Re:Swiss Billionaire’s Mega-Influence on U.S. Politics
by woodruffw on Tuesday May 17, 2022 @10:02PM
(#31418476)
There's an undercurrent of special pleading in this reporting: conservative judicial activism is what got us into this mess and the last decade has seen conservative groups trounce progressive ones in terms of raising "dark" money, but it's suddenly a problem when a progressive foreigner plays by the same rules. Hmm.
And in case it isn't clear: I'd like to ban all private money from public elections. But there's a clear bias in the reporting here, which is unfortunately consistent with RCP "losing the plot" w/r/t being a nonpartisan news source.
Re:Swiss Billionaire’s Mega-Influence on U.S. Politics
by daenz on Tuesday May 17, 2022 @10:13PM
(#31418546)
>conservative groups trounce progressive ones in terms of raising "dark" money, but it's suddenly a problem when a progressive foreigner plays by the same rules.
What are some foreign conservative billionaires that we should be worried about?
(And yes, for instance Murdoch is technically an American citizen, but for technical reasons i.e. "to satisfy the legal requirement for US television network ownership.")
Re:Swiss Billionaire’s Mega-Influence on U.S. Politics
by daenz on Tuesday May 17, 2022 @10:28PM
(#31418642)
You seem to care about their political alignment as well, otherwise you wouldn't have attempted to discredit the RCP's reporting for having a bias against a foreign progressive billionaire.
Re:Swiss Billionaire’s Mega-Influence on U.S. Politics
by mc32 on Tuesday May 17, 2022 @10:20PM
(#31418589)
Putin wants to destabilize. He's not trying to shape politics one way or another. He wants chaos and anarchy for his enemies. However, lots of billionnaires wish to influence society toward their "vision".
Re:Swiss Billionaire’s Mega-Influence on U.S. Politics
by johnthebaptist on Tuesday May 17, 2022 @11:30PM
(#31418957)
He’s a conservative foreign billionaire and influences US politics (which addressed the parent’s question in my opinion).
And he’s certainly trying to “shape politics one way or the other”. The whole disaster is in Ukraine is based on shaping geopolitics. And US conservative politicians and pundits have been used in the run up for that purpose
Re:Swiss Billionaire’s Mega-Influence on U.S. Politics
by mc32 on Wednesday May 18, 2022 @12:30AM
(#31419239)
He cares about the old Soviet Union/Russian Empire glory days. That's it. He could not care less who's in the white house, he'll cause them trouble whoever they are --that's all he cares. He personally may be conservative but he is not trying to make the US conservative or liberal --it makes no diff to him.
Re:Swiss Billionaire’s Mega-Influence on U.S. Politics
by bayareabadboy on Tuesday May 17, 2022 @10:14PM
(#31418549)
Honestly has anyone ever been swayed by a political ad? I wonder if this is something both the left and the right freak out way too much about. I’m just not convinced people’s political opinions are that malleable.
Also, I do believe in the power of ads otherwise. But I wonder if politics is for most people, a little different, a little more tribal, like sports fandom.
Re:Swiss Billionaire’s Mega-Influence on U.S. Politics
by mbg721 on Tuesday May 17, 2022 @10:17PM
(#31418570)
The conventional wisdom is that political ads don't change people's minds about who to vote for, but they do change people's minds about whether to bother voting (or voting for a major party and not a throwaway third-party).
Re:Swiss Billionaire’s Mega-Influence on U.S. Politics
by bayareabadboy on Tuesday May 17, 2022 @10:20PM
(#31418592)
I wonder if it’s a self fulfilling prophecy to some extent. Like big money follows the tailwinds. Republican enthusiasm is high right now, maybe big democrat money isn’t being spent this cycle because of that. Idk, I have absolutely no data to back this up.
Re:Swiss Billionaire’s Mega-Influence on U.S. Politics
by mbg721 on Tuesday May 17, 2022 @10:58PM
(#31418802)
This cycle is a little different from other recent ones, though. Democrats are in charge of the White House, both houses of Congress, big media, big business (everything except the Supreme Court), and people's lives are still getting worse in ways they can't ignore. Money can buy messaging, but I don't think the truly-undecided public are buying it.
Re:Swiss Billionaire’s Mega-Influence on U.S. Politics
by throw0101a on Wednesday May 18, 2022 @07:18AM
(#31421371)
> Honestly has anyone ever been swayed by a political ad?
You may wish to 'enbiggen' your circle of friends and start associating with people on the left-hand side of the bell curve. For example, folks who take horse deworming medication for COVID:
Re:Swiss Billionaire’s Mega-Influence on U.S. Politics
by lastofthemojito on Tuesday May 17, 2022 @09:48PM
(#31418391)
> Despite being a power player in U.S. politics for decades, it was unclear whether or not Wyss is a permanent resident in the United States or an American citizen
Although I'm sure like any billionaire it's hard to pin down one place of residency - with such means at their disposal, surely they spend quite a lot of time in quite a lot of places.
Re:Swiss Billionaire’s Mega-Influence on U.S. Politics
by lastofthemojito on Tuesday May 17, 2022 @10:04PM
(#31418487)
According to the Wikipedia page Wilson has the highest adjusted average gross income in the US[0].
I guess that's not too surprising when, out of just 1500 residents, one's a billionaire, one's a former US vice-president, another is a former Hollywood big shot, etc.
Re:Swiss Billionaire’s Mega-Influence on U.S. Politics
by daenz on Tuesday May 17, 2022 @09:54PM
(#31418425)
>Wyss told Swiss reporter Giorgio V. Müller in a 2011 interview that “as a non-American" he was only barred from donating money in federal elections. “Otherwise,” he said at the time, “as a foreigner, everything was possible for me.”
Can someone explain in simple terms why wealthy individuals who are not US citizens can become so hell bent on influencing American politics? If you're so invested, just become a citizen!
Re:Swiss Billionaire’s Mega-Influence on U.S. Politics
by next_xibalba on Tuesday May 17, 2022 @10:17PM
(#31418566)
Influencing the U.S. gives you the best leverage on your dollars. The U.S., for better or (more probably) worse, is the leading country of the West. It has the largest population, the largest economy, the dominant culture, and, most importantly, the largest military.
This is also why Israel lobbies and exerts such outsized influence the USG.
Re:Swiss Billionaire’s Mega-Influence on U.S. Politics
by emilsedgh on Tuesday May 17, 2022 @11:13PM
(#31418870)
Most probably because United States influences them so much.
As an Iranian, United States politics have brought so much misery upon my country, I feel like we should get a vote in U.S elections at this point. Or I don't know like half a vote. Or 1/10 of a vote. I don't know somehow let us be heard our country which once was on the path of reforms and whatnot is being crushed under the weight of senseless sanctions!
Re:Swiss Billionaire’s Mega-Influence on U.S. Politics
by woodruffw on Tuesday May 17, 2022 @10:04PM
(#31418490)
I don't see a revenge motive. More like "I believe my country/business/whatever is unduly influenced by this superpower, so I'm going to influence the superpower directly."
Re:Swiss Billionaire’s Mega-Influence on U.S. Politics
by gpm on Tuesday May 17, 2022 @10:08PM
(#31418507)
As a Canadian this is a good description of why I make a fair number of comments about US politics on the internet. I'm not sure I'd call it unduly though, it's somewhat inevitable that superpowers influence foreign politics.
Re:Swiss Billionaire’s Mega-Influence on U.S. Politics
by coliveira on Tuesday May 17, 2022 @10:18PM
(#31418583)
Because the US loves to meddle in the policy of foreign countries. That's reason enough for powerful people in other countries to try to do the same in the US.
Re:Swiss Billionaire’s Mega-Influence on U.S. Politics
by olivermarks on Tuesday May 17, 2022 @10:09PM
(#31418512)
Americans love to think they 'influence the rest of the world'. The reality is that a powerful cabal of billionaire offshore oligarchs such as Hansjörg Wyss effectively manipulate planetary politics to their ends. Given Wyss's altitude it seems likely he is meddling in many other sovereign state's politics too
Re:Swiss Billionaire’s Mega-Influence on U.S. Politics
by QuickMVP on Tuesday May 17, 2022 @10:10PM
(#31418523)
You should worry more about NRA, Reglious cults & Drug companies funding politics than any other business.
Americas stupidity is spreading even in developing world now. Concepts such as flatearth, creationist theory, anti-abortion, owning guns and mass shootings and ponzi schemes.
And in case it isn't clear: I'd like to ban all private money from public elections. But there's a clear bias in the reporting here, which is unfortunately consistent with RCP "losing the plot" w/r/t being a nonpartisan news source.
What are some foreign conservative billionaires that we should be worried about?
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Peter_Thiel
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Isaac_Perlmutter
(And yes, for instance Murdoch is technically an American citizen, but for technical reasons i.e. "to satisfy the legal requirement for US television network ownership.")
On net, I don't care if the billionaire is a foreigner or not. I care that they're a billionaire.
I would like there to be no private money in politics, full stop.
And he’s certainly trying to “shape politics one way or the other”. The whole disaster is in Ukraine is based on shaping geopolitics. And US conservative politicians and pundits have been used in the run up for that purpose
Also, I do believe in the power of ads otherwise. But I wonder if politics is for most people, a little different, a little more tribal, like sports fandom.
You may wish to 'enbiggen' your circle of friends and start associating with people on the left-hand side of the bell curve. For example, folks who take horse deworming medication for COVID:
* https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ivermectin_during_the_COVID-19...
Further, modern propaganda does not try to convince ('The Russian "Firehose of Falsehood" Propaganda Model'):
* https://www.rand.org/pubs/perspectives/PE198.html
According to https://www.wyssfoundation.org/about: "A native of Switzerland who now lives in Wilson, Wyoming"
Although I'm sure like any billionaire it's hard to pin down one place of residency - with such means at their disposal, surely they spend quite a lot of time in quite a lot of places.
I guess that's not too surprising when, out of just 1500 residents, one's a billionaire, one's a former US vice-president, another is a former Hollywood big shot, etc.
0: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wilson,_Wyoming
Can someone explain in simple terms why wealthy individuals who are not US citizens can become so hell bent on influencing American politics? If you're so invested, just become a citizen!
This is also why Israel lobbies and exerts such outsized influence the USG.
As an Iranian, United States politics have brought so much misery upon my country, I feel like we should get a vote in U.S elections at this point. Or I don't know like half a vote. Or 1/10 of a vote. I don't know somehow let us be heard our country which once was on the path of reforms and whatnot is being crushed under the weight of senseless sanctions!
Disclaimer: Current U.S. resident, rant over!
Plus, this way you don't have to pay US income tax.
American senators run shakedowns on whole countries.
Americas stupidity is spreading even in developing world now. Concepts such as flatearth, creationist theory, anti-abortion, owning guns and mass shootings and ponzi schemes.
America is settings a bad example