Posted on 04/11/2015 12:35:56 PM PDT by 2ndDivisionVet
Millionaire Robert Mercer helps him raise an 'eye-popping' $31M right off the bat.
If other GOP contenders shrugged off Ted Cruz's chances of winning the nomination, it's a safe bet they're reassessing things after four new super PACS announced they'd raised a staggering $31 million to support his new candidacy. "Even in the context of a presidential campaign cycle in which the major party nominees are expected to raise more than $1.5 billion, Cruzs haul is eye-popping, one that instantly raises the stakes in the Republican fundraising contest," writes Mark Halperin at Bloomberg. The super PACs in question are only a week old, and it's unprecedented to have raised so much so quickly. So who's behind the money? The New York Times identifies the main player as a "reclusive Long Islander" named Robert Mercer.
Mercer began his career at IBM but now runs a hedge fund called Renaissance Technologies, and like the Koch brothers and Sheldon Adelson, he is taking advantage of the Citizens United case that loosened restrictions on wealthy donors. He's "a very low-profile guy, but hes becoming a bigger and bigger player, says one campaign finance expert. And his backing of Cruz sends the message to other donors that Cruz is a serious guy, which in turn encourages other donors. The Times notes that Mercer's hedge fund is under investigation by the IRS, an agency that Cruz would love to abolish. A previous profile of Mercer at Bloomberg describes him as "one of the most powerful men in Republican politics that nobody is talking about."
"If other GOP contenders shrugged off Ted Cruz's chances of winning the nomination..."
They could've simply just made a phone call to David Dewhurst without waiting for this announcement.
Remember that story back in 2007 "Obama Is Suddenly a Player, Thanks to Reclusive Backer" that a bunch of the media ran with? You don't?
Ah, Americans. We’re just happy there are two sides to the Oligarchy. Aren’t we special.
Yes, Cruz’s conservative message and solid character have nothing to do with the money he’s raised.
If every candidate is part of the “two-sided oligarchy” why bother coming here?
Amusement.
If I were worth a few hundred million dollars and know what I know about Cruz and how much he and I care about the restoration of our Constitutional Free Republic, I would have no problem donating tens of millions to the Cruz campaign.
Bloomberg has pledged 50 plus/plus million dollars to promote gun control, and somehow that’s an unquestionable righteous endeavor.
No troll is going to bring me down off my Cruz cloud. I’m immune to the jerks now!
What you said.
Yes, the oligarchy.
Dern those nasty folks who make & save money, right?
But try to hang on. Everything will be better when 50 or 60 million dumb broke Mexicans decide the elections.
Thank you, Robert Mercer—could you please talk some sense into him re: legalizing illegals? The damage to the country and its politics would be grave.
WTF are you talking about?
And just to pop the purity bubble a bit, Mercer also supported Lindsey Graham, Susan Collins, John Coryn and Scott Brown.
So he is not an ideologue purist, but instead a pragmatic bettor.
He is a poker player, and has supported a lot of winners. Maybe he thinks Cruz is a winner.
You’ve never worked in a presidential campaign, have you?
I”m saying thank you to Cruz’s big backer, while also asking him to talk some sense into him re: legalization of illegals.
Cruz likes to focus on his opposition to “Obama’s illegal amnesty”, but Cruz himself favors legalization (just not citizenship) for the 10s of millions of illegals currently here.
What is your proposal? Ike’s Operation Wetback? It’s 2015, not 1955, but you just keep on dreaming.
Make them self-deport by cutting off bennies and punishing employers who hire illegals.
but instead a pragmatic bettor.
You think he hasn’t already thought of that?
Good thing Jefferson, Lincoln, Coolidge, Reagan and the rest got in there without those filthy donations.
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