The Price of the American Presidency

In the American Presidential election of 2008 we’re witness to what is widely expected to become the most expensive political race in the history of the world. Campaign spending by all presidential candidates combined, as of Super Tuesday, is estimated to already top 450 Million Dollars! That figure is expected to top one billion dollars by November 11^th which would qualify the 2008 presidential campaign as the most expensive political seat ever!

The seat of power is up for sale and millions of dollars will be dispatched by each candidate in the hopes of securing the position. I propose a new campaign refinance reform operating under the laws of KISS or Keep It Simple Stupid!

Oh, pray tell!

According to the US Census Dept. the 2004 presidential elections saw the highest voter turnout since 1992 at 64%. The overall number of votes cast in 2004 was 126 million, a new record and an increase of 15 million voters from the 2000 presidential election.

Assuming an increase of 20 million voters from the overall number of votes cast in the 2004 election, we get an estimated 146 million votes to be cast in the 2008 presidential race.

146 Million votes…hell let’s just keep it simple and round up to 150 million so that I can not be accused of underestimating. We’re going to operate on the assumption that 150 Million ballots are expected to be cast in the 2008 election. We’re also expecting total campaign expenditures in the race to the White House to bust one billion dollars.

Simple capitalist campaign finance reform would be

$1,000,000,000 / 150,000,000 votes cast = $6.6666666666666666666666666666667 per vote.

So therefore I establish the reserve price on a vote to be valued at $6.66.

May the E-gods bless this election; In the name of E-bay I pray, Amen.

And if you win you can have any shirt from this website. ;)