Sanders will refuse Bloomberg's help if nominated

[RandySF]

Jeff Weaver, campaign manager for Bernie Sanders was interviewed by Brooke Baldwin on CNN:

BALDWIN: If Senator Sanders ends up being the nominee — and we know Mike Bloomberg has pledged to donate as much as one billion dollars in an effort to defeat President Trump — would you accept his money?

WEAVER: No.


https://politicalwire.com/2020/02/17/exchange-of-the-day-130/

[Me.]

1. Somehow I Don't Think This Will Be An Issue

[whathehell]

14. Somehow, I think that's wishful thinking.

[Me.]

21. Somehow I Don't Think So

[whathehell]

71. Somehow I do

[Me.]

81. You Are Entitled

Just as I am to be correct...

[whathehell]

88. Lol .

Keep tryin'.

[Me.]

90. When One Is Already Correct, The Goal Is Achieved

[Cha]

91. ..

!!

[Me.]

92. :)

[Wellstone ruled]

24. So agree.

For a Guy who has spent 40 years plus in DC,nah,not going there.

[brush]

57. Because Sanders won't be the nominee? I hope that's your reasoning. Otherwise such a refusal...

will contribute to an even bigger Sanders loss. How silly can you get to refuse a billionaire's help—help that the billionaire hasn't even offered? Sounds like nothing but pure pandering to the anti-Bloomberg crowd to me.

Beating trump is the most important thing, not some purity foolishness.

[Me.]

79. That Is Exactly THe Reasoning

Such arrogance, no one who really wants to be president would refise help from a billionaire, that is if you were really concerned for the country.

[LongtimeAZDem]

2. So Sanders doesn't want to win. He should drop out.

[patricia92243]

49. Sometimes people like to run but not actually win.

[totodeinhere]

89. No he wants to win but he also has principles. I know that's very rare among today's politicians.

n/t

[RandySF]

8. I'm happy for you if you can withstand another four years of Trump.

I don’t have that luxury.

[we can do it]

45. Thank you. Enough of the vanity BS.

It’s life or death for many.

[gollygee]

19. His principles are going to stick us with Trump and McConnell for another 4 years

I wonder how many more SCOTUS seats they'll get?

You're only willing to see that happen if you know you'll be OK. As RandySF said, not everybody will be OK.

[Hoyt]

22. Then, why does he promise things he knows he can't deliver?

[OilemFirchen]

26. And, unlike Senator Sanders,

they're quite flexible.

[stopbush]

47. Oh, please. Sanders will refuse direct funding of his campaign but will be more than happy

that Bloomberg continues to run non-Sanders-specific anti-tRump ads.

Sanders gets it both ways.

[Zolorp]

58. You could hve fooled me.

I doubt there is a principled bone in his body.

[Butterflylady]

61. Yeah

And he passed them on to his supporters.

[CalFione]

4. Politically stupid

Removing Trump is goal #1, #2, #3, and #4.

Allowing and encouraging Mike Bloomberg to spend $1 billion to take down Trump and elect Democrats up and down the ballot is a no-brainer.


Makes me question Bernie's judgment and wonder if he really wants to win.

[gollygee]

20. Very much so

I dislike Bernie more and more every day.

[brush]

84. Agreed 100%

[Vivienne235729]

94. I have zero tolerance for this type of ego. Bernie needs to check himself.

[Voltaire2]

5. The campaign has made it clear that it will only accept individual donations

Those are limited to 2500.00.

Mike can go help elect the Senate candidates he helped defeat last time.

[W_HAMILTON]

28. They are limited to $2,800.

And why does Sanders and his people shit on everyone else playing by the same rules that he has set for himself? Buttigieg hasn't taken more than $2,800 from an individual. Neither has Biden. Nor Warren. Nor Bloomberg, actually.

[Voltaire2]

32. Sorry, 2800. Uh the problem is PACs and other funding sources.

Biden and Buttigieg are getting help from outside money sources in addition to individual donars.

[W_HAMILTON]

44. That's an absolute fucking lie.

[former9thward]

59. Is it?

Joe Biden ally formally launches super PAC

Washington (CNN)An ally of Democratic presidential candidate Joe Biden has formally launched an outside group to help the former vice president navigate the primary and defend against attacks from President Donald Trump.

Larry Rasky, a former campaign aide to Biden, is listed as treasurer of the newly renamed super PAC, dubbed Unite the Country, according to a filing with the Federal Election Commission.
The move comes just days after Biden's campaign signaled it had dropped its objections to financial help from a super PAC, which can raise and spend unlimited amounts but must operate independently of the candidate it supports.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/10/29/politics/joe-biden-ally-launches-super-pac/index.html

Buttigieg rises in New Hampshire polls amid support from hybrid PAC

In the increasingly competitive Democratic primaries, Pete Buttigieg is being accused by his opponents of using weak campaign finance laws to coordinate with outside groups to boost his presence ahead of Tuesday’s New Hampshire primaries.

While several frontrunning Democratic presidential candidates earlier distanced themselves from outside spending, many have since softened their stances as the primaries neared. Multiple groups spent almost $900,000 supporting Sen. Bernie Sanders’ (I-Vt.) while over $6.6 million was spent backing former Vice President Joe Biden.

Buttigieg, the former mayor of South Bend, Ind., never refused super PAC endorsements, but a recent tweet from an adviser is facing flak for allegedly signalling the super PAC VoteVets, which endorsed the veteran, to advertise more on Buttigieg’s behalf.

https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2020/02/buttigieg-outside-group-new-hampshire-votevets/

[W_HAMILTON]

68. Yes, it most certainly is an absolute fucking lie.

And the fact that Sanders supporters apparently can't comprehend campaign finance laws doesn't change that fact.

Super PACs can't contribute to candidates, therefore, no, neither Biden nor Buttigieg has received a damn penny from Super PAC funding.

There are outside groups that have spent money to promote certain candidates, yes, but guess what? Sanders has had the same support from similar groups, not to mention Sanders actually has created his own dark money organization (Our Revolution) and has had his people go back and forth between his campaign and that organization (e.g., Nina Turner).

Fact is, if you are going after Biden and Buttigieg for receiving support from these types of groups, guess you better include Sanders in that criticism as well, especially given the fact that he has specifically created his own version to boost his candidacy.

[Squinch]

76. Well done.

[Voltaire2]

86. Lulzd.

[TexasTowelie]

54. So is Bernie.

[Squinch]

75. So is BS.

[lapucelle]

83. Shadow group provides Sanders super PAC support he scorns

WASHINGTON (AP) — Bernie Sanders says he doesn’t want a super PAC. Instead, he has Our Revolution, a nonprofit political organization he founded that functions much the same as one.

Like a super PAC, which is shorthand for super political action committee, Our Revolution can raise unlimited sums from wealthy patrons that dwarf the limits faced by candidates and conventional PACs. Unlike a super PAC, however, the group doesn’t have to disclose its donors — a stream of revenue commonly referred to as “dark money.”

snip==================================================================

“The phenomenon of candidates using nonprofits to supplement their campaigns is a real problem,” said Adav Noti, a former FEC attorney who is now with the nonpartisan Campaign Legal Center in Washington. “This is a creation of Citizens United and the fact that the FEC won’t crack down on coordination between these outside groups and candidates.”

https://apnews.com/345bbd1af529cfb1e41305fa3ab1e604

*****************************************************************************************

Watchdog files FEC complaint against pro-Sanders nonprofit

WASHINGTON (AP) — The watchdog group Common Cause filed a complaint with the Federal Election Commission on Wednesday, alleging that Our Revolution, a political nonprofit organization founded by Bernie Sanders, violated campaign finance law by accepting donations in excess of federal limits while boosting his White House ambitions.

The complaint comes after The Associated Press reported earlier this month about the donations.

snip===================================================================

The campaign finance act says groups established by federal officeholders or candidates cannot raise money for federal electoral activity that exceeds the limitations of the law. Those contributions are currently set at $2,800 for candidates and $5,000 for political action committees.

Our Revolution has taken in nearly $1 million from donors whose contributions exceeded those limits and whose identities it hasn’t fully disclosed, according to tax filings for 2016, 2017 and 2018. Much of it came from donors who contributed six-figure sums.

The group has paid for some social media ads backing Sanders’ campaign and is working to turn out voters who will support the senator in the Democratic presidential primary. The group will not have to disclose its 2020 spending until after the election.

https://apnews.com/cd7a58676b6fc8cbe2f9783f469d0bee

[Cha]

93. Thank you for Enlightening the post!

[lapucelle]

97. The dark money group that BS founded accepted numerous six figure checks

from donors that the dark money group refuses to disclose.

No one should be getting a pass on this kind of post-Citizens United gaming/abuse of campaign finance laws.

[George II]

69. Except that he willingly accepts the help of Super PACs. Not directly but in parallel.

[Cha]

6. lol..

[DanTex]

7. Bernie can't by law accept more than $2800 from Bloomberg. Nor can anyone else.

If Bloomberg wants to keep running attack ads against Trump, he can go right ahead.

[CalFione]

38. Weaver said they wouldn't want Bloomberg's help that way either

[sheshe2]

40. Interesting that you would say that.

Some, most of us have been saying that all along and shouted down. Bs himself claims it is the Big corporations funding the race, all those millionaires and billionaires. We have explained over and over that no can contribute more than 2800...yet are told BS only gets his money from the little guys at 27 dollars a pop.

So the secretaries, gofers and janitors at Goldman Sacks are part of the problem.

[DanTex]

60. Why? Each rich donor can only contribute 2800.

You hold an event with 1000 rich donors, you raise 2.8 million.

Bernie doesn't do this big fundraisers with wealthy donors. Big difference.

[silverweb]

9. LOL

[zackymilly]

10. Weaver says no, but did he clear it with Bernie?

[Cal Carpenter]

11. Unless I'm mistaken Bloomberg would only be able to donate a few grand

directly to Bernie's campaign (or whichever candidate wins) anyway, right?

He can still spend a billion on anti-Trump ads if he is sincere in his pledge.

[RandySF]

13. I think that was the point.

[UniteFightBack]

12. Along with calling yourself a 'Socialist'....DISQUALIFYING !!!

ahhhh that felt good.

[Tom Rinaldo]

15. Neither Sanders nor any other Democratic Candidate has any say in what an independent SuperPAC funds

Bloomberg would not be hampered in the slightest from spending 10 billion dollars in 2020 fighting Trump and what he stands for no matter who we nominate for President

[Turin_C3PO]

16. That's dumb.

I dislike Bloomberg but if he can help us in the GE, then more power to him.

[Liberty Belle]

17. Bloomberg can run independent expenditure ads targeting Trump, or backing Bernie.

That's a good idea - let the Dem candidate stay pure, not looking like they're bought by a billionaire, but a PAC can run whatever they want.

[Kurt V.]

18. i would expect no less.

[videohead5]

23. But Bernie will need that money

To defend himself from all of those old tapes of Bernie talking about how great the Soviet Union was if he gets the nomination.

[Squinch]

25. Wow. Isn't he going to be virtuous as he goes down in flames.

[rzemanfl]

31. Like the Divine Wind for those who remember. n/t

[Squinch]

37. Without the finesse.

[gollygee]

74. Let's just hope he doesn't take everyone else down in flames with him

He knows he'll get speaking engagements and be fine no matter what happens Meanwhile, on the border, we have children in cages.

[W_HAMILTON]

27. More reason not to nominate Sanders.

He is literally handicapping the party.

It is self-serving since he personally benefits from the party failing -- after all, look at all the benefits he has reaped from not having the Democrat win the presidency.

[Quixote1818]

29. He would be a hypocrite otherwise. Nt

[rzemanfl]

33. Not a hypocrite vs. Orange Nazi Lying Motherfucker.

Place your bets.

[Squinch]

39. LOL! But his superpac is OK, though.

[33taw]

30. If Bloomberg does not get the nominee, he will help fund down ballot candidates.

[Moderateguy]

34. That was a non-question

Since no candidate can accept more than around $3k from a single person. Bloomberg will fund a Super Pac with the money to attack Trump.

[OKNancy]

35. It's easy to act like you are all full of principal and all

but this is so misleading.
Bloomberg would support the candidate as a PAC would. He and his ads or help would be completely independent of our candidate.
Any donations would be to other PACs or Democratic support groups.

[George II]

43. Thankfully that's something that Bloomberg or us will ever have to worry about.

[BusyBeingBest]

36. That's his choice, it's consistent at least.

[George II]

41. Rather presumptuous to think that Bloomberg WOULD help him, or more so that he'll be nominated.

[thesquanderer]

46. Bloomberg has said he will help whoever the Dem nominee is beat Trump,

if he's not the nominee. "Whoever" would include Sanders.

[George II]

70. Yes, he said he will help the NOMINEE, and he will.

[thesquanderer]

72. It is not impossible that the NOMINEE will be Sanders. n/t

[at140]

53. Bloomberg already said he would spend $$$ for ANY dem nominee...eom

[defacto7]

42. That won't stop him from working against tRump.

He could also promote Sanders on his own without donating it. It's his money, his business. In other words I don't think Bloomberg would care one way or the other.

[LeftTurn3623]

48. Good for Bernie

But that doesn’t stop Bloomberg from doing it anyways

[Quixote1818]

56. Exactly nt

[rwheeler31]

50. What an unbelievably stupid thing to say.

He will take money from anyone? There has not been enough scrutiny on where his money is coming from.

[brush]

87. Absolutely. Such poor judgment should be disqualifing.

[at140]

51. Smart move Bernie, avoid strings attached

which come with every business donation.

[TheCowsCameHome]

52. Not to worry, Bernie.

You can rest easy and run again in VT.

[samnsara]

55. good god why not????

[redqueen]

62. This doesn't even make sense. Bloomberg can donate $2800 same as anyone else.

What Bloomberg needs to do (and I expect he will based on his statements) is spend money on super PACs and down ballot races.

The media loves playing people for fools.

[Mike Nelson]

63. Did not see the interview, but...

... my next question would have been, "Will Senator Sanders support, endorse and campaign for Mike Bloomberg if he is chosen to be the Democratic nominee?" What would the answer be, considering the previous "no"?

[TheCowsCameHome]

64. Legitimate question.

I would guess "no"

[Mike Nelson]

65. I would also guess "no"

... seems logical.

[Aaron Pereira]

66. He doesn't need to accept Bloomberg's help.

Bloomberg pledged to donate up to a billion dollars to defeat Trump and if he's serious about that pledge he's free to attack Trump and help downticket Dems without mentioning Sanders or helping his campaign directly.

[mzmolly]

67. Foolish.

The election is not about Bernie- it’s about saving our Democracy.

[Fiendish Thingy]

73. Doesn't mean Bloomberg can't fill the airwaves with anti-Trump ads anyway

They just won’t have Bernie’s “I approve this message” tag on it (which is probably good, because then the ads could be as nasty as possible with less risk to Sanders)

[tulipsandroses]

78. As he should. It would be hypocritical of him to do so

That would go against everything he says he stands for.

[evertonfc]

80. dumb move

considering Trump will have 600 million waiting to pummel him. I bet he will blow our inboxes up begging for money. Sanders will get massacred in General

[Kaleva]

82. I'm sure Sanders wouldn't complain if Bloomberg independently put out anti-Trump/pro-Sanders ads

[BlueIdaho]

85. He has no choice in the matter.

If Bloomberg as a Private citizen decides he wants to blanket the airwaves with TV ads - there is absolutely nothing Sanders can do about it. By law Sanders cannot co-ordinate with any outside political group, PAC or citizen who is spending their own money on issue oriented ads.

[Gothmog]

95. This is a bad move and shows poor judgment

Trump will outspend sanders if he is the nominee by a large amount and down ballot candidates will suffer

I would hate to see Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy

[helpisontheway]

96. No worries..Bernie will just lose by a larger margin. Perhaps he can wrap the house/senate

up in a bow for Trump too. Then all the Bernie lovers will have to explain how we lost everything to that evil troll that resides in the White House in 2020.