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| Soros: "Defeating Bush Central Focus of My Life..." | ||
| 2003-11-11 | ||
| EFL George Soros, one of the world’s richest men, has given away nearly $5 billion to promote democracy in the former Soviet bloc, Africa and Asia. Hmm, are we missing any prominent regions here? Now he has a new project: defeating President Bush. So much for democracy in the Middle East. "It is the central focus of my life," Soros said, his blue eyes settled on an unseen target. The 2004 presidential race, he said in an interview, is "a matter of life and death." Soros, who has financed efforts to promote open societies in more than 50 countries around the world, is bringing the fight home, he said. On Monday, he and a partner committed up to $5 million to MoveOn.org, a liberal activist group, bringing to $15.5 million the total of his personal contributions to oust Bush. Overnight, Soros, 74, has become
Ho ho. He talks a big game. See last paragraph. Soros believes that a "supremacist ideology" guides this White House. He hears echoes in its rhetoric of his childhood in occupied Hungary. "When I hear Bush say, ’You’re either with us or against us,’ it reminds me of the Germans." It conjures up memories, he said, of Nazi slogans on the walls, Der Feind Hort mit ("The enemy is listening"). "My experiences under Nazi and Soviet rule have sensitized me," he said in a soft Hungarian accent. Didn’t he come to America as a refugee from tyranny? Now that The Long Night of Fascism is officially decending on America, will he flee again? Will he have to sneak past guard towers, search lights, barbed wire, and barking german shephards, while huddling in the dark with Alec Baldwin? Soros’s contributions are filling a gap in Democratic Party finances that opened after the restrictions in the 2002 McCain-Feingold law took effect. In the past, political parties paid a large share of television and get-out-the-vote costs with unregulated "soft money" contributions from corporations, unions and rich individuals. The parties are now barred from accepting such money. But non-party groups in both camps are stepping in, accepting soft money and taking over voter mobilization. In past election cycles, Soros contributed relatively modest sums. In 2000, his aide said, he gave $122,000, mostly to Democratic causes and candidates. But recently, Soros has grown alarmed at the influence of neoconservatives, whom he calls "a bunch of extremists guided by a crude form of social Darwinism." Neoconservatives, Soros said, are exploiting the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, to promote a preexisting agenda of preemptive war and
Ethel, get George his pills. Sitting in his robe, he wrote his ideas down, longhand, on a stack of pads. In January, PublicAffairs will publish them as a book, "The Bubble of American Supremacy" (an excerpt appears in December’s Atlantic Monthly). In it, he argues for a collective approach to security, increased foreign aid Is 87 billion a good figure? and "preventive action." His campaign began last summer with the help of Morton H. Halperin, a liberal think tank veteran. Soros invited Democratic strategists to his house in Southampton, Long Island, including Clinton chief of staff John D. Podesta, Jeremy Rosner, Robert Boorstin and Carl Pope. They discussed the coming election. Standing on the back deck, the evening sun angling into their eyes, I’ll bet they were. You know the effect that romantic settings can have - a sunset on the porch of a stately beach house, a glass of wine, $15 million in donations... Before coffee the next morning, his friend Peter Lewis, chairman of the Progressive Corp., had pledged $10 million to ACT. Rob Glaser, founder and CEO of RealNetworks, promised $2 million. Rob McKay, president of the McKay Family Foundation, gave $1 million and benefactors Lewis and Dorothy Cullman committed $500,000. Soros also promised up to $3 million to Podesta’s new think tank, the Center for American Progress. Soros will continue to recruit "Some irony": understatement of the week? "I’m sorry that Mr. Soros What was that earlier about putting your money where your mouth is? Kudos to the WaPo reporter for injecting some winking skepticism into this piece. By all accounts, Soros’s philanthropy in Eastern Europe was very commendable and instrumental in the downfall of the Iron Curtain. But he’s clearly gone around the bend in his old age. | ||
| Posted by:Tokyo Taro |
| #21 Which party is the party for the rich again? Aw, c'mon Yank. The Dems get their donations from working families scattered across the US... from Malibu to the Hamptons! |
| Posted by: eLarson 2003-11-11 10:44:10 PM |
| #20 "And I’m willing to put my money where my mouth is." -probably need to take your foot out first. Soros said he had been waking at 3 a.m., his thoughts shaking him "like an alarm clock." -The first symptoms of megalomania. At 5:15 a.m the delusions of grandeur start....... "committed up to $5 million to MoveOn.org, a liberal activist group," -hope he kept a receipt. |
| Posted by: Jarhead 2003-11-11 9:34:43 PM |
| #19 "It is the central focus of my life," Soros said, the drug-legalization advocate's blue eyes staring blankly into the middle distance. "Duuudes, Bush is, like, harshing my mellow, and I'm hungry." |
| Posted by: Mike 2003-11-11 7:14:38 PM |
| #18 I'm just laughing at the constant refrain that the Republicans are the party of the rich when date for the last few years indicates that Republicans are getting lots of small donations (which is why McCain Feingold isn't hurting Bush) and hte Democrats depend on a few very large doners (which is why McCain Feingold is crippling them). The Democrats are the party of the rich/elitists who will do your thinking for you dumb poor people thank you very much. I think the American people are figuring that out. |
| Posted by: Yank 2003-11-11 4:26:03 PM |
| #17 There is nothing unusual about Soros. Despite what the Left says, rich people disproportionately support left wing causes. If you look at the data here in Australia. The leftish Labour party gets a lot more large donations from individuals than does the rightish coalition. My personal view is that rich people feel guilty about being rich and they assuage their guilt by supporting left wing causes. |
| Posted by: Phil_B 2003-11-11 4:24:31 PM |
| #16 Yank, Which party is the party for the rich again? Yank at some magical point you are no longer rich but worthy, if you can make the dough by manipulating the system, so much the better. |
| Posted by: Billie Sol Shipman 2003-11-11 3:54:51 PM |
| #15 What company did Soros own/found? |
| Posted by: Yank 2003-11-11 3:14:07 PM |
| #14 Frank G, Greifer (don't insult the Kapos by associating them with him) Soros, mass-murder loving swine that he is, loves to see Jews die. Fortunately, rational Jewish pols like Koch have gotten the message. |
| Posted by: Ernest Brown 2003-11-11 1:56:32 PM |
| #13 I would think the Soros statements could be used to pry Jewish voters away from the Dem party, possibly for good this time. They've been defecting to the GOP on issues, none more so than the existence/defense of Israel. Soros would erase Israel to eradicate this guilt/self-hate he has - his Dollars will equal policy at the Dem party. |
| Posted by: Frank G 2003-11-11 11:37:30 AM |
| #12 Just as in public education, more money is not a guarantee of success. Soros can throw his entire fortune at some Democrat candidate, but it all boils down to who is willing to protect this country, it's citizens, and it's interests first and foremost, and precious few of those Democrats have indicated they would. |
| Posted by: Bomb-a-rama 2003-11-11 11:07:32 AM |
| #11 "Perhaps someone should sick Mohammed Mohatir on him." Someone already has, in 1997 (or thereabouts) during the Asian financial crisis Mohatir blamed the Jews in general and Soros in particular for causing the crisis. I don’t recall Soros or Krugman blaming Mohatir's bigotry back then on Bill Clinton. But now Dubya is in power and they both claim he is responsible for anti-Semitism because he is... standing up to anti-Semites! I guess Soros thinks its best to keep quiet and apologize for being a Jew and for being rich and hope that the Islamofascists show him mercy. So not only are the Democratic candidates pandering to the A.N.S.W.E.R. vote but now they are going to take money from this shmuck? So the Democratic Party is now officially the party of appeasement, of both terror and anti-Semitism? |
| Posted by: A.S. 2003-11-11 11:07:12 AM |
| #10 It can't be stressed enough that Soros wants to legalize marijuana. He definitely shows sign of long-term use. I expect that at least once he will explode into a fit and accuse Bush of starting WWII or collaborating with Aliens. |
| Posted by: Cyber Sarge 2003-11-11 11:05:03 AM |
| #9 Which party is the party for the rich again? Well the millions should improve MoveOns puppet show at least. |
| Posted by: Yank 2003-11-11 10:43:09 AM |
| #8 Well, who wouldn't get behind an organization called "Americans Coming Together"? I just don't know that I want Soros in the room at the time. |
| Posted by: BH 2003-11-11 10:33:15 AM |
| #7 Soros has Mandela disease. Addicted to that warm fuzzy feeling of people blowing smoke up his ass. Oh Georgie, yer gonna save the WORLD !! Where is that pony-tail debate guy looking for a father figure president to nurture him. |
| Posted by: eyeyeye 2003-11-11 9:12:59 AM |
| #6 Well, I hope the leftists at moveon.org have a nice party with the money they are getting. Best spend some of it on aspirin and hangover remedies for 3 Nov. 2004, as well as a stake removal kit: to remove the stake from the heart of the left the right is getting ready to drive in. The best part is that fingerprints on the stake will all be prominent democrats, like Soros. Enjoy the little monetary 'bump' |
| Posted by: badanov 2003-11-11 8:30:36 AM |
| #5 WTF is wrong with Soros? Nothing... this is just what "trying to rule the world by proxy" looks like when you examine it closely. Where oh where is the billionaire who'll double down Soros on the other side of the political argument? (hint -- it ain't me...) |
| Posted by: snellenr 2003-11-11 8:17:42 AM |
| #4 At least he'll be able to afford all the antidepressants he's going to need after November '04. |
| Posted by: Mike 2003-11-11 6:54:15 AM |
| #3 Funny thing is, Soros has always been accused by the far-right (at least here) to be part of the Trilateral/Bilderberg/Bn'ai brith/... anglo-zionists behind globalization, a conspiracy which also includes GWB, of course (S&B, jewish neocons). As a result, I'm very confused. If conspiracy theorists could get their act together, I wouldn't be so mixed up about who's secretly ruling the Evil US of A. Atomic conspiracy or Secret Master could certainly give us the insider's view about the Great Plan. Anyway, from the little I understand about Georges Soros, this is in accord with his political view. Perhaps someone should sick Mohammed Mohatir on him. |
| Posted by: Anonymous II 2003-11-11 6:39:06 AM |
| #2 The international Left will stop at nothing to destroy America and now they have Soros on board to fund their plot. |
| Posted by: Ned 2003-11-11 6:37:10 AM |
| #1 I just saw this. WTF is wrong with Soros? |
| Posted by: Anonymous 2003-11-11 5:40:32 AM |