Posted by
Ron Devito on Thursday, April 12, 2012 9:41:40 PM
SarahPAC's ROI is 99,900% !!!
Thanks
to Lee Walker and Del Parker, I learned that I used the wrong formula
in calculating the Return on Investment (ROI) to SarahPAC Donors who
paid for the lodging on Gov. Palin's Florida GOP fund-raising trip. I
took the amount raised by the GOP: $1,000,000 and divided by $1,000 - a
rounded up amount of what was spent on lodging.
This is the correct ROI calculation:
Amount Earned / Amount Invested * 100
If the FL GOP raised $1 million, we need to subtract $1,000 (the rounded up lodging) to arrive at the amount earned....
$999,000 / 1,000 * 100 = 99,900%
Therefore, SarahPAC's ROI on that investment is 99,900%!
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I saw the negative articles today about SarahPAC. Stacy Drake addressed the subject with, "In Honor of Conor Friedersdorf, Donate to SarahPAC Today!," but I want to give my perspectives on this.
As a Publisher
I routinely run SarahPAC money bombs, both SarahPAC's (which are relatively rare) and my own. I read SarahPAC's FEC Disclosures,
and I encourage all Sarah Palin supporters to read them. As a
publisher, if I am asking my readers to donate their hard-earned money
to any organization, I have a fiduciary responsibility to be sure their
donated funds are being put to good use and there is no malfeasance or
incompetence. As a publisher, I am more than satisfied that SarahPAC
is operating to the highest ethical standards, in accordance with
General Accepted Accounting Principles, and that its expenses are
reasonable, customary, and appropriate for its operations.
As a Supporter
I have an obligation to understand what SarahPAC is, its mission, goals and objectives, who the key players are, and how the organization works. Reading and understanding the FEC disclosures reinforces my understanding.
As a Donor
I have an obligation as a donor to understand what my donated funds are being used for. Since I am asking people to donate to SarahPAC, I have an obligation to lead by example and put my money where my mouth is. You can find me in the FEC disclosures.
SarahPAC is Honorable, Professional and Exercises Sound Financial Judgment
The thrust of all the negative articles is to imply that SarahPAC
is engaging in malfeasance because no candidates have received
donations from the PAC, yet the PAC has significant operating expenses.
The negative articles then call several of these expenses into question
in a naked attempt to sully their legitimacy.
This comes up every year without fail in the first quarter or in the beginning of the second quarter. The simple reason SarahPAC
has not donated to candidates in 2012 is that the down-ticket
endorsement season is not yet upon us. Many campaigns are just starting
up; some are yet to even announce. Professional political writers should
know this. It's part of what they're paid to do. When Gov. Palin and SarahPAC
are ready to endorse, stump for, and donate to candidates, they will.
My colleagues and myself will have our work cut out for us covering it
all. There were nearly 90 endorsements in 2010 with a success rate of 67% overall, 90% for a targeted subset.
Staff Salaries
SarahPAC
has consummate professionals on its staff. Tim Crawford, the Treasurer
has been in the business for over 40 years. I was just born when he got
started. You don't get this kind of experience in a bargain basement
career placement office at the local college. There aren't many people
of Mr. Crawford's caliber. I want Gov. Palin to have the best staff.
Michael Glassner, Jason Recher, Rebecca Mansour are all worth their
weight in gold in and out of their roles as Chief of Staff, key advance
team members, and communications/public relations. They all work very
long hours; they all strongly believe in their boss, who is far more
than a mere employer to them. I am proud as a donor to be paying a tiny
part of all their salaries, all of which are reasonable and customary
for the work that they do.
Videography
The article Stacy cited took issue with a nearly $20K video that PassCode Creative made refudiating Game Change.
Now, I am what can best be described as a skilled amateur at
videography, editing and production. I did a reasonable job - as an
amateur using consumer-grade equipment - with CPAC and Indianola. But, I can't bang 'em out anywhere near the way PassCode can. There is just no comparison. Good glass, good equipment and professional videography at the level PassCode
produces costs serious money. The capital investment in equipment and
software alone is huge for a professional video business. Gov. Palin had
every right to defend her record and her honor. The $20K PassCode video did what it was supposed to do at a highly professional level. PassCode Creative produces beautiful videos for SarahPAC, and I'm glad SarahPAC has them. I'd rather donate a little more and get quality goods. This expense was reasonable, customary, and legitimate.
Travel
The
naysayers always take issue with Gov. Palin's travel expenses, implying
it's for personal business. Her travel expenses have always been
reasonable, customary, frugal, and legitimate. Hampton Inn is not
exactly luxury accommodations. This filing has a few airline tickets at
under $750 each with United and Continental - the same airlines I used
for Indianola and at the same time as her staff used them for Indianola.
Coach airfares most likely. My airfare from Newark to Des Moines was
$500 coach.
Sarah Palin's Return on Investment (ROI) Is 99,900%
The naysayers took issue with a PAC visit to DisneyLand Resort on November 4. This was at the time Gov. Palin raised over $900K for the GOP, at their Victory Dinner speech.
Gov. Palin raised this money - nearly $1 million in the vicinity of -
drum roll please - Disney Land Resorts. That's why she stayed there.
That's why the PAC paid for it. It was a PAC project. So, let's review: SarahPAC
donors paid $967.34 for lodging for Gov. Palin - AND her entourage - so
Gov. Palin could raise close to $1 million for the GOP. Let's round the
$967.34 up to an even $1,000.
$999,000 earned / 1,000 invested x
100 = $99,900% rate of return. Please tell me one investment out there
that yields a 99,900% rate of return. Instantly.
Nice try, Friedersdorf,
but she did not take a donor-sponsored trip to Disney to giggle and get
a pair of Mouseketeer Ears. And if she went to the House of Mouse and
bought the Ears, she did it on her dime. Gov. Palin didn't go there to
give Mickey Mouse a SarahPAC
endorsement either, though the world's most famous rodent is already
the country's most written in candidate by protest votes. I suspect
Mickey's going to get a lot of such votes this year, if he hasn't
already.
The W...The Sarah Way and the Devito Way. Do it the Sarah Way...
We
have a PAC business dinner at the W Hotel in Washington for $336.60
back in December 2011. Providential. I took my wife Elsy to the W after
CPAC closed out with Gov. Palin's epic speech delivered to four
standing-room-only ballrooms. I had just finished my videography and photography run,
and had my precious moment with Gov. Palin - Sarah. The W was $40 just
for appetizers for Elsy and I. We went over to the Marriott the next
block down and dropped another $90 on dinner. Oh, there was the $100
parking ticket I got for parking in a Zip Car spot because
post-Sarahfication (yep, it's one of three new words I made up), I was
too whacked out of my bird to read the sign, too cheap to pay $16 to
park in the garage around the corner, and too lazy to drive to said
garage. The fact that the hotel which housed the garage was named Willard also did not motivate me to park there.
So,
I saved $16 and lost $100. Morals of this anecdote: The W is reasonable
and customary for dining in the area around the White House, and it's
cheaper to pay a little more now than a lot more later. SarahPAC
spent $336.60 and probably got $336,600 in dividends by virtue of
whatever was discussed at their meal. I spent $230, $100 of which was on
a stupidity tax. Who was more responsible with money at the W?
Next time, I'm at the W, I'll take a few lessons from Sarah. I'll pay
the $16 and park at the Willard - because it's not Romney's garage, even
if I'm in a Sarahfied state. And, I'll be sure to donate $100 - the
cost of that parking ticket - to SarahPAC
the next time I go to the W, because at Sarah's ROI, she and her
professional staff will turn my $100 into $100K worth of results.
Want to see your political investment produce a 99,900% ROI? Click the graphic and donate:
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