Who Are The Big Spenders?

The Boston Globe has a worried, scared, wake-up story this morning reporting that “N.H. Democrats Fret” over all the money being spent against them by the Koch brothers and other rich Republicans. “The spending gulf,” the article warns Democrats, “illustrates the challenges Democrats face nationwide as wealthy Republican individuals and groups outpace them in the free-wheeling environment opened up by the Supreme Court in 2010 when it did away with restrictions on corporate spending in campaigns.”

It gives me no discomfort that Democrats are worried, and I understand that they would much prefer to attack bogeymen like the Kochs than defend Obamacare, politicizing the IRS, and making a spectator sport of watching idly while Russia invades its neighbors, but a lingering attachment to accuracy impels me to point out that the facts do not warrant this manufactured fear. As Kim Strassel has reported recently in the Wall Street Journal,

The Center for Responsive Politics’ list of top all-time donors from 1989 to 2014 ranks Koch Industries No. 59. Above Koch were 18 unions, which collectively spent $620,873,623 more than Koch Industries ($18 million). Even factoring in undisclosed personal donations by the Koch brothers, they are a rounding error in union spending.

Or take a look at this chart by the Center for Responsive Politics of 2014 spending by party for all outside spending groups. It shows:

$23.7 million spent either for Democrats ($10 million) or against Republicans ($13.7 million), compared to

$16.4 million spent either for Republicans ($8.3 million) or against Democrats ($8.1 million).

Similarly, this chart tracks 2014 outside spending for all groups by the viewpoint of the spending group. It shows $25.6 million by liberal groups compared to $19.4 million by conservative groups.

Well, nothing really surprising here. No one has ever accused the Democrats and their press (until recently the Boston Globe was owned by the New York Times) of being very good at keeping track of spending.

Say What? (1)

  1. CaptDMO March 25, 2014 at 12:42 pm | | Reply

    Math is HARD!

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