Politics and Money, go together like....

 

In today’s world, (world as in America) in order to run for elected office, the candidate needs lots of money.  In other countries the election season last a few weeks, here, for the Presidency it is more than 2 years.

For the House of Representatives, since there are elections every 2 years, the campaigning never stops.

And so, for Presidential candidates, money and lots of it is as necessary to their campaigns as oxygen is to humans.

Hillary Clinton, in today’s disclosure, has about $33 million in cash on hand. In hand, not pledged. She spent almost $26 million in the 3^rd fundraising quarter of this year.

Senator Sanders has about $27 mil on hand and could catch Hillary with his small donations.

Marco Rubio raised less than $6 million, while Jeb Bush raised $13 million.

Ben Carson hauled in $20 million, Ted Cruz $12 and Carly Fiorina about $7.

(I hope when this campaign is over that Fiorina pays off her bills before the 2024 election cycle begins.) Rand Paul raised less than $2.5 mil. Ouch.

Look for Martin O’Malley to exit soon. He raised about $1.2 million and has less than $1 million on hand. That would be a lot of money if he were in another country.

And then there is The Donald, “I don’t need anybody’s money. I’m using my own money. I’m not using the lobbyists. I’m not using donors. I don’t care. I’m really rich.” He told us loudly in June when he announced his presidential bid.

He received just under $4 million in small-unsolicited donations from 74,000 donors. He kept it of course.

So, what exactly are these people buying with all of this money? Who profits?

I guess they are pumping money into the economy, but from my perspective a bloody waste of time and money.

However, the only candidates at this point that have benefited from all of that money being spent are Clinton, The Donald, Carson and Sanders.

The rest of them are just looking.

In the DC arena, Mitch McConnell pledged that there would be no government shutdown. (That attitude makes sense after the 2013 debacle for which the GOP was blamed and with a Presidential election next year).

In August he said “Let me say it again, no more government shutdowns,” adding “we will find a way through negotiations.”

“We have divided government. The different parties control the Congress, control the White House, and at some point we’ll negotiate the way forward,” he said.

Well either he has developed amnesia or the sources in DC have gotten it wrong.

Treasury has moved the date by which the debt limit has to be raised to 11/3 and in the same news cycle we learn that the Leader of the Senate is going back on his word. (There is nothing new there, but one does live in hope).

McConnell has apparently changed his mind and is willing to risk a shutdown. He reportedly wants to reduce the COLA, (no COLA expected next year, by the way) increase the retirement age and limit Medicare benefits for the rich, which for the President and the Dems are non-starters.

First, the cost of living increases every year. There are millions of Americans who are collecting Social Security and living in poverty. So go ahead our duly elected government and make it even harder for your old and poor citizens to survive.

Oh while you are at it, stop lying. Social Security is not broke, (just as the Post Office is not) repay the money you borrow from the SSA for your wars and there will be plenty of money to pay the benefits. Furthermore, remove the cap on SS payroll tax (there is no SS tax on income over $106,800) and watch the dough roll in. The Waltons by themselves would cover the monthly nut for a substantial number of retirees.

Why should the retirement age be raised again? There are Americans toiling in coalmines and other back breaking unhealthy jobs, and you are asking them to work even longer, while you continue to give tax breaks to the rich.

Now I actually agree with one of his demands.  I have no problem limiting Medicare benefits to the rich, they can afford the best medical care money can buy, including concierge physicians. Take that money and use it to lower the co-pays for those struggling to survive and to help those citizens, who skip taking their medications as directed, because they have to choose between paying rent, buying food and taking their medications.