Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire casino owner, is now the poster boy for what’s terribly wrong with our campaign-finance system. Adelson, you may recall, had, before the South Carolina Republican primary, donated $5 million to the pro-Gingrich Super Pac “Winning Our Future” – giving Newt a pile of money for negative advertising against Mitt Romney in South Carolina.
Adelson has done it again. He and his wife Marian have cut another $5 million check for Gingrich to go negative on Romney in Florida. The money won’t go as far as it did in South Carolina – TV ads cost a lot more in Florida – but it’s enough to give the Grinch a solid footing.
And, who knows? The Adelsons are billionaires. They might decide to put in another $5 million or perhaps $20 million into Gingrich’s Super Pac. The point is, there’s no limit.
Do you know who Sheldon and Marian Adelson are? Do you know what Gingrich has promised them, or what they think they’ll get out of a Grinch presidency? I don’t. But if Newt becomes President of the United States, they’ll be singularly responsible. And we better find out, because Newt will owe them big time.
Forget the Lincoln Bedroom. The Adelsons and their kids will have the run of the White House, including the Oval Office. Hey, they’ll take over the Old Executive Building next door and turn it into a casino.
Never before in the history of American politics has a single couple given more money to a single candidate and had a bigger impact – all courtesy of the Supreme Court and its grotesque decisions that speech is money and corporations are people under the First Amendment.
This post originally appeared at Robert Reich’s blog and is posted with permission.
5 Responses to “Who Is Sheldon Adelson and What Has Newt Promised Him?”
R D McBride • January 26th, 2012 at 12:45 am
Citizens United is absolutely the worst decision made by the SCOTUS since 1857 Dred Scott case.
overpopover • January 26th, 2012 at 8:02 pm
"Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire casino owner, is now the poster boy for what’s terribly wrong with our campaign-finance system"
Robert Reich, the liberal dwarf, is now the poster boy for what's terribly wrong with the Left. Does he really believe that Romney's backers, or even Romney alone can't find the money to counter Adelson's?
overpopover • January 26th, 2012 at 9:03 pm
"Sheldon Adelson, the billionaire casino owner, is now the poster boy for whats terribly wrong with our campaign-finance system"
Robert Reich would like us to believe that Romney's backers, or Romney alone, will be unable to match Adelson's money. Do you really believe such nonsense? It's obvious he can so Adelson can't buy the election.
As for those without money, the 99%, the founders never intended that they vote anyway.
kiers • January 31st, 2012 at 11:32 am
the contribution is NOT for gingrich to win the presidency…if THAT were the case, then the Adelson's would have never have made money in the first place (….a fool and their money…) by being reckless gamblers like that (everyone knows gingrich is unelectable, seriously, clinton still has his "file"!).
Instead, this is a shrewd "gimme" that will be more than recouped by
1) The media establishment, as Romney has to counter spend on ads.
2) Gingrich may (most certainly WILL) lobby on behalf of their interest in the casino industry in Florida. the genting group is already making inroads there (a competitor from Singapore and Macau).
There are IMMEDIATE paybacks. They are not taking a (long) punt, on Gingrich winning presidency (what a joke). This is more venal and more short term payback. Interests are fungible and rarely reported correctly in the media.
Spin Palace • February 7th, 2012 at 10:11 am
The time will come and these "donations" will have to be refunded
