Posts tagged billionaires
Holding Politicians Accountable
Mother Jones: Mitch McConnell Will Fundraise With Billionaires After Saying the GOP Is Not The Party of Billionaires
Headline sort of sums it up.
Louisville Courier Journal: New York billionaire to host fundraiser for Sen. Mitch McConnell
“A New York Republican billionaire and mayoral hopeful is scheduled to host a campaign fundraiser this weekend for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky., The New York Post reports.
“John Catsimatidis will hold the McConnell event Sunday night in his Central Park apartment on Fifth Avenue, Post reporter Beth DeFalco writes.”
The image above is based on a a new report from US PIRG and Demos that found:
“The top 32 Super PAC donors, contributing an average of nearly $10 million each, matched all of the money that both President Obama and Mitt Romney raised from small donors combined—that’s $313 million from at least 3.7 million people giving less than $200 apiece.
“When just 32 super-rich donors can counter the voices of millions in the public square, we can’t say we live in a country of political equals.”
Public Campaign Action Fund: Billionaire Who Said Wealthy Have "Insufficient Influence" In Politics Has Donated $2.6M to Political Committees
A hedge fund billionaire who said the wealthy have “insufficient influence” in our political system has donated nearly $2.7 million to federal candidates and committees this election cycle, 50 times what the typical American family makes in a year, according to Public Campaign Action Fund analysis of data from the Center for Responsive Politics.
USA Today: Handful of megadonors dominate campaign money chase
“Five individuals and couples have contributed more than $10 million each to super PACs, the new independent political groups responsible for the record amounts of outside money gushing through this year’s presidential and congressional elections.
“Together these super-wealthy donors account for 20% of the $644 million raised by super PACs through Oct. 17, a USA TODAY analysis of new campaign-finance reports shows.”
Hedge fund billionaire Ken Griffin donated $500,000 on October 9th to Restore Our Future, the Mitt Romney-aligned super PAC:
He has now given $1.45 million to Restore Our Future this cycle.
Earlier this year, he said that the wealthy have “insufficient influence” in our political system. One has to wonder at what point they have just enough.
After the last election, when I would ask my [colleagues] to cosponsor a speculator tax they’d say, ‘I don’t really want to make the people on Wall Street that angry and didn’t somebody spend a lot of money against you?’ It has a chilling effect against some people on legislation.
NYT: Soros Gives $1 Million to Democratic Super PAC
“The billionaire George Soros is committing $1 million to Priorities USA Action, the “super PAC” supporting President Obama, two people with knowledge of the decision said Thursday, a significant donation that could help spur further contributions to the group in the closing weeks of the election.”
…
“He had not contributed until now, he wrote, because he opposed the Supreme Court’s Citizens United decision in 2010, which paved the way for super PACs and unlimited money in politics. But since then, Mr. Soros wrote, he had become ‘appalled by the Romney campaign which is openly soliciting the money of the rich to starve the state of the money it needs to provide social services.’”
New Yorker: Schmooze or Lose
Obama doesn’t like cozying up to billionaires. Could it cost him the election?
Via ThinkProgress, on casino baron (and top GOP donor) Sheldon Adelson.
Public Campaign Action Fund has a full rundown of all the people that have received money from Adelson and his wife so far this cycle.
