P resident Obama’s campaign is getting serious traction against his Republican opponent by publicizing Willard Mitt Romney’s deceit about his role at Bain Capital after 1999 and unwillingness to release tax and financial records.
Good for Team Obama! It’s great, albeit unusual, to see a Democratic presidential campaign scoring gains during a pre-election summer .
Unfortunately, the news isn’t all upbeat. Despite his general unlikability, mendacity and secretiveness, Romney enjoys the backing of big-money people and interests who want — and can afford — to buy this election.
The Nation’s Ben Adler shed light on this aspect of the race in a recent article, Republican Negative Ad Spending Explodes.
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. . . Liberals have been unable to keep up with the vast fundraising ability of right-wing Super PACs. Until now the balancing factor has been that Obama’s campaign has outspent Romney’s campaign, especially in swing states.
Even so, the president was already at a net disadvantage when you add in spending by outside groups. According to the Post, these are the cumulative ad spending numbers to date (this does not include the two new Crossroads plans, nor a bunch of smaller groups):
- Obama campaign, $49.6 million
- Romney campaign, $33.8 million
- Restore Our Future (pro-Romney Super PAC), $29.7 million
- American Crossroads/Crossroads GPS (Republican), $29.2 million
- Americans for Prosperity (Republican), $14.9 million
- Democratic National Committee, $6.3 million
- Priorities USA Action (pro-Obama Super PAC), $6.1 million
- American Future Fund (Republican), $5.3 million
The totals from the expenditures above are $79.1 million on Romney’s side and $62 million for Obama. In other words, the incumbent president—who also happens to be a very prodigious fundraiser—is being outspent, thanks to the unlimited contributions of billionaires and corporations. With the $65 million in forthcoming spending by Karl Rove’s groups, Obama will be at an even greater disadvantage.
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Times aren’t easy now, it’s true. But if the thought of a President Romney trashing health care reform, Medicare and Medicaid, privatizing public schools, starting a war with Iran and appointing a couple of Scalia-type Supreme Court justices is enough to make you want to leave the country, it’s time to break loose with a few bucks for Obama and other Democratic candidates.
Remember, all it takes for evil to win is for good people to do nothing.
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