January 23, 2020

"Every Bloomberg staffer gets a MacBook Pro and an iPhone 11 on day one. They also enjoy three catered meals daily...."

"A... woman who interviewed with the Bloomberg campaign for an assistant level position that paid $70,000– nearly double her current salary as a Democratic staffer– said she was greeted with a 'hotel-style buffet' at the interview. 'The salary would have been life-changing... I would have my student loans paid off within this calendar year.... I’m declining it because... I’m an Elizabeth Warren supporter and really the reason I came so close to working for Bloomberg was the benefits and the salary and the perks that were evident from the moment you walk in'..."

From "Here’s how Mike Bloomberg is luring 2020 campaign staffers with lavish perks" (NY Post).

58 comments:

lgv said...

Capitalism and the free market at work. Once he is in office, Bloomberg would sign an executive order requiring all employers to provide this as a minimum. It's the socialist way.

pacwest said...

Money can't buy you love. We'll see if can buy the Presidency.

Wilbur said...

If you really wanted to help Warren or any other candidate, mayhaps you could accomplish more to that end by signing on with a competing candidate and committing little acts of sabotage or disobedience. Plus, cashing a much larger check and enjoying better benefits.

wendybar said...

Buying the Presidency. His people will get all the perks, and the rest of us will suffer and pay for it all....

tds said...

If only they knew, that the MacBookPros are the models with faulty keyboards people kept complaining about for the last 3 years.

rehajm said...

Life changing? For the better I see...

Breaking News: Socialist praises the virtues of capitalism

tim in vermont said...

"Money can't buy you love.”

People say that, but I don’t think it could be proven.

rehajm said...

The goodies are good but he’s no Oprah.

tommyesq said...

No fair! He is trying to lure Warren people away by promising free stuff!

Curious George said...

I would love to see her stupid face after Warren bows out and she reaches for the checkbook to make a loan payment.

AReasonableMan said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

I'm thinking of buy a new MacBook Pro. If they are giving away the 16 inch version I'm in.

As has been pointed out by others, all this money should be being spent on the electoral college voters and their families. For a smart man Bloomberg is not thinking this through. If you want to buy an election you should buy the actual electors.

JML said...

I'm retiring 31 March. This might be a nice little gig to ease into it. The 11 has a killer camera and my Mac is getting old.

gspencer said...

"I would have my student loans paid off within this calendar year.... I’m declining it because . . ."

Now that's dedication to a loony cause.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

ds said...
If only they knew, that the MacBookPros are the models with faulty keyboards people kept complaining about for the last 3 years.


The new 16 inch has a good keyboard and a screen to die for.

MikeR said...

Typing this from my new IPhone at Bloomberg headquarters. Thanks for the heads-up!

Temujin said...

But no large sodas. And if found using salt, they will be terminated.

tcrosse said...

So, what does Tom Steyer have to offer?

Chris said...

I would love to take that job, and spend my days campaigning for trump instead.

R C Belaire said...

Money may not buy you love, but (to paraphrase someone I can't remember), it may buy you a better class of enemies...

Danno said...

ARM, if the Althouse commentariat were to buy you a 16 inch model, would you die for us?

WK said...

Turning down a position that pays 2x. And wondering why women only make 78 cents for every dollar men make.

Gahrie said...

So he's trying to bribe Democratic staffers and the American people at the same time?

rcocean said...

They get catered meals, so they can stay at their desks and work. There is no free lunch.

Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...

Danno said...
ARM, if the Althouse commentariat were to buy you a 16 inch model, would you die for us?


Put your money where your mouth is and then we'll see.

rcocean said...

Money can buy elections? See Jeb Bush.

Roger Sweeny said...

One good thing will come out of the campaigns of Tom Steyer and Mike Bloomberg. When someone tells you that money buys elections, you can laugh in their face--without guilt.

Okay, maybe two. Perhaps we can repeal a lot of the election laws, those which are actually Incumbent Protection and Campaign Consultant Full Employment Laws.

Michael K said...

Steve Hayward still has a theory that Bloomberg is positioning himself to run as an independent, assuming he does not get the D nomination. He thinks he can win that way. How did the guy get so rich with crazy ideas like that?

The Cracker Emcee Refulgent said...

"No fair! He is trying to lure Warren people away by promising free stuff!"

Describe the Democrat Party and primary with one exclamation and a sentence.

mockturtle said...

It won't help.

John Holland said...

So rather than paying off her student debt with her own earnings, she'd rather work for the candidate who promises to force other people to pay off her debt.

Interesting.

Fernandinande said...

"Here’s how Mike Bloomberg is luring 2020 campaign staffers with lavish perks"

Adding a ":" removes any need for an article to accompany the headline.

"Here’s how Mike Bloomberg is luring 2020 campaign staffers: with lavish perks."

John Althouse Cohen said...

And by doing this, he's making all the other campaigns pay more in order to retain and attract their staffs. So the way he's using his money is causing lots of voters out there to need to give away more of their money to have the effects they want. Yet somehow it would've been over the line for him to ask for enough $1 donations to get into the debates? His approach doesn't have anything to do with helping voters save a little money; it's about using his fortune to dodge the need to show up at the debates and be judged on an even playing field.

Ralph L said...

One of the world's richest men asking poor Democrats for money?

But you're probably right--he doesn't think debating will help him.

Birkel said...

A perfect example of why the government should not forgive student loan debt.

gilbar said...

really the reason I came so close to working for Bloomberg was the benefits and the salary and the perks that were evident from the moment you walk in'

I read in this book once; about how the "Love of Money is the Root of all Evil"
There was actually, a LOT of interesting stuff in that book.
There was a lot of sex and violence Too! I'm surprised no one ever thought to make it a movie

walter said...

CHICAGO (CBS) — U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush (D-Illinois) announced Tuesday that he was throwing his support behind former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg in the 2020 Democratic presidential primary.

Bloomberg’s is one of the first presidential campaigns to visit the area this year. He campaigned at Olive Harvey College several days ago.

Rush initially supported U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris (D-California), but she dropped out in December.

The Bloomberg campaign also named Rush a national co-chair.
--
Use your imagination and extrapolate.

Sebastian said...

Thought experiment: if Mikey had run as a Republican, what would the comments have been?

walter said...

The Greenwood Initiative-Economic Justice for Black America

walter said...

Well Seb, some of this might not appeal:
Mike’s climate plans and priorities
"Mike is a global leader in the fight against the climate crisis and has helped drive progress on every continent through his role as the UN Secretary-General’s Special Envoy for Climate Action. He has worked with cities, states, and businesses to keep our country moving forward on climate change despite President Trump’s failed attempts to drag us backwards. As president, Mike will ensure the federal government leads an ambitious agenda to accelerate the U.S. toward a clean energy economy, putting us on the pathway to full decarbonization before mid-century."

eric said...

This is actually pretty clever on his part.

Consider. A huge number of the media have lost their jobs over the last few years. Maybe this is Trump's fault for calling them fake news. Or maybe this is the result of new technology like the internet. Who knows? But you've got a lot of unemployed media types out there. Or if not unemployed, less employed.

And here comes Bloomberg who owns a media empire. And you need a job and he's a generous billionaire!

Are you going to write shitty screeds about him, or, hold your tongue?

I'll give you an anecdote to illustrate this point without using names.

I follow this woman on Twitter who worked for the Trump campaign. She actually didn't start working for Trump until mid 2016 (this will be important later).

She is now anti Trump. She claims to be a conservative Republican still, but finds herself siding with the Democrats all the time.

Not too long ago Bloomberg came out with this idea of making the White House an open space, sort of like a newsroom. Where everyone could see everyone else and be a big happy family. Twitter exploded with mockery.

This was back in December. Bloomberg started his campaign in November. This girl, who used to work for Trump, thought it was brilliant! Just a magnificent plan. So brilliant.

She was then accused of trying to get a job with Bloomberg. She said something like, "Oh, yeah, right. Because he started his campaign months ago and getting in now is so smart" One month prior is when he started his campaign and she joined Trump almost 15 months after he started his campaign.

I expect a lot of unemployed media types and campaign types (notice how those two jobs seem to go hand in hand?) Will be finding the things Bloomberg says and does just brilliant! The best ever! So dreamy!

rehajm said...

How did the guy get so rich with crazy ideas like that?

It's the Romney Gambit- hope the nominee self immolates then swoop in to save the day!!!

Bloomberg believes he can pull it off because he's richer than Mitt.

Nichevo said...


Beloved Commenter AReasonableMan said...
I'm thinking of buy a new MacBook Pro. If they are giving away the 16 inch version I'm in.

As has been pointed out by others, all this money should be being spent on the electoral college voters and their families. For a smart man Bloomberg is not thinking this through. If you want to buy an election you should buy the actual electors.

All that, but I say with confidence, as a user and supporter of the Bloomberg terminals, that nobody in the race will have better IT than his.

walter said...

https://www.bettergov.org/news/judge-issues-order-to-garnish-bobby-rush-s-congressional-pay/
3/2018
A Cook County judge Wednesday ordered the garnishment of U.S. Rep. Bobby Rush’s congressional paycheck to help repay more than $1 million for a loan taken out to buy a church in Englewood.

Under the plan approved by Cook County Circuit Court Judge Alexander White, 15 percent of the 71-year-old Chicago Democrat’s $174,000 annual congressional salary – about $2,100 per month – will be withheld to pay back the loan.

In 2015, creditors took Rush and entities tied to him to court after the church he organized as a pastor stopped making payments on the loan. The creditors won a judgment last year and since then the case has wended its way through the courts as the creditors have tried to get at least some of their money back.

In an odd political twist, the investment management company that currently owns the debt, along with the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp., is headed by billionaire Thomas J. Barrack, Jr., a close friend of President Donald Trump who chaired Trump’s inaugural committee.

Rush’s attorney fought the size of the garnishment, arguing the withholding should be reduced to $300 per month because Rush is financially hard-up.

In a motion filed in the case, attorney Berton Ring said Rush’s congressional duties require him to maintain households in Chicago and Washington. Ring also said Rush is struggling following the death of his wife in 2017.

Ring also cited Rush’s age in arguing for a reduction in the size of the garnishment. He said Rush had to cope with financial difficulties because he “has to spend money on vitamins and healthy food products which cost more than unhealthy food products.”

Giant leap: That Greenwood initiative might help him.

Gospace said...

I'd work on his campaign for that. Not very hard---- but they're a bunch of socialists so they'd never notice.

mccullough said...

And this is why women make less than men

Yancey Ward said...

I bet this is a Warren Campaign planted story- beginning to end.

Earnest Prole said...

For a smart man Bloomberg is not thinking this through. If you want to buy an election you should buy the actual electors.

Bloomberg knows he has zero chance of being the nominee. He's in the race to spend a billion dollars on anti-Trump ads.

Seeing Red said...

Thought experiment: if Mikey had run as a Republican, what would the comments have been?

Fool me once Sebastian. He only ran as a Republican for mayor because the Rat field was crowded.

paul said...

Double her current pay, with enough to pay off her student loans this year? Plus three catered meals a day? That takes care of buying groceries.
She's not all that sharp, is she?

paul

Yancey Ward said...

Bloomberg is probably cursing his stupidity in "returning" to being a Democrat. Had he stayed a nominal Republican, he could have possibly done enough damage as an independent candidate to cost Trump the election in 2016 or 2020. However, now an independent candidacy will only damage the Democrat nominee.

I think Earnest Prole is correct- Bloomberg wants to run a billion dollars worth of anti-Trump ads, but can only do that legally by having an actual campaign- the problem for Bloomberg is that his ability to do this will end in July without tranforming into an independent run for the Presidency.

narciso said...

yes he's repeating the same lies about agw and Obamacare, that the democrats are,

Tomcc said...

My daughter's boyfriend has a sister that was recruited by Bloomberg to advise on healthcare policy. This woman lives in DC and now works in NY. The campaign has provided her with an apartment in NY for the duration (expected to be several months). I don't know about other "perks", but a phone and a computer would be appropriate.
Earnest Prole: "...anti-Trump ads." I will watch the futures markets on Bloomberg (the cable channel) in the late evening; one sidebar note from a couple of weeks ago stated that Bloomberg sees his campaign expenditures as an investment in beating Donald Trump in 2020 (paraphrasing).

Will Cate said...

Man, for all that stuff I'd go to work for the campaign. I mean really... how hard can the job be?

Martin said...

If this is true, in the end Bloomberg will find that the Beatles were right, "Money can't buy me love."

Or, when the tell-all articles and books come out, loyalty. If you hire mercenaries you have to understand that after they are done with you they are still mercenary, and all the non-disclosure and non-disparagement agreements in the world will be scant protection.

Something Trump might consider, as well, although it is probably too late for that.

Michael K said...

the problem for Bloomberg is that his ability to do this will end in July without tranforming into an independent run for the Presidency.

That's probably his plan. He has no chance for the Dim nomination. I do wonder at his feelings about Trump. Trump just drives people crazy, I guess. The bigger the ego, the crazier.

Todd said...

Money can't buy you love.

But it can allow you to rent it for a while...

Leland said...

She has student loans and is only making $35,000/yr? And she is not taking a job that would help pay off those loans? How many bad life decisions does this woman want to make?