I know you’re sick of all the election analysis. Me, too. It was the off-est of off years and yet we beat it to death with talking and I don’t want to add to that.
Except. I read New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg spent at least $90 million getting elected to his third term in office. By the time the final numbers are in, it’s likely to be around $140 million. (Democrat Bill Thompson, his vastly outspent opponent, squandered $7 million, which is nothing to scoff at.)
There are 4.2 million registered voters in the five boroughs and the news reports that turnout was low. So, Mayor Mike perhaps spent around $140 per vote? And they say you can’t buy an election?
Well, you can’t. Ross Perot couldn’t back in 1992; Steve Forbes couldn’t buy the Republican nomination in several attempts. (Words I never imagined myself typing – “couldn’t buy the Republican nomination.”) In Vermont, a millionaire was beaten in the 1998 Republican primary by a farmer who spent $16 on his campaign and upon winning the primary, endorsed the Democratic incumbent, Pat Leahy. In 2006, another millionaire tried to buy a Senate seat, spent $7 million of his own money and lost to a socialist -!?! – Bernie Sanders. Take that, mill/billionaires.
Which takes nothing away from Mr. Thompson’s accomplishment Tuesday. All the well-heeled losers in the paragraph above were challengers or running for an open seat. Mr. Thompson was outspent 14-to-1 by an incumbent, was given zero chance by the pundits and zero support from the luminaries in his own party – and he still held Mayor Moneybags to a six-point margin.
Being the lazy commentator I am, I went on Google to see what else one can buy for tens of millions of dollars and, of course, came up with a bunch of stories about the New York Yankees.
The Yankees won their 27th World Series last night, beating the Philadelphia Phillies in six games. Many a sportswriter noted that the Steinbrenner family (apparently it’s a genetic disease) spent $423 million last winter to acquire the game’s three hottest free agents – Mark Tiexeira, CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett – and that the New Yorkers have the biggest payroll in baseball, at $201 million per year.
Like politics, money in baseball does not guarantee success, as the Yankees failed to bring home the trophy for each of the last eight years (in which they also outspent everyone else). And like politics, when the big-money overdogs win, the “what did you expect?” ending is not nearly as sweet as when the little guys triumph over the fortunate sons.
As the game wound into the late innings, I debated whether to turn off the radio and go to bed. I didn’t want to miss what would surely be one of the best comebacks in baseball history, but on the other hand, Mariano Rivera was warm in the pen, the Dankworth Rule* was in effect and I didn’t want to sit up another hour just to hear the Yankees win.
On one of the baseball sites this morning, the headline said: “Yankees Win, Major League Baseball Loses” – a reference to the money issue. It’s only a game. What happens when major league democracy loses?
© Mark Floegel, 2009
*The Dankworth Rule, named for longtime Baltimore Orioles season-ticket holder Ted Dankworth, states: “If, after seven innings of play, the score differential is two or greater, one may safely leave the park and catch the rest of the game on the radio driving home.”
Money Can Buy
I know you’re sick of all the election analysis. Me, too. It was the off-est of off years and yet we beat it to death with talking and I don’t want to add to that.
Except. I read New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg spent at least $90 million getting elected to his third term in office. By the time the final numbers are in, it’s likely to be around $140 million. (Democrat Bill Thompson, his vastly outspent opponent, squandered $7 million, which is nothing to scoff at.)
There are 4.2 million registered voters in the five boroughs and the news reports that turnout was low. So, Mayor Mike perhaps spent around $140 per vote? And they say you can’t buy an election?
Well, you can’t. Ross Perot couldn’t back in 1992; Steve Forbes couldn’t buy the Republican nomination in several attempts. (Words I never imagined myself typing – “couldn’t buy the Republican nomination.”) In Vermont, a millionaire was beaten in the 1998 Republican primary by a farmer who spent $16 on his campaign and upon winning the primary, endorsed the Democratic incumbent, Pat Leahy. In 2006, another millionaire tried to buy a Senate seat, spent $7 million of his own money and lost to a socialist -!?! – Bernie Sanders. Take that, mill/billionaires.
Which takes nothing away from Mr. Thompson’s accomplishment Tuesday. All the well-heeled losers in the paragraph above were challengers or running for an open seat. Mr. Thompson was outspent 14-to-1 by an incumbent, was given zero chance by the pundits and zero support from the luminaries in his own party – and he still held Mayor Moneybags to a six-point margin.
Being the lazy commentator I am, I went on Google to see what else one can buy for tens of millions of dollars and, of course, came up with a bunch of stories about the New York Yankees.
The Yankees won their 27th World Series last night, beating the Philadelphia Phillies in six games. Many a sportswriter noted that the Steinbrenner family (apparently it’s a genetic disease) spent $423 million last winter to acquire the game’s three hottest free agents – Mark Tiexeira, CC Sabathia and AJ Burnett – and that the New Yorkers have the biggest payroll in baseball, at $201 million per year.
Like politics, money in baseball does not guarantee success, as the Yankees failed to bring home the trophy for each of the last eight years (in which they also outspent everyone else). And like politics, when the big-money overdogs win, the “what did you expect?” ending is not nearly as sweet as when the little guys triumph over the fortunate sons.
As the game wound into the late innings, I debated whether to turn off the radio and go to bed. I didn’t want to miss what would surely be one of the best comebacks in baseball history, but on the other hand, Mariano Rivera was warm in the pen, the Dankworth Rule* was in effect and I didn’t want to sit up another hour just to hear the Yankees win.
On one of the baseball sites this morning, the headline said: “Yankees Win, Major League Baseball Loses” – a reference to the money issue. It’s only a game. What happens when major league democracy loses?
© Mark Floegel, 2009
*The Dankworth Rule, named for longtime Baltimore Orioles season-ticket holder Ted Dankworth, states: “If, after seven innings of play, the score differential is two or greater, one may safely leave the park and catch the rest of the game on the radio driving home.”