Oct
16
More on “A billion dollars for Dean”
October 16, 2003 |
The most under-reported event of yesterday was the Howard Dean campaign’s filing of their quarterly fundraising numbers with the Federal Election Commission. The numbers, to summarize, show that the Dean campaign raised 99% of its money from donors bearing small gifts. 99% of Dean’s contributors are below the Federal limit of $2000 per person. This is in sharp contrast to the other Democratic candidates, who appear to be getting 50% to 70& of their dollars from donors bearing large gifts, and who are at the Federal maximum. Dean is successfully raising small amounts of money from very large numbers of voters.
Why is this significant? Because it heralds a shift in how people think about contributing to presidential campaigns. In the recent past, ordinary Americans seldom gave money to presidential candidates, even though these same Americans would give generously to the United Way, the Red Cross, and to a variety of churches and charities. Political giving has not, in short, been seen as part of a person’s civic contributions. Most politicians funded their campaigns by reaching out to wealthy individuals and to political action committees of large organizations. This in turn has helped make campaign giving seem somewhat smarmy and suspect to ordinary Americans. Americans often assume that big political givers are trying to buy access and favors from politicians. Unfortunately, this has often been the case. The traditional process of political giving reinforces a discomforting sense that something vaguely unethical is involved. Wealthy “packagers” put the squeeze on their friends. A donor is invited to expensive political dinners where they are rewarded with cheesy pictures of themselves pretending to be friends with their favorite politicians. All this has soured most Americans on political giving. Those who try out the traditional experience of political giving often feel sullied by it.
Yet political giving is a profoundly important element of free speech. For an individual, political giving is a most effective way to affect who runs, who wins, and even what topics candidates address. It is a shame to leave this kind of free speech to the traditional players.
The Dean campaign shows that political giving can be a very different experience. For the Dean donors, giving is linked to civic involvement. Helping a candidate is a direct, empowered way to participate in democracy. Voting feels good, and giving feels good. What makes the difference between the Dean campaign and others? A number of process factors. Many Dean contributions are given on the web, or at events that do not require a minimum contribution. This means that participation in the Dean campaign is inclusive and brings people together. Most Dean contributions are made by individuals, acting as independent citizens, and not through packagers. Most Dean contributions are made by people who may never meet the candidate—but who are attracted to the ideals, the community, and the hope engendered by the campaign.
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