"Karl Marx did not think about software": billionaire Tom Steyer expresses himself on the inequalities and his career in 2020 | American News

Tom Steyer entered the Democratic primary with a singular advantage: the biggest fortune of all the 2020 candidates. This could also be his biggest responsibility.

Reflecting on the ethics of a billionaire candidate at a time when growing inequality was a vital election issue, the former hedge fund and mega-donor fund manager presented a defense. unusual: Queen Bey.

"Should we put a limit on what Beyoncé does? I do not see why, "Steyer told the Guardian by phone. "I do not think that in the United States of America, we should set a threshold for people."

Steyer turned to a critique of communism and the argument that "the heart of all great fortune is a crime": "What Karl Marx did not take into account, is the software – whether you are Michael Jackson, Rihanna or Beyoncé or any idea person, with software, you are not only the best singer in your village … you have the opportunity to reproduce this song at the same time. infinite at a very low cost worldwide. "

Steyer ad his surprise campaign last week, six months after he publicly declared that he would not be a candidate. The 62-year-old Californian is now charged with distinguishing himself from other white men who do not have a general name recognition in the 2020 field, convincing voters that he has long used his money for good – and that the best way to help save the planet is the Oval Office.

A native of San Francisco and father of four, Steyer founded the Farallon Capital Management hedge fund in 1986 and left it in 2012. He spent his money defending clean air laws and clean energy, opposition to loopholes in corporate taxation, take tobacco companies, register youth voters and other liberal causes.

Over the past year, he has attracted attention as he traveled the country with his group Need to Impeach, which has gathered more than 8 million supporters who want to overthrow Trump. The advocacy of impeachment earned him an insult from the president on Twitter ("Wacky & Totally Distraught") as well as the shadow of some Democratic colleagues. Steyer's other non-profit group, NextGen America, has spent millions of dollars collecting people around the climate crisis and registering voters.

Steyer promised to spend $ 100 million on his candidacy for 2020, more than the combined fundraising of the top five Democrats in the last three months. The billionaire almost immediately faced backlash and skepticism on the part of progressive activists, some begging him to spend that money for something else, such as secret ballot races and voter registration.

"Democrats express their frustration that it is going down this road rather than spending $ 100 million trying to overthrow the Senate," said RL Miller, chair of the California Democratic Party's environmental caucus, adding that his immediate reaction to Steyer 2020 was "-roll emoji".

US Senator Elizabeth Warren has already emerged as the leading candidate for the recall in 2020, while Washington Governor Jay Inslee has become the definitive candidate for the climate crisis. He said, "I do not know too much [Steyer] can add? The way "businessman without previous experience elected"? "

In an interview on the way to the airport after a stopover in South Carolina, Steyer explained why he had decided to show up after declaring in January that he would devote "100%" of his " time and effort "in 2019 to indictment.

"Part of that was looking at this government failure and being so frustrated," he said. "Literally, watching the debate and watching this campaign evolve, I thought," Wow, I can not sleep. "

Regarding the dismissal, he said: "We won the argument but we did not win the fight."

Steyer's candidacy made comparisons with Howard Schultz, former CEO of billionaire Starbucks, whose flirtation with a series at the White House was seen as a futile vanity project.

When asked if any of his family had discouraged him from running, Steyer replied, "No." After a pause, he replied, "I do not make fun of me!" He also said he knew that running was not necessarily a smart move. , adding, "I do not try to do a clever thing, I try to do the right thing."

When asked why voters should support him instead of Warren, who shares his point of view but has real elected experience, he said, "I've been doing it from outside for ten years. She is a senator in the United States on her second term.

On complaints that his money might have more impact elsewhere, Steyer's answer was simple: he had a lot of money. "We are going to do everything we could have done otherwise," he said, explaining that he continued to fund NextGen and his removal group.

By entering the race so late, Steyer had already missed the first few debates and was starting with a disadvantage. It may also be difficult for him to convince voters that he would defeat the president – the question, according to polls, is paramount for many Democrats, said Jessica Levinson, professor at the law school. from Loyola. "It sounds more risky when a person does not have a background and presents himself as a business person who has earned money in areas that I think go somewhat against his campaign speech. "

Levinson was referring to the past investments of his hedge fund in private prisons and coal mines, a legacy that is propitious to attack. On prisons, he said: "It was 17 years ago, when we were not talking about any political affair … it was wrong, I sold them.

In terms of taking advantage of fossil fuels, he said, "We have invested in all areas of the economy."

Apart from destitution and climate, Steyer's political views are less well known. On reparations, a subject of intense debate in Washington this year while some Democrats pushed for legislation, Steyer said he was supporting a bill to study it, but did not specified he supported financial compensation for the descendants of slaves: to know if this discrimination took place … and if we should fix it. The question is how to do it best. "

While some of the most leftist candidates support Medicare for All or a single-payer government system, Steyer noted that 150 million Americans currently had "job-based" plans, adding, "They should be allowed to make that choice. We should not make it illegal for them to have this health care. "

Insisting on the ethics of billionaires in society, Steyer was quick to find that he and his wife were committed to donating a large amount of their fortune while alive. absolutely a shame on America ".

"The idea of ​​generational wealth is not an idea that I subscribe to or believe in," he continued. "Should we have a different tax system? Absolutely. Should resources be shared differently? Absolutely."

Steyer said his personal journey would be one he would like to see taken by America, regarding the abandonment of fossil fuels: "I realized that the climate was a problem, I personally disinvolved. I quit my job. I've been working hard on the climate for over a decade. "

He added, "Would I be able to understand it sooner? Yes of course. But we must all make this transition and not let ourselves be snooker, but I think I was ahead of almost everyone. "