Facing a prospective tab of more than $1 billion to finance a general-election run for the White House, Donald Trump reversed course Wednesday and said he would actively raise money to ensure his campaign has the resources to compete with Hillary Clinton’s fundraising juggernaut.But surely this will be an army of Davids -- ordinary citizens making small contributions of their hard-earned pay. Right?
His campaign also is beginning to work with the Republican National Committee to set up a joint fundraising committee ....
Mr. Trump, who had largely self-financed his successful primary run, added that he would create a “world-class finance organization.” The campaign will tap his expansive personal Rolodex and a new base of supporters who aren’t on party rolls, two Trump advisers said....But ... but ... but just a week ago, in "A Liberal Case for Donald Trump," Salon #BernieOrBuster Walker Bragman assured us that Trump is the Republican Bernie Sanders, and that Trump's election will cause the plutocracy to tremble!
Several wealthy donors have already said they would back him if he became the nominee, and billionaire Home Depot Inc. co-founder Ken Langone said Wednesday he was “all in” for Mr. Trump. In addition, the candidate has said his wealthy friends are prepared to cut checks.
The super PAC backing Mr. Trump, meanwhile, is also seeking to ramp up its fundraising operation. Eric Beach, Great America PAC’s fundraiser, said super PAC officials have received about 75 calls, mostly from donors, since Mr. Cruz exited the race Tuesday evening. The group plans to add dozens of staffers and announce new members of its finance committee in the next weeks.
Like Sanders, Trump is neither beholden to special interests, nor coordinating with a Super PAC. This alone sets him apart from the other candidates in the race -- especially Hillary Clinton. If he wins the presidency, it will send shock waves through our political system, much like what would happen if Bernie were elected....And now, even if Trump wins, that won't happen! I'm crestfallen!
Trump’s candidacy is further served by the fact that we do not have publicly financed elections, and by our corporate, ratings-obsessed mainstream media. He has a personality for prime time, and enough money to run himself in spite of the powers lined up against him....
Excusing the fact that Trump, himself, is a corporate interest, he would shake the current system to its core -- which needs to happen.
This really is the day America lost its innocence.
5 comments:
Would that be the same Walker Bragman who, in the same article, decried the Supreme Court nomination of Eric Garland?
Yeah, I thought so.
How someone that stupid even remembers to breathe is beyond me.
Yup, although Salon has corrected the name now.
Typos and misspellings are one thing, but if you think Merrick Garland's name is Eric, you're just proving that you don't read and you get all your information from TV. Nobody who'd ever read "Merrick" would misspell it as "Eric."
Tom and Steve, both of you are obviously corporate shills under the sway of Big Spelling.
Long live the Revloltution!
I recall reading of clear signals to this same effect - that Trump would be seeking billions in outside funding for the general if and when he was to secure the Republican nomination - going back to February.
IMO it's important to bear in mind that, while Trump is a narcissist, a misogynist and a racist, a "pathological liar", a cheat, and a bully, he's not dysfunctional and he's not completely lacking in self-awareness. He's not likely to delude himself into making critical decisions that reflect any delusion that he's likely to win the general election.
To me, that means he's got a huge incentive to act in ways that protect what he's 'achieved' here - that is, he's managed to put himself in a position that amounts to something like ownership of the RNC. Everything we know about him suggests he will see this as a for-profit venture, and act accordingly. I expect him to attempt to extract the full amount (and more) of his 'investment' to date in getting to this point, and to make the highest possible demands on the party apparatus and on the party's donor class in order to give up his 'ownership' claim.
Walker Bragman asserts that Trump opposed the Iraq war, and I have to agree with him. After all, Trump now claims that he opposed the war, and I'm sure Bragman will agree with me that it's inconceivable that Trump would tell a lie to advance his political career.
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