abaya

Have you ever made a campaign donation? What made you decide to donate? If not, why?

I just made my first campaign donation today. There are two reasons working in tandem to explain this, for me:

1) I care far more about the outcome of this year's campaign than I have about any others in the past (even though I have always voted, since I was of age). It had never even occurred to me to make a campaign donation in the past; I am not registered under any party, and I never felt terribly supportive of any candidate in particular. I also was a bit intimidated by the idea of donating, since I wasn't sure how to do it and didn't feel interested enough to ask. Not this time--it was extremely easy to do it online, in a few minutes.

2) I have been living in Iceland for the last 18 months, watching all this from abroad, and there isn't much I can do about it from here other than vote by absentee ballot (both primary and general) and talk about it via online social networks. But it occurred to me a few weeks ago that I wanted to do something more... and again, seeing that I could do it easily online, encouraged me even more (I had gotten used to donating online since joining TFP, incidentally).

So I'm curious about how many people actually donate to campaigns, if y'all are willing to talk about it.

EDIT: Or, whether or not you have not donated financially, have you donated your time? I have not volunteered for campaigns in any capacity, but Snowy has pointed this out as a very valid form of political contribution.

__________________
And think not you can direct the course of Love;
for Love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.
--Khalil Gibran

onesnowyowl

What about a donation of time? I volunteer almost every election in some way. This election I've been volunteering with a PAC associated with Planned Parenthood. During the primaries we simply wanted to get the message out that McCain is a pro-life candidate and scores a 0 with NARAL in regards to abortion rights. I'll probably start volunteering with a specific campaign soon. I don't have a lot of money right now, but I do have time

__________________
If I am not better, at least I am different. --Jean-Jacques Rousseau

abaya

Excellent point; I hadn't thought of that, since obviously I can't volunteer much from over here--so I was just thinking financially. Will add that to the poll, if I can figure out how...

EDIT: Well, can't edit it from here, so let's keep the poll to financial donations only for now... and then talk about volunteer time in the responses.

__________________
And think not you can direct the course of Love;
for Love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.
--Khalil Gibran

Willravel

I've donated time and money to different campaigns. I sent $500 to Kucinich last year, even though I knew he didn't stand a chance.

SecretMethod70

I volunteered for awhile and now I work with a campaign. Lots of time donated (pretty much my life until Nov 5! )

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Watch as the internet implodes!: http://www.tfproject.org/tfp/found-n...-implodes.html

dc_dux

I gave to the Dem Senate Campaign Committee this year...they can spread it around the close races and with a little luck, the Dems will pick-up 6-7 seats in the Senate.

BTW, if you contributed, you should be in the FEC database...

...or if you want to see if any neighbors contributed to a candidate (how much and who did they give it to), its all publicly available:

Advanced Individual Search

search by name, city or zip

So much for privacy!

__________________
"In this world of sin and sorrow there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican. "
~ H.L. Mencken

abaya

Well, do you think it should be private?

__________________
And think not you can direct the course of Love;
for Love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.
--Khalil Gibran

Cynthetiq

Does checking off the $1 box in the 1040 Income Tax form count?

dc_dux, thanks another way for me to find family members and individuals.

I've not donated anything as far as campaigning is concerned. Last night's dinner they were inviting many of us to volunteer on election day, I don't think I'll have the time or interest.

I've not donated money because I've not attened any fund raising activities. I'm not interested in just donating monies directly for some reason.

__________________
I don't care if you are black, white, purple, green, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, hippie, cop, bum, admin, user, English, Irish, French, Catholic, Protestant, Jewish, Buddhist, Muslim, Indian, cowboy, tall, short, fat, skinny, emo, punk, mod, rocker, straight, gay, lesbian, jock, nerd, geek, Democrat, Republican, Independent, either you're an asshole or you're not.

Willravel

LOL, I'm not in the database. Maybe it's incomplete? Or maybe Dennis ran off with my $500 and spent it on alcohol and prostitutes?

dc_dux

Nope...I am for full and open disclosure.

But many contributors are probably not aware that data on how much and who they contribute to is so readily available

I might recommend that candidates be required to provide some type of standardized, easy-to-read form to all contributors so that the contributors know the data is pubilc.

__________________
"In this world of sin and sorrow there is always something to be thankful for; as for me, I rejoice that I am not a Republican. "
~ H.L. Mencken

loquitur

A friend of mine holds local office here, so I donated some money to his campaign a few times. Other than that, I have made precisely one donation to a political campaign in my life. Back in 1993, when NYC seemed to me to be on the verge of collapse, with high crime, lousy services, chaos in the streets, race riots, high taxes, and a bunch of other ills, I was convinced to the verge of certainty that if David Dinkins was re-elected there would be no city worth living in by the time his second term was done. This was a matter of great concern to me because I own a home and because, frankly, I love this city. Dinkins was grossly incompetent and i really thought it was almost a matter of life or death to get rid of him. So I donated to Giuliani's campaign. I didn't donate to Giuliani the first time he ran (in '89) or to his re-election campaign in '97, but that one time I really thought it would be a total disaster if the guy I was voting for didn't win.

Except for that one time, my general feeling is that the country/state/city is fundamentally OK, and we'll muddle through even if the majority disagrees with my preferences. The point being that I don't get exercised enough over this stuff to want to give money.

jorgelito

I have a problem with political donations. It feels wrong somehow. Like bribery or corruption.

__________________
"The race is not always to the swift, nor battle to the strong, but
to the one that endures to the end."

"Demand more from yourself, more than anyone else could ever ask!"

- My recruiter

ASU2003

I am the only candidate I would donate money too. Or maybe if a family member ran for office I would support them.

But I trust the government only a little more than I trust large corporations. And they are both very low on the list.

Tophat665

Obama lost his right to my money when he voted for the FISA thing. I understand why he did it even though I disagree with his reason, and he gets to keep my respect and my vote, but he 'll do just fine without me helping his bottom line.

__________________
Light a man a fire, and he will be warm while it burns.
Set a man on fire, and he will be warm for the rest of his life.

Tully Mars

In 2004 I volunteered for a couple different candidates and gave money to about 3-4. Not all from the same party either. One day I drove from a mailing work group for a local GOP candidate to work security at an Edwards event.

I'm on the list. I give the same amount every month to Obama.

__________________
Vice President Starkizzer Fan Club

People are always bitching about getting what they deserve... I think if they did they'd be greatly disappointed. Me

abaya

Hmm, odd... I'm not on the list. Maybe it takes a while for them to add on the newest donors?

I've been talking with a few of my friends from college (evangelical university, mind you), and several of them have made donations--to Obama--in the last week or so.

I find that quite interesting (and cool)--they aren't fooled into voting for him based on moral faux-conservatism, and social justice plays a much bigger parts in the votes of the evangelical 20- and 30-something generation than it does for the older generations. And yes, many of them are moms, but there's no identification with Palin there. I'm happy to see that.

The only die-hard Republican I know (and I have a lot of conservative/religious friends!) is someone who is not religious in any way--she's financially conservative, though doesn't care for the moral legislation bit of her party... so I'm working on that point with her.

I would not be surprised if the majority of my old college professors will be voting for Obama as well--there's a reason that many of us graduated from that university with surprisingly liberal attitudes (even those who still remain in the fold). The bio profs are all evolutionists, for example, and I know they won't stand for Palin's creationist stance.

__________________
And think not you can direct the course of Love;
for Love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.
--Khalil Gibran

Poppinjay

With his wife, he shouldn't be anywhere near the pros.



This is clearly a man who married up, X10.

I've volunteered much over the years.

__________________
I think the Apocalypse is happening all around us. We go on eating desserts and watching TV. I know I do. I wish we were more capable of sustained passion and sustained resistance. We should be screaming and what we do is gossip. -Lydia Millet

Tully Mars

My Aug. and Sept. donations are not on the list. If you're using a CC you have to enter the zip code of that CC's mailing address. I used my current address and got nothing, then switched to my drop box mail forwarding addy and found me.

Yeah isn't it odd that educated people tend not to be social conservatives? A few hundred years ago it was the earth is flat and the center of the solar system. Now it's 6000 years old and evolution is a crock. Least now we're not burning people at the stake for not agreeing with the church, least not yet.

__________________
Vice President Starkizzer Fan Club

People are always bitching about getting what they deserve... I think if they did they'd be greatly disappointed. Me

abaya

Well, if you consider that they were educated at an evangelical Christian university--yes, it is a little odd. The stereotype would say that they should be voting solidly conservative, no? But they aren't for the most part.

Strange thing is, I do know one person who votes ONLY based on a candidate being pro-life (she voted Bush twice)--and while she is strongly religious, she attended a state university--not my school. Sometimes I think my little Christian uni did a pretty bang-up job of teaching us all how to think critically, precisely because they didn't want a heap of ass-hat Christians walking around with the university's name on their diploma.

Then again, the university itself is associated with the Discovery Institute (the main "thinktank" for "intelligent design")--something which I do hold against them.

Anyway... back to campaign $$.

__________________
And think not you can direct the course of Love;
for Love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course.
--Khalil Gibran

jorgelito

Yes, exactly. I do think you people have to give us more credit here. We are not monolithic in our beliefs etc. Conservative does not equal "stupid" or uninformed. It always shocks me when liberals discover we actually have a mind of our own. It is that disconnect I think that separates us and is harmful. Mutual respect can go a long way.
-----Added 6/9/2008 at 04 : 48 : 57-----
I am very educated thank you very much but I am very much socially conservative as well as my parents who hold Phds and are highly respected in their fields. This attitude is appalling. That somehow conservative people are stupid, It is precisely this attitude that cause the elitist liberals to lose credibility. That type of liberal backward thinking is why you lose votes from the common man, the people you despise and insult.

__________________
"The race is not always to the swift, nor battle to the strong, but
to the one that endures to the end."

"Demand more from yourself, more than anyone else could ever ask!"

- My recruiter

Tully Mars

So do you believe the earth is 6000 yrs old and that evolution is a crock?

__________________
Vice President Starkizzer Fan Club

People are always bitching about getting what they deserve... I think if they did they'd be greatly disappointed. Me

marcelval

It's sad that our political system has come to revolve almost totally around money. I have donated both in the last election and this one. I finally came to the realization that the only way I could make my voice heard was with my wallet. Unless we reform our system to one of fully publicly financed elections (with no exceptions and loopholes) our politicians will always need to look to get money from private sources, and those sources always expect something in return.
-----Added 7/9/2008 at 12 : 45 : 29-----
It's interesting that you do not wish stereotypes placed upon your own thinking, and yet you seem to be unable to use the word Liberal without preceding it with the word elitist. Well I don't believe conservatives are stupid, but if you mindlessly keep referring to me as an elitist just because I hold different values, then I might change my mind.

loquitur

In case it matters to the discussion, the friend of mine in local office to whom I have contributed is a Democrat from an old-line Democratic family (of course, this is NYC and pretty much everyone is a Democrat, even the most conservative people I know).