CPI #10

August 22, 2000
  • Number of times Governor George W. Bush mentioned campaign finance reform during his nomination acceptance speech: 0.
  • Amount of special interest money Vice President Al Gore promised during his nomination acceptance speech “to get out of our democracy”: all of it.
  • Amount of special interest money the Democratic National Committee (DNC) raised hours later at a fundraiser concert starring Barbra Streisand: $5.2 million.1
  • Reason given by DNC official why raising that money was consistent with Gore’s campaign finance reform goals: it was hard money.2
  • Amount of additional hard money, campaign contributions subject to contribution limits, the Democratic National Committee and the Republican National Committee are hoping to raise before the 2000 elections: $50 million.3
  • Hard money already raised through March 30, 2000: $283.3 million.4
  • Soft money raised by the same point: $166.6 million.5
  • Proportion of campaign cash raised for the 1996 elections in hard money: 66%.6
  • How much Gore has gotten from Ernst & Young executives and their families, his top hard money contributor: $130,875.7
  • Amount Bush has gotten from MBNA America Bank executives and their families, his top hard money contributor: $220,275.8
  • Proportion of federal hard money donors of $5,000 or more since 1997 who spoke to a federal elected official over the past year: 54%.9
  • Percent of voters from the general population who did: 9%.10

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1 John M. Broder, “Democrats: The Money; Corporations Underwrite the Democrats’ Convention,” The New York Times, August 18, 2000, Sec. A, p. 19.
2 ibid.
3 “New RNC Group Aims to Raise $30 Million in Hard Money,” National Journal’s CongressDaily, August 17, 2000.
4 News Release, Federal Election Commission, June 5, 2000. (www.fec.gov/press/ptymy99a.htm)
5
6 The Big Picture, Center for Responsive Politics, 1997. (www.opensecrets.org/pubs/bigpicture/default.htm)
7 Center for Responsive Politics, www.opensecrets.org/2000elect/contrib/AllCands.htm.
8 ibid.
9 Celinda Lake and Robert L. Borosage, “Money Talks,” The Nation, August 21/28, 2000. Based on a survey conducted in June2000 of 1,000 voters and 200 major political contributors who had contributed $5,000 or more to national candidates since 1997 (100 donors to Democratic candidates and 100 to Republican candidates).
10 ibid.