JASON RANTZ

Nick Hanauer hates big money but just donated $1 million to anti-gun initiative

May 22, 2018, 9:00 AM | Updated: 1:30 pm

Nick Hanauer, big business...

Nick Hanauer. (AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

(AP Photo/Ted S. Warren)

Yet again, despite decrying the evils of big money, progressive activist and venture capitalist Nick Hanauer is trying to buy an election. At this point, I should just create a Mad Libs version of Hanauer hypocrisy.

Related: Paul Allen donates $1M to Washington gun initiative

Hanauer previously donated a hefty sum to the Honest Elections/Democracy Vouchers initiative, which aimed to get “wealthy and political elite” from having such influence over elections.

“I-122 is a good first step toward campaign finance reform,” Hanauer posted on his Facebook page.

Hanauer doesn’t practice what he preaches. He donated $1 million to Initiative 1639, which would raise the minimum age to purchase semi-automatic rifles to 21 and mandate training and waiting periods. It addresses a problem that doesn’t exist in Washington state and the latest from Progressives to weaken our Second Amendment rights.

Related: Report suggests Seattle’s Democracy Vouchers are a bust

But he’s allowed to have whatever position he’d like on guns. And, he should be free to donate however much he’d like to campaigns, so long as it’s permissible under the law. But what he shouldn’t get a pass for is his abject hypocrisy.

Progressives sanctimoniously proclaim dark money to be evil and castigate the Koch brothers for their big money donations that “buy elections” while they happily take money from billionaires Tom Steyer and George Soros. Rep. Nancy Pelosi, at an event criticizing dark money, ended her speech by praising organizations that benefit from dark money.

Hanauer, without pause, will happily donate to causes he supports, while telling you that if you’re rich and a conservative, your voice should be silenced and donations limited.

I know consistency can be hard to ideologues, but Hanauer has become a parody.

Jason Rantz on AM 770 KTTH
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Nick Hanauer hates big money but just donated $1 million to anti-gun initiative