The Trump machine is hauling in the dough via Facebook advertising (in the process, they are helping Facebook make a bundle). I am oddly fascinated by this, probably because I own a social media management and consulting business.
As someone who is also very interested in politics on a state level, I see something in my research and analysis (on the spending and donation track record of the Trump machine and others) that is very frustrating. I’m so frustrated that I want to shake people!
In past articles here on Granite Grok, there has been discussion of Cory Lewandowski holding out on whether or not he is going to jump into the US Senate race here in NH. That Corey holding out is effecting the donations that are NOT going to the announced candidates; Messner, O’Brien, and Bolduc, leaving them in a fundraising pinch. I am not sure that Lewandowski is 100% responsible for this fundraising slump in New Hampshire’s US Senate race. And it certainly isn’t responsible for the slump that candidates in other races are experiencing. It’s TRUMP, or rather the Trump machine et. al.
Let me try to explain.
On the evening of the State of the Union address in 2019, the Trump machine spent $499k on Facebook ads, on his birthday they spent $923k, the day Pelosi announced moving forward with impeachment $1.8M was spent and the Trump machine raised $15M in small-dollar donations in 72 hours!
On top of the Trump machine’s Facebook advertising is a slew of others using his name to raise money via Facebook. Some are PACS, and others are unknown, and no one is sure where the money they are raising is going.
Example: Tea Party PAC has raised $607,790 so far this year, invoking the name of Trump. More than half of the money raised, $357,900, went to a little known business, Retromedia LLC, who has only one client, according to the FEC: the Tea Party PAC. I Googled Retromedia LLC to do some digging. Retromedia is registered to Steve Eichler, the PAC’s founder, and president as well as “Founder and C.E.O. of Tea Party. But that’s a digression down different rabbit hole… back on track.
Then some are making money off Trump merchandise, capitalism at its finest, and this topic could be an entire article of its own. So how does it fit in here? Wait and see.
Let’s get to my frustration.
Everyone is wound up over this impeachment. An impeachment that, in the end, will bury the Democrats in the next election. But only if Republicans take advantage of it! The Trump machine and others are certainly using it to their advantage, and they are raking in the dough, YOUR dough! I am no Democrat. I have no inclination to tell you how to spend your money. But I do want to show you why I see this as a problem.
TRUMP cannot fix your city, county, or state! Trump and YOU the American People will need a Republican majority in the Congress and the US Senate in his second term so that the Republican agenda can be moved forward, and the threat of continuing to dig “dirt” on the president can be squashed.
Let me repeat – IF Republicans take advantage of it! This doesn’t just apply to the Republican candidates; it applies to YOU the Republican donor; you the donor that is donating to the Trump machine and others that are raising money off the Trump name. Our US State candidates, Congressional candidates, and all the candidates down-ticket need your donations! They are the ones that can support the president, turn NH red from the top down to the bottom, squashing the overreach of the progressives!
The Trump machine has spent over $16.2m on facebook advertising in 2019 alone! In 2017-2018 all races in NH Republican and Democrat only raised only $19,501,869, with Trump raising $280 million from small donors giving ($200 or less) in that same time frame.
Trump’s quarterly FEC report in October 2019 shows $40,958,012.84 raised for the 2020 election, over $300k of that was raised from people here in NH.
The Trump machine has raised over $100m for the 2020 election. Now tell me who needs the money?
New Hampshire turned bluer in 2018, losing the State House, and Trump won. A Congressional candidate in New Hampshire needs a minimum of ONE MILLON DOLLARS to compete. That’s for just one candidate, and here in NH, we have two congressional seats both currently held by progressives. I can tell you this the Trump machine will not be donating to the lower ticket campaigns!
Are you starting to see my frustration? Are you beginning to see that we have a problem?
I get your enthusiasm over the impeachment and trying to “stick it to the Dems” by making sure Trump gets re-elected, but you’re cutting off your nose to spite your face! Trump can’t drain the swamp! Your money, your donations to down-ticket candidates, and your votes drain the swamp.
YOU can make the difference in getting Trump the support he needs during a second term, but only YOU can TURN NH RED AGAIN, YOU, your donations, your actions, your candidates, and your votes.
Instead of buying yet another MAGA hat or tee shirt, donate to a New Hampshire candidate! STOP donating to a machine that can spend $1.8 Million on Facebook ads and make $15 MILLION in 72 hours.
START donating to your candidates here in New Hampshire and truly make a difference!
by Becca Bailey
