This week two presidential candidates came to Maine for a
few hours to smile, shake hands and tout their promises on what the
White House agenda will be like with them in power.

But most importantly, they came to raise money.

In the black and white pages of history books, candidates can be seen
standing on train platforms, shaking hands while walking through
neighborhoods – and proud mothers are captured beaming as the
presidential hopeful marks their child’s forehead with a kiss.

But as seen in Maine this week, the days of the personal touch are
slowly fading. It seems gone are the days that a simple handshake and
hello can be issued. Gone are the days where smiling was free.

Like many professional athletes, signatures and smiling poses cannot be
issued without a price tag. Following a speech to the National Troopers
Coalition, Giuliani charged $1,000 the “honor” of a few seconds of his
personal time to pose for a snapshot with the lucky check writer. And
the cost of listening him speak at a private lunch was $250, according
to press reports.

Barack Obama came to the state a day later, this time opening up his
event for $23 to “meet” the more than 2,000 people who turned out to
the Portland Expo to hear his address. Later that evening, he attended
a private fundraising event in Cape Elizabeth, which included an
estimated price tag of $500 and up.

It’s a shame that more candidates can’t balance their time to include
both the necessary and time consuming fundraising aspect of running for
such a privileged position – and meeting the people they will have the
honor of serving.

With Maine’s median income registering at just above $40,000, it
certainly wasn’t the “average” voter that was able to hear Giuliani or
bring home a reminder of his visit. For most, paying rent or mortgages
or car payments outweighed the 4-by-6 glossy.

If 40 people turned out to the $250 event, Giuliani would have walked
away with $10,000 for his campaign. With Obama speaking to a crowd
estimated at 2,000 – he left the Expo with $46,000. The average college
student or blue-collar worker most likely would have been able to shell
out a $20 bill and a few singles to experience the democratic process
in this country. Allowing a lot more people to pay a lot less seems to
be the preferable option from all perspectives.

Hopefully as the stumping continues and more visits are made to the
area in the future, candidates will realize that votes come from both
sides of that median level.

And once those funds are raised the class system dissipates – and it
doesn’t matter steps behind that red, white and blue curtain, as their
votes all have the same power.