“Then there’s the fact he gave money to the left including Hil, he exposes their hypocrisy over and over.. they took his money happily.”
My question is whether he was happy to GIVE them that money. They didn’t just “take it”, they “asked for it”, according to him. He didn’t call them out of the blue and offer them his support, they came to him and asked.
People seem to assume that he was trying to buy influence, that he was the initiator, but it sounds more like he was being extorted for protection money. As though politicians are honest and hard-working until corrupted by men who come to them with bags of money.
I put most politicians in a similar category to the mafia — they can make your life difficult as a businessman without any way to hold them accountable.
I don’t blame the corner grocer for paying protection money to the mob so his store doesn’t “accidentally” burn down. The corner grocer isn’t “happy” to pay for “protection” and the mob boss and bagmen aren’t his “friends” — even if from the outside all you see is him smiling and giving them money.
I live in a very blue state, and know many middle market CEO’s who are obligated to give to left wing democrats. That’s just the price of doing business, whether they ideologically support these candidates or not. Of course they are asked, the PACS and politicians have professional fundraisers who do this for a living. I’m sure they often offer as well, particularly if legislation is being held up or lobbied for.