Campaigns & Elections - August 2007 - (Page 20)

inside politics (continued from page 18) of rich folks, but few with more assets than the three tycoons who refused a salary. But before anyone passes around a collection plate for California’s Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), New Jersey’s Jon Corzine (D) and Tennessee’s Phil Bredesen (D), consider their recent employment history. Corzine was a former executive with Goldman Sachs. Bredesen founded a health care management company that he sold in the mid1980s. Schwarzenegger, while pursuing Sarah Connor as a futuristic cyborg, donning a loincloth as Conan and saving the world from terrorists on both Earth and Mars, also made a mint on real estate deals, restaurants and other endeavors. Although Schwarzenegger’s precise wealth hasn’t been made public, some estimates suggest he made more from his work in “Terminator 3: Rise of the Machines” than he would serving as governor of America’s most populous state for 15 years. Wealthy men and women working for free might not be new in governors’ mansions, but it’s certainly a novelty at the lower rungs of government. Chi said he had not heard of any state legislators working for free. However, “Live Free or Die” New Hampshire pays its lawmakers $100 annually—that’s a $4.50 per diem for the duration of the 45-day legislative session. Romney is also perhaps the bestqualified to work for free, at least since Perot. Romney’s net worth is estimated to top $200 million, and he has emerged as the leading financial backer of his own campaign: He’s loaned his White House bid $8.9 million so far this year. Other candidates who could work gratis: former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (estimated worth between $18 million to $70 million) and Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y. ($10 million to $50 million). Those who could probably use the extra $400,000: • Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo. ($530,000 to $1.1 million) • Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. ($500,000 to $1.1 million) • Rep. Dennis Kucinich, D-Ohio, who in 2005 reported he had less than $400,000 in assets. • And then there’s New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who is mulling a run. He accepts just $1 in salary annually—about enough to buy a can of soda—for his time in Gracie Mansion. But with an estimated $5.5 billion in personal wealth and a media empire to his name, Bloomberg can buy himself quite a few sodas, or bottling plants, without an extra $400,000 a year. C&E Experience. Experience the nation’s premier vendor of voter ﬁles and services for over 30 years. LABELS& LISTS, INC www.labelsandlists.com 1-800-842-5478 • Maximize your campaign dollars • Multiple fresh voter ﬁle developments each year • Change of Address processing every 90 days • Access to over 75 ethnic groups • Voter selection by census income and education • Telephones veriﬁed and updated every three months Experience counts. So does your choice of a voter ﬁle vendor. California • Florida • Illinois • Indiana • New Jersey • New York North Carolina • Ohio • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Washington 20 CAMPAIGNS & ELECTIONS 08.07 http://www.labelsandlists.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Campaigns & Elections - August 2007

Cover Contents Editor’s Note Ames Straw Poll Cavalcade; Last Candidate Standing; The New Dollar-A-Year Guy; Web Videos That Can Change the Election Across State Lines: Campaign News from Around the Country People and Organizations Movers and Shakers: Ten Questions for Matthew Taylor and Philip de Vellis Campaign Consultant Sign-Ups Reel Time Cover Story: Building Blocks From Madison Avenue to K Street Money Can’t Buy Votes Dick Cheney: Roll Model for Millions Ames: Still Weird, Still Important How to Do Tougher, Quicker Crisis Management Online Cause-Based SocNets Lure Issue Voters The Great Exaggeration Why Primetime TV is Alive and Well, Politically Speaking Buyer’s Guide Tips for Toeing the Fine Line Between Employment, Friendship Managing Your Friend’s Campaign? Think ‘Consigliore’ Off The Record

Campaigns & Elections - August 2007

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