When I read here the insinuations that every large donor to Hillary is a briber, I think the author of those words is either ignorant, a kid who has not lived a very sophisticated life, or has not had much personal contact with wealthy people. Let me explain:
I am a lawyer who, for over for over 43 years, has been litigating, mostly for the little guy, against the likes of Wall Street firms, investment and commercial banks, and giant, industrial conglomerates. I do not need to be told from someone’s second hand observations about their financial abuses, law breaking, anti trust and employment law violations, dirty tricks, and a host of other evils perpetrated due to greed, or for the sake of loss job security on the part of conspiring executives and managers who selfishly were willing to throw others under the bus to save their own comfortable perches. On the other hand, many of my clients and witnesses, including high level executives who either got screwed or were whistle blowers, came from the same industries as the people and companies that my law suits attacked. Moreover, many of my clients are in the 1%. Therefore while a large segment of my clients have been from the ranks of the poor or middle class, I have had the opportunity to get to know, on a close and personal basis, the good, the bad and the ugly among the highly paid participants in America’s business world.
When political candidates and their supporters demonize “Wall Street” and “Big Banks” as institutions, they make do indeed make many valid points in their criticism; but at the same time, they overlook ordinary people who happen to make millions of dollars each year, but neither are responsible for the wrongs that are properly decried, nor are they cynical monsters who have no interest in promoting progressive values. I can attest to the fact of highly paid executives working in big banks, Wall Street firms, investment and commercial banks, and giant, industrial conglomerates who share the same number of progressive views as you might find at a rally of liberals in their same age bracket. (Age is a dividing line because if you were not both a child and a parent, or been in a significant relationship where you learn about love, compromise and personal sacrifice, and if you have not mastered a job, all of of which takes years, life still has many valuable lessons ahead for you to learn.)
The people I am thinking of contributed to Obama and Hillary in 2008, and are now contributing as individuals to Hillary and Bernie. They also contribute to PACs and Super PACs that support liberal causes and candidates, both in presidential elections, and in local elections. (The centers of wealth are on the East and West coasts, and it is indisputable that that is where the strongest blue state voters reside. That is where some of America’s richest people reside too. In my neck of the woods, there are mostly rich people, and liberal Democrats have won every election in my political ward since 2008, at all levels. The same is true of pockets of wealth all over the country. In other words, voting records do not lie.)
Where they can, the people I am thinking of influence where their firms contribute also. What is their criteria? Who will be the best leader. They are not looking for who will be the best for them as individuals on taxes, or who will promote policies that might help their companies. They are parents who want their kids to have a good life, and recognize that a good life means not living on an isolated island, but rather living in a nation heading toward equal opportunities economically, and socially. They want to see Americans achieve justice. They believe “Black-Lives-Matter,” and respect science. They trust evolution and objective facts. They want governmental action and public policy to be based on secular factors that incorporate decency, morality and altruism, not what some modern-day, alleged prophet wants to shove down the throats of both believers and non-believers. They are confident in, and proud of their own achievements; and do not want their achievements diminished by having the deck stacked in their favor. They want gun control to protect their families from what guns inevitably do when they are allowed to be uncontrolled. The seek the elimination of the inequities in our justice system where on the one hand the “War on Drugs” means that people of color end up as prisoners at alarming rates, and on the other hand, courts are biased in favor of the big against the small. They were not happy when their families could afford medical care that was out of reach for millions of other Americans, and they understand why the minimum wage is good only when the wage is fair. They are optimistic and welcome migrants, but are not jingoistic — and are in favor of citizenship for undocumented families.
The list goes on.
I know this because in the hours I have spent with these men and women, I cannot refrain from talking politics. It is my hobby and my passion. These people are too smart to even consider seriously any Republican candidate. They understood that the Republican’s and Blue Dogs created the bottlenecks and roadblocks in Congress. They knew better than most that the Paul Krugman articles on the best post-crash solutions were wise, and that if we had invested in infrastructure and training, and if we had allotted money to save mortgage foreclosures, our economy would have rebounded quicker, and at a much more robust level.
This is not a new view. They understood how dangerous it would have been if Romney had been elected, and were scared to death of McCain. The gave Obama millions of dollars. In other words, they are as smart and enlightened as the members of our Daily Kos community. Tellingly, the people I am thinking of are fighting harder this time. They are terrified of Cruz, Trump, Rubio and the others in the *Clown Car*. Why? Because of the Supreme Court. They recall Bush v. Gore, and the Citizen’s United decisions. The are familiar with Thomas, Alito and Scalia. The do not want further erosion in Roe v. Wade. They work in their firms everyday with gay and transgender people, and want their rights expanded, not contracted. They do not want their kids reciting prayers in school or learning that Genesis and natural selection are on the same level.
The bottom line is that if the people I am thinking of donate large sums to Hillary or Bernie, they are doing it for the same reasons you would donate to Hillary or Bernie if you had their wealth (and may be doing it now if you actually do). They are like George Soros: The quid pro quo is that the country would suffer if a Republican was elected, and their investment of money in the campaign of a Democrat is likely to bring the payoff of a better country. From a personal standpoint, I am not reluctant to reveal that I have given substantial sums to Hillary based on my view that she is by far the best candidate running in 2016. However, if Bernie should win the nomination, I will be just as generous to his campaign in the general election as I would if Hillary had won the nomination.
As they say, sometimes a cigar is just a cigar. Sometimes big, rich firms give money to a candidate because the alternative would be a nightmare. Maybe some firms on Wall Street noticed that since Bill Clinton, the deficit, the economy and the stock market always does much better under a Democratic president. Maybe they noticed that science has advanced the study of extending our lives using fetal tissue. Maybe they observed Republican rule in states that are going broke and poisoning their children. Maybe it is because of their own children.
If someone is already rich, maybe getting more money is less important than saving the planet and our country.