Campaign Donations

A few years back, they stuffed my mailbox with circulars requesting donations. They even sent little plastic RNC membership cards as if those little cards had some significant meaning. In today's quest for the dollars, email reigns supreme. The emails look much as the snail-mail circulars, only the return envelope for your donation is missing. As you might suspect, I have problems with these 'duns for dollars'.

For starters, almost all of the requests for money are just open ended. The requesters assume that I have no interest as to what these people who want my money are doing with it. For instance, I would like to know some of what happens to that money. Are they targeting certain races? The goals stated on the email request are very vague. You generally just get a slogan like, "Help win for McCain / Palin." The only things that are not vague are the places to click to donate. You have no trouble finding the donate buttons scattered everywhere on the page.

How much of the money is going to the undercard races? Is it all going to McCain?

They could at least tell me about some results or achievements already accomplished. Or where have they already spent some of the money? I do not want to tell them how to do what they do, but when they are using my money to do it, I would like to know what I am buying. Those empty rhetorical slogans do not encourage me to donate, just the opposite.

I write this because I never see an ad sponsored by the RNC anywhere on television. That is understandable, because I do not live in a battleground state. But Fox News never mentions the RNC, or it is very rare if they do. So what is the RNC doing? If the RNC was more visible, they might just take in more donations. They are as vaporous as Barack Obama's live birth certificate.

Why doesn't the RNC have an email address for donators to make comments? They should immediately set up an email comment section manned with volunteers to screen the moods and feelings of those Republicans that they want donating to their cause. The RNC would stand a much better chance of getting money if they made an effort to understand the people that are receiving those duns.

The whole fundraising operation smacks of elitism. "Just send money, we know best."
If the 'nowhere to be seen' RNC wasn't bad enough, I get duns from PACs. I have no idea who these PACs are so I never donate to them. How am I to know that the operation isn't some scam? Why can't these Political Action Committees spend a little of their money on recognition? At the least, have a well-known person that speaks for them. Also, a PAC needs to be traceable to an address for verification.

It is no mystery as to why the Republican fund raising is so sluggish. They assume that the donators are idiots.

This is just a vent, to be sure I want you to support the Republican ticket, but we also need to hold the RNC accountable for the miserly help that they are giving to our candidates. If they are short on money, it may just be because of their inept attempt at fund raising.

Cheers,

-Robert-