Whatever happened to those 527s that were going to ravage Obama?

[So the Heroes Fall]

Remember all those 527s that would launch the sleaziest slimiest attacks on him ever, worse than Kerry? Remember how McCain was ignoring Wright because they were going to take it up and make it the top issue? Whatever happened to all that?

If any candidate is being swifboated by 527s this election, it's McCain.

[Stranger in a strange land]

The 527's effect in 2004 was overstated. The swiftboat ad ran only a few times in a few markets, but the media picked it up and ran with it, while the Kerry campaign did basically nothing to stop it.

[JSojourner]

Remember all those 527s that would launch the sleaziest slimiest attacks on him ever, worse than Kerry? Remember how McCain was ignoring Wright because they were going to take it up and make it the top issue? Whatever happened to all that?

If any candidate is being swifboated by 527s this election, it's McCain.

I don't know, BRTD.  I sure expected it.  Aside from a stream of awful emails making ridiculous claims (I got the same ones about Kerry and even Gore!), I haven't seen much of this.

I think part of it could be because old T. Boone Pickens isn't "spreading his wealth" around as --- errr --- liberally as he did in 2004.

[specific_name]

I accidentally taped episodes of Colombo over the Whitey video, so I guess that was the last copy or something.

[Stranger in a strange land]

I accidentally taped episodes of Colombo over the Whitey video, so I guess that was the last copy or something.

really? I had a copy of the whitey video too, but she only says it once during a two-hour forum on tax policy, and it was boring as ****, so I threw it away.

[??????????]

I've been wondering the same thing.

[nick]

Pst....The cavalry is not coming

[The Ex-Factor]

Last I read they were screwed over pretty hard by the financial crisis and didn't want to use their money on sleazy political ads.

Which is a good thing. 527s need to be screwed hard. On both sides.

[MODU]

Some groups, including the NRA, said that they would not be running issue ads in support of McCain since McCain said that he didn't want it. 

[Lunar]

Politico did a front-page story on it.

Anyway, my answer (including a few Politico explanations) is this:

1) Conservative financiers were never that excited about McCain to begin with.  Bush was a genuine conservative who didn't make the GOP angry only to come back during the primaries carrying the conservative banner.
2) A lot of them are doing other things, like T. Boon Pickens is doing his alternative energy plan thingy. 
3a) It's not as much fun to destroy the first African-American politician. 
3b) Provoking racial tensions could create an icky feeling in the guts of non-racist financiers.  What if Obama was assassinated by some redneck, would you feel guilty if you ran "OMG Obama is Black" ads?
4) Financiers are rich people.  Rich people with a lot of money in the stock market are really hurting after the financial crash
5) More and more of them are convinced Obama is going to win even if they invest a couple million, this means less return.  Kerry was a lot more beatable.  This yields lower returns for your investment.
6a) Kerry's weaknesses had not received media coverage while Obama's (Wright, Rezko, Ayers) are a dead horse.  This yields a lower return on your investment.
6b) Kerry's vulnerabilities were his #1 strength (veteran status) while Obama's vulnerability are his number one weakness, yielding a lower return on your investment
7) McCain's campaign has never given 527's the wink wink nudge nudge. Someone who spends $40 million to destroy Obama might end up being despised by McCain if and when he was elected.  This yields a massively lower return on your investment.
8 ) Destroying Obama is just not as fun as Kerry.
9) Bush had connections to Texan oil financiers while McCain has pissed them off in the past, if anything
10a) To some extent, third-parties are upset with the GOP brand too...
10b) The long-term interests of the GOP would probably be better served by a McCain loss.

[Stranger in a strange land]

do you guys think it's possible that a good portion of the potential 527 money got diverted to California to get Prop 8 passed?

[Lunar]

"diverted" is an ugly word.  Most people  who could contribute a substantial amount easily could contribute an equal amount to McCain.

Of course, the closeness of a race determines the expense of it.  Is it any wonder, for example, that the Senate race in Minnesota was the most expensive senate race in history?  Like, I can't remember the numbers but both sides spent like more than 30 million.  Interestingly, every hundred thousand dollars was well spent and this race might be over by now if it hadn't been spent.

[N.i.K.]

The 527's effect in 2004 was overstated. The swiftboat ad ran only a few times in a few markets, but the media picked it up and ran with it, while the Kerry campaign did basically nothing to stop it.

I agree with this statement.