There are many great money quotes. It can’t buy happiness. It can’t buy love. It’s like seawater – the more we drink the thirstier we become. It’s the root of all evil. But this week, money transformed a diminutive, unimpressive, unlikeable former mayor into an overnight star in the Democratic primary.
Reports suggest Michael Bloomberg, the former Republican-turned Independent-turned Democrat billionaire former mayor of New York has already spent ten times more than his next closest Democrat rival in the race for the party’s nomination, and he’s just getting warmed up.
Honestly, it’s hard to whip myself up over the trouble this party is having. It makes for fabulous entertainment for political geeks. Particularly Trump voters. Still, it’s extremely difficult from an honest American’s perspective to watch a major political party screw over their voters and continue to pick winners and losers as they see fit.
You already know the story of Bernie Sanders and Hillary Clinton. What’s stunning is the Democratic party knows it, too. Yet they don’t seem to care. They’re doing it again, but this time in a whole new hypocritical way. They’re using the superrich – a billionaire - the personification of everything they’ve always claimed to run against as their new mascot.
“The party of the little guy” is now to be taken literally only.
Watching the daily news cycle as I’m paid to do, it’s been alarming just how swiftly "Operation Break Bernie" has been enacted by the Democrat party. More alarming and disgusting is the way in which most media simply bobbles their head along with the lie as though it’s real, naturally occurring political news and not the scam it really is.
Let’s go waaaay back in time to Friday, January 31st. That was the day the Democratic Party decided – seemingly out of nowhere – to change their debate qualification rules. What used to take a stringent requirement of a high number of individual donors plus top-tier popularity in an average of polls to compete in their debates was stricken overnight. No explanation.
The new rules did away with the individual donor requirements, paving the way for, lets say, a billionaire to self-fund his way to the debate stage while the other shlubs who’ve been glad-handing at state fairs and working phone banks had to drop out weeks ago because they couldn’t meet the old requirement no longer in place.
Just over a week later, the Iowa Caucus mysteriously couldn’t declare a winner. It would take days before the Democratic Chairman demanded a recanvassing to assure everyone the votes were counted properly (wink wink).
While we still don’t know who actually won – seriously, it’s not settled as this is published – anyone watching that night and the next day were told beyond a shadow of a doubt Mayor Pete won. “What an improbable night for Buttigieg!” Except that wasn’t true. In fact, its looking increasingly likely Sanders will win Iowa or it will be a dead-even tie.
But no matter, narrative set. All that mattered was Bernie not grab the first headline out of the first votes in the country. So, we were treated to, “Mayor Pete is surging! Off to New Hampshire!” Of course, Bernie won there, too. Was that the story to come out of the Granite State? Nope. It was “Look out for Amy Klobachar! She’s on the move! This is far from over! It’s gonna be a long primary!”
The last two weeks of “anybody but Bernie” game playing bought time for that aforementioned rule change hurdle to be cleared for our pocket-sized billionaire from New York. Now that he got the donor issue erased, all he would need is one poll to come out and put him in the top-tier of Democratic candidates among Democratic voters to qualify for the next debate. Are you ready for this? The poll came in! A miracle! He qualified!
Some ridiculously sampled poll of 500 self-identified Democrats or Independent Democrats answered a phone. We’ve no idea if they’re even likely voters. All we know is they supposedly had a pulse and vote Democratic. While Bernie was still their first choice by a lot, “shockingly” Mini Mike came in second.
The deceptive plan of Democrats’ and their wealthy elf friend came together beautifully. You no doubt saw it yourself this week. Every media outlet from sea to shining sea trumpeted the same breaking news. “Bloomberg Surges!” Just like that, we’re all being fed a steady diet of “Bloomberg’s the man to beat.”
Says who? Where is the hard evidence anyone wants this guy but the power brokers in the DNC? One poll puts him in a distant second place to Bernie and suddenly he’s the man to beat? He came from out of nowhere mere weeks ago!
Folks, we’re being taken for a ride. The DNC has been purchased and our news media is in the process of being purchased for the next several months. Never forget all of these “journalists” telling you Bloomberg is surging all work for media entities who’re cashing massive advertising checks from the little mayor. It benefits them all financially to convince you this gnome excites anyone.
Think of it - the party that’s built its brand on attacking the “obscene greed and wealth” of everyone from Mitt Romney to the Koch brothers – the party who derides the Citizens United ruling by the Supreme Court as “the sanctioning of limitless, dark, shadow money in our politics” has just allowed one of Americas wealthiest oligarchs to own them outright. So has the media.
Reminds me of my favorite money quote, of sorts. A joke from Winston Churchill.
Madam, would you sleep with me for five million pounds?"
The woman responds, "My goodness, Mr. Churchill. I suppose I would."
Churchill replies, "Would you sleep with me for five pounds?"
She answers, "Mr. Churchill, what kind of woman do you think I am?"
Churchill answers, "Madam, we've already established that. Now we are haggling about the price."