Campaigning on Commission

Katherine Mangu-Ward | March 30, 2007

Participants in "Students for Mitt" will get 10 percent of the money they raise for the campaign beyond the first $1,000. While candidates often offer professional fundraisers commissions up to 8 percent, campaign experts believe the Massachusetts Republican is the first to do so with the legion of college students who have historically served as campaign volunteers.

The WaPo manages to find someone (a Democrat) to tsk about the tragedy of getting filthy lucre involved in political fundraising:

"It may very well succeed, but I'd like to think that he'd approach young people and college students based on their commitment to the country, not because they want walking-around money," said Steve Grossman, a prominent Massachusetts fundraiser and past chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

But Romney's getting a fundraising talent pool he wouldn't otherwise:

"I spend a lot of hours at the campaign here," said Sarah Isgur, second-year student at Harvard Law School, who is raising funds from classmates, friends and family members, among others in the Boston area. "Some students are working at a law firm and earning $3,000 per week. My opportunity cost is pretty high some times, and this can take the edge off that."

Comments

|3.30.07 @ 3:14PM|#

I'd like to think that he'd approach young people and college students based on their commitment to the country

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|3.30.07 @ 3:17PM|#

This is an example of why I wouldn't count Romney out yet. The guy is smarter than the average bear.

|3.30.07 @ 3:23PM|#

$3000 a week, as a student "working in a law office"? Holy shit, I am sooo in the wrong gig.

|3.30.07 @ 3:26PM|#

Mr. Grossman oughta spend next summer roaming the streets of downtown Chicago. He'll find kids at every corner pushing Democratic issues and candidates. I don't believe they are volunteers.

|3.30.07 @ 3:27PM|#

Also, I can't wait for the first college kid to figure a way to raise a million for Romney and take home about 100 grand. The WaPo will have a field day with that.

|3.30.07 @ 3:35PM|#

I moved to Iowa a few months before the 2002 caucuses. Most college aged volunteers are, in fact, idealistic and committed. As well as being annoying little fucktwits.

Deaniacs used to pour into my local (The Royal Mile - represent!) at about 9 pm about 3 dozen at a time. Each and every one of them would want to pay with a credit card. Total fucking nightmare. Chief, best bartender in the world, used to fuck up their bills on purpose because they'd already fucked up his night.

Media types, as an anecdotal rule, are clueless assholes unless they're engineer / tech types who seem much cooler.

|3.30.07 @ 3:48PM|#

$3000 a week, as a student "working in a law office"? Holy shit, I am sooo in the wrong gig.

That seemed odd to me, too. Who's paying a second year law student 150K per year?

|3.30.07 @ 3:53PM|#

That seemed odd to me, too. Who's paying a second year law student 150K per year?

Spearmint, Rhino & Scores, LP.

|3.30.07 @ 3:57PM|#

So she was misquoted and it should read "Some firm students are working it and earning $3000 per week"?

|3.30.07 @ 4:04PM|#

2nd years summering at biglaw firms get paid the same amount as 1st year associates. Some of the firms are up to $160K for first years I believe. $3000/wk in the summer isn't a typo.

D.A. Ridgely|3.30.07 @ 4:09PM|#

Alas, the $3000 quoted is probably close to the truth for 2Ls from top schools being sought by major firms. In fact, it's worse than that: not only are they paid the rough going price for first year associates, $125k and up, unlike associates they aren't even expected to work very hard. Of course, all that changes the moment they become effective chattel slaves to those firms, putting in the sort of hours that constitute almost two full time jobs in hopes of making partner some five to ten years down the road, but at least it's well paid chattel slavery.

Back to the topic, though, it doesn't seem to me that the talent pool from such places as Harvard Law is all that much better than run of the mill college students. Law students don't know anything about raising or making money (borrowing the stuff, that's different). If they did, they'd be in Harvard Business School, instead.

|3.30.07 @ 4:12PM|#

"That seemed odd to me, too. Who's paying a second year law student 150K per year?"

If you feel like making your self a little queasy check out this chart. Keep in mind its 7 years old....

http://www.infirmation.com/shared/search/summer-salary-compare.tcl?order_by=%7bnvl%28safe%5fto%5fnumber%28stripchars%28real%5fsummer%5f1l%5fsalary%2c%27%2b%27%29%2c%279999%2e99%27%29%2c%20%2d1%29%20desc%7d%20e%2efirm%5fname&city=Washington

|3.30.07 @ 4:17PM|#

i'd believe that 3k/week bit - but i'd be willing to wager that it's relegated to the coasts (though i'd bet chicago is up there too)

1st year associates are up to 100K, maybe 110K at top firms in the midwest.

close to 2K/week for summer associates.

|3.30.07 @ 4:35PM|#

Every major lawfirm in the NY area is paying those rookies $3000 per week or more. It's mostly about advertising ("we have more Harvard lawyers than those other guys"). As far as ambitious lawyers go, the market is king.

Of course, the vast majority of lawyers in the country graduate from lesser known lawschools and make $25,000 to $50,000, come close to defaulting on their loans, and clog up the courts with questionable personal injury suits.

D.A. Ridgely|3.30.07 @ 4:49PM|#

Lawyer compensation is indeed highly variable, though not nearly so much as Lamar suggests. Moreover, it isn't all about advertising but more about the information signaling top students at top schools provide to firms. After all, to get into a top law school in the first place and then to manage to rise to the top of his class, a student must be willing from an early age to forsake any hopes of a normal, happy life and dedicate himself to endless hours of tedious, boring, mind-numbing anal retentive drudgery year after year after year. Such people are very valuable to law firms and therefore highly sought by major firms.

how to link|3.30.07 @ 4:55PM|#

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|3.30.07 @ 5:17PM|#

"Lawyer compensation is indeed highly variable, though not nearly so much as Lamar suggests."

I've lived both sides of it in NYC. I can only imagine the number go down elsewhere, but I was using a bit of hyperbole. You know those "Binder and Binder" advertisements? Cheapest SOBs ever.

Mr. DA Ridgely's post is spot on regarding the dedication the larger firms are looking for. But don't be fooled into thinking a Harvard lawyer is hired because he is so much better than the Fordham lawyer. There is an advertising component there. Binder and Binder's advertising scheme? Cowboy hats make rich city lawyers look like ___________.

|3.30.07 @ 7:30PM|#

Don't volunteers make less than minimum wage? Did the Democrats just raise the minimum wage because they thought it was too low?

LarryA|3.31.07 @ 10:47AM|#

"It may very well succeed, but I'd like to think that he'd approach young people and college students based on their commitment to the country, not because they want walking-around money," said Steve Grossman, a prominent Massachusetts fundraiser and past chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

Steve Grossman, a prominent paid Massachusetts fundraiser and past paid chairman of the Democratic National Committee.

Aren't Democrats the same folks who, under LBJ in 1963, invented VISTA (http://www.americorps.org/about/ac/history.asp), where social service agencies are granted federal funds to pay people to "volunteer?"

Or on both sides of the aisle who have no problem forcing high school and college students to "volunteer" for community service as a requirement to graduate. Or criminals as an alternative to incarceration?

|4.1.07 @ 7:55AM|#

Grossman's just pissed nobody thought he was worth a 10% slice of the gross.