Perhaps Left Wingers and Right Wingers Will Agree on this

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This to me is disgusting. Take in the money squandered on the presidential campaign and we're probably over a billion $. The best government that money can buy. At least if this much money is going to be spent on campaigns, the candidates could discuss 2004 issues rather than 1968 issues FWIW. Or maybe it isn't that much money. A billion here, a billion there pretty soon we're talking about real money.

Congressional Campaigns Near $500M Cost

Congressional Campaigns Near $500M Cost

Wed Aug 18, 7:23 PM ET Add Politics - AP to My Yahoo!


By SHARON THEIMER, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - House and Senate candidates have spent at least $487 million this election cycle, $130 million more than congressional candidates had poured in by this point in the 2002 races.



A Federal Election Commission (news - web sites) analysis Wednesday found that 2004 House and Senate hopefuls had raised nearly $800 million as of June 30, the most recent period covered in campaign finance reports filed with the FEC.


That compares with about $605 million collected at this point in the 2001-02 election cycle. Much of the growth comes from a new campaign finance law that took effect after the 2002 election and doubled the individual donation limit to $2,000.


The top fund-raisers among current House and Senate candidates include:


_ Senate: Minority Leader Tom Daschle, D-S.D., $11.8 million; Arlen Specter, R-Pa., $11.4 million; Barbara Boxer, D-Calif., $11.2 million; Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., $10.4 million, and Barack Obama, Democratic candidate for an open Illinois Senate seat, $9.8 million.


_ House: Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., $3.7 million; Robert Menendez, D-N.J., $3.4 million; Martin Frost, D-Texas, $3.1 million; Texas Democratic hopeful Michael McCaul, $2.7 million, and Allyson Schwartz, a Democrat running for an open Pennsylvania seat, $2.7 million.


Those with the most campaign money in the bank as July began include:


_ Senate: Schumer, $21.8 million; Richard Shelby, R-Ala., $11.6 million; Evan Bayh, D-Ind., $7.4 million; Boxer, $7 million, and Richard Burr, a Republican running for an open North Carolina seat, $6.6 million.


_ House: Rep. Martin Meehan, D-Mass, $3.5 million; David Dreier, R-Calif., $2.9 million; Mark Foley, R-Fla., $2.6 million; Pete Sessions, R-Texas, $2.6 million, and Tom Reynolds, R-N.Y., $2.6 million.