Campaign Spending: 2015-2016

March 1, 2016; Unit 3 Blog Post

The Circus of Candidates

The current presidential race has amassed the largest spending of any presidential race, and the spending continues to rise.  The choice MEDIUM that is costing so much money are television adds.  Television may not be as heavily watched nationwide, but the older generations (the highest voting percentage) are still watching large amounts of television.  NEW MEDIA may be more effective to reach millennials, but they are not as supportive when voting time comes to pass.  Many political analysts believe the presidential race could cap at an amazing 4.4 billion dollars.

Website: http://www.npr.org/sections/itsallpolitics/2015/08/19/432759311/2016-campaign-tv-ad-spending

Trump's Slogan: "Make America Great Again."

The high cost of the presidential race of 2016 relates directly to Unit 3 of AP Government.  The many candidates have gained the support of PAC's (Political Action Committee) to fund their campaigns.  It has come to pass that the more wealthy the candidate, the more likely they are to be successful (with a few exceptions).  Jeb Bush amassed an amazing amount of money through his SUPER PAC which raised him over 100 million dollars.  The majority of the funds have been used to disperse the candidate's political stances via MASS MEDIA.  The ruling of CITIZENS UNITED V. FEDERAL ELECTION COMMITTEE has allowed candidates to receive unlimited amounts of money.

I believe that there should be a cap on the presidential election.  The current system has allowed the affluent of America to become the ruling power, and money does not mirror leadership quality.

Jeb Bush: One of the biggest political spenders (80 + million dollars)