This is yet another twist to the what is in some ways effectively a new Constitution in the United States post 2010 – with unlimited (and sometimes anonymous) private money into elections for office…
Mayor Bloomberg has just picked a few issues and spends pocket change of his $20 billion to push competitive races over the line…. good causes perhaps… but the “one person one vote” thing is slipping even farther away…
Bloomberg Forming ‘Super PAC’ to Influence 2012 Races – NYTimes.com:
Bloomberg Starts ‘Super PAC,’ Seeking National Influence
Michael Appleton for The New York TimesMayor Michael R. Bloomberg at a news conference Wednesday. He expects to spend up to $15 million in highly competitive races.
By RAYMOND HERNANDEZ
Published: October 17, 2012
Seeking to reshape a national political debate he finds frustratingly superficial, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York is plunging into the 2012 campaign in its final weeks, creating his own “super PAC” to direct millions of dollars in donations to elect candidates from both parties who he believes will focus on problem solving.
Mr. Bloomberg, a billionaire and a registered independent, expects to spend from $10 million to $15 million of his money in highly competitive state, local and Congressional races. The money would be used to pay for a flurry of advertising on behalf of Republican, Democratic and independent candidates who support three of his biggest policy initiatives: legalizing same-sex marriage, enacting tougher gun laws and overhauling schools.
Among those whom Mr. Bloomberg will support are former Gov. Angus King, an independent running for the United States Senate in Maine; State Senator Gloria Negrete McLeod, who is challenging a fellow Democrat, Representative Joe Baca of California, who the mayor believes has been weak on gun-control; and Representative Bob Dold, a Republican from Illinois who has backed gun-control measures. (…)
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