homersapien 11,357 Posted July 21, 2015 Share Posted July 21, 2015 Very interesting take on the economics of the GOP primary. http://nymag.com/dai...mid=nymag_press excerpt: In the old days, the path to profiting from politics led politicians into the corner offices of banks, corporations, and lobbying firms. Many still go that route. But with her 2008 breakout, Sarah Palin disrupted the GOP nominating process and made being a potential primary contender a full-time job. Her decision to cash in by quitting the Alaska governor's office for Fox News and tea-party stardom established a new business model. As this year’s ballooning GOP field shows, there are many long-shot candidates who are seeking to follow her path. Since January 2014, Ben Carson has earned as much as $27 million from delivering 141 speeches and publishing three books including You Have a Brain: A Teen’s Guide to T.H.I.N.K. B.I.G. Former Hewlett Packard CEO Carly Fiorina made nearly $1 million in speeches last year and published a memoir. Mike Huckabee’s Fox News contract was worth $350,000 a year before he left to join the race, according to sources. This year he also released a book God, Guns, Grits, and Gravy. Ted Cruz made a reported $1.5 million for his book, A Time for Truth. These candidates have made six- and seven-figure paydays even before the first ballot is cast. With hours of free airtime on television to promote their brand, their market value is sure to increase. “Even if you lose, you exponentially increase your marketability,” the consultant told me. “Right now, let's say you’re giving speeches for $20 grand. You run and it becomes $40,000. If you do well, maybe there’s a Fox show. Then you write a book about how to save the party. Then you write another about why the next president sucks. There’s a million marketing opportunities." What this means is that, on the left, the political celebrity economy is divided along the same unequal lines as the real one. The Clintons, with Bill’s multi-million-dollar speeches and Hillary’s $14 million book advance, are the one percent. Beyond them, there’s no functioning market that would reward a bunch of candidates for contesting their monopoly. “The institutions don’t exist,” Bob Shrum, the veteran campaign strategist, says. “We don’t have a network dedicated to giving people a place to go.” Sure, there's MSNBC, but the channel reaches a much smaller audience than Fox. Liberal talk radio bombed with the demise of Air America. And liberal books, by and large, don't sell like conservative titles do. Right now Ted Cruz's book is on the Times best-seller list. Is anyone dying to read a new release from Martin O’Malley? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homersapien 11,357 Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 At the risk of sounding like PT complaining about lack of responses on a given thread, I am curious why - with all the comment about Trump - this didn't elicit a comment. As PT might say, guess the truth hurts, huh? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexava 6,973 Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 At the risk of sounding like PT complaining about lack of responses on a given thread, I am curious why - with all the comment about Trump - this didn't elicit a comment. As PT might say, guess the truth hurts, huh? well it all makes sense now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homersapien 11,357 Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 At the risk of sounding like PT complaining about lack of responses on a given thread, I am curious why - with all the comment about Trump - this didn't elicit a comment. As PT might say, guess the truth hurts, huh? well it all makes sense now. I liked the $27 million Carson raked in by declaring himself a candidate. But I think Trump is in it more for his ego than the money. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quietfan 233 Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Now Homer, don't you know? It's not about the money. Only Democrats write books, give speeches, or appear on TV for the money. When Republicans do it, even if there is an entire industry/machine generating the cash, they only do it out of the goodness of their heart and their patriotic love of God, Truth, and Country. :-\ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
homersapien 11,357 Posted July 23, 2015 Author Share Posted July 23, 2015 Now Homer, don't you know? It's not about the money. Only Democrats write books, give speeches, or appear on TV for the money. When Republicans do it, even if there is an entire industry/machine generating the cash, they only do it out of the goodness of their heart and their patriotic love of God, Truth, and Country. :-\ Well, to be fair, the Democrats would probably do a lot more if they had the existent conservative marketing infrastructure. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
quietfan 233 Posted July 23, 2015 Share Posted July 23, 2015 Now Homer, don't you know? It's not about the money. Only Democrats write books, give speeches, or appear on TV for the money. When Republicans do it, even if there is an entire industry/machine generating the cash, they only do it out of the goodness of their heart and their patriotic love of God, Truth, and Country. :-\ Well, to be fair, the Democrats would probably do a lot more if they had the existent conservative marketing infrastructure. No argument on that from me. Underneath their various stripes, politicians are politicians. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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