Nonnie over at Hysterical Raisins has a great poster up today depicting the California gubernatorial slugfest between Jerry Brown and billionaire Meg Whitman.
In my original Queen Meg In Wonderland post three months ago, I noted that she had already donated some $71 million of her own money to her campaign. Nonnie provides an update on that amount by pointing to an article last week in the LA Times titled: Whitman sets U.S. record for candidate’s donation to campaign:
Smashing the record for the most money ever donated by a candidate in a political election, Republican Meg Whitman has written her gubernatorial campaign a $15-million check that brings her personal stake in the race to $119 million.
The new infusion pushed the billionaire candidate past the previous record holder: New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who spent $109 million on his 2009 reelection bid.
And that’s with another six weeks to go before the election, during which candidates typically spend the bulk of their ad budgets. I live in California and I can tell you we are already being carpet bombed by Meg Whitless’ ads. I might have to go tubeless for awhile.
Imagine how much human suffering could be alleviated with $120 million plus instead being used to bolster another billionaire’s ego. If she does win the governorship, she promises to take a meat axe to the state’s social safety net, guaranteeing even more suffering in a state with a 12.5% official unemployment rate.
Think I’ll have a bumper sticker made up that says:
Off With Their Heads—Vote Whitman.
Cause, uh – I’m just guessing now, of course – it’s actually being used for payoffs?
Love ya!
S
Somehow, the massive spending by billionaire candidates for public office never seems to really make a difference. Hmmmmm, wonder why?
$120 million for a political campaign is obscene. Of course there will be those who say that the money will be spent in the economy for signs, posters, employing campaign aids and workers, hotels, restaurants, and airlines. Somehow, the massive spending by billionaire candidates for public office never seems to really make a difference. Hmmmmm, wonder why?
thanks props! 😀
one of the things queen meg is going to do to promote employment is to fire thousands of state employees. maybe she needs to take some of her money and hire a logic coach. 🙄
Yeah, some 40,000 workers, or 25% of the state’s employees.
Maybe someone should ask already overworked and overstressed social workers trying to maintain a minimum level of food, medical, and housing support for the state’s millions of unemployed and disenfranchised how they feel about all those extra files being dumped in their laps.