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Bloomberg lures 2020 staff with fat paychecks, meals, iPhones

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Bloomberg lures 2020 staff with fat paychecks, meals, iPhones

Billionaire presidential long shot Michael Bloomberg is trying to poach staff from other campaigns with outsized salaries and fancy perks like three catered meals a day, an iPhone 11 and a MacBook Pro, according to sources.

Bloomberg is paying state press secretaries $10,000 a month, compared to the average going rate of $4,500 for other candidates and state political directors are making $12,000 a month, more than some senior campaign advisers earn, sources said.

National political director Carlos Sanchez pulls in $360,000 a year. Kellyanne Conway, Trump’s political director, made $240,000 in 2016.

NPR

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Bloomberg, Steyer Far Outspend Other Presidential Candidates : NPR

The candidates in the top 1% have accounted for about 78% of the ad spending in the presidential race so far, according to new numbers.

The two self-funding billionaires in the Democratic primary, former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg and activist business executive Tom Steyer, have spent the most by far — a combined $320 million, out of $409.8 million spent in the presidential contest up to Jan. 13.

If not for Sirhan Sirhan would Iowa really matter in the presidential race? 🌽

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If not for Sirhan Sirhan would Iowa really matter in the presidential race? 🌽

It’s always interesting how little quarks of history come to define our culture and legal institutions. The assassination of Robert Kennedy made the 1968 presidential election for the democrats particularly contentious when Hubert Humphrey was designated the candidate by the DNC delegates despite not running in a single primary – while Eugene McCarthy ran in most of the primaries and either beat or was a close second to Bobby Kennedy. A quark in state law made the Iowa caucuses first but none of that really matters until the age of the presidential primaries selection of delegates being key to selecting the nominee for president starting with George McGovern in 1972.

Don’t get me wrong, I think Iowa is a good state, with fantastic soils and dedicated farm families that work the land tirelessly to produce the second largest agriculture crop after California. Great deer hunting and trapping opportunities in that state, good laws for rural living with few gun restrictions or laws on open burning, but very expensive dirt that really yields and feeds a lot of cows and hogs for farm families. But still a very odd choice to decide who should be forerunner in the presidential race when so much of our country is urban today. 

I was hearing on NPR this morning at Bernie Sanders is leading the polls both in Iowa and New Hampshire

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I was hearing on NPR this morning at Bernie Sanders is leading the polls both in Iowa and New Hampshire … 👴🏻

I am quite fine with that, as while I am leaning towards Elizabeth Warren this cycle, I did vote for Bernie Sanders in 2016. He would be a good change, somebody to shake things up, bring forward new ideas, even if he suffers from the problem that most of the leading presidential candidates face — advanced age.

I am not against old people per se, but I think it’s time that our country move past the Vietnam era and the brashness of 1970s. The world is changing, and while experience counts, I do worry about the older generation not getting what concerns the youth of today. That said, I do think Bernie has a lot of refreshing new ideas, and he’s not stuck in the convention wisdom of the day. He’s a thoughtful person, and as the Senator from Vermont he has some experiences that a more an urban politician might not have.

I do like Elizabeth Warren a lot, mainly because she is a little younger, and a women. Our country could use a female president for a change, as a women’s perspective might be different then a man. Plus, I think we need somebody who is strong and willing to stick up against corporations and the pro-business consensus that has existed for too long. But also somebody willing to listen to scientists and economists, and understand what is right for our country based on the evidence.

I don’t have a lot of positive things to say about the incumbent, and I think it’s worthwhile to look at a change. But I wish there were more youthful candidates involved, more people willing to look at the evidence, more people willing to be a steady voice for change in our country moving forward.