As you’ve been pitching your eligibles, no doubt you’re being reminded that incredible amounts were spent by political committees and individuals during the most recent elections cycle. Opensecrets.org estimates that political parties, candidates and outside groups spent $6.5 billion on the 2016 Senate/House and presidential elections. And that’s not counting the billion-plus spent on state and local elections. So, what’s your come-back?
Maybe a couple of “factoids” about what we spend our money on will put political campaign spending in perspective. According to the Bureau of Economic Analysis, American households will spend $20.4 TRILLION in 2018 on consumer goods.
During 2017, big bucks were spent on the following items:
- New cars: $500 billion
- Beer: $37 billion (That’s a LOT of beer!!)
- Pets: $725.5 billion
- Lottery tickets: $270 billion
- Bikes: $53 billion
- Parking fees/ Tolls: $203 billion
During your next pitch, try putting the “ask” in perspective to other items your eligibles might be purchasing, like: “Jim/Jane: you fork over $2.95 every working day for that coffee…that’s about 700 bucks a year…how about something similar for the PAC?”
The point: Put political spending (and PAC contributions) in perspective. Your audience will appreciate the fact that our campaign/election system is a bargain when all’s said and done.