Why is it healthy for American democracy to have an oligarch purchase the U.S. Presidency like a shiny, new yacht?
It is not healthy.
Bloomberg bankrolls a social-media army
481–490 of 553 posts
Re: Bloomberg bankrolls a social-media army
#482Earlier quoted context omitted.
Wikipedia had her at £600 million in 2016, so probably not a billionaire, but that's quibbling. I honestly don't think she did anything wrong, but I also think she got that rich because she wrote her books in a world built on exploitive systems. How much less would she have if every book shop employee, amazon employee, or factory worker in china making harry potter ephemera was paid fairly for their labour? More impo…
She was a billionaire. She isn't anymore due to a combination of $160 million and high taxes.
Oops – "$160 million in charitable donations" was what I meant
Re: Bloomberg bankrolls a social-media army
#483Earlier quoted context omitted.
Sorry, who's the billionaire other than Bloomberg?
Emoluments Clause be damned, he's cashing in more than just a book deal after this. Private dinners with the POTUS at Mar A Lago don't come cheap.
Emoluments case got thrown out the courts plus he donates 100% of his salary each year. His company’s net worth has dropped by at least 700 million when he became president. Meanwhile the previous president is now worth over 120 million and bought a $15 million mansion recently. Pelosi is worth $140 million while being a life time politician. Won’t comment further as I don’t want HN to turn into political flame war but I had to set the record straight because it sounds a lot like accuse opposition of what you are doing.
Re: Bloomberg bankrolls a social-media army
#484Earlier quoted context omitted.
Disclaimer; I am in no way supportive of Trump or most of his policies. However as an outsider (I'm not American), he actually seemed more on message and resonated more with his base than his opponent in 2016 so when Hillary became the nominee for the Democratic party I actually bet 100 NOK with my co-worker that Trump would win.
His message was definitely, in many ways, way more and more effectively populist than Hillary's. His wall's a great example: it's far-right from some perspectives, but from others it's what they've been speculating aloud (amongst themselves, with no public stage) as a "common-sense" solution for decades (source: been around plenty of that, for... decades). It's the definition of populism. Ditto trade issues. There's…
> His wall's a great example: it's far-right from some perspectives
I have no idea where people get this from. I am an Indian immigrant and India recently finished building their border fence/wall with Bangladesh. It works and helps reduce illegal crossing. Plus Obama, Chuck Schumer, Nancy Pelosi and other democrats are on video from back in 2000s and 2012 where they advocated for the exact same thing.
Simply labeling everything you disagree with as far-right is silly.
Re: Bloomberg bankrolls a social-media army
#485Earlier quoted context omitted.
Edit: at least point out why you're downvoting me, this is a straightforward answer to the question. -- - The wall - Fight against sanctuary cities, including now support for a bill that would allow relatives of murdered US citizens who were victims of aliens protected by Sanctuary laws, to sue those sanctuary cities. - Travel ban, which for me is a litmus test as to whether you are a "crazy leftist" by whether or no…
I'll bite. >- Travel ban, which for me is a litmus test as to whether you are a "crazy leftist" by whether or not you actually think it's a "muslim ban." Can you elaborate on this? While it's not a literal ban on muslims, it does disporportionately affect muslims. >- Bring back jobs to US What Trump policies can be attributed to this? AFAIK there a bunch of reports that a bunch of companies that "brough back" jobs we…
I will address one of the points as the other ones have been addressed by someone else already.
> But Mueller is a registered republican?
One thing you will notice is that a lot of Trump supporters hate both Democrats as well as many Republicans. Trump himself ran on attacking the Bush era. Remember his debate with Jeb Bush? Same with him hating on McCain (who gave the Steele Dossier to the FBI). That's why, Trump and a lot of his supporters dislike majority of dems but also many republicans.
Re: Bloomberg bankrolls a social-media army
#486Earlier quoted context omitted.
I'll bite. >- Travel ban, which for me is a litmus test as to whether you are a "crazy leftist" by whether or not you actually think it's a "muslim ban." Can you elaborate on this? While it's not a literal ban on muslims, it does disporportionately affect muslims. >- Bring back jobs to US What Trump policies can be attributed to this? AFAIK there a bunch of reports that a bunch of companies that "brough back" jobs we…
I really dislike that you are asking me to do your homework for you. But, > Can you elaborate on this? The countries are predominantly muslim but how does that make it a "muslim ban"? Are muslims still allowed from other countries? Yes. Are Christians from those banned countries allowed either? No. Seems straightforward then that it is not a muslim ban. The list of countries was composed by the Obama administration,…
> The countries are predominantly muslim but how does that make it a "muslim ban"?
Because a Muslim ban was what Trump said he was going to do, and he explicitly linked the policy in question as the fulfillment of that commitment?
https://www.cato.org/blog/dozen-times-trump-equated-travel-b...
Re: Bloomberg bankrolls a social-media army
#487Earlier quoted context omitted.
What is healthy, is that an American spent his money how he liked, the American media is free enough to have reported on it, American citizens are now well-informed enough to know that some of the folks they talk to online are paid, and the American election will be based on the interactions of a free people. He's not purchasing anything - as long as Americans care enough to be informed, he's blowing hot air that no…
Right the media is 'free' enough to report on it... Krystal Ball, Cenk, TYT, sure they HAVE talked about it, but the major netwroks like CNN and MSNBC? Not really, if they did he might not get so far, and then would stop literally throwing cash at them by buying ads. Public funding of elections needs to end, and Bloomberg is literally showing what's possible.
That's because TYT has a really smart lady host, you wouldn't find everyone reporting on it.
Re: Bloomberg bankrolls a social-media army
#488Here is what will happen : Bloomberg will be anointed the nominee. Trump will win again and the democratic party will blame russya to deflect blame.
Re: Bloomberg bankrolls a social-media army
#489Earlier quoted context omitted.
I really dislike that you are asking me to do your homework for you. But, > Can you elaborate on this? The countries are predominantly muslim but how does that make it a "muslim ban"? Are muslims still allowed from other countries? Yes. Are Christians from those banned countries allowed either? No. Seems straightforward then that it is not a muslim ban. The list of countries was composed by the Obama administration,…
> The countries are predominantly muslim but how does that make it a "muslim ban"? Because a Muslim ban was what Trump said he was going to do, and he explicitly linked the policy in question as the fulfillment of that commitment? https://www.cato.org/blog/dozen-times-trump-equated-travel-b...
Okay... but a perceived motive and characterization of something doesn't actually make it so.
Re: Bloomberg bankrolls a social-media army
#490Earlier quoted context omitted.
> The countries are predominantly muslim but how does that make it a "muslim ban"? Because a Muslim ban was what Trump said he was going to do, and he explicitly linked the policy in question as the fulfillment of that commitment? https://www.cato.org/blog/dozen-times-trump-equated-travel-b...
Okay... but a perceived motive and characterization of something doesn't actually make it so.
Announced intent + evident actual intent + major effect make it a reasonable description. Sure, it's not exact in a logically pure sense, but that's not how most descriptions of things in reality rather than analytical ideals are intended.