GOP groups plan record $1 billion blitz
The Billion-Dollar Buy: About this series
Like never before, big dollars are having a big impact on politics and governance. This series examines how the new wide-open fundraising landscape will affect the 2012 campaigns.
See also: Inside Koch world | Rove hits big: The birth of a mega-donor | Myth of the small donor | Sheldon Adelson: Inside the mind of the mega-donor | The IRS's 'feeble' grip on big political cash | The new normal: $9 million for a rural House seat | Secret money funds GOP door-knockers | The billion-dollar bust?
Republican super PACs and other outside groups shaped by a loose network of prominent conservatives – including Karl Rove, the Koch brothers and Tom Donohue of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce – plan to spend roughly $1 billion on November’s elections for the White House and control of Congress, according to officials familiar with the groups’ internal operations.
That total includes previously undisclosed plans for newly aggressive spending by the Koch brothers, who are steering funding to build sophisticated, county-by-county operations in key states. POLITICO has learned that Koch-related organizations plan to spend about $400 million ahead of the 2012 elections - twice what they had been expected to commit.
Continue ReadingFull series: The Billion-Dollar Buy
Just the spending linked to the Koch network is more than the $370 million that John McCain raised for his entire presidential campaign four years ago. And the $1 billion total surpasses the $750 million that Barack Obama, one of the most prolific fundraisers ever, collected for his 2008 campaign.
Restore Our Future, the super PAC supporting Mitt Romney, proved its potency by spending nearly $50 million in the primaries. Now able to entice big donors with a neck-and-neck general election, the group is likely to meet its new goal of spending $100 million more.
And American Crossroads and the affiliated Crossroads GPS, the groups that Rove and Ed Gillespie helped conceive and raise cash for, are expected to ante up $300 million, giving the two-year-old organization one of the election’s loudest voices.
“The intensity on the right is white-hot,” said Steven Law, president of American Crossroads and Crossroads GPS. “We just can’t leave anything in the locker room. And there is a greater willingness to cooperate and share information among outside groups on the center-right.”
In targeted states, the groups’ activities will include TV, radio and digital advertising; voter-turnout work; mail and phone appeals; and absentee- and early-ballot drives.
The $1 billion in outside money is in addition to the traditional party apparatus – the Romney campaign and the Republican National Committee – which together intend to raise at least $800 million.
(PHOTOS: Republican money men)
The Republican financial plans are unlike anything seen before in American politics. If the GOP groups hit their targets, they likely could outspend their liberal adversaries by at least two-to-one, according to officials involved in the budgeting for outside groups on the right and left.
By contrast, Priorities USA Action, the super PAC supporting President Barack Obama’s reelection, has struggled to raise money, and now hopes to spend about $100 million. Obama’s initial reluctance to embrace such groups constrained fundraising on the Democratic side, which is now trying to make up for lost time.
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Read all 1481 comments in our forumWe know that in the runup to November the Obama campaign will get dirtier and more toxic with money flowing in from Soros and other shadowy sources, so it's only appropriate that those who want to preserve America for our children pull out all of the stops. Thankfully we have patriots who have the means necessary to fight the battle ahead.
Houston,
we have a problem solver.
Mitt Romney is now the GOP's 2012 nominee. Romney is set to beat Barack Obama in the three up coming general election debates.
Americans are supporting Mitt Romney with their campaign donations.
“The intensity on the right is white-hot,” said Steven Law. That intensity displayed itself when there where more Republicans voting for an unopposed Scott Walker than the total Democrat votes. Obama is going down hard in the fall election.
That ought to make it pretty even then, since for months we have been hearing about how the Obama folks have been planning to spend $1 billion.
OP groups plan $1 billion blitz
Excellent..............
We know that in the runup to November the Obama campaign will get dirtier and more toxic with money flowing in from Soros and other shadowy sources,
..........Yeah shadowy sources like ABC, CBS, NBC, CNN (can't get off the Trump thing lol), MSNBC (DNC Headquarters), TIME, Newsweek, Washington POST (Obama's bullies), NYTimes, LATimes, ASSociated Press.......and all the COOKED polls they put out.
...whatever it takes to rid America of Obama. Flush & Disinfect 2012.
Super PACs secrecy and the fact that you can give huge undisclosed sums of money under riduculous names is very bad for America.
John Kerry was a Vietnam vet who got awarded several purple heart for bravery. But you would not know it as Karl Rove attacked the most precious part of one's character we always thought was out of bounds.
Every notice how the Democrats/Press always want to know who's contributing to the GOP?
But they never give us the names of these powerful Trial Lawyer firms that fund the DNC and Democrat Party, isn't that weird?
The Democrats and their pals in our broken leftist Free Press "work together" to intimate GOP donors like we've seen with the Koch Brothers.
That's now how our Free Press is suppose to act ? ............
Yeah Houston we do have problems..........with some American institutions, like our 4th Branch
I can see the Politicos quaking in their offices at the HORROR that their little messiah might not be able to control the airwaves this time around.
Oh, the humanity - run, save the children - hurry
Obama's h8 filled donations from donors such as Bill Maher's are causing Americans to support the adult in the room. Mitt Romney is preparing to win the three general election debates.
Mitt never met a government mandate he didn't like in the great tradition of big government knows best politicians.
Even in 2009 he was recommending Romneycare for the whole of the country in interviews and op-eds in newspaper.
Then there is his cheerleading part when supporting bank bailouts.
Mitt was 47th position in job creation when ge was the governor .
Houston do you see the problem? Or do you act as if the biggest attact on the homeland and the biggest financial collapse did not happen under Republicans.. # 1 poster.
Mitt Romney won't show Americans his Tax Returns for the last 12 years.
He can start with 5 years.
I remember when the Chamber of Commerce had some credibility.
You nailed it...................controlling the "airwaves"................Obama's MSM Super Wolf Pacs have been shielding him for some time now.
"Third and perhaps most important, Obama scared many free-market millionaires into action with what they perceive as his outright hostility to capitalism."
This quote of Mr. Allen is laughable. No "free-market millionaires" are afraid President Obama, himself a free-market millionaire, is hostile to capitalism. And why should they be afraid? They have made out like bandits under Obama's rule. Corporate America has also made record profits under President Obama.
No, the most important reason so much money our politically corrupted Supreme Court has allowed into our elections is pouring into Republican coffers to defeat Democrats and President Obama is the one percent prefer a plutocratic America to a democratic America. Their thinking is captured in the insider Republican "joke" that circulated after our corrupt Supreme Court performed a bloodless coup by planting Bush/Cheney in the White House, although they lost the democratic vote: It's about time those who own the country ran it.
Never before have Republicans been so bold and obvious in their aim to complete the massive redistribution of national wealth to the richest and most powerful individuals and corporations. Romney is the perfect embodiment of the greedy, ruthless rich that want Medicare, Medicaid, and Social Security removed from the 99%, so that Americans are poorer and less secure than ever and our best democratic institutions are weaker or eliminated once and for all. It will be a ruthless Romney-led era of the one percent, by the one percent and for the one percent.
Take the 400 million dollars.
If just Soros spent that money would you think Republicans will take that kindly after the elections.
Will 400 million dollars spent by Koch brothers will be taken kindly by democrats in the house and senate and in the country.
If Romney is elected president he would hit a brick wall.
Same goes for Obama if he runs millions of super pac ads.
My point is the end result is very bad. Super Pacs may win the battle but loose the war.
I bet China and Brazil will win the election by default.
No news here. Conservative scumbags are prepared to spend money to protect their corrupt self interest, not to mention lie, cheat, steal and inflict voter suppression in an attempt to win an election. The problem is no matter what they spend Mittens ceiling is 47%.
A BILLION??
Why thats enough for Mitt and the Republicans, to ELECTRIFY THE FENCE !!!!
I know that was the over the top hooting and cheering crowd pleaser Mr SELF DEPORT Romney was at.
I heard some teabaggers in the coffee shop explaining the genius of this plot.
Mitt will make them DEPORT and then ZAAPPPPP !!!
Those Hispanics get ZAPPED like bugs in an ELECTRIFIED Bug Zapper.
That Mitt is always thinking.
Republicans can thank Citizens United for keeping them in the game. In 2008 McCain was out-gunned 2-1 in money raised by Obama. One activist court decision later and they're insured that'll never happen again.
The last cycle POLITICO and the MSM were enjoying the $700 million dollar campaign. They even turned an eye at the Mickey Mouse and Superman donations.
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