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Thursday, October 25, 2012

2012 Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan Love Making Money So Much, They Can't Stop

Posted by Paul Constant on Thu, Oct 25, 2012 at 4:01 PM

Jamie Dupree brings up a great point. The Romney campaign has $169 million dollars on hand. There's less than two weeks to go until Election Day. Why is Paul Ryan still going to Georgia, Texas, South Carolina and Alabama for fancy fundraisers, when he should be at rallies in swing states?

There are rumblings out there that the Romney campaign is going to run half-hour infomercials on all the major networks before Election Day, the way the Obama campaign did in 2008. Maybe they need the money for that? Or is Romney just pathologically addicted to making money? Or—and this could be the most likely scenario—is Paul Ryan a net loss in swing states? He's the most unpopular vice presidential pick since Dan Quayle. Moderates tend to hate him. Is the Romney campaign simply keeping Ryan busy in order to hide him from the independent voters in swing states? Seems likely to me.

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Comments (12) RSS

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They're saving up for the inevitable legal challenges when they lose.

Posted by bob2 on October 25, 2012 at 4:08 PM

I have some dishes he can clean if he needs something to do.

Posted by MacCrocodile

on October 25, 2012 at 4:20 PM

At several points during this campaign I've argued that this whole run is Romney's "Springtime for Hitler" and lately I've been afraid that his plan has also gone awry.

Posted by Tragedy is when I cut my finger... or Mitt is elected on October 25, 2012 at 4:23 PM

Yet Wisconsin keeps electing him, God knows why. I don't know if he's as popular statewide as in his own district, only that he'll never win my city.

Posted by Nitidiuscula on October 25, 2012 at 4:35 PM

Reporting from Savannah:

Romney is the Zelig candidate--to his own supporters. Ryan is busy keeping the Tea Party/Evangelical wing of the GOP fired up to assure they actually go and vote between now and election day, while Romney spins into butter trying to appear centrist and reasonable to Swing-state and low information voters.

Posted by Laurence Ballard

on October 25, 2012 at 4:35 PM

Quayle may have been unpopular--but they won.

Posted by Timmytee on October 25, 2012 at 4:43 PM

I can't quote FEC rules chapter and verse, but as I recall, any leftover campaign contributions can be used to 1) pay yourself back for personal expenditures on the campaign, up to a point, 2) roll over into another election fund (say, Re-Elect Ryan in 2014, or Ryan for President in 2016), or 3) go into the party's general fund.

Just sayin'...

Posted by bleedingheartlibertarian on October 25, 2012 at 4:51 PM

fundraisers are a very inefficient way to fund the campaign, because the donor can only give $2000 or so to the campaign, and you can only seat a few hundred donors even in a large ballroom (and the donors would resent that experience for the money). The idea that the campaign is doing this so it can afford to buy airtime doesn't make a lot of sense.

That said, they're a better way to raise money for the party (capped at ~$35,000 iirc - though this can't easily be used to buy ads for the campaign, I think), and to raise money for Congressional and Legislative candidates (the former also capped at $2000 and the latter varying by state law - but there are more Congressional candidates and the races are cheaper).

Posted by Warren Terra on October 25, 2012 at 4:56 PM

@#2
He might be willing, under five conditions.
1) Lots of press present.
2) You are a Catholic charity.
3) It lasts fifteen minutes or less.
4) You're in a swing state.
5) The dishes are already clean and indeed the kitchen is spotless.

Posted by Warren Terra on October 25, 2012 at 4:58 PM

is Paul Ryan a net loss in swing states?

DING! DING! DING!

Posted by Xenos on October 25, 2012 at 5:22 PM

@6: They also lost...

Posted by DOUG.

on October 25, 2012 at 5:36 PM

I'm not buying that poll. I mean, I'm a flaming liberal and even I have a certain amount of respect for the guy. Far more than I do for the Mitt, inasmuch as THAT matters. It was a one day poll taken the day after the announcement. I'd be really surprised if he didn't register far better now that he's been vetted by the party base & masses.

Posted by mikethehammer on October 25, 2012 at 5:53 PM