Billionaire Vows To Spend Big To Take Down Florida Governor Rick Scott
In a nationwide push to fight Republicans who deny the existence of man-made climate change, investor-turned-activist Tom Steyer has founded a Florida political committee, seeded it with $750,000 of his own money, and says he’ll spend far more to help Democrat Charlie Crist defeat Gov. Rick Scott.
Florida Democrats are buzzing about Steyer spending $10 million, which he won’t discuss. Republicans say the California Democrat is a phony environmentalist, but they nevertheless worry that his financial commitment could be real in Florida.
“It’s hard to look at the map of the United States and not understand that not only is Florida ground zero for climate [change], it’s the third most-populous state,” Steyer said in a sit-down interview Friday with the Miami Herald.
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72 responses to Billionaire Vows To Spend Big To Take Down Florida Governor Rick Scott
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Denise August 3rd, 2014 at 10:39
I love it! scitt needs to be brought down. It still perplexes me that Floridians deemed him qualified to be Governor.
Denise August 3rd, 2014 at 10:39
I love it! scitt needs to be brought down. It still perplexes me that Floridians deemed him qualified to be Governor.
Anomaly 100 August 3rd, 2014 at 10:57
Sic ’em!
Anomaly 100 August 3rd, 2014 at 10:57
Sic ’em!
Eric Trommater August 3rd, 2014 at 10:59
I am not a fan of wealthy individual donors being able to throw a race one way or the other by tossing in millions of dollars even when I agree with their principles and they are using it to take down a candidate I dislike as intensively as Scott. I realize this is a ‘fight fire with fire’ situation but it opens the door to undue influance no matter who the donor is and if we as a party end up beholden to a few wealthy benifactors instead of having a broad range of support we run the danger of becoming Republican-lite.
NW10 August 3rd, 2014 at 11:07
Thing is there is no such a thing as “Republican lite.” There are only Democrats, and Republicans. The modern day Republican Party is against any and all progress, as their four years of obstructionism has demonstrated. The Democrats are for progress, even if it’s incremental progress. There haven’t been any Democrats that could be construed as “Republican lite,” not even the blue dogs. No blue dog has cast a deciding vote against a progressive piece of legislation in the 110th or 111th Congresses, nor has any blue dog voted to block a progressive piece of legislation in the 110th or 111th Congresses. This whole notion of Democrats being “Republican lite” needs to go by the wayside if we’re going to defeat the Republicans, and I speak living in the right wing district of Colorado Springs in which we have a decent chance of finally unseating do-nothing Repub Doug Lamborn. People here don’t know “Repub lite,” they only know that Lamborn is a do nothing Republican, and his Democratic opponent is a retired AF general who actually wants to make progress.
Eric Trommater August 3rd, 2014 at 11:17
Charlie Crist is the definision of Rebublican-lite. He’s a guy who changed parties because he couldn’t get elected as a Republican and says all the right things to straddle the line Limousine Liberals buying influance in our party is a bad thing. Getting money out of politics is more important than any individual race. Politics is cyclical and you will always have times when one party or the other is in charge. There is no ticket where one party can continue to be in control forever and the key is to design laws so no matter who is in power their influance can’t be corrupted.
mea_mark August 3rd, 2014 at 11:09
I don’t mind being beholden to someone, as long as they are truly benevolent. If Steyer is fighting to stop the republican suicidal madness and wants to see the Earth and it’s environment remain habitable for life as we know it, more power to him, I say.
Eric Trommater August 3rd, 2014 at 11:20
By that same logic then ALEC and the other Koch brother projects are perfectly acceptable because the people taking that money agree with Koch brothers. Ask yourself this though, if this trend continues and that bill to finally get money out of politics finally comes to congress, how many benificiaries of these benevolant donors are going to be be able to stand up to them and cast the vote that reforms the system? It’s a slow road to corruption.
mea_mark August 3rd, 2014 at 11:51
I am all for getting money out of the system, but right now survival of life on this planet is more important. Dead with principals and ideals is still dead.
Eric Trommater August 3rd, 2014 at 20:57
An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind. Once we get into the bussiness of buying and selling elections who is to say who the top bidder will be? I personally thing the petroleum industry will be able to win a bidding war which will excacerbate the climate change and lead us to oligarchy as we wait for the ice caps to finish melting but we have no idea who will come out on top of such a proliferation. It will lead to a lot of corruption in the mean time and put America on a very dangerous path. This isn’t a principle it’s a simple law of political dynamics that goes back to Plato. The main goal of government is to rein in the influance of over mighty subject and if at any time the government becomes beholden to those subjects they have lost the right to exist because they are no longer acting in the best interest of the majority of their subjects.
Tammy Minton Haley August 3rd, 2014 at 21:04
we cannot fight the regressives and fix the issues at the same time…it’s one or the other, and i say get these cretins out of office, then we’ll work on the system…
Tammy Minton Haley August 3rd, 2014 at 21:05
yes, get the cretins out, then we’ll work on the system…otherwise, it’s 2 steps forward, 5 miles back…
Mainah August 3rd, 2014 at 12:09
I think that door has been open for a long time already. I think his point is, bizarrely enough, economical. Like he says, it is the third favored State. A lot of tourism. So, to me anyways, it’s about time someone in business understands that without a planet, one can’t have an economy. (or life above that of insects) At least he was upfront about it.
Tammy Minton Haley August 3rd, 2014 at 21:07
look, i’ve been asking “where the hell are OUR “koch brothers”? where’s OUR “sheldon adelson”? a million bucks from Bill Maher ain’t cutting it…”
Tammy Minton Haley August 3rd, 2014 at 21:09
and, that’s right–nothing “dark” about the money, either–upfront, and out-in-the-open!
Eric Trommater August 3rd, 2014 at 21:14
Yes, they are quite upfront about buying elected officials and have the whole Democratic party as a cheering section. At some point there comes a cost for everything. Just as no employer will hire you to do a job they can get done for free no one gives money to a politician with out expecting something in return.
Tammy Minton Haley August 3rd, 2014 at 21:24
i suppose you’re also one of those that votes a third-or fourth-party candidate, just to make a point…?
because, in this current political climate and the way things are–maybe not how we want them, but how things actually are–that’s an immature and selfish move…
we have ourselves to blame, as well–where the hell were progressives in 2010? or, better yet, where were progressives as we’ve slowly turned into what we are, for 30 years?
no, it’s too late to puff up our chests and be all “righteous”…it’s too late…
Eric Trommater August 3rd, 2014 at 21:36
No I have voted Democrat all my life (unlike Charley Crist who has been a Democrat for all of 2 years and only because he got butthurt when he lost the Senate nomination).
We will always lose elections. We will always win elections. The public is fickle and in a two party system power alternates between the two parties no matter what happens. Sometimes we benifit from that and sometimes we are it’s victims. Selling the party to the highest bidder won’t win us more elections. Having better ideas will. It’s as simple as that. The largest warchest can’t beat the best ideas. No matter how many ads get run it makes no difference if their product is crap.
Tammy Minton Haley August 5th, 2014 at 11:06
we can damn sure agree on that last line, love–…”…their product is crap…”… :)
Tammy Minton Haley August 5th, 2014 at 11:08
and, full disclosure, i HAVE been one of my so-called “immature and selfish voter” who wanted to “prove a point”…yeah…remember President Perot? yeah…that was me…
Eric Trommater August 3rd, 2014 at 21:12
Read John Fortescue “On the Governence of England” about the idea of white knight electoral bailouts. The only way such a system works is when it is in the interest of the donors to have a strong central governement. At present it is not so selling elections puts these oligarchs in direct compition with the executive branch with the prize of deregulation of their particular industry going to the highest bidder.
Tammy Minton Haley August 3rd, 2014 at 21:18
i get all that–i understand the danger of the big money…the problem, is it’s too late to have a philosophical discussion about it…we need to reverse the damage that’s been done, not fight against it…we are now in a position where we must fight fire with fire…we must harden our liberal hearts, and realize the regressives are out for blood–they are not reasonable…we get rid of the extremists, frickin’ pack a supreme court again, and fix the damn mess these extremists have wrought…
Eric Trommater August 3rd, 2014 at 21:28
Elections are cyclical. There has never been a Democracy with one party rule of all it’s branches of governement for more than 12 years at time unless major corruption or voter supression kept them in power. Also we can’t win at this game. There aren’t enough limosine liberals out there to buy every election. We need to have broad support from a larger number of people. Our ideas need to be better than theirs. We need to fight for public finacing of campaign so that even during those times we are out of power we can gurantee that the people holding office aren’t bought and paid for by the 1%.
Mainah August 4th, 2014 at 07:02
Well, I figure … it’s balance. 3:)
Eric Trommater August 3rd, 2014 at 21:22
Why do you think Charley Crist, a life long Republican who switched parties after his own party wouldn’t nominate him to the Senate, won the nomination of the Democrats for Florida’s Governor over life long liberals who vied for the job? The answer is simple. He could raise more money. Is that the future you want for our party, to be the play thing of the highest bidder?
Mainah August 4th, 2014 at 07:02
First, Florida isn’t a really good example. They aren’t liberal down there. That’ Bush country. But if the Dems in Florida elected them in their primary … then they chose. I’m an indie. I can’t vote in any primary. I will not join a side just for the privilege. To me, that stands against my principles.
As for raising money, what do you think the Koch backed “foundations” do? It is the present of our system, not our future. And it still winds up being voters who choose. Big money has been doing this in one form or another. Lobbyists, then former Congressional members become lobbyists … serious reform needs to be done.
Eric Trommater August 3rd, 2014 at 10:59
I am not a fan of wealthy individual donors being able to throw a race one way or the other by tossing in millions of dollars even when I agree with their principles and they are using it to take down a candidate I dislike as intensively as Scott. I realize this is a ‘fight fire with fire’ situation but it opens the door to undue influance no matter who the donor is and if we as a party end up beholden to a few wealthy benifactors instead of having a broad range of support we run the danger of becoming Republican-lite.
(((NW10,PATRIOT! ✓ᵛᵉʳᶦᶠᶦᵉᵈ))) August 3rd, 2014 at 11:07
Thing is there is no such a thing as “Republican lite.” There are only Democrats, and Republicans. The modern day Republican Party is against any and all progress, as their four years of obstructionism has demonstrated. The Democrats are for progress, even if it’s incremental progress. There haven’t been any Democrats that could be construed as “Republican lite,” not even the blue dogs. No blue dog has cast a deciding vote against a progressive piece of legislation in the 110th or 111th Congresses, nor has any blue dog voted to block a progressive piece of legislation in the 110th or 111th Congresses. This whole notion of Democrats being “Republican lite” needs to go by the wayside if we’re going to defeat the Republicans, and I speak living in the right wing district of Colorado Springs in which we have a decent chance of finally unseating do-nothing Repub Doug Lamborn. People here don’t know “Repub lite,” they only know that Lamborn is a do nothing Republican, and his Democratic opponent is a retired AF general who actually wants to make progress.
Eric Trommater August 3rd, 2014 at 11:17
Charlie Crist is proof of the phrase Rebublican-lite. He’s a guy who changed parties because he couldn’t get elected as a Republican and says all the right things to straddle the line. Limousine Liberals buying influance in our party is a bad thing. Getting money out of politics is more important than any individual race. Politics is cyclical and you will always have times when one party or the other is in charge. There is no ticket where one party can continue to be in control forever and the key is to design laws so no matter who is in power their influance can’t be corrupted.
mea_mark August 3rd, 2014 at 11:09
I don’t mind being beholden to someone, as long as they are truly benevolent. If Steyer is fighting to stop the republican suicidal madness and wants to see the Earth and it’s environment remain habitable for life as we know it, more power to him, I say.
Eric Trommater August 3rd, 2014 at 11:20
By that same logic then ALEC and the other Koch brother projects are perfectly acceptable because the people taking that money agree with the Koch brothers. Ask yourself this though, if this trend continues and that bill to finally get money out of politics finally comes to congress, how many benificiaries of these benevolant donors are going to be be able to stand up to them and cast the vote that reforms the system? It’s a slow road to corruption.
mea_mark August 3rd, 2014 at 11:51
I am all for getting money out of the system, but right now survival of life on this planet is more important. Dead with principals and ideals is still dead.
Eric Trommater August 3rd, 2014 at 20:57
An eye for an eye leaves the whole world blind. Once we get into the bussiness of buying and selling elections who is to say who the top bidder will be? I personally think the petroleum industry will be able to win a bidding war which will excacerbate the climate change and lead us to oligarchy as we wait for the ice caps to finish melting but we have no idea who will come out on top of such a proliferation. It will lead to a lot of corruption in the mean time and put America on a very dangerous path. This isn’t a principle it’s a simple law of political dynamics that goes back to Plato. The main goal of government is to rein in the influance of over mighty subjects and if at any time the government becomes beholden to those subjects they have lost the right to exist because they are no longer acting in the best interest of the majority of their subjects.
Tammy Minton Haley August 3rd, 2014 at 21:04
we cannot fight the regressives and fix the issues at the same time…it’s one or the other, and i say get these cretins out of office, then we’ll work on the system…
Tammy Minton Haley August 3rd, 2014 at 21:05
yes, get the cretins out, then we’ll work on the system…otherwise, it’s 2 steps forward, 5 miles back…
Mainah August 3rd, 2014 at 12:09
I think that door has been open for a long time already. I think his point is, bizarrely enough, economical. Like he says, it is the third favored State. A lot of tourism. So, to me anyways, it’s about time someone in business understands that without a planet, one can’t have an economy. (or life above that of insects) At least he was upfront about it.
Tammy Minton Haley August 3rd, 2014 at 21:07
look, i’ve been asking “where the hell are OUR “koch brothers”? where’s OUR “sheldon adelson”? a million bucks from Bill Maher ain’t cutting it…”
Tammy Minton Haley August 3rd, 2014 at 21:09
and, that’s right–nothing “dark” about the money, either–upfront, and out-in-the-open!
Eric Trommater August 3rd, 2014 at 21:14
Yes, they are quite upfront about buying elected officials and have the whole Democratic party as a cheering section. At some point there comes a cost for everything. Just as no employer will hire you to do a job they can get done for free no one gives money to a politician with out expecting something in return.
Tammy Minton Haley August 3rd, 2014 at 21:24
i suppose you’re also one of those that votes a third-or fourth-party candidate, just to make a point…?
because, in this current political climate and the way things are–maybe not how we want them, but how things actually are–that’s an immature and selfish move…
we have ourselves to blame, as well–where the hell were progressives in 2010? or, better yet, where were progressives as we’ve slowly turned into what we are, for 30 years?
no, it’s too late to puff up our chests and be all “righteous”…it’s too late…
Eric Trommater August 3rd, 2014 at 21:36
No I have voted Democrat all my life (unlike Charley Crist who has been a Democrat for all of 2 years and only because he got butthurt when he lost the Senate nomination).
We will always lose elections. We will always win elections. The public is fickle and in a two party system power alternates between the two parties no matter what happens. Sometimes we benifit from that and sometimes we are it’s victims. Selling the party to the highest bidder won’t win us more elections. Having better ideas will. It’s as simple as that. The largest warchest can’t beat the best ideas. No matter how many ads get run it makes no difference if their product is crap.
Tammy Minton Haley August 5th, 2014 at 11:06
we can damn sure agree on that last line, love–…”…their product is crap…”… :)
Tammy Minton Haley August 5th, 2014 at 11:08
and, full disclosure, i HAVE been one of my so-called “immature and selfish voters” who wanted to “prove a point”…yeah…remember President Perot? yeah…that was me…
Eric Trommater August 3rd, 2014 at 21:12
Read John Fortescue “On the Governence of England” about the idea of white knight electoral bailouts. The only way such a system works is when it is in the interest of the donors to have a strong central governement. At present it is not so selling elections puts these oligarchs in direct compition with the executive branch with the prize of deregulation of their particular industry going to the highest bidder.
Tammy Minton Haley August 3rd, 2014 at 21:18
i get all that–i understand the danger of the big money…the problem, is it’s too late to have a philosophical discussion about it…we need to reverse the damage that’s been done, not fight against it…we are now in a position where we must fight fire with fire…we must harden our liberal hearts, and realize the regressives are out for blood–they are not reasonable…we get rid of the extremists, frickin’ pack a supreme court again, and fix the damn mess these extremists have wrought…
Eric Trommater August 3rd, 2014 at 21:28
Elections are cyclical. There has never been a Democracy with one party rule of all it’s branches of governement for more than 12 years at time unless major corruption or voter supression kept them in power. Also we can’t win at this game. There aren’t enough rich liberals out there to buy every election. We need to have broad support from a larger number of people. Our ideas need to be better than theirs. We need to fight for public finacing of campaigns so that even during those times we are out of power we can gurantee that the people holding office aren’t bought and paid for by the 1%.
Mainah August 4th, 2014 at 07:02
Well, I figure … it’s balance. 3:)
Eric Trommater August 3rd, 2014 at 21:22
Why do you think Charley Crist, a life long Republican who switched parties after his own party wouldn’t nominate him to the Senate, won the nomination of the Democrats for Florida’s Governor over life long liberals who vied for the job? The answer is simple. He could raise more money. Is that the future you want for our party, to be the play thing of the highest bidder?
Mainah August 4th, 2014 at 07:02
First, Florida isn’t a really good example. They aren’t liberal down there. That’ Bush country. But if the Dems in Florida elected them in their primary … then they chose. I’m an indie. I can’t vote in any primary. I will not join a side just for the privilege. To me, that stands against my principles.
As for raising money, what do you think the Koch backed “foundations” do? It is the present of our system, not our future. And it still winds up being voters who choose. Big money has been doing this in one form or another. Lobbyists, then former Congressional members become lobbyists … serious reform needs to be done.
mmaynard119 August 3rd, 2014 at 14:12
Right now, it’s not working. Scott is ahead in most polls, probably due to the large amounts of money being poured in by the Koch Brothers and other right wing groups to the campaign of this blight on humanity. Steyer’s PAC better get busy in the next 75 days. Rassmussen – Scott 42% Crist 41%
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2014/florida/election_2014_florida_governor
Eric Trommater August 3rd, 2014 at 20:42
That’s Rasmussen. It’s actually a toss up or Crist with a slight lead.
mmaynard119 August 3rd, 2014 at 21:05
This is a summary of the various polling results.
http://elections.huffingtonpost.com/pollster/2014-florida-governor-scott-vs-crist
mmaynard119 August 3rd, 2014 at 21:07
The Survey USA results are the most interesting because their multiple polls show Crist surging.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2014/governor/fl/florida_governor_scott_vs_crist-3545.html
Eric Trommater August 3rd, 2014 at 21:07
I stand corrected. I was basing that on an outdated poll. Rasmussen always make me double check because they are always wrong lol.
mmaynard119 August 3rd, 2014 at 14:12
Right now, it’s not working. Scott is ahead in most polls, probably due to the large amounts of money being poured in by the Koch Brothers and other right wing groups to the campaign of this blight on humanity. Steyer’s PAC better get busy in the next 75 days. Rassmussen – Scott 42% Crist 41%
http://www.rasmussenreports.com/public_content/politics/elections/election_2014/florida/election_2014_florida_governor
Eric Trommater August 3rd, 2014 at 20:42
That’s Rasmussen. It’s actually a toss up or Crist with a slight lead.
mmaynard119 August 3rd, 2014 at 21:05
This is a summary of the various polling results.
http://elections.huffingtonpost.com/pollster/2014-florida-governor-scott-vs-crist
mmaynard119 August 3rd, 2014 at 21:07
The Survey USA results are the most interesting because their multiple polls show Crist surging.
http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2014/governor/fl/florida_governor_scott_vs_crist-3545.html
Eric Trommater August 3rd, 2014 at 21:07
I stand corrected. I was basing that on an outdated poll. Rasmussen always make me double check because they are always wrong lol.
fancypants August 3rd, 2014 at 17:33
Why not spend big $$$$
It worked for Eric cantor
fancypants August 3rd, 2014 at 17:33
Why not spend big $$$$
It worked for Eric cantor
cecilia August 3rd, 2014 at 18:54
“phony environmentalist”??
and those republicans are phony Americans
cecilia August 3rd, 2014 at 18:54
“phony environmentalist”??
and those republicans are phony Americans
Guest August 3rd, 2014 at 21:04
http://elections.huffingtonpost.com/pollster/2014-florida-governor-scott-vs-crist
Guest August 3rd, 2014 at 21:04
http://elections.huffingtonpost.com/pollster/2014-florida-governor-scott-vs-crist
Alex August 4th, 2014 at 07:22
Gerrymandering in this state is a big problem. It will take some real organizing and door to door work to get out the vote and busing people to their voting sites will helps ome of these folks.
Alex August 4th, 2014 at 07:22
Gerrymandering in this state is a big problem. It will take some real organizing and door to door work to get out the vote and busing people to their voting sites will helps ome of these folks.
Denise October 13th, 2014 at 10:49
he’s a bit late. all the best slots for ad buys are taken already. he should have made his purchases before now. you can tell he’s new at this, but it’s the thought that counts. i’m sure crist appreciates the help. if the polling is correct, I am stunned as to how close this race is. the people in florida know what type governor he was. compare his record to scott’s. crist should be ahead in double digits. and maybe he is. newly registered voters are not taken into account.
Denise October 13th, 2014 at 10:49
he’s a bit late. all the best slots for ad buys are taken already. he should have made his purchases before now. you can tell he’s new at this, but it’s the thought that counts. i’m sure crist appreciates the help. if the polling is correct, I am stunned as to how close this race is. the people in florida know what type governor he was. compare his record to scott’s. crist should be ahead in double digits. and maybe he is. newly registered voters are not taken into account.
skyesailor December 18th, 2014 at 02:39
Why is an article from 3 months before the election appearing in the latest Liberland a month and a half after the election?
skyesailor December 18th, 2014 at 03:39
Why is an article from 3 months before the election appearing in the latest Liberland a month and a half after the election?