tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post8639224388714898983..comments2023-10-16T07:13:12.123-05:00Comments on A plain blog about politics: Company Book (Or: All This I've Done For You)Jonathan Bernsteinhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-5471208595510159832011-02-01T09:34:46.480-06:002011-02-01T09:34:46.480-06:00IANAPS, but I gather that what matters is what X i...IANAPS, but I gather that what matters is what X is - basically, you need enough for TV ads so that people out there to know you're running. Once you reach that point, additional spending hits diminishing returns.Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16932015378213238346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-7984363089672605492011-02-01T08:11:10.766-06:002011-02-01T08:11:10.766-06:00I saw Jonathan's post after posting mine: Chal...I saw Jonathan's post after posting mine: Challengers are helped but incumbents not so much.<br /><br />I guess I still don't quite understand: Is it that there's some reasonable minimal threshold you need to get to? If the challenger has $X and the incumbent has $2*X, does it help the challenger to get to $2*X? If so, does the incumbent benefit from $4*X? Does it matter what X is (for the size of the race?)Bijan Parsiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07024418532546914722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-72275064131248370222011-02-01T03:49:02.290-06:002011-02-01T03:49:02.290-06:00What's the grounds for the claim that money he...What's the grounds for the claim that money helps (or only helps primarily) "at the margins"? I keep seeing that, and I don't know what it's really intended to mean or what the grounds for claiming it are.<br /><br />Some things which seem clear: 1) No money == no win. (Almost always.) Few things are as brutely necessary as money and the *way* a lot of other things compensate for lack of money is by, well, getting money. 2) More money, even staggeringly more money, is not sufficient for a win. We can see that from Rich People Failing To Win (Perot, Huffington, Whitman, etc. <-- Interestingly, the examples I know are all high profile, high stakes) On Their Own Money. <br /><br />But what happens in a typical case between otherwise evenly matched candidates?<br /><br />Just because it doesn't always work, doesn't mean that it doesn't typically work, or work substantively. What's the data that supports the claim that it only "really" helps on the margins (i.e., it isn't a substantive predictor of electoral success, generally)?<br /><br />(I'm willing to believe this. I'd just like it clarified.)Bijan Parsiahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07024418532546914722noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-24479114323983953842011-01-31T22:52:52.408-06:002011-01-31T22:52:52.408-06:00Wouldn't money tend to flow toward prospective...Wouldn't money tend to flow toward prospective winners, or at least perceived competitive candidates? Whether people are trying to affect election outcomes or merely buy access, giving money to hopeless longshots is pretty much down the drain.Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16932015378213238346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-47777316679142225112011-01-31T21:29:02.216-06:002011-01-31T21:29:02.216-06:00Anon,
Causation has proved hard to show. Challeng...Anon,<br /><br />Causation has proved hard to show. Challengers in congressional races are definitely helped by money (but not as much as the press would have you believe); incumbents are probably helped some, it seems, but not much.Jonathan Bernsteinhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15931039630306253241noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-16405172877943178612011-01-31T21:03:42.524-06:002011-01-31T21:03:42.524-06:00Um, isn't cash advantage over an opponent high...Um, isn't cash advantage over an opponent highly correlated with who wins? not saying it is always an advantage (whitman, mcmahon) but having someone spend on your behalf, with commercials, in your district = immensely helpful. you can spend less time fundraising, more time with your constituents as well...Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-4825652995567160852011-01-31T18:01:03.479-06:002011-01-31T18:01:03.479-06:00I would venture that the GOP's tack has more t...I would venture that the GOP's tack has more to do with Rush Limbaugh's mouth than the Koch brother's money. For a number of years the GOP base has been turning against not only compromise but pseudo-compromise, and argument itself. <br /><br />Perhaps this is due to Koch money behind the scenes, but it seems more rooted in the same culture insecurities that fuel talk radio. And so far as I can tell, Rush et al. are on the air not because shadowy billionaires fund them, but because they are profitable radio.Rickhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16932015378213238346noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-6926413038778731189.post-3924048384731802542011-01-31T17:42:30.284-06:002011-01-31T17:42:30.284-06:00What's with the inconsistent font today?What's with the inconsistent font today?Thomasnoreply@blogger.com