the stumping stimulus

Fizzle !

Election expenditures are “clearly adding to economic activity” but probably would have less impact per dollar than a direct government spending program such as President Obama’s stimulus effort.

Republicans, for example, spent twice as much on country clubs and golf courses, while Democrats spent more on caterers and liquor.

Washington Post:

Total spending for the midterms nears $4 billion.
The ‘Cash for Clunkers’ program was just $3 billion.

Campaigns paid banks to handle their money, consultants to map out their strategies and media buyers to book their advertising. Karl Rove Crossroads Media was paid more than $40 million.

The biggest winners of all were broadcasters, which together are expected to rake in about $2.5 billion in ad revenue from federal, state and local campaigns.

Please ponder Andrew Doran’s tweet:

“Cutbacks because of debt, debt because of financial bailouts.”

Who funded The Big Lie?

It seems to me that the last year or so has represented the triumph of untruth. —Andrew Sullivan

Certainly not the Tea Party on their sofa.

Let’s poke around to learn why politicians succeed with neither truth nor fact. Study the ugly nueromarketing of 2010 and try to stay on point, folks.

“The real risk is that politicians will not want us to know that they are using influencing tools.”

“It has already been used in the last two elections and I believe it will become an even more significant factor in the future.”

“It’s easier to trust the response you visualize on a MRI than to trust what people tell you.”

Republicans appear to be using neuromarketing more than Democrats, if this midterm is any indication. They are appealing to the emotion of voters’ triggers.

“No Democratic candidate I know of has used them [neuromarketing tactics], nor has any major Democratic organization appeared to express any interest in them.”