Why Bernie Sanders is disappointed with George Clooney's fund-raising
George Clooney raised about $15 million for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton this weekend, leading her rival, Bernie Sanders, to say that the Hollywood star is 'backing the wrong horse.'
George Clooney raised about $15 million for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton this weekend, leading her rival, Bernie Sanders, to say that the Hollywood star is 'backing the wrong horse.'
Bernie Sanders says actor George Clooney, an outspoken Hillary Clinton supporter, is backing the wrong presidential candidate.
George Clooney admits that he has raised for an 鈥渙bscene鈥 amount of money for Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton through fundraising efforts directed at the financial elite, something that Sen. Sanders has decried throughout his campaign. Tickets to attend one of the Clooney-Clinton events in San Francisco and Studio City this weekend cost between $33,400 and $353,400, allowing Clooney to raise at least $15 million for the former Secretary of State.
Sanders supporters lined the streets to protest Friday night鈥檚 fundraising event at venture capitalist Shervin Pishevar鈥檚 home, throwing dollar bills in front of Secretary Clinton鈥檚 motorcade as it drove past. And Saturday evening, Clooney鈥檚 neighbor Howard Gold threw a competing fundraising event for Sanders in Studio City. Tickets cost just $27聽for the event,聽called the 鈥99% Party,鈥澛燼nd all were welcome to attend.
But despite the protests, competing events and price tag differences, both Sen. Sanders and Mr. Clooney agree: fundraising has an inappropriate yet powerful influence in US presidential politics.聽
鈥淭hey鈥檙e right to protest,鈥 Clooney said Sunday in an interview with NBC鈥檚 Meet the Press, referring the Sanders鈥 supporters who were banging together pots and pans outside of his fundraiser Friday. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e absolutely right. It鈥檚 an obscene amount of money. The Sanders campaign, when they talk about it, is absolutely right. It鈥檚 ridiculous that we should have this kind of money in politics. I completely agree.鈥澛
And Sanders appreciates Clooney鈥檚 candidness.
鈥淗e is honest enough to say that there is something wrong when few people 鈥 in this case, wealthy individuals, but in other instances for the secretary, it is Wall Street and powerful special interests 鈥 who are able to contribute unbelievably large sums of money,鈥 Sanders said Sunday in an interview with CNN鈥檚 Dana Bash. 鈥淭his is the issue of American politics today. Do we have a government that represents all of us, or only the 1%?鈥
And Friday鈥檚 protest is noteworthy for more just than its celebrity commentary: it was organized by Democrats, directed at Democrats.
Protests outside Democratic fundraisers are rare in liberal San Francisco, notes the Guardian, where most political energy is directed at rare conservative events in the South Bay. For example, Mr. Pishevar also hosted a similar event for President Barack Obama during his reelection campaign in 2012, but no such protests rocked the streets.
鈥淏ut today there鈥檚 a growing rift in the city, which may influence the 7 June Democratic primary,鈥 explains the Guardian. 鈥淎mong the tech community, as wealth consolidates, many young workers lured to town with images of striking it rich have been confronted by an increasingly depressing startup environment.
Bill Sandberg, a 29-year-old protester, said he had just been laid off from Zedo, an ad tech startup: 鈥楤ernie鈥檚 actually for the people, Hillary鈥檚 just bought and sold.鈥欌
But Clooney鈥檚 event and his subsequent support of Sanders protestors are not completely contradictory. While a portion of the event鈥檚 proceeds were directly allocated to Clinton鈥檚 campaign funds and potential general election campaign, the rest of the 鈥淰ictory Fund鈥 was donated to the Democratic National Convention and other Democratic parties at the state level. Instead of raising money with the sole intention of getting a specific candidate in office, Clooney says the majority of money raised will benefit Democratic candidates at all levels of office.聽
鈥淲e need to take the Senate back because we need to confirm a supreme court justice,"聽Clooney tells NBC, "because that fifth vote on the supreme court can overturn Citizens United and get this obscene, ridiculous amount of money out聽so I never have to do a fundraiser again.鈥澛