A New Type of Political Campaign
If you had $16 billion to change the world, what’s the first thing you would do? I started pondering this question today as I read the headlines that $16 billion is the expected price tag of the 2022 midterm elections — a new record. Honestly, I’m not sure how I’d spend that much money if it were up to me. But I’m certain that launching vicious (or often downright stupid) attack ads against those I disagree with or filming myself in a pit of peanuts to gain name recognition wouldn’t be anywhere in my top ten. I am fed up with politicians wasting endless money on traditional campaign messaging and paid media. Actions speak louder than words. My vote goes to the first person who can show me through their actions that if they have billions of dollars, they know how to use it to make the world a better place!
My frustration with excessive campaign waste was especially profound this year. On the Sunday of election week, I went on a hike in Henry Cowell State Park, a local state park near my home. I was struck by a little box at the entrance containing trail maps that described landmarks along the hike. Inside the box was a sharpie-drawn message asking visitors to “Please return the trail map, or donate $0.25”. This message filled me with overwhelming sadness. What kind of country do we live in where majestic state parks can’t afford to print a few dozen trail maps while millions and billions of dollars are drowned in endless attack ads that only make the country more polarized and hateful?
As a self-proclaimed political junkie, I understand the importance of elections. When compared to the massive federal budget that our elected leaders get to control, one could argue that $16 billion doesn’t seem like such a big deal. Yet every election cycle, I’m struck by what a waste the traditional campaigning process is. Imagine if a political leader chose to harness their money for good and let self-promotion come organically through earned media and old-fashioned reputation. In Georgia, total spending on the Warnock vs. Walker senate race has nearly topped $250 million. This money could have funded 8,333 full-time jobs (40hrs/wk) at a $15 minimum wage for an entire year. Imagine what you could do with 8,333 extra hands on deck. Tutor every child. Clean every park. Feed every family that’s in need. Let’s look specifically at Georgia. At the start of this school year, there were 114 teacher vacancies in Atlanta, 252 in Gwinnett county, 307 in Fulton County, and 350 in DeKalb county. This one senate race could pay $100,000 per teacher to fill all these vacancies (double the average pay for teachers in Georgia) and still have over half their money left!
In 2018, I worked on a local political campaign that spent $2 million convincing voters of their cause. I’ve seen where campaigns traditionally spend their money. It goes towards endless phone calls to people who don’t want to hear from you, endless ads on television stations that happily charge almost $200,000 per minute, and heinous flyers that rarely last more than 5 seconds before reaching the recycling bin. After this $2 million, the campaign I was working on lost. Bye-bye money, bye-bye progress.
I’d like to see a politician who uses their donations to fund real progress in their community. Organize community clean-ups where you pay volunteers for their time. Pay to send a full-time instructional aide to every elementary school in your area. Pay to pair every person experiencing homelessness with a counselor that helps them get back on their feet. Then, when election day comes around, vote for the politician that shows they know how to drive real results. If they can’t do it on the campaign trail, don’t trust them to do it while in office. Campaigns should be a proving ground for candidates to show us that they know how to create real impact and drive growth.
The battle for this campaign is over. I encourage anyone reading this to vote tomorrow and make your voice heard. But with the impending general election of 2024 coming ever closer, let’s see if we can use any of this money for good use. I’d be an eager volunteer on any campaign willing to take this pro-social angle!