CNN 2010-11-01

All right, forget Fridays. That was awesome¹! Thank you guys so much for submitting that! We've got 10 minutes of commercial-free headlines before we hit the yellow brick road, so let's go ahead and get rolling!

Four days! That's all the time that midterm candidates have left to convince Americans to vote for them. Win or lose in next Tuesday's midterm elections, running for office comes at a price. You've got to produce TV ads, you've got to make signs, pay a staff. All of that adds up. Dana Bash takes us out on the campaign trail to look at the money trail and see how much is being spent and where it's all coming from.

Sure, there's a lot of money flowing in this year's election. But exactly how much being spent is mind blowing: $4 billion dollars. To put $4 billion in context, that's enough to send about 80,000 students to Princeton for a year. It could buy every person in America three Big Macs with fries at McDonald's. Four billion is far more than the $2.85 billion spent in the last midterm election in 2006, and dwarfs² the $1.61 billion spent little more than a decade ago in 1998. OpenSecrets.org compiled the figures in a new report.

The stakes are so high this cycle that it's not surprising that there's an intensity³ to this cycle that was perhaps reduced or missing in the last cycles.

Though much of the four billion is spent by candidates themselves, an eyepopping amount is coming from outside candidates' campaigns; political parties and independent groups. $430 million dollars in overall outside spending. Only $31 million was spent in 2002, less than a decade ago.

And despite Democrats⁴' complaints about being outspent, when it comes to political parties, Democrats are winning. All told, the Democratic Party has raised $782 million dollars. A lot more than the Republican Party, at $515 million. But GOP outside groups, with ads like this, are making up for that gap and then some. Although Democratic groups are catching⁵ up, they're being outspent by GOP counterparts 2-1.

Another fascinating 2010 trend: key industries moving campaign cash from Democrats to Republicans. Take the health care sector⁶. When the president took office, two thirds of its dollars were going to Democrats. Since health care passed, the industry is giving 60% to Republicans. The same goes for money from Wall Street and the energy sector. Just last year, both gave mostly to Democrats. Now, 67% of Wall Street money goes to Republicans. The energy sector: 74% to Republicans.

I think they've got their finger in the air. I think they're looking at the changing poll numbers and seeing that the Republicans have a clear shot at taking the majority, particularly in the House.
 

1 awesome   

adj.令人惊叹的，难得吓人的，很好的

参考例句：

• The church in Ireland has always exercised an awesome power.爱尔兰的教堂一直掌握着令人敬畏的权力。
• That new white convertible is totally awesome.那辆新的白色折篷汽车简直棒极了.

2 dwarfs   

n.侏儒，矮子（dwarf的复数形式）vt.（使）显得矮小（dwarf的第三人称单数形式）

参考例句：

• Shakespeare dwarfs other dramatists. 莎士比亚使其他剧作家相形见绌。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• The new building dwarfs all the other buildings in the town. 新大楼使城里所有其他建筑物都显得矮小了。 来自辞典例句

3 intensity   

n.强烈，剧烈；强度；烈度

参考例句：

• I didn't realize the intensity of people's feelings on this issue.我没有意识到这一问题能引起群情激奋。
• The strike is growing in intensity.罢工日益加剧。

4 democrats   

n.民主主义者，民主人士( democrat的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• The Democrats held a pep rally on Capitol Hill yesterday. 民主党昨天在国会山召开了竞选誓师大会。
• The democrats organize a filibuster in the senate. 民主党党员组织了阻挠议事。 来自《简明英汉词典》

5 catching   

adj.易传染的，有魅力的，迷人的，接住

参考例句：

• There are those who think eczema is catching.有人就是认为湿疹会传染。
• Enthusiasm is very catching.热情非常富有感染力。

6 sector   

n.部门，部分；防御地段，防区；扇形

参考例句：

• The export sector will aid the economic recovery. 出口产业将促进经济复苏。
• The enemy have attacked the British sector.敌人已进攻英国防区。