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The lopsided fundraising numbers for this year's U.S. Senate race in Virginia are almost too painful to mention in polite company. Republican Jim Gilmore has $117,000 in his bank account. Democrat Mark Warner has $5.1 million.
Ouch.
At least there's a competitive contest for cash among the three guys running for governor.
Attorney General Bob McDonnell, Sen. Creigh Deeds and Del. Brian Moran have $2.7 million in combined cash reserves. Which raises the question, is it already time to choose another governor? Didn't we just do that?
Actually, the next governor's election is 16 months away.
There's a reason why every election breaks the intergalactic record for political fundraising. It's not that people are growing more generous. They're just getting hit up earlier and earlier with a crush of brochures, e-mails and TV commercials.
Last year, Democratic legislators grumbled when Warner starting sucking up dollars in the middle of their General Assembly elections. This year, Deeds and Moran are returning the favor on the Democratic side, while the McDonnell steamroller is flattening Gilmore as it zeroes in on GOP donors.
It's July, so most folks have no idea who is running when or for what. They just pull out their checkbooks and stroke a donation to the first guy who comes begging.
None of this has enriched the public discourse on thorny issues like transportation funding, the energy crisis or Medicare.
In fact, politicians have little time to ponder the major problems they are promising to solve. They're too busy rushing from one fundraising reception to another.
Why is this happening? Political consultants convince candidates that they must start raising money as soon as possible. Not coincidentally, most of the swag will end up in their pockets.
There is no sign of a let-up in this ghastly game of money-grubbing. New parents signing their infants up for pre-kindergarten may as well go ahead and set up an exploratory committee. You never know; little Suzy or Johnny may want to run for governor one day.
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Medical research?
What if all the money spent on ice cream was spent on medical research?
Buying public office
These days, politicians don't "run for public office". They solicit money and purchase their “political position”. What if all the monies that have been raised and spent during the last year for political campaigns had been spent on medical research? I wonder what childhood disease or illness would have been cured?
Not really
"Not coincidentally, most of the swag will end up in their pockets"
Actually, most of the money winds up in the media's pockets.