What is that they say about a fool and his money? In information magnate and former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s case, he doesn’t need to worry about running out of cash. His net worth is estimated at $64.2 billion, making him the richest man ever to run for president.
He is so rich that he can afford not only to run campaign ads incessantly but to pay people to say nice things about him on social media.
As the Daily Wire notes via the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg has hired 500 “deputy digital organizers” to say flattering things about him on Twitter, Facebook, and the like. Each is paid an estimated $2,500 per month “to promote Mr. Bloomberg to everyone in their phones’ contacts by text each week and make social-media posts supporting him daily.”
Will this presidential election be the most important in American history?
Organizers are expected to spend between 20 and 30 hours per week actively promoting Bloomberg on all of their social media platforms and making personal contacts where appropriate.
Since his entry into the race, the mayor’s rivals for the Democratic nomination have complained bitterly that no American should be able to “buy an election.” To a very real extent, Bloomberg has been doing just that. When he failed to meet the Democratic National Committee’s criteria for qualifying for debates, he wrote out a check to the DNC in the amount of $300,000: Chicken feed for a guy with 64 extra large to his name. Lo and behold, last night he appeared on the debate stage.
Will Bloomberg’s vast fortune be enough to overcome the bad press he is receiving from his opponents in the party? Not if last night’s drubbing was any indication.
