The Washington Post’s recently published exposé on 10 “mega-donors” put Tom Steyer at the top of the list, yet he still rails against money in politics and uses his wealth to buy access
October 6, 2016
#1 Super PAC Spender Tom Steyer Calls Money “A Significant Threat To Our Democracy”
The Washington Post recently published an exposé on 10 “mega-donors” putting hundreds of millions of dollars into super PACs this cycle.
To no one’s surprise, Tom Steyer is #1:
And hedge fund founder Tom Steyer, who had given $38 million through August to groups working to mobilize young voters, Latinos and union members, said last month that he was putting in at least $15 million more.
Steyer, though, distinguishes himself from other big donors by making the incredible claim that he wants money out of politics:
In an interview with The Post, the billionaire environmentalist — who ranks as the biggest super PAC donor of the cycle so far — called Citizens United a “terrible decision.” And he said he agrees with those who believe “money is corrupting our politics.”
“I think it’s actually a significant threat to our democracy if our citizens don’t believe that our democracy is fair and it plays to special interests,” Steyer said.
Steyer fails to mention – or, perhaps, to realize – that he is a special interest.
Steyer experienced firsthand how his money bought him access to California’s legislators as they passed a greenhouse gas emissions law in August. Even his own friends suspect he’s up to something in his home state – most likely a gubernatorial run – “because of the spending.”
It’s not the first time Steyer has acted delusional about his big spending. Last month, he referred to himself as a David in a David and Goliath tale:
STEYER: I see this as a David and Goliath situation. They’ve always had so much more money. They’ve always been so capable of building influence around the country through money. Regardless of what I do, or what Democrats do, we’re gonna get outspent by a lot. That’s just a fact.
The response he received from the radio host who was interviewing him? “But you do have a billion-and-a-half dollars. That’s an interesting David.”