Candidates and Their Cash

In a recent post at another blog, they talked extensively about District 6 and money expenditures. My response, who cares? It seems to be hypocritical to support Hardberger or Romo on the basis of grassroots appeal or working for the community, but you are openly critical of Julian Castro or Ray Lopez because they are spending the money they have raised for an election cycle.

I am not going to be coy. I am referring directly to the Jeffersonian post and its critique of unwise money management. While I enjoy reading this blog, I usually disagree with it.

My response after looking at the financial statements is a simple one, you only use this as a crutch to vote against someone one when you never supported them. For example, I never planned on voting for Romo, and after seeing a donation from JP Morgan Chase, it only served to validate that statement. JP Morgan Chase has just wrapped up a dispute with RAN (Rainforest Action Network) to force JP Morgan Chase to invest with a focus on the environment. This solution happened nearly two months after Romo had taken this corporate money.

Another point of confusion is unwise spending practices brought up against Ray Lopez. He spent $200 more than he made this period. That simply means he budgeted perfectly. Who wants to have money left over for a runoff? What strategy is that? With 8 people running that means you are banking on a 25% shot of getting in on your name recognition? Spend the money. Get rid of it. On May 8th you can raise more. Use the money on staff for data collection, phone banking, block walking, mailers, robo calls, etc etc etc. If you have money left over and you lose then what is the good in having the money?

The most frustrating point is this idea of the raffle. The DA's office announced on WOAI in a correction post that this is a minor violation that has been done countless times before. This violation has never been prosecuted by the DA's office and the fact that Mr. Lopez admitted it and then made a donation is admirable. Especially if you look at the report that shows him in the red by the exact amount he donated.

If we are going to be critical of people that are running for an office that doesn't pay and is not easy, then let's do it because we disagree with their policy or their effectiveness. That's my rant.