Jeff Bezos donates $10 million to veteran-focused super PAC - Polidicks

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/2018/09/05/jeff-bezos-donates-million-veteran-focused-super-pac-first-political-venture/?noredirect=on&utm_term=.44540a45997b Amazon.com founder and chief executive Jeffrey P. Bezos and his wife, MacKenzie Bezos, are making their first major political contribution with a $10 million gift to a super PAC focused on electing veterans to public office. The super PAC, With Honor, works with candidates across political parties. Unlike other mega-donors who have poured tens of millions of dollars into Republican or Democratic campaigns, the Bezoses chose a group whose 2018 mission includes reversing “the trend of veteran decline in Congress." Earlier this year, Forbes ranked Bezos — who owns The Washington Post — the richest man in the world, with a net worth of more than $150 billion. On Tuesday, Amazon became the second publicly traded company in the United States to reach a value of more than $1 trillion. Bezos’s first major foray into electoral politics comes at a time of his rising influence and wealth. Last year, Bezos announced plans to increase his charitable giving, tweeting a “request for ideas” to his followers, saying he is “thinking about a philanthropy strategy that is the opposite of how I mostly spend my time.” In recent years, Blue Origin and Amazon.com have increased their spending on lobbying, to influence rule-making and policymakers on air transport and internet policies, according to records analyzed by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics. Now Bezos is wading directly into electoral politics, pouring heavily into a bipartisan group to elect members of Congress. Among the candidates the group is supporting are Democratic veterans in some of the most competitive House races this fall. But the group also is supporting Republicans in House races across the country. Bezos’s most notable political donation prior to this cycle was in 2012, when he gave $2.5 million to the campaign to defend gay marriage in Washington state. Bezos has previously given to both Republican and Democratic candidates for Congress. He and his wife have given to the political action committees of Amazon.com and Blue Origin, the commercial space company that Bezos founded. Both of those committees have supported Democrats and Republicans, including this election cycle. Prior to their new $10 million donation to With Honor, the Bezoses gave sporadic contributions to federal campaign committees. Since the 2014 election cycle, the Bezoses gave $37,600 to four federal candidates, FEC records show: Sen. Patty Murray (D-Wash.), Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-Utah), Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) and Sen. Maria Cantwell (D-Wash.). The contribution, first reported Wednesday by the Wall Street Journal, was confirmed by an Amazon spokesperson and With Honor. Bezos declined to comment through the Amazon spokesperson. Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, senior associate dean at the Yale School of Management, said chief executives of public companies have a "civil responsibility," and that on issues of trade and immigration, some corporate leaders are "finding their voice again." Sonnenfeld said that while wealthy executives "don't have to be flame throwers," they do owe it to their customers and investors to engage in debates facing the nation. "They can't be neutral," Sonnenfeld said. "Their silence is taking sides." Bezos' choice of a super PAC that aims to elect veterans who will reach across the political aisle sends a message about his values, said Jason Schloetzer, a professor at Georgetown University who studies CEOs. But the decision was probably heavily vetted given his dominance and "people watching every move that you make," he said.

clever, lobbying under the pretense of "helping the veterans", but sorry jeff its really transparent lol

Seems like a pretty vague thing to throw $10 million behind and a lazy attempt to go "look I support veterans." I would like to hear Jeff Bezos explain which political issues he is concerned with that relate to simply throwing money at 32 different veterans. Maybe the issues that candidates vote on when they're getting 10 million from the CEO of Amazon? Even the website is vague as shit: The Problem "confidence in congress has gone down. The number of veterans in congress has gone down. Correlation equals causation, give us money!" Jeffrey Sonnenfeld, senior associate dean at the Yale School of Management, said chief executives of public companies have a "civil responsibility," and that on issues of trade and immigration, some corporate leaders are "finding their voice again." Sonnenfeld said that while wealthy executives "don't have to be flame throwers," they do owe it to their customers and investors to engage in debates facing the nation. "They can't be neutral," Sonnenfeld said. "Their silence is taking sides." Cool how about a super PAC that supports candidates who want to overturn Citizens United.

That would make a grand total of zero dollars unless regular people can donate to super pacs as well as regular pacs. Even billionaires that donate to democrats would be against it.

Cool. He earns this sum of money every two or three days.

Try every few hours.

I wouldn't call 10 million "generous" for his wealth, but I agree.

its not even generous this is a pro business, pro 2nd amendment group that claims to be bipartisan but doesn't really do that at all.

There is no benefit to paying his employees, donating money to PAC's is basically his way of making sure he secures his power and increases it. Rich people do shit that make them richer. They don't care about the workers or anyone else.

Friendly reminder that Bill Gates being a good person really only started after he retired from Microsoft. At his prime in the chair, he was one of the most ruthless and cutthroat businessmen you could find. While I think it's great what Bill does with his money, I think it's always important to keep in mind he wasn't always so altruistic.

I think it was before he started MS, or maybe soon after, but he became controversial in the 70s for writing a letter to a computer club about how he objects to free software

Warren Buffet?

Yeah he donates a shit ton of money too.

Garry Newman?