The Crazy Cost of Becoming President, From Lincoln to Obama

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http://motherjones.com/mojo/2012/02/historic-price-cost-presidential-elections

Barack Obama spent $730 million getting to the White House in 2008—twice as much as George W. Bush spent 4 years earlier and more than 260 times what Abraham Lincoln spent in his first election. Looking at the total costs of presidential elections over the past 150 years, it would seem that the White House is the ultimate recession-proof commodity:



So is the White House overpriced? Depends on what you're comparing it against. The increase in campaign costs significantly outpaced the price of gold's rise over the 20th century. Yet between 1908 and 2008, campaign costs grew at roughly the same rate as inflation (with some fits and starts along the way, including a significant bump in 1968 and a steep rise in the 2000s). And campaign costs have underperformed against GDP growth: Since 1932, the GDP grew more than 1,700 percent, while campaign costs grew around 1,360 percent.

[DianaForRussFeingold]

1. K&R Wow!

"Get money Out of politics!" :
"Congressman Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) took the House floor, urging fellow Members of Congress to support a constitutional amendment to rescue American democracy by publicly funding federal elections.
Uploaded on Jan 24, 2012
Full text follows:

"One of the biggest stumbling blocks to America's economic recovery is corporations can legally buy elections and then influence policies which move millions of jobs out of America, which escape taxation by off shoring profits, which cash in on wars, which press military industrial spending through the roof.

"While we pledge allegiance to the Red, White, and Blue, corporations, whose only allegiance is to green, are selling out America and they are becoming ever more powerful because of a Supreme Court decision in Citizens United which effectively turns this government into an auction where policies may go to the highest bidder.

"House Joint Resolution 100 is a constitutional amendment which aims at taking all private money out of elections and returning government to the people.

"I urge my colleagues to support H.J.Res. 100 so that we can break the golden shackles which are imprisoning this government right now and get rid of corporate influence once and for all.

"No private money in elections. Support H.J.Res. 100."

Petition to Get Money Out of Politics at www.GetMoneyOut.com:
http://www.dylanratigan.com/2011/08/19/our-constitutional-amendment-get-money-out-of-politics/

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