Take Tom Steyer’s Money Away From Him, For His Own Good and Everyone Else’s
As he continues to burn millions in futile pursuit of the presidency, Tom Steyer’s vanity demonstrates that even progressive billionaires don’t know how to use their wealth responsibly. That’s why we need to take it from them.
Democratic presidential candidate Tom Steyer delivers campaign speech at the Des Moines Register Political Soapbox at the Iowa State Fair on August 11, 2019 in Des Moines, Iow.Alex Wong / Getty
Billionaire, former hedge-fund manager, and “patrician populist” Tom Steyer has spent $16 million of his personal fortune since he announced his campaign for the Democratic nomination for president on July 9. That’s about $320,000 a day.
The plan was simple: blanket the airwaves, YouTube channels, and social media feeds of early primary states and pray it would raise his profile quickly enough to meet the DNC’s polling threshold for participation in the next debate.
In one respect, it seems to have worked. “Hey, it’s the YouTube guy!” someone yelled while Steyer canvassed the Iowa State Fair earlier this month, the New York Times reported. Presumably millions have seen at least five seconds of his pitch before clicking “Skip Ad.”
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