TWO Billionaires to bankroll anti-Bush ads

[pippin]

"Two of the world's richest men have pledged up to $5m for an anti-George Bush advertising campaign in an effort to oust the US president in next year's presidential election.

The international financier George Soros and Peter Lewis, chairman of the US motor insurance firm Progressive Corp, are prepared to spend £3m between them on television ads criticising the president.

They have pledged to donate 50 cents for every $1 raised for a planned $10m campaign being put together by the online activists Moveon.org."

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections2004/story/0,13918,1082777,00.html

Hurray!! :loveya: George and Peter!!

[RandomKoolzip]

1. Class Warfare? I don't think so!

This just goes to show that not all rich people are assholes.

[Lorien]

3. Amen!

I think I just found my new auto insurance company! :-)

[dusty64]

22. This is cool.

Lets hope the dollars keep rolling to defeat the extreme right. Just look what one nasty rich guy did for the VRWC.

[Hieronymus]

2. Thanks,

George Soros and Peter Lewis. That money will go a long way to defeat Shrub.:yourock:

[Name removed]

11. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[karlschneider]

4. I wonder if Bill Gates, Sr. could be persusaded to help? He seems to be

a lot more level-headed than his son...he opposed killing the inheritance tax. Hmm.
:eyes:

[JailBush]

9. Bill Gates Senior is as big a jerk as his arrogant son.

I got my first computer virus ever from Bill Gates Senior, as a warning to butt out of politics. I was utterly astounded that he'd do something as petty as that.

Everything Bill and Daddy Gates do has strings attached - EVERYTHING. I still haven't topped laughing at the Seattle Weekly issue that featured a picture of Bill Gates Senior on the front page, under the title, "Can the rich be good?" Gates was dressed like a character from medieval Italy, and the connection suddenly dawned on me: Bill Gates purchased some Leonardo da Vinc memorabilia. Maybe they were thinking the public would associate Bill Gates Sr. with the Pope.

Chief Software Architect Bill Gates recently contributed $500,000 to some new education initiative being promoted by our corrupt outgoing governor. Stupid teachers and parents may be celebrating, but it's really frightening.

[Jack The Tab]

5. I think corporate interests may be waking up...

Dear Leader's neocon cabal and their fiscally irresponsible policies are going to destroy the middle class in this country and that doesn't bode well for consumerism..

[LiberalTexan]

6. BEAUTIFUL!

We can really use this. We can't win this just on campaign money alone. Some of those Hollywood stars are planning to cough a little up, too, I hope.... I think unfortunately we are starting to see that our country depends on what Americans see on tv.

[amazona]

7. wow

Now I have to take back all the nasty thoughts I had about Progressive Insurance. I'm not sure his claims adjusters are all that but he sounds like one of the good guys.

[stevedeshazer]

8. Y'all might want to read this first

Regarding Soros: http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_topic&forum=102&topic_id=211930

I don't know about Peter Lewis....

Is the enemy of your enemy your friend?

[Cha]

10. This is too Cool for School!

I've got to give some money to http://www.Moveon.org

[MoonAndSun]

13. Thanks for the link, zidzi...

I was thinking of doing the same thing, donating to Moveon.

:hi:

[HighNoonMeetUp]

21. Didn't they just get a few million from Soros?

I'd guess they are set for quite some time now.

[realFedUp]

12. Glad they are working with MoveOn.org

also, since MoveOn's been there since impeachment
stuff.

[The Sushi Bandit]

14. Cool!

[MagicMan]

15. as predicted

campaign finance reform has been a complete and total failure and has done nothing to stem the flow of "soft money". As was predicted, it would just be rerouted.

[Beetwasher]

16. Whatsamatter?

Are you a little upset that the Dems may not have to bring a knife to a gun fight?

[MagicMan]

17. Not at all

the flow of money to avenues to support our cause is welcome. But as someone who opposed the CFR bill, I will regularly and often point out its failings that I and others predicted.

[msanger]

18. Of course two million non-billionaires

donating $100 each could do the same thing.

[Hoppin_Mad]

19. I'm gonna change my car insurance to Progressive !

If their rates are competitive. I had no idea that their name meant what it says.

Bravo Peter Lewis and George Soros !

[monobrau]

20. I'm a progressive customer

This would be the first time I'm proud of my insurance company.
They give me the best deal anyway, but this is a good incentive to stick with them.

[stevedeshazer]

23. You guys amaze me. Will you do anything for money?

Do you have any idea who George Soros is and what he stands for?

He is part of the Carlyle Group.

<snip>
AN IMPORTANT TENET of journalism is that you should always ask, “Who benefits?”

In the case of a war, the answers to this question become of paramount importance. Suppose, for example, that profits from military contracting were to go in the pockets of a former U.S. President whose son (and a presumed future heir) is now President? Suppose further that such profits escalate in times of conflict. Wouldn’t this be of concern to the public? Wouldn’t you expect the media to be all over such an important ethical (not to mention moral, and maybe legal) angle?

Though described by the Industry Standard as “the world’s largest private equity firm,” with over $12 billion under management, chances are readers haven’t ever heard of The Carlyle Group. Isn’t that a little odd, considering it is run by a veritable who's who of former Republican political leaders. Former Defense Secretary Frank Carlucci is Carlyle’s chairman and managing director (who, by the way, was college roommate of the current Defense Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld). And that partners in this mammoth venture include former U.S. Secretary of State James A. Baker III, George Soros, Fred Malek (George H.W. Bush’s campaign manager, forced to resign when it was revealed he was Nixon’s “Jew counter”),and—presumably—George H.W. Bush?

We say “presumably” because the privately-held Carlyle doesn’t have to reveal information about its partners or investments to the SEC or to anyone else.

source: (from 2001) http://baltimorechronicle.com/media3_oct01.shtml

____________________________________________________________________

This can't be good. Why do you trust this guy? Why are you rejoicing because George Soros is willing to work against his business partner in a struggle for control of Carlyle largesse? This helps how?

[Kinkistyle]

25. Hey he's not a saint.

I dont think anyone is going to call Soros a saint for being against Bush. He made his billions by sniffing out where the money was and making his investments. Anyone of reasonable intelligence realizes that Bush is a monumental moron and is dangerous to the stability of the world, both politically and financially. Warren Buffet, the most prolific and one of the successful investment managers in the history of the world dislikes Bush as well. He is bad for global business, there is no two ways around it.

Yeah sure, Soros might have some ulterior motives related to money but I don't see how his is bad for the Democrats. I don't remember reading about any strings attached to his contributions.

[stevedeshazer]

24. As for Mr. Lewis

I reserve judgment. :smoke:

Drug Count Against CEO at Progressive Discharged

<snip>
Peter B. Lewis, the chairman and chief executive officer of Progressive Corp. in Mayfield, was arrested Wednesday at the Auckland, New Zealand, airport and later charged with
possession of more than 3 ounces of marijuana and marijuana resin.

Lewis, 66, a proponent of legalizing marijuana for medicinal use, appeared Friday (Thursday in the United States) in the Otahuhu District Court, according to a source in Auckland.
The source said Lewis made an unspecified contribution to an Auckland drug rehabilitation center, and the charges against him were "discharged without conviction."

Judge David Harvey then suppressed Lewis' name, which is allowed under provisions of New Zealand law. Marie Dyhrberg, an Auckland attorney who represents Lewis, declined to
comment.

"It would not be in the interest of my client," she said.

source: http://www.cannabisnews.com/news/thread4223.shtml

[VolcanoJen]

26. Dupe... locking

There's some really great stuff in this thread, but unfortunately, it duplicates a story reported in the Latest Breaking News Forum early Tuesday morning.

Please continue discussion here, in the earliest LBN thread on this topic:

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=211930&mesg_id=211930

Pippin, your link to the Guardian story would be very helpful within the original thread, and I hope you'll post it there. It does contain some new information, but it's best to keep our LBN discussions consolidated into one thread.

I'll post a link back to this now-locked thread within the original thread, because there are some comments in here that really shouldn't be missed by interested parties.

Thanks!
VolcanoJen
DU Moderator