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The money train

Rep. Matt Salmon must be breathing a sigh of relief.

As his fellow congressmen scramble to raise enough cash for their reelection campaigns, he can relax for the rest of the legislative term.

"[Raising money] is the most frustrating part of campaigns," Salmon said. "I feel like I'm sitting on the corner with a 'Will Work for Food' sign."

Money has become to campaigns what Microsoft is to the Nasdaq. It has the power to run the show. It determines who gets the smartest advisors and snazziest slogans.

And it has cheapened the way the whole political process works.

Salmon, who signed a term limit pledge when he took office in 1995, is not vying for his seat in legislative district one.

He is, however, considering a run for governor in 2002 - which means the money hunting is not completely over.

Clearly, it has become impossible to run a campaign without massive amounts of money. GOP candidate George W. Bush spent more than half of his $70 million war chest during the primary season.

Vice President Al Gore spent over $10 million on primary season advertising and "consulting."

Overall, roughly $3 billion will be spent on campaigns during the election season.

Obviously, to run a campaign, money is a must. But it should not be the focus of political races, and that is exactly what it has become.

Media covers fundraising events like they would the Oscars. When Bush raked in a massive $21 million at one fundraiser alone, the story made headlines and was covered for days.

According to Salmon, having to constantly raise money takes the politician's focus away from his job as a leader.

"[Fundraising] took away from my job, it would take away from anybody's," Salmon said. "Most elections boil down to slick slogans and bumper stickers, and I think that's sad."

Campaigns turn leaders into professional fundraisers. While Bush's massive war chest does not prove how well he can lead the nation, it will buy him an attractive campaign.

And it will help him buy the best help.

According to the Washington Post, candidates pay outrageous salaries to their employees - the "strategists" and "consultants" (i.e. the guys who didn't have the guts or the famous last name to be able to run for office themselves).

American University surveyed a group of campaign consultants and found that they all boasted salaries in the $200,000 range. Some earned as much as half a million.

And Steve Forbes' top advisor earned nearly a quarter of a million dollars in one month alone. (Considering he's 0 for 2 in the presidential race and foots such a huge consulting bill, Forbes ought to hire a smart guy next time.)

But perhaps massive cash does not necessarily equal victory. Forbes spent millions on a failed campaign; he wasn't able to buy the American people's vote.

On the other hand, Arizona Sen. John McCain spent considerably less in the presidential primary and still gave Bush a run for his money.

No pun intended.

But while a sizable war chest does not ensure a victory, it is certainly a requirement. And focusing on how big of a cash cow candidates are demeans what they're doing.

That is one reason why Salmon must be so glad to be leaving the beltway and coming back to state politics.

"I'm kind of like Dorothy," Salmon said. "I learned there's no place like home."

But while Salmon is done with national politics, he'll still be money hunting if he follows through with his plan to run for governor in 2002.

Politics is an industry. And, like any business, money is the bottom line.

Lucky for Salmon that he's done with politics, at least for a while.

"Politicians focus on raising money, they have to," Salmon said. "It's the nature of the beast."