In politics, there are two kinds of riches: personal riches –
Democrat Dick Blumenthal, weighing in at $67 million, is among the eight richest
Senators in Congress – and campaign riches.
Democrat U.S Senator Chris Murphy, who complains often
enough that hustling campaign dollars wastes time he might otherwise more
profitably spend demonizing the NRA – which recently signaled its support of a bill championed by Murphy and fellow NRA demonizer Blumenthal, the “Fix NICS Act of
2017”, that would reinforce requirements that federal agencies report all
infractions to the National Instant Criminal
Background Check System -- currently has about $6 million in his campaign kitty.
Most people could not name Murphy’s likely Republican challenger. None of them
have yet hit the $60,000 mark.
Democrat Representative Elizabeth Esty has $1.2 million in
her campaign bank account. Craig Diangelo, a Republican running against Esty,
had $57.16 on hand at the end of September.
So then, all the Democrats in Connecticut’s all-Democrat
U.S. Congressional Delegation are far wealthier than their impoverished
Republican challengers. U.S. Representative Joe Courtney – “two subs Joe” – has
tucked away $837,805. Rep. Jim Himes, who has no Republican opponent, boasts $2.3
million. John Larson, representative for
life in the gerrymandered 1st District, has pocketed $354,915. U.S.
Rep Rosa DeLauro has $64,969 on hand, but that modest figure only hints at a
larger story. DeLauro and Larson, both representing gerrymandered districts,
have been in the U.S. House for a combined total of 44 years, which suggest
that neither of them is reliant on massive campaign war chests to remain in
office.
Like Blumenthal, DeLauro is personally wealthy. Both
Blumenthal and DeLauro married well. Blumenthal is married to the daughter of redundantly
rich New York real estate magnate Peter Malkin, who owns the Empire State
building and other money-making properties. A few years ago, Malkin and his son
Anthony took Malkin Holdings
public. According to the New York Post,
“the company’s initial public offering raised about $754 million.” It takes
money to make money, as the one-percenters say.
DeLauro is married to Stan Greenberg, pollster to Democratic stars.
Greenberg’s politically high profile clients have included such political
shakers and movers within the Democratic Party as President Bill Clinton, Vice
President Al Gore, Vice President Walter Mondale and a host of both national
and international corporations and issue groups.
The CEO of Greenberg Quinlan Rosner, boasts that his firm
“is one of the world's premier research and strategic consulting firms. Beyond
data, we provide the strategic insight necessary to develop the right messages
to achieve our clients' goals. Smarter, faster and committed to our clients'
interests: we work harder and think deeper than the rest.”
In off hours, the DeLauro-Greenberg team is The Great Gatsby
of Washington D.C. DeLauro shares her campaign wealth with the Democrat
National Committee, which in turn parcels out its contributions, in both money
and services, to other worthy and appreciative Democrats, usually incumbents
like DeLauro. In turn, Greenberg is showered with business from Democratic
politicians, and the bread DeLauro has thrown upon the political waters, as the
Good Book says, will be returned to her after many days. It may be difficult
for some to make qualifying distinctions between this profitable loop and
self-dealing, but one may be sure the loop is legal. In addition to prime
property in Washington DC, where the DeLauro-Greenberg team holds salons for
political activists and seasoned politicians, money buys pro-active legal
services from accomplished and wealthy law firms.
Among some more slithery politicians, the phrase “it’s all
perfectly legal” sometimes precedes ethically questionable dealings, which is
why Honoré de Balzac said, “The secret of great fortunes
without apparent cause is a crime forgotten, for it was properly done.” Mario
Puzo paraphrased the quote and used it to open his novel “The Godfather” –
“Behind every great fortune, there is a crime.”
Because of
gerrymandered districts, both DeLauro and Larson will likely keep their seats
in the U.S. Congress in perpetuity. Still, God being just, Ecclesiastics warns
us that there will be a final election, a warning that seems to be addressed especially
to successful Senators from Planned Parenthood:
“As you do not know the way the spirit comes
to the bones in the womb[a] of a woman with child, so you do not know the work
of God who makes everything …
“Rejoice, O young
man, in your youth, and let your heart cheer you in the days of your youth.
Walk in the ways of your heart and the sight of your eyes. But know that for
all these things God will bring you into judgment.”
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