

Political Campaigning in 2012 in America

Political Campaigning in 2012 compared to previous years seems like a joke as the real issues at hand sometimes get buried because of each candidate's rivalry against each other. It takes money to campaign and to reach the public to hear their issues and concerns and make speeches on how they intend to fix the problems should they be elected. Without large sums of money, a candidate has virtually no chance of achieving his goal.

Not in all instances is the person who spends the most money on campaigning, the person who wins. A comparison also brought about in an article written by Charles W. Bryant, stated that in the 2004 general elections, 95 percent of House races and 91 percent of Senate races were won by the candidate who spent the most on his campaign.

There are different ways in which candidates can raise money such as: Billboards, lawn signs, direct mailings and leaflets are a good way to get the word out. Television advertising is easily the most expensive way to bring spotlight on a candidate into the public's eye. Candidates can raise large sums of money in a single night by hosting a sit-down dinner for targeted, wealthy donors for a per-plate fee. Many of these donors hope to get a few words with the candidate to express an interest they hope can be fulfilled. Some of them simply like being seen at premier social events.

There are important distinctions to be made regarding donations, distinction between individuals, Political Action Committees (PACs) and 527 groups. PACs are private organizations that donate or spend more than $1,000 for the purpose of influencing an election. If the PAC is corporate or union-based, it's only allowed to ask for money from union members, their families, shareholders or executives. PACs are limited to donating $5,000 to a single candidate and $15,000 to a political party per election. Individuals can give a maximum of $5,000 to a PAC per year. TV, radio and print campaign ads from PACs must include a disclaimer that clearly states who paid for the ad. (source FEC).

We have seen so many of the candidates due to a lack of funding and in my opinion popularity have had to drop out of the race, people such as Michele Bachmann, Rick Perry, and Jon Huntsman. Even after 19 debates, eight caucuses and primaries, and tens of millions of dollars in mostly negative advertising we would think frontrunner Mitt Romney would have wrapped up the nomination, but we have seen Rick Santorum and Newt Gingrich holding strong in a volatile race.

This Republican race has seen the lead changed so often unlike any other GOP race and while Romney, Santorum and Gingrich have all won states, none have been able to convert their wins into a sustained run of victories. Super Pacs, the creation of a Supreme Court ruling in 2010, can raise money without restraint and with almost complete anonymity.