NYT: Dems spending much more than GOP on ground game in key states

[Lief 🗽]

http://www.nytimes.com/2014/10/30/upshot/democrats-are-spending-more-on-the-ground-in-key-senate-races.html?abt=0002&abg=0&_r=0

With a strong possibility that Democrats could lose control of the Senate in the midterm elections, they are investing heavily in voter turnout efforts.

In states too close to call like Alaska, Colorado, Iowa and North Carolina, Democrats are making much greater investments in the ground game than Republicans.

Not all spending is captured in Federal Election Commission data, but the spending trends are clear. The Democrats’ spending advantage is greatest in states where they’ve had time to organize and plan for competitive races, and they are using that edge to register new voters; publicize absentee and early voting options; and, of course, make sure supporters actually go to the polls on Election Day. The efforts extend to states where the Republicans more recently made Senate contests more competitive, like Michigan.

Democrats have invested several million dollars in both North Carolina and Colorado for this ground game. Republican spending in those states so far has tended to focus on broadcast advertisements and direct mail.

[Gass3268]

If anything gives me a sliver of hope for the upcoming elections, it's this.

[Frodo]

If anything gives me a sliver of hope for the upcoming elections, it's this.

It shouldn't.  Remember that in 2012 the Romney/Ryan team outspent the Obama/Biden re-election campaign by just over $100 million.  It didn't make much difference in the end, did it?  

[eric82oslo]

If anything gives me a sliver of hope for the upcoming elections, it's this.

It shouldn't.  Remember that in 2012 the Romney/Ryan team outspent the Obama/Biden re-election campaign by just over $100 million.  It didn't make much difference in the end, did it?  

Due to a number of reasons perhaps:

1) Romney's Etch A Sketch
2) 47% speech
3) Romney's self-deportation comment
4) Romney's mormonism
5) Hurricane Sandy
6) Obama's incumbency
7) Obama's brilliant last (or was it 2nd?) debate performance
8 ) An improving economy
9) Obama's many achievements in his 1st term; rescuing the auto industry and the entire economy for that matter, bin Laden's death, arms reduction agreement with Russia leading to the Nobel Peace Prize, an entire world (except for Pakistan) who decided to start listening to the US again, etcetera

[Panda Express]

Will the GOP bring back Project ORCA?

[Frodo]

If anything gives me a sliver of hope for the upcoming elections, it's this.

It shouldn't.  Remember that in 2012 the Romney/Ryan team outspent the Obama/Biden re-election campaign by just over $100 million.  It didn't make much difference in the end, did it?  

Due to a number of reasons perhaps:

1) Romney's Etch A Sketch
2) 47% speech
3) Romney's self-deportation comment
4) Romney's mormonism
5) Hurricane Sandy
6) Obama's incumbency
7) Obama's brilliant last (or was it 2nd?) debate performance
8 ) An improving economy
9) Obama's many achievements in his 1st term; rescuing the auto industry and the entire economy for that matter, bin Laden's death, arms reduction agreement with Russia leading to the Nobel Peace Prize, an entire world (except for Pakistan) who decided to start listening to the US again, etcetera

I am not seeing how what you posted disproved anything I just said.  If anything, you reinforced it.  Money isn't everything.  Just because Democrats are outspending Republicans this year is hardly a reason to see that as a reason for optimism.  Unless you're depressed enough you feel the need to grasp at straws.  

Now a dysfunctional Republican Congress (let's face it, it will be -they can't help themselves) will do wonders for us two years from now when we will be in a position to campaign against a do-nothing Congress.  Now THAT would be a reason for optimism.  

[bedstuy]

If anything gives me a sliver of hope for the upcoming elections, it's this.

It shouldn't.  Remember that in 2012 the Romney/Ryan team outspent the Obama/Biden re-election campaign by just over $100 million.  It didn't make much difference in the end, did it?  

That's not really true.  The Obama campaign outspent the Romney campaign by a lot, campaign to campaign.  That included Obama building a ground game and GOTV operation starting in 2007.  So, by the time the 2012 election really got going, Obama had a robust field operation that could actually use money to create a strong ground game.

Romney outspent Obama by using affiliated super-PACs and the RNC.  They spent a ton of money on advertising, but they never built a strong ground game.  But by the time Romney finished the primaries, he didn't really have the time to build an effective ground game.  That's the problem for Republicans, building a field organization and grassroots infrastructure requires actual people, it's not just good enough to write a check. 

[Brittain33]

Will the GOP bring back Project ORCA?

If they took anything away from Project ORCA, it's that someone not named Romney has started work NOW on whatever its successor will be for '16. What a disaster that was.