Vice President Joe Biden Says $200 Billion Being Spent on GOP Candidate Ads Update: Democrat-Favoring Union Actually Spending More Than Republican-Favoring Groups

A partial quote from the video: “I was amazed at the amount of money, this $200 billion of money that is — where there’s no accountability,” Vice President Joe Biden said. “When I say accountability, we don’t know where it’s coming from. There’s no disclosure, so the folks watching the ad can’t make a judgment based upon motive when you say it’s paid for by so-and-so,” he added.


Fact Check: In the 2008 Election Cycle, only $5.3 billion was spent on all federal races, including over a billion on the Presidential race.


Hat Tip: The Drudge Report


I would believe $200 million, perhaps, but not $200 billion. 


**6.14am** The big spender this election cycle is...wait for it...Unions. To the tune of over $87 million, AFSCME, the public-employees union, has vaulted ahead of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce to become the largest campaign spender of 2010:

The American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees is now the biggest outside spender of the 2010 elections, thanks to an 11th-hour effort to boost Democrats that has vaulted the public-sector union ahead of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the AFL-CIO and a flock of new Republican groups in campaign spending.


The 1.6 million-member AFSCME is spending a total of $87.5 million on the elections after tapping into a $16 million emergency account to help fortify the Democrats' hold on Congress. Last week, AFSCME dug deeper, taking out a $2 million loan to fund its push. The group is spending money on television advertisements, phone calls, campaign mailings and other political efforts, helped by a Supreme Court decision that loosened restrictions on campaign spending.


"We're the big dog," said Larry Scanlon, the head of AFSCME's political operations. "But we don't like to brag."

Source: Wall Street Journal