The 2014 midterm election cycle is officially the most expensive in U.S. history, an impressive $3.67 billion being committed to both republican and Democratic campaigns, according to estimates by the Center for Responsive Politics.
Unsurprisingly, this record-breaking figure — a projection that does not include tens of millions more in spending on “issue ads” by non-profits — has some critics wringing their hands.
“We have three elements today: unlimited contributions, corporate money, and secret money. Those were the three elements of the Watergate campaign-finance scandal,” campaign finance reformer Fred Wertheimer worried in a recent New Yorker profile. “They’re back.”
“There is something obscene in looking at the raw numbers, is there not?” the Daily Beast’s Michael Tomasky asked.
“How did we lose our democracy? Slowly at first, and then all at once,” Timothy Egan writes in the New York Times, decrying the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision, which ruled that federal government cannot ban all political spending by unions and corporations.
“We Americans have long boasted of having free and fair elections. Thanks to this Supreme Court, they are neither,” he added.
But here’s something fun: The cash spent on the 2014 midterm elections — money spent on the continuation of the nation’s system of government — is a drop in the bucket compared to the amount of money Americans spend annually on frivolities.
Here are seven things that are more expensive than the 2014 midterm elections:
1. Beer
Americans spent approximately $83 billion on beer in 2013, according the Associated Press and MarketWatch.
That figure is expected to increase to $95 billion by 2018.
2. Lottery tickets
U.S. consumers in 43 states and the District of Columbia spent an impressive $69 billion in 2012 on lottery tickets, according to data collected by the North American Association of State and Provincial Lotteries.
3. Smut
The U.S. porn industry rakes in approximately $11 billion annually, according to CNBC and figures calculated by California’s state legislature.
4. Taco Bell
Americans in 2013 also spent roughly $6 billion at Taco Bell, according to an annual report released by Yum! Brands.
5. Snacks
U.S. consumers are currently spending about $6 billion on just potato chips, with Frito-Lay taking nearly 60 of total market share, according to figures published by Forbes.
6. Collegiate sports merchandise
Collegiate sports fans spent approximately $5 billion on “collegiate-licensed apparel” in 2013, according to ESPN.
BONUS — Old school music formats
Okay, you got me — this one is less than this year’s election spending. But Americans in 2013 spent $2.4 billion on CDs and vinyl records, according to the Recording Industry Association of America Music Industry Shipment and Revenue Statistics.
So nearly as much was spent in 2013 on CDs and vinyl records as has been spent on this midterm election cycle. If you multiply by two to cover the entire election cycle, it’s likely they spent more on musical antiques.
In short, the cash committed every two years to political advertising and getting out the vote is nothing compared to what Americans pay every year for frivolities, classic luxury items, junk food and self-destructive behavior like pornography and losing money on the lottery.
When liberals like Tomasky fret over this money, is it because the amount is too large, or because they’re uncomfortable with who is supposedly spending it?
