SarahPAC Eats Palinbots' Lunches

Here, we see Sarah Palin laughing maniacally. An aide has just informed her that some poor sap has given his lunch money to SarahPAC.

SarahPAC has filed a quarterly report for the period beginning April 1, 2010 and ending June 30, 2010.

The PAC received $865815.42 (line 6(c)) and disbursed $742334.31 (line 7). $82500 was disbursed to to Federal Candidates/Committees and Other Political Committees (line 23), so Federal Candidates/Committees and Other Political Committees received about 9.5% of monies contributed to the PAC, or about 11% of the PAC's disbursements. Whichever way you prefer to look at it (percentage of contributions or percentage of disbursements), only about 10% of the PAC's contributions went to work to help candidates/committees. That means that if you gave $100 to SarahPAC, only about $10 went to work to help candidates/committees.

SarahPAC appears to be an inefficient way to contribute to campaigns and/or committees; you might get more bang for your buck by contributing directly, and by doing so you could contribute to whomever you please.

It appears that if you contribute to SarahPAC, you are helping perpetuate the PAC and its close associates more than anything else.


The Associated Press has published a story written by Becky Bohrer, "FEC filing shows Palin gave $87500 to candidates." Her $87500 figure probably includes a $5000 item from line 29, "Other Disbursements." Ms. Bohrer has written about Palin before, recently in an article about the possibility of a 2012 Palin run for the presidency. At least part of that article was informed by Rebecca Mansour, "a consultant to her [Palin's] political action committee."

What's Wrong With Sarah PAC?

It is inefficient.

A PAC's efficiency is an objective way of measuring how well a PAC performs. It measures a PAC's support for candidates by comparing a PAC's contributions to candidates with the PAC's receipts. A PAC's efficiency is simply contributions divided by receipts.

In its latest quarterly filing of April 13, amended April 14, Sarah PAC reported receipts of $400481.95 (line 19, here). On line 23 of the same report, Sarah PAC reported $9500.00 in contributions to Federal Candidates/Committees and Other Political Committees. $9500.00 divided by $400481.95 yields an efficiency of 2.4% (rounded generously).

What an efficiency of 2.4% means is that for every $100.00 donated to Sarah PAC, only $2.40 finds its way to Federal Candidates/Committees and Other Political Committees.

A report from The Center For Public Integrity mentioned that "Federal Election Commission data show the average federal PAC in the recent 2007-2008 cycle dedicated about 35 percent of spending to contributions aiding federal candidates."

With such extremely poor, far below average efficiency, it is clear that Sarah PAC is primarily benefiting people and organizations closely associated with the PAC.