I Spend, Therefore I Am

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NEWS ITEM: Michael Bloomberg pledges to help fund Democratic nominee even if it isn’t him.

Bloomberg: Congratulations, Bernie. You did it. And Stacey Abrams is a very shrewd pick as running mate.

Sanders: Thank you, Mike. Your anti-Trump ads have been just terrific.

Bloomberg: Well, that’s what I wanted to discuss.

Sanders: Yes?

Bloomberg: Some of us billionaires aren’t all that evil. I mean, I’m as good as it gets on gun control, tobacco, gay rights, abortion—not to mention defense of the rule of law.

Sanders: I’ll give you that.

Bloomberg: So, maybe, for the sake of party unity, do you think you might tone down the class warfare just a tad?

Sanders: As I’ve said repeatedly, the only class warfare in this country comes from the top. What did you have in mind?

Bloomberg: Well, you might stop saying things like “Billionaires should not exist.”

Sanders: They absolutely should not exist. Why do you need that much money?

Bloomberg: It expresses who I am.

Sanders: It only buys concentrated power. Liberal billionaires like you are terrible on all the pocketbook issues that got me nominated. You want finance to be able to run wild, so that you can rake in even more billions.

Bloomberg: You know, that’s hurtful. My money can help defeat Trump. I was expecting just a bit of magnanimity.

Sanders: Mike, you got the wrong guy. I hope you’ll keep spending to elect Democrats to the Senate. But I’m in politics to reduce the influence of people like you. So if you don’t want to spend your money to help elect me, that’s fine. We have plenty of small donors.

A second Trump administration will cement a right-wing majority on the Supreme Court for a generation, and put our collective future in the hands of someone who will be virtually unchecked by our institutions. The country has shifted rightward, and the reverberations will ensue for potentially the next few decades. In this climate, a robust independent media ecosystem will be more important than ever. We're committed to bringing you the latest news on how Trump's agenda will actually affect the American people, shining a light on the stories corporate media overlooks and keeping the public informed about how power really works in this country.

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