Rantz: After endless complaints about big money, Democrats try to buy Washington elections

After endlessly complaining about how big money corrupts elections, Washington Democrats and their one-percenter friends are trying to buy yet another election. Perhaps the media should stop letting Democrats feign outrage over the wealthy.

Between August 1 and September 20, Democrat campaigns and their special interest backers poured nearly $9 million into political ads in the Seattle metro area, according to Axios. In comparison, Republicans spent only around $385,000, highlighting the glaring imbalance.

So why are Democrats outspending Republicans so dramatically? The answer is simple: their positions are unpopular, and it takes a hefty sum of money to construct the illusion that Republicans are the problem. After all, its Democrats who have been in power while quality of life has worsened. The Left is trying to buy this election.

Are Democrats hypocrites when it comes to corporation donations and big money?

From far-left gubernatorial hopeful Bob Ferguson to antisemitic Squad grandmother Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Seattle), local Democrats have made a habit of decrying big dollar interests influencing elections, while hypocritically benefiting from them.

Ferguson criticizes corporate donations but has historically accepted money from companies like Boeing, Pfizer and Microsoft. Though he pretends corporate money is evil, he has no issue with big union dollars. Meanwhile, Jayapal rails against wealthy interests and “the scourge” of big dollar donations on TV while privately accepting large individual contributions, with her own re-election campaign heavily funded by big donors. Both exhibit blatant hypocrisy, ignored by much of the media.

Ferguson claims he doesn’t accept donations from corporations, but that’s a newly-adopted principle. He’s previously taken money from Boeing, Pfizer, Microsoft, McDonalds and many others. And while he contents business money is supposedly evil, he gladly accepts big union dollars because to some that is noble. Meanwhile, Ferguson was caught trying to game the campaign finance system by shifting over $1.2 million in surplus campaign money to his 2024 campaign, despite a rule change restricting moves like this. He did it to hide donors, likely with the intent of letting them donate more than the contribution limit would allow. Only after months of pressure did he relent and reverse course.

Still, working in cahoots with the state party during a rigger primary to ensure Ferguson got the nomination, the gubernatorial hopeful funneled $750,000 surplus campaign funds to the state party. It appeared to be a scam that most in the media ignored.

For her part, Jayapal spends her days on X and MSNBC claiming that big money interests are ruining elections. Simultaneously, she demonizes the wealthy as not “paying their fair share.” While she’s critical on TV, in private, she’s happy to accept their checks. Her current re-election campaign received the bulk of its funds from large individual contributors.

How are Democrats spending millions to buy the Washington election?

Democrats aren’t just spending money on their own campaigns. They’re spending big to defeat all initiatives on the ballot.

Steve and Connie Ballmer, The Nature Conservancy, Chris Stolte, William H. Gates and Microsoft are collectively spending millions to convince voters to vote against Initiative 2117. A yes vote would end the Climate Commitment Act (CCA), which is responsible for an increase of roughly $0.50 per gallon of gasoline.

In order to convince Washingtonians to vote against their financial self-interest, the I-2117 campaign has flat out lied about what a yes vote would do. For example, ads claim I-2117 would gut the funds to fix run down bridges and complete major road projects. But the CCA does not fund those projects because its restricted to projects related to climate or decarbonization, like the foolish endeavor to electrify our ferry fleet.

Meanwhile, labor unions like SEIU and UFCW are pouring millions to defeat Initiative 2124, which would allow Washington workers to opt-out of state-run long term health care coverage. Democrats want to force all workers to pay for the subpar coverage because it’s the only way it could stay solvent. Republicans want taxpayers to determine if this is the right decision for themselves and their family. Again, the campaign is filled with egregious and verifiable lies.

The labor unions claim supporting I-2124 would somehow “cost women and working families” by increasing costs for “nurses, teachers and firefighters” (the go-to workers described by Democrats to elicit sympathy and support). The No on I-2124 campaign claims allowing an individual to opt-out of long term care coverage would “cause more people, mostly women, to leave their jobs to provide unpaid care for loved ones with disabilities, or who are sick or aging.”

This is, of course, completely false.

I-2124 doesn’t end the long term care insurance program. It allows people to opt-out and either get much better coverage on the private market or forgo it completely. There’s little reason why an 18-year-old working his or her first job would pay into a program that will offer them far less benefits than what they put in decades from now.

Pick a lane

There’s nothing wrong with decrying big dollars in campaigns. I can see the argument. But you can’t have it both ways. Well, actually, yes you can.

Democrats frequently get away with decrying big money without local or national media outlets (that share their ideological position) calling them out. Ferguson, Jayapal, and scores of other Democrats get away with it because the media lets them. That means it’s up to the voters to send the message that this kind of hypocrisy won’t work on us.

Ultimately, Washington Democrats are playing the game they claim to despise, proving that big money is only a problem when Republicans use it. With special interest groups and wealthy benefactors lining their pockets, the hypocrisy couldn’t be more blatant. Voters should demand transparency and honesty, but if the media continues to give Democrats a free pass, it’s up to the electorate to break the cycle of deceit.

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