Mayor Mike Doesn’t Need Your Stinkin’ Contributions

Photo by Alexander Mils on Unsplash

And that should worry you.

If you’re reading this story, you’re probably a bit of a political junkie. And you’ve probably coughed up a few bucks to support a candidate of your choice.

So you know the drill. Soon you’re getting 3 or 4 emails a day — not just from the candidate to whom you contributed, but from political parties, PACs, and candidates from states a thousand miles away, all calling you by your first name and telling you how urgent it is that you donate just a few dollars (“Matching funds will expire tomorrow!” or “We must meet our goal during this reporting period”). If you do donate, you’re asked to store your credit card info on their site, and then you get not a “Thank You” but a “Thank You and can we count on you for an ongoing contribution? We’ve already got your info on file, so no problem!”

If you’re used to this endless barrage of “Feed Me!”, then when you visit the website for Mike Bloomberg’s campaign, you’ll notice something missing. Nowhere on any of the major pages is a request for money. Even the t-shirts and bumper stickers are sold at cost.

Does this mean he can’t be bought?

If you’re thinking in those terms (donations make candidates beholden to the donors), then you’re missing the big picture.