Bush campaign spending hits $126 million

http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20040521/ap_on_el_pr/presidential_money&cid=694&ncid=2043

WASHINGTON - Expenses ranging from TV ads to a mariachi band pushed President Bush (news - web sites)'s re-election spending to $126 million last month, but record fund raising left him with millions of dollars in his campaign fund. Democratic rival John Kerry has spent roughly $87 million.

Bush started May with nearly $72 million in the bank after using up nearly $31 million in April, a campaign finance report filed Thursday with the Federal Election Commission (news - web sites) showed. Bush's spending declined after March, when he spent roughly $50 million on his first wave of campaign ads.

Kerry finished April with at least $28 million in campaign cash on hand after pouring millions into his first major ad buys since locking up the Democratic nomination, according to a statement from his campaign. The Massachusetts senator has raised more than $115 million, just over half what Bush has collected but still a Democratic record.

Bush spent roughly $21 million on ads in April, his biggest expense last month. Other major campaign costs included more than $4 million on mailings, about $1.6 million on staff salaries, consultants and related costs, and $555,000 on phone banks.

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he is going to get served off of come November. Then we will see who's the turkey, won't we.

How this imbecile and his cohort of political "geniuses" could spend $126 million and be behind in the polls is a mystery.

And they made fun of Dean!

Preposterous.

And the cheap-asses only paid the Mariachi band $100! Jeez-us.

His record and incompetence is catching up with him and reported this time for all to see.

Yeah, he blew a wad for not much. In so many ways so did Kerry---his ads haven't made him soar 20 points above Bush---this thing is still one fart to the left or right and the election can be won by either one. But Bush (do the math) has a pile yet to spend. Kerry either has to do nothing until mid-October and then blow the rest of the wad or get some cash quick. In the end (it always does) the money will "buy" the day.

spend all his campaign money and owes nearly as much when he loses. If its run like he runs the country I fully expect him to be in debt when he goes.

Kerry and Bush both can raise as much as they can bt. now and their conventions but they have to spend all by then too.

Then after the conventions each gets $75 million or so (or $75 million matching funds, not sure which) to spend in the general campaign.

So Kerry has only until end of July to spend (and raise) his own money then uses gov. money the rest of the way while Bush can raise money up until early Sept. (an advantage) before he is locked into the gov. funding.

They are vaccuming up money by the truckload and spending it just as fast on negative ad-buys.

They've been gluttonous with our national finances as well.

Fuck 'em!

But....question is...how much do they have left to spend or can raise to spend?

Add another $200 Mil for the general election that he can spend after the Republican Convention in September....

Not a very good return on investment. But what would you expect from a failed businessman such as Bush?