Michael Bloomberg gives $2.5M to Senate Majority PAC

[babylonsister]

Michael Bloomberg gives $2.5M to Senate Majority PAC
Bloomberg has a personal fortune estimated at more than $27 billion. | AP Photo
By JOHN BRESNAHAN | 1/7/14 5:06 AM EST


Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg donated $2.5 million to a super PAC aimed at helping Senate Democrats maintain their majority, a potentially significant development that could have a big impact in 2014.

Bloomberg, one of the richest men in the world, made the donation to Senate Majority PAC, which is run by former aides to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) and other top Democrats. “It arose out of the close relationship the Mayor has developed with Leader Reid over the years working on issues of concern to New Yorkers like {Hurricane} Sandy relief and gun safety,” said Howard Wolfson, former deputy mayor and a close aide.

When asked whether this marked the start of such campaign contributions by Bloomberg on behalf of Democrats — or those who back the former mayor’s agenda — Wolfson signaled that the ex-mayor was open to such a possibility. But Wolfson would not confirm that was Bloomberg’s intention, at least at this time.

more...

http://www.politico.com/story/2014/01/michael-bloomberg-senate-majority-pac-101808.html#ixzz2pivsTsGH

[mucifer]

1. Sorry that's creepy. The system is so broken.

[pipoman]

2. The Koch of the Democratic party. .

[MADem]

3. I am a pragmatist.

Thank you, Mister Bloomberg, for the donation.

That was a nice thing to do, and he didn't have to do it. The last "cool" donation I remember from him was the money he threw at Planned Parenthood when the Komen Foundation screwed them over. This is another "cool" one, IMO.

It would be lovely if money were taken OUT of the political process, but that's not the case. The Supremes have said that Money Equals Speech. So thank you, Mister Bloomberg, for helping to allow we Democrats to have a say, too. I'm glad you're spending at least some of your billions on stuff that helps the rest of us.

I hope he doesn't quit on the gun control end of things--he could make a real difference.

[babylonsister]

6. I am also a pragmatist; I was happy to read this. nt

[davidpdx]

4. The guy spend $106 million of his own money to get elected the third time

$2.5 is literally a drop in the bucket for him. It would be like me donating 25 cents, I'm so fucking poor.

[Smarmie Doofus]

5. Unless they want to "work" for him, they should give the money back.

Bloomberg *buys* people. Politicians, in particular.

And... trust me... if they are working for HIM, they are not working for US.

[MADem]

7. OK, so .... by your understanding of campaign contributions, Bernie Sanders "works for" Hillary

Clinton. Tammy Duckworth "works for" Hillary Clinton.

So do dozens of elected officials in the House and Senate.

Why? Because her HILLPAC donated to their campaigns, and helped elect them.

So, if Bernie is working for HER, she's not working for US...is that it?

Do you think HRC has "bought" Bernie Sanders? Do you think he sent the money back? (I'll give you the answer to both questions--it's NO.)

Bloomberg, a native of Medford Massachusetts, has always been a Democrat. He is a choice-loving, social programs enthusiast who has a few distasteful leanings (like the whole stop-and-frisk nastiness he championed to keep "his" city nice for the tourists, and the "I don't want you to be fat so I will take away your transfats and try/fail to reduce your soda intake...for your OWN good, of course..." nanny tactics) that are somewhat authoritarian and put him in the "conservative Democrats" corner of the Big Tent on some issues. DeBlasio, hopefully, is the antidote to that.

No one is forcing Bloomberg to give this money, and he's not dictating how it is spent. I wouldn't be surprised if it's used to plus-up a lot of campaign coffers, and also used to blunt wingnut media buys in hotly contested races.

Will giving the money help to get him an appointment with anyone in our delegation? Hell yes--though just his name and his history down the years would get him that, as well. There's nothing wrong with being polite to people who help you.

That doesn't mean they'll do his bidding.

[former9thward]

8. I am one of the few not opposed to money in politics.

Money is what gets your message across in a nation this big and I have no problem with anybody giving anything as long as it is transparent.

But your examples are not good. What percent of Sanders' funding came from Clinton? What percent of Duckworth's funding came from Clinton? What percent of Senate Majority PAC came from Bloomberg? I don't know the answer to any of those questions but I'll bet the percentage is very low for Sanders and Duckworth. I'll bet that percent is far higher for Majority PAC.

But again, I don't care because I am not opposed to money in politics.

[MADem]

9. You do understand that HILLPAC raised MILLIONS for Senate candidates?

MILLIONS?

And you do realize that Bloomberg's money is also going to a PAC, and that cash will be dispensed in dribs and drabs (like ten grand to every incumbent running, or thereabouts?) and then the lion's share used as the PAC managers might like, for needed media buys?

So...who is he gonna "own" and how is he gonna "own" them, anymore than HRC or any other politician with a PAC will "own" someone?

My example is just fine. Instead of managing his own PAC--which he could do, and then he'd be able to "influence" those to whom he makes donations--he's given over the money to the majority leader, to stuff in a PAC, which a committee will distribute--and Bloomberg is not on that committee. Frankly, HRC had more power over where "her" PAC money went than Bloomberg will have with regard to where his donation will go. He's given over the money for Dems to spend, and that is where his control over the money ends.

[Smarmie Doofus]

10. Oh jeezus not this again. What is it with you and Bloomberg?

>>>>Bloomberg, a native of Medford Massachusetts, has always been a Democrat. He is a choice-loving, social programs enthusiast who has a few distasteful leanings (like the whole stop-and-frisk nastiness he championed to keep "his" city nice for the tourists, and the "I don't want you to be fat so I will take away your transfats and try/fail to reduce your soda intake...for your OWN good, of course..." nanny tactics) that are somewhat authoritarian and put him in the "conservative Democrats" corner of the Big Tent on some issues. DeBlasio, hopefully, is the antidote to that.>>>>>

No. No. No. And furthermore, no. He's NOT a Democrat. He's a *Republican. He ran for the *Republican* nomination for Mayor of NYC so that he could run AS A *REPUBLICAN* against the nominees of our Democratic Party. THREE TIMES! There just so much wrong with your information and so much wrong with your "logic" that I refuse to take on the onus of yet again explaining the history of the world as it applies to Michael Bloomberg .... and his *weirdly* persistent supporters who CLAIM to be Democrats. ( So really: what is that all about? C'mon. You can tell me.) Maybe it would help matters if you lived here.

I'll defer to the Wraith in this case. I no longer have the energy:

>>>It's come to my attention that some people here don't know Mike Bloomberg.

And are perhaps under the mistaken impression that he actually backs up the things he claims to support, or in general governs like anything other than the conservative Republican that he is. Please allow me to educate you.

While mouthing support for gay marriage in New York State, Bloomberg was secretly donating hundreds of thousands of dollars to Republican State Senators and State Senate candidates who were universally opposed to gay marriage and pledged to block the bill.

While making noise about islamophobia and supporting Park 51, Bloomberg had the NYPD conducting some of the broadest and most dubiously legal racial profiling in the country, including illegal surveillance of mosques, community centers, and similar venues, surveillance justified solely on the fact that the targets were arabs, muslims, or both.

Bloomberg was a strong and early supporter of invading Iraq, saying that "Don't forget that the war started not very many blocks from here," referring to the World Trade Center, and also a strong supporter of reelecting Bush in 2004. Years later when the Democrats pressed for a timetable for withdrawal, Bloomberg called the Democrats "irresponsible" for doing so.

Bloomberg pursues a strict "two class" system for personal safety in NYC, where the wealthy and well connected are provided with handguns and armed personal security while anyone without wealth is prohibited from even buying pepper spray.

When Bloomberg decided he wanted a third term as mayor, despite the term limit law which had been approved not once but TWICE by New York City voters, he bribed members of the City Council by offering to personally bankroll their own reelection campaigns if they would vote to overturn that law, which they did.

During the subsequent campaign, just like his previous campaign, Bloomberg repeatedly and massively violated NYC campaign finance laws, because he knew he could get away with it, and the fines meant nothing to him. That included outspending his Democratic rival in 2009 by a margin of five to one, with Bloomberg dropping more than $100 million dollars--not counting positive coverage from his personal company, Bloomberg News--to buy the election, which he won by 4% of the vote.

When he wanted the Independence Party ballot line in that election--the Independence Party being synonymous in New York politics with gamesmanship, ballot manipulation, and usually corruption--Bloomberg "donated" $1.2 million dollars to the Independence Party, and in return they gave him an extra line on the ballot, in addition to the Republican and Conservative Party nominations he already had.

Bloomberg has repeatedly defended police shootings involving unarmed people as being the fault of the civilian who was killed, even including children; Meanwhile, a dozen NYPD officers have been convicted of purchasing machine guns through the NYPD--highly illegal for anyone other than the police to own--and selling them on the black market for years, a case Bloomberg has refused to acknowledge even exists.

Bloomberg has had a continually adversarial relationship with city worker unions, including having prompted one strike and almost prompted another, as well as suggesting that the city didn't need transit workers anyway.

Bloomberg supports heavily reducing the corporate tax rate, including having made a deal with Goldman Sachs to give them $1.65 billion in tax breaks to stay in New York City.

Bloomberg also supports a federal database to track the DNA and fingerprints of every citizen.

So please, don't tell me that Mike Bloomberg is a liberal because he's pro-choice and gave teachers a pay raise, or because he mouthed support for something while undermining it with his actions. He's not.

http://election.democraticunderground.com/1002337405
7

[MADem]

11. Wow, that was long. And I am not insisting he's a "liberal." Not sure where you're getting that.

But he is much more of a Democrat (albeit a conservative one in some specific areas) than he ever was a Republican--he used to be a registered Democrat, and now he's an "Independent" who gives millions to Democratic PACS. So whatever. I also don't understand your "What is this with you and Bloomberg?" schtick. Why do you have a need to get personal? I don't think I've devoted an excessive number of posts to the guy. This thread IS about him, he is from my state originally, I know a bit about his past, and I don't regard him as a caricature. I think he is a complex individual, with some good aspects, and some not so good.


Bloomberg ran as a Republican solely to avoid the Democratic primary. He didn't want to debate a bunch of opponents, he wanted to debate one. He also knew full well that with a Republican administration in DC, life was easier for him on that side of the fence.

Everyone knows this.

He switched to independent as soon as he decently could, right around the time when GWB was unpopular and really stinking up the room, and Dumbya's power had eroded sufficiently while MB's had coalesced.

And he was an INDEPENDENT when he ran for office the last time.

This is a matter of record.

A Democrat before seeking elective office, Bloomberg switched his party registration in 2001 to run for mayor as a Republican. He defeated opponent Mark Green in a close election held just weeks after the September 11 terrorist attacks. Bloomberg won a second term in 2005 and left the Republican Party two years later.[5] He campaigned to change the city's term limits law and was elected to his third term in 2009 as an independent candidate on the Republican ballot line.

I am by no means suggesting that Bloomberg is some kind of saint (he's not), and he does have conservative leanings in very specific areas---but he's not a Republican. As I said, I find stop/frisk odious and I think he's wrong as hell on that score. However, the GOP wouldn't have him, because of his stances on a number of other issues. These days, anyone who is aggressively pro-choice, anti-gun, anti-death penalty, pro-teacher, favoring amnesty for immigrants, and who is a prodigious philanthropist is NOT a Republican, and I don't care what The Wraith insists. He may not be a terribly "progressive" or a "lefty" or "liberal" Democrat, but he's NOT a Republican. He doesn't agree with ANY of the touchstones of their platform and he endorsed Obama, not Romney, in 2012.

Bloomberg reports giving $254 million in 2009 to almost 1,400 nonprofit organizations, saying, "I am a big believer in giving it all away and have always said that the best financial planning ends with bouncing the check to the undertaker."[173]

He's a VERY rich guy who is a mixed bag. His views are shaped by a lot of things--his childhood, his cultural references, and, of course, his great wealth. He has a lot of money and he likes to spend it. If he wants to spend it on Democrats, that's fine with me! So, make of that what you will--but don't get personal. That's just not the way to have a conversation.

[Smarmie Doofus]

12. *Everybody* is a "mixed bag". To reiterate: he sought and received the Republican nomination ...

... for mayor THREE TIMES in order to run against the nominees of our DEM party.

I link here from the source YOU provided:

Mayor Michael Bloomberg will run as Republican in bid for third term
BY ELIZABETH BENJAMIN / DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER

SATURDAY, APRIL 11, 2009, 2:06 AM

Mayor Michael Bloomberg will run as Republican in bid for third term
BY ELIZABETH BENJAMIN / DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITER


Mayor Bloomberg will run for reelection as a Republican this fall, the Daily News has learned, after successfully courting the party to let him back on its ballot line two years after he left it.

"Mayor Bloomberg and I have had healthy disagreements over issues at times, but I know he is the right person to lead this city forward," said Jay Savino, chairman of the Bronx GOP, who followed his Brooklyn and Staten Island counterparts to become the third county chairman to back the mayor.

Bloomberg twice ran for mayor as a Republican, but quit the party in 2007 when he was contemplating an independent run for President. He is still a registered Independent, and thus needed permission from a majority of the five party chairmen to run on their line.

The mayor now gets access to the Republicans' prominent ballot line, a week after the Independence Party agreed to endorse him on their ballot line as well. Bloomberg's campaign team is continuing to pursue endorsements from the Queens and Manhattan Republicans as well.

"We look forward to having a dialogue and engaging with all the Republican party chairs of New York City," said Matt Mahoney, a Republican operative on Bloomberg's campaign team. "We're very excited to have the Bronx on board, and we look forward to getting the support of the other two chairs."



Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/news/mayor-michael-bloomberg-run-republican-bid-term-article-1.360446#ixzz2pu8lD4Y3

[MADem]

13. RIF, now....!!! RIF!

He ran as an INDEPENDENT with access to both the GOP and INDEPENDENT ballot lines. The GOP didn't put up their own candidate. HE, though, was an independent.

The mayor now gets access to the Republicans' prominent ballot line, a week after the Independence Party agreed to endorse him on their ballot line as well.

So....whatever. Even Faux Snooze was able to figure it out...