Big Donors for Bernie?

[merrily]

We'll see.

Eric C. Jacobsen, a Los Angeles lawyer, did file with the FEC for a Super Pac to support Bernie, calling it Billionaires for Bernie. He had to change the name because a PAC cannot bear the name of the intended beneficiary. His goal was to get some big donations for Bernie.

Jacobson believes liberals’ general position against unlimited contributions in politics is limiting their ability to compete.

“I’m hoping to facilitate a level playing field where a billionaire of conscience can write a check … and I’m going to encourage them to do it,” Jacobson told the Loop. In his view, there are plenty of “well-heeled” liberals who should get in the big money game.

He’s on the hunt now for those billionaires. He already has one in mind, Ronda Stryker, a Michigan philanthropist. He doesn’t know where her allegiances are, but he knows she cares about progressive causes.

...

The Citizens United “decision is undermining American democracy. I do not believe that billionaires should be able to buy politicians,” he said on “Face the Nation” in May.

But Jacobson is not deterred (because Sanders wants to independent from big donors). It will be a “very unaffiliated effort,” he told us.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/news/powerpost/wp/2015/07/15/theres-a-new-super-pac-for-bernie-sanders-it-wants-billionaire-donors/

If Jacobsen can get wealthy people to write big checks on the clear understanding that they won't get anything different from liberal politicians than the rest of us get, I'm all for it.

[ChiciB1]

1. As I said At Another Post...

Yes, he needs all the money he can get... but delegates are another big problem!

[merrily]

2. Yes. He gets those from votes and getting votes costs money, which has to come from us.

It's all quite related.

Volunteer efforts also have to come from us, too.

[dreamnightwind]

3. Not sure how I feel about this

Is it possible for Bernie to stop it, or can he just do it anyway? It might undercut Bernie's message, I'm sure the centrists on this site are eagerly seeing this news and already writing all of those snarky "Bernie has Super Pac's just like Hillary" posts. So there is that.

More importantly, how does the linkage work between SuperPacs and policies the donors want? I mean in the usual situation, such as Hillary or Obama's campaigns. Does the linkage happen when a candidate solicits them for that money, or is the money just given to the Super Pacs and then the donor presents themselves to the campaign as an important donor in need of a stand on a particular position? This is an area I would like to know more about, probably should read a book on it, it's a really important part of our political process, and one that is literally destroying everything we love.

So to your last sentence, I agree with it, that's a big "if" though.

Awhile ago, at NYC_Skip's urging, I posted an OP about billionaires who support progressives, in theory to compile a list of such to use as a resource. I never felt comfortable with that, though it seemed ok to ferret out who is out there with huge wealth that has our interests in mind.

I've seen Bernie speak to this, once, a few weeks ago, don't have a link saved, it was one of the MSM interviews, possibly Meet The Press, and Bernie was quite proud of how well he's doing without big backers, but also indicated he's taking a look at this issue, and that in the future he may have to go there (he just hemmed and hawed, and said something about "so far" he hasn't done it). He's actually running to win, not just to make a point, so I can see how such a thing might be necessary, hopefully not, and if it is, hopefully there is some way to firewall the money away from any favors or policy linkage.

Hadn't heard of Jacobson or Stryker, thanks. Steyer came out for Hillary, as did pretty much all of the large Hollywood fortunes.

[merrily]

5. Push comes to shove, he can instruct his campaign to void the checks and return them.

Assuming there are checks.

I have not tried to check to see if anyone has actually donated to this PAC or not. Big donors tend to go with the candidate they feel has the best chance of winning because, yes, the typical donor does expect something. An ambassadorship here, a pardon there, a government loan here, etc.

I got the impression that Jacobson's dream/mission is to fund liberals in general, though starting with Bernie. I could be wrong. The PAC was initially named for Bernie, but quotes from Jacobsen in the article are about liberal candidates in general.

[libdem4life]

4. Could they call it a a Progressive PAC...we all know who that means. n/t