Republicans outspent Democrats by $120 million.

[joshcryer]

https://www.opensecrets.org/overview/

Koch and other Citizens United / Oligarchy United groups spend hundreds of millions: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/erik-ose/how-the-koch-brothers-are_b_6079336.html

2016 is going to be a $10 billion election at this rate.

[MADem]

1. From their perspective, it's the best election that money can buy. nt

[joshcryer]

3. Makes it easier when the youth and minorities stay home.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

5. So what are we going to do to change that?

What is the left going to actually DO to get the youth vote out EVERY election? We know it's a problem every midterm, and nothing ever seems to be done to change it.

[joshcryer]

9. In Colorado we spent millions on registration drives.

So don't say nothing seems to be done, it's just that we're not doing the right things, I guess. It's difficult to say how you get the youth to come out and vote on off years.

Since the Democrats overwhelmingly attract the youth vote (and especially the minority vote) I think it's up to the Democrats to give them a reason to come out. On one hand you could go with a more liberal message, but Udall did that, and it didn't work (even though Gardner was outright lying and is pretty much the top 10 most conservative member of congress).

I think what you need to try is to convince them in some sort of exceptionalism of the Democratic party. Don't bash the party, basically. But you gotta do that leading up to the election, a year or more out. What sucks is Colorado makes it so easy to vote by mail it's a damn flipping shame no one bothered to fill out a piece of paper that takes ten minutes (heck, if you just went a full D ticket it'd take a minute tops).

[abelenkpe]

11. Want young people to turn out?

Stop saddling them with massive debt after working their butts off for years and getting accepted to college. Stop offshoring good paying jobs. Stop the endless wars and suggesting we bring back the draft to cure our war mongering ways. Make housing affordable again. All the young people I work with know they can never afford a home anywhere near their jobs. They know they'll never retire, their 401ks are a joke, interest on savings nonexistent. Those are the things they care about. Maybe start there.

[joshcryer]

14. Good luck doing that with this congress.

They have to realize that they need to get back congress for these things to happen.

[abelenkpe]

15. True

Republicans aren't going to do those things. But young voters won't realize a democratically controlled congress would do those things if candidates don't stand for and promise those things. Are they doing that? Maybe they are and the press isn't reporting it?

[MADem]

6. Or are prevented from voting...indeed. nt

[joshcryer]

10. True, the Republican strategy is depressing the vote.

Exploiting and conjuring apathy (ratfucking comes to mind).

[merrily]

2. It's like Back to the Future, after Biff gets rich.

[Erich Bloodaxe BSN]

4. 120 mil is a drop in the bucket.

Basically, that's saying given roughly even money flowing in, Dems got 'shellacked'.

[ctaylors6]

8. for Senate $263m R vs $248m for D spent

according to your link. The 3% difference doesn't seem like a decisive factor to me.

[joshcryer]

12. 20% in the House, 6% in the Senate.

I bet you'll find the election numbers fit on average.

[dawg]

16. You are right.

I was surprised the money was so close.

I'm going to crack the mystery of this election like Sherlock. And by process of deduction, that's one reason I think we can take off the table.

[LukeFL]

7. Doesn't look that big of dif

[Recursion]

13. Looks like they were within 5% or so of each other (nt)