The NRA is a well-funded Extremist Group

[beatledog7]

His LGS sting operations are publicly funded by NYC.

If that's true, then he is stealing from the taxpayers. There is no way it should be legal to spend NYC tax dollars outside NYC. If it isn't, then he should be prosecuted. If it is, then the people of NYC need to get their heads out of the sand and force some changes.

Well, they need to do that anyway.

 

[Cesiumsponge]

It does show that he could spend 0.2% of his net worth each year and outspend the NRA by a long way.

And IS that happening? Facts, skepticism, and rational arguments are the foundation for a solid argument that requires equal evidence to counter. If you're going to start the wishy washy feelings and "what if" rationales as the sole basis of your argument, you're no better than the irrational anti-gun guys. This chart is rubbish and no better than the crap we are bombarded with.

 

[Derek Zeanah]

And IS that happening? Facts, skepticism, and rational arguments are the foundation for a solid argument that requires equal evidence to counter. If you're going to start the wishy washy feelings and "what if" rationales as the sole basis of your argument, you're no better than the irrational anti-gun guys. This chart is rubbish and no better than the crap we are bombarded with.

We don't know. We do know that he recently spent ~ $2 million to influence the election for Jesse Jackson Jr's successor. His money was spent, as far as I can tell, on ads opposing the only NRA A rated candidate.

Word on the grapevine is that he's making similar promises/threats in Colorado. The threat/promise now has clout due to his contributions in Chicago.

Is he? Maybe, maybe not. Might he? Oh hell yes. Will we see him doing so in the next election cycle? I'd guess the odds are greater than 80%.

 

[runner55]

Don't forget Bloomberg's direct and ongoing involvement with Gifford's/Kelly's new anti-gun group. He provided the idea and seed money.

http://articles.washingtonpost.com/...ucson-supermarket-gabrielle-giffords-gun-laws

 

[Bartholomew Roberts]

The interesting thing is that so far Bloomberg appears to be threatening only Dems - and not even A-rated Dems but moderate Dems like B-rated Joe Baca. For example, Ddbbie Halvorson apparently had no chance of winning against the Chicago machine candidate to begin with - and she supported gun registration but not bans. Bloomberg singled her out for her minor gun control stance and made a big deal about ad spending against a candidate that was already effectively going to lose without Bloomberg's input.

So far it seems like the majority of Bloomberg's spending is being used to eliminate moderate gun control Dems and replace them with extremists who support gun bans.

 

[-v-]

Bartholmew: My guess would be this is Bloomberg's opening shots. The idea being that "If I'm willing to spend this much on someone I kind of don't agree with, imagine what I can do if I really don't like you." The message to the party to keep in line or face his wrath. Of course, this can easily back fire. It becomes all to easy to paint candidates that he supports as "Bloomberg's lackeys" and make voters think twice about voting for them.

 

[Lucifer_Sam]

And IS that happening? Facts, skepticism, and rational arguments are the foundation for a solid argument that requires equal evidence to counter. If you're going to start the wishy washy feelings and "what if" rationales as the sole basis of your argument, you're no better than the irrational anti-gun guys. This chart is rubbish and no better than the crap we are bombarded with.

Is he? Maybe, maybe not. Might he? Oh hell yes. Will we see him doing so in the next election cycle? I'd guess the odds are greater than 80%.

The link Carl posted earlier in the thread seemed pretty telling on that point.

Illinois’s Second Congressional District, which includes parts of Chicago’s South Side and southern suburbs, is the most recent focus of an effort by Mr. Bloomberg to invest some of his personal fortune into influencing the national political debate on issues like gun control, education and same-sex marriage. After forming the super PAC in October, Mr. Bloomberg used the group to spend around $10 million on candidates in the November elections, which he considered a “toe in the water,” according to Howard Wolfson, a deputy mayor in the Bloomberg administration.

The mayor’s message is that “there is a price to be paid for candidates that run with the support of the N.R.A. or run supporting their positions,” Mr. Wolfson said.


He formed one of those super PACs specifically so he can spend all kinds of money on elections throughout the country to support his type of causes. Theres no telling how much he will actually do it, but I also wouldn't be surprised if it was frequent, given that Bloomberg feels hes some type of crusader for "the greater good". Hes like some aggressive disease determined to inflict as much damage as it can.

Hopefully, thorough, one flaw in his plan might be that people might actually resent some jack*ss from NYC trying to tell them how to live their lives and want nothing to do with his candidates. I know that a whiff of Bloomberg on a candidate in the southern states would get them rode of of town on a rail. Not that he'd be likely to pick a battle that he would so obviously lose, though, hes not stupid.

 

[Waywatcher]

I'm going to go against the grain on this one.

Comparing net worth of an individual to one year of net income for a business or organization is totally apples and oranges. For one, the individual amassed it over time. Two, net income is after expenses for those businesses/organizations, so it belies their true size.

We're all on the same side here, but this imgur is easily dissected and rendered inert.

 

[hnk45acp]

I'm going to go against the grain on this one.

Comparing net worth of an individual to one year of net income for a business or organization is totally apples and oranges. For one, the individual amassed it over time. Two, net income is after expenses for those businesses/organizations, so it belies their true size.

We're all on the same side here, but this imgur is easily dissected and rendered inert.

Agreed, perhaps abetter comparison: the NRA spent 29 milllion all of last year and Bloomberg easily spent 102 million (his own money) in 3-4 months to buy the Mayorship of NYC in 2009