JUNE 5TH, 2015 – JUNE 12TH, 2015
TURKS & CAICOS SUN
Page 39
WORLD NEWS LOCAL NEWS
Why US billionaires may not be able to buy the 2016 election
Florida Senator Marco Rubio has one; Texas Senator Ted Cruz has one; even former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum, considered a longshot for the Republican presidential nomination in 2016, has a billionaire in his corner. Wisconsin Governor Scott Walker has two. Campaign finance watchdog groups fear heavy spending by these ultra-rich Americans will warp the election - already expected to be the most money-soaked in history. The idea that billionaires can buy elections has taken root in the public imagination. Those billionaires are now seeing small, early signs of a pushback. Whether these are the beginning of a new trend is far too soon to say, but polls show there is wider discontent about the perceived influence of big money in U.S. politics and a growing gulf between the country’s very rich and very poor. These nascent rumblings - along with evidence that the superrich are inefficient political spenders - raise questions about how effective billionaires will be in the 2016 elections. Some voters in Philadelphia, for example, were turned off by the
billionaires backing a top candidates in 2016. was considered the favorite Williams declined to comment. candidate in the city’s May 19 Miami car dealership for the city’s next mayor. Through a spokesman, the mayoral race. And a Silicon mogul Norman Braman has He won support from three three billionaires declined to Valley startup, Crowdpac, is been outspoken about backing billionaires, Joel Greenberg, comment. hoping to bank on public ire his longtime protege Rubio; Jeff Yass and Arthur Dantchik, against big political spenders financial investor Foster founders of the Susquehanna FIGHTING BACK to attract small donations Friess was in the audience International Group, a global to its new for-profit election cheering Santorum on when financial firm headquartered Crowdpac, an online campaign crowdfunding he announced his presidential in a Philadelphia suburb. political fundraising platform platform. bid two weeks ago; and Bob The three backed Williams, that works like Kickstarter “There’s growing Mercer, the founder of a New encouraging voters to support - an online tool that lets public awareness about rich York hedge fund, has been his views on a hot-button entrepreneurs gather funding people trying to buy elections identified as supporting Cruz. education policy issue. for new projects through and that makes the task of The billionaire industrialists They spent nearly small donations sees winning all the more difficult,” Charles and David Koch have $7 million on television ads fighting billionaires as part said Darrell West, the author publicly vowed to spend nearly promoting Williams. In of its business model. Mason of “Billionaires: Reflections $900 million influencing races response, unions and other Harrison, the site’s political on the Upper Crust,” and the in 2016. community groups, who director, says Crowdpac wants director of governance studies The Democrats have opposed Williams’s education to get more middle-class at the Brookings Institution billionaire supporters too - platform, coalesced around people involved in politics think tank. most prominent among them another candidate, Jim by hosting smaller donation Potential big donors is former hedge fund manager Kenney. One of the groups, drives for candidates. dispute the notion they are Tom Steyer. The billionaires Action United, organized a “We have a lack of trying to buy elections and say George Soros, Alice Walton march in front of SIG’s offices money from small donors in they are simply using their and Marc Benioff made small with placards that said, “Stop American politics, and if we positions to try to influence donations in 2014 to an outside billionaires from buying our have more people involved in the future of the country in a spending group, Ready for next mayor!” the political process we can positive way. Hillary PAC, backing Hillary “I would have looked make great strides in terms “I do believe – and Clinton, now the front-runner seriously at Williams if not of diluting the influence from I’ve told my kids this - that in the Democratic presidential for the money,” said JoAnn special interests,” he said. I can do more for them by primary contest. Seaver, 85, a retired teacher A veteran of giving money to the right who voted for Kenney. She was Republican Mitt Romney’s presidential candidate in 2016 PHILADELPHIA STORY one of several Philadelphia 2012 presidential campaign, than by leaving them double voters Reuters interviewed on Harrison is not the typical that amount in my will,” said Amid the populist election day who said Williams’ liberal voice decrying money David Walsh, a retired investor outcry against CEO pay and billionaire backers were a in politics. But Crowdpac’s living in Jackson, Wyoming, income inequality there may turnoff. “You don’t think that Twitter tagline sounds very who would not disclose his net be some risks in candidates money should govern people similar to the calls from nonworth but has given several being so publicly linked to the who are elected, but what do profit watchdog groups to multi-million dollar gifts to extremely rich. you do, just let the billionaires level the political playing field. charitable causes and said he In Philadelphia, take over?” It reads: “Together we can planned to donate heavily to Anthony Hardy Williams A spokesman for beat the big donors.”
Islamic State militants use water as weapon in western Iraq Islamic State militants have closed gates of a dam on the Euphrates River in western Iraq, reducing the water and giving them greater freedom of movement to attack government forces downstream on the southern bank, local officials said. The militants have redirected the flow of water to their advantage on the battlefield around the city of Ramadi. But the tactic also threatens southern provinces with drought and the water has been reduced to worrying levels, the officials said. The Euphrates has acted as a barrier between the militants who control its northern bank and progovernment forces who are trying to advance towards Ramadi on the other side. A spokesman for the governor of Anbar province, of which Ramadi is the capital, said security forces would now have to redeploy along the river to prevent the insurgents from infiltrating. “Previously they had to monitor only the bridges and certain areas, but now all of the river will be crossable,” Hikmat Suleiman said.
Masked Sunni gunmen walk with their weapons during a patrol outside the city of Falluja Islamic State has previously sought to use water as a weapon in its war against the Iraqi government. Last summer, the militants seized the Mosul dam in northern Iraq and threatened to submerge Baghdad until Kurdish forces drove them back with the help of airstrikes from an international coalition. The Anbar provincial council met on Wednesday to discuss how to respond. One member, Taha Abdul Ghani, suggested the government
should bomb one of the dam’s gates to release the water. Residents of Ramadi and a local irrigation official said however the insurgents had left two of the dam’s gates open, apparently to avoid flooding areas under their own control upstream. The partial closure of the Ramadi dam has forced more water into a tributary running south to the Habbaniya lake, officials said. Falih al-Essawi, a senior
provincial security official, said the government had opened another dam to channel water from the Habbaniya Lake back into the Euphrates and prevent shortages in the southern provinces. But he said this was only a temporary measure that would not be effective for more than three days. “The government must act immediately otherwise dire consequences and an environmental catastrophe will be inevitable,” he said.