Following yesterday’s smack down of unions in Wisconsin, senior Obama campaign strategist David Axelrod had this to say to The New York Times:
“The fact that you’ve got a handful of self-interested billionaires who are trying to leverage their money across the country. Does that concern me? Of course that concerns me.”
Axelrod’s statement is astounding considering that the “self-interested billionaires who are trying to leverage their money across the country” strategy was invented by his own Party.
For anyone who has been hiding under a rock over the past few years, the book “The Blueprint” examines in great detail how “The Gang of Four” – four millionaires/billionaires including Pat Stryker, Rutt Bridges, Jared Polis, and Tim Gill – banded together to target, intimidate and unseat Republicans who didn’t advance the policy agenda (primarily gay rights) that suited the four. Of course, once the four realized that this was a winning formula, they took the show on the road to mixed results.
Rich people – check. Self-interested – check. Using money to influence elections and policy around the country – check.
Gee whiz – that sounds awfully familiar. In fact, for those on the left who would assert that Republicans are the party of big money, we submit to you this excerpt from “The Blueprint”:
“Of the $3.6 million raised by the Roundtable's 527s, nearly $2.5 million — more than two-thirds — came from those four donors alone. By contrast, in 2004, the Republican House and Senate 527s (there was no separate field organization) raised a combined total of $845,000 — all told, less than Stryker's individual contribution to the other side.”
Of course, if Axelrod meant that he is concerned because Republicans are finally leveling the political funding playing field, he’s probably justified in his concern. Payback is a b*tch.