The stunning irrelevance of wing-nut billionaires: Why Bernie’s riding high while the Koch Brothers

[applegrove]

The stunning irrelevance of wing-nut billionaires: Why Bernie’s riding high while the Koch Brothers collapse

by Gary Legum at Salon

http://www.salon.com/2016/01/15/the_stunning_irrelevance_of_wing_nut_billionaires_why_bernies_riding_high_while_the_koch_brothers_collapse/

"SNIP.............


Let us pour one out for the poor millionaires and billionaires bemoaning the lousy returns they are getting on their investments in presidential candidates this election cycle. This week The Hill ran a story entitled “Upset Republican donors: Have we wasted our money?” I dunno, fellas. Did you spend it on several million Powerball tickets?

The thrust of the story is that despite all the money wealthy Republican businesspeople have shoveled into super PACs supporting their chosen candidates, many of said candidates are lagging in the polls or dropped out of the race early. Right to Rise USA, the super PAC supporting Jeb Bush, infamously raised $103 million by the middle of last summer in large part because Bush was considered a near shoe-in for the nomination by much of the GOP’s moneyed class.

But Bush has run a particularly sodden campaign that has left him languishing at around five percent in the national polls, far behind Donald Trump and Ted Cruz. Meanwhile, that $103 million is being funneled into making some of the most insipid, childish and worthless television ads since toy companies discovered Saturday morning cartoons. His opponents have not done much better. This has been particularly galling to anyone throwing money at the so-called establishment candidates, who for all the money spent on them so far, are currently fighting to see who can finish a distant third in Iowa and New Hampshire.

.......

Nine hundred million dollars – the amount the Kochs expect to spend trying to influence this year’s election – sure doesn’t buy what it used to. It’s as if the conservative political network of think tanks, nonprofits, publications and other assorted ephemera is just a giant grift designed to suck money out of donor pockets so people like Jonah Goldberg or Bill Kristol can have a publishing platform.

...............SNIP"

[applegrove]

1. Poor them. They are getting exploited for all their wealth and desires.

[guillaumeb]

2. Recommended. They can buy politicians but buying votes and enthusiasm is much harder.