Democratic Primaries
Related: About this forumHow Bernie's small donation campaign funding model is lining the pockets of credit card companies
Low-dollar, repeat contributions are a great talking point for campaigns. Theyve also resulted in a massive financial windfall for credit card processors (to the tune of millions of dollars).
https://www.politico.com/news/magazine/2019/11/25/small-dollar-online-donors-politics-credit-card-processing-072949
Even if Bernie is not aware of this, which I find hard to believe, at the very least this shows the ignorance, if not the hypocrisy, of bashing alternative methods of campaign funding.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Cha
(297,154 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Kurt V.
(5,624 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Me.
(35,454 posts)verite and transparency seems to be coming to the forefront more and more these days.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Cha
(297,154 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)Some prefer to live in a fantasyland and real life simply act on them. People who were running to the moral high ground got their supporters' legs caught in a bear trap.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
LanternWaste
(37,748 posts)Three Card Monte is still an effective trick.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
TidalWave46
(2,061 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
pnwmom
(108,976 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
TidalWave46
(2,061 posts)Clickbait headlines where the content often doesnt match. Thats just to start.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Hassin Bin Sober
(26,325 posts)Too bad for everyone else Bernie is getting the most donations. Now its a bad thing?
Bernie contributed 2.3 million the other candidates contributed 7 million.
Bernie Sanders. 2,338,693.12
Elizabeth Warren 1,749,137.93
Pete Buttigieg 1,732,924.26
Kamala Harris 1,150,166.53
Joe Biden 1,061,699.44
Donald Trump 1,003,793.81
Source: Newsy analysis of FEC data
Heres a clue. These campaigns are making a lot of people rich. CC companies, newspapers, Twitter, Facebook, network tv, cable tv, radio stations, ad buyers, convention halls, restaurants, charter bus and plane companies, rental car companies, sign makers, wacky inflatable waving arm sign makers and tshirt makers.
And, for some, canapés distributors.
Id rather my money pay for transaction services than have the bundlers swarming my candidates. Or worse yet, candidates advertising special access for big donors.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
beastie boy
(9,310 posts)It's up to you who you choose to part with your money for, credit card companies or bundlers. Just don't pass judgements on others while you are at it. Everybody has their own 'drathers.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
brooklynite
(94,502 posts)Just send it straight to the campaign or the candidate.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
beastie boy
(9,310 posts)You would think it's simple enough for Bernie's campaign to inform the donors and stop showering credit card companies with millions in fees. Or just drop the $27 dollar contribution schtick for the same reason.
But I suspect racking up the number of donors, regardless of methods, is a more desirable (and calculated) goal for Bernie's campaign than sticking with principles.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Hassin Bin Sober
(26,325 posts)And his reported fees are roughly twice as much.
What was the issue again?
Theres more to costs to working people than what you see in the credit card fees - especially when you figure the costs to us in access politics.
People are far more likely to spend more money and more often when they have easy access to credit card transactions. Anyone who runs a business knows this. McDonalds knows this, your local convenience store knows this, contractors know this (thats my business and point of sale credit card processing is a big deal now) and your local craft show people know this.
Its a documented fact.
This line of attack is about as Rovian as it gets. Attack a strength - small dollar non-maxed out multi trip donors who can dig in their pockets throughout a campaign versus some candidates who max out their donors and run out of funds late in the game.
99% of Bernies donors can keep giving and over a hundred thousand people are signed up for auto deductions. Thats fantastic.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Kurt V.
(5,624 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
beastie boy
(9,310 posts)That means that Biden's campaign is almost 50% less generous to the bankers than Bernie's campaign. That translates into a lot of $27 bills!
If this is not an issue for you, that's OK. But it doesn't change the math. Just take it easy on the millionaire and billionaire rhetoric if you don't want to be challenged on it.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Hassin Bin Sober
(26,325 posts)Biden raised 50% of what Bernie raised.
Bernie has way more donors and donations. Maybe Bernie is getting a better deal
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
ChubbyStar
(3,191 posts)drathers is not a word. Keep trying!
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
beastie boy
(9,310 posts)I would be disappointed if you are not.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
ChubbyStar
(3,191 posts)I would suggest night school. Good luck!
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
beastie boy
(9,310 posts)I work the night shift.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
OilemFirchen
(7,143 posts)Buncha white-tailed snooty hundredaires.
Boycott Big Shrimp!
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
betsuni
(25,464 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
aikoaiko
(34,169 posts)Moving money always leads to benefits to banks and finance companies.
Is this a new thing to some people.
For the record, Bernie and Elizabeth are not trying to reduce profits -- they like to tax those profits more progressively.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
beastie boy
(9,310 posts)incrementally. That's the whole point. Bernie is advocating a marketing trick at the expense of his donors and to the benefit of the banks and finance companies. Something that is entirely unnecessary except to create the perception of small donor support.
And I am totally perplexed about how Elizabeth found her way into this thread.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
aikoaiko
(34,169 posts)Did you not read your article. They dragged her into the smear as well.
It's not a marketing trick and donors understand the fees.
I've donated to Bernie -- its a transparent process.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
beastie boy
(9,310 posts)Of all the people who know a thing or two about credit card companies.
But tell me, when you donated to Bernie, were you really aware that literally millions of dollars of your contributions go to feed millionaires and billionaires? And that's OK with you?
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Voltaire2
(13,009 posts)I'm sorry of your candidate is not doing well with small donor funding, but the attack in the op is total nonsense.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
beastie boy
(9,310 posts)And don't be mad, my candidate is doing rather well without giving millions of raised money to the bankers.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
aikoaiko
(34,169 posts)I knew the same things about my credit card use when I donated to HRC, too.
Again, the issue isn't about companies making profits -- its about proper taxation
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Doremus
(7,261 posts)After all, the fees are enriching somebody.
And that statement makes as much sense as the article linked above.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Gothmog
(145,129 posts)Actblue is the mechanism that helps small dollar fundraising works. There is a commission charged to the candidate out of each payment made by means of Actblue. That fee does not necessarily cover all of Actblue's costs and so I will tip from time to time.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Blue_true
(31,261 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Gothmog
(145,129 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Response to beastie boy (Original post)
Aaron Pereira This message was self-deleted by its author.
demmiblue
(36,841 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Voltaire2
(13,009 posts)So what exactly is the point of this article?
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
beastie boy
(9,310 posts)While Bernie doesn't miss an opportunity to brag about the number of individual donations, he doesn't seem to mind that with this number comes the disproportionate service fees that go straight into the pockets of millionaires and billionaires. It's the irony of Bernie's campaign talking point: he claims success with small donations and conceals the fact that his success funds the credit card companies to the tune of millions of dollars from campaign contributions.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Hassin Bin Sober
(26,325 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
beastie boy
(9,310 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
zipplewrath
(16,646 posts)Every campaign suffers from this issue. The GOP is struggling to keep up with the political effect of Act Blue. The campaign is appealing to a demographic that has demonstrated they don't mind paying the banks for extreme convenience and pay fees on just about everything they do from buying groceries to having restaurant food delivered. This criticism is basically "he didn't fix everything all at once so he's a hypocrite". There are two candidates at least that would heavily regulate the banking industry and one of them is Bernie. God knows Biden is probably the LEAST likely, considering his track record on everything from bankruptcy to corporate governance is plain to see. (And understandable considering he comes from Delaware.)
There's plenty of valid criticisms about Bernie. One doesn't need to create this kind of false issue.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
aidbo
(2,328 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Hassin Bin Sober
(26,325 posts)Except sweetheart deals for the pharmaceutical industry, right wing healthcare plans, bloated military budgets, all time low corporate tax rates, and tax cuts for the super wealthy.
Other than that, super PACs are FREE!
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
TreasonousBastard
(43,049 posts)We are increasingly paying for smaller things with cards and phones or whatever. Personally, I'm not sure I care whether the coffee I just paid 2 bucks for enriches the card company by 8 cents or 12 cents depending on whether I paid by debit or credit or prepaid.
I paid the same 2 bucks, and don't care how it is apportioned.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Hassin Bin Sober
(26,325 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
aidbo
(2,328 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Response to beastie boy (Original post)
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