Musk accused Gates of trying to short Tesla stock.

is my friend?

that he (Gates) was fearful that the Epstein files would be unsealed, if Trump were to become POTUS.

Every bit helps.
Especially when it has the word 'millions' in it.

I am sick of this shit. I don't want to do this again in 4 years.
There are people with so much money they don't have to think twice about handing over millions of dollars while there are millions of families without enough to eat. Our country has some fucked up values.

when a friend from another country asks how a candidate is doing and I reply with how much money they have raised.

Citizens United is to blame.

you try to End Citizens United by donating.

https://endcitizensunited.org/

He's given what....$50 BILLION?? So what if he's tossing $50M to Dems.

he already gives.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bill_%26_Melinda_Gates_Foundation

Organization Amount ($ millions)

GAVI 3,152.8
World Health Organization 1,535.1
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria 777.6
PATH 635.2
United States Fund for UNICEF 461.1
The Rotary Foundation of Rotary International 400.1
International Bank for Reconstruction and Development 340.0
Global Alliance for TB Drug Development 338.4
Medicines for Malaria Venture 334.1
PATH Vaccine Solutions 333.4
UNICEF Headquarters 277.6
Johns Hopkins University 265.4
Aeras 227.6
Clinton Health Access Initiative Inc 199.5
International Development Association 174.7
CARE 166.2
World Health Organization Nigeria Country Office 166.1
Agence française de développement 165.0
Centro Internacional de Mejoramiento de Maíz y Trigo 153.1
Cornell University 146.7
Alliance for a Green Revolution in Africa 146.4
United Nations Foundation 143.0
University of Washington Foundation 138.2
Foundation for the National Institutes of Health 136.2
Emory University 123.2
University of California San Francisco 123.1
Population Services International 122.5
University of Oxford 117.8
International Food Policy Research Institute 110.7
International Institute of Tropical Agriculture 104.8
According to the OECD, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation provided US$4.1 billion for development in 2019.

While I appreciate the donation of money to Harris/Walz I have issues with Gates and other billionaires beyond that.

It is not about being a billionaire although a discussion could be had about that. It is about influence.

I recommend “The Bill Gates Problem: Reckoning with The Myth of the Good Billionaire” by Tim Schwab. Yes, the book is aimed at the influence and anti-democratic actions of Gates and the foundation via their grants but it applies to the “philanthropy” of billionaires.

Who doesn't have issues with billionaires and dark money, right?

All the more reason to vote in a trifecta so that they can begin to pass an Act that expands the Supreme Court to 13, and THEN pass laws that will rescind Citizens United, which, when that law is challenged will be upheld by the newly expanded SCOTUS.

Philanthropy has a long history of "choosing who's worthy" of giving money to.

That said, I love using his World In Data site...

My point is that this is ridiculous. It's just a show. This isn't how you elect responsible civil servants. This is how you elect movie stars and bullshit. You've heard the saying put your money where your mouth is right? That's some sad shit.

So I'd say that's exactly what Gates is doing with this money. He's directly opposing the "No Free Lunch" crowd by supporting Harris and Walz.

postal workers, call center employees, pollsters, etc. have to eat, too. The cash isn’t just being shredded.

Until they are then Dems need to get all they can get also.............

Citizens United.............

We need gobs of money to win. We can't afford to be too high-minded here when democracy is on the line.

And if Harris wins, we can push her to make campaign finance reform a top priority.

wouldn't take imposing a tax increase on the ultra rich for it to happen, just a redirection of their money to charitable not political causes.

I agree. The money being spent on elections is beyond obscene. And, I am not impressed that Gates is waiting to donate two weeks before the election.

If I remember correctly, his and Melinda's non-profit wealth was combined with Warren Buffet's non profit wealth to make one organization.

A few months ago Melinda announced that her post-divorce non profit had made a large donation to organizations that benefit women's health. Whose donation was larger?

anytime soon.

In any event, glad Gates isn’t sitting on the side. Appreciate it.

I mean...how many yachts do you need? Betsy DeVos had 11 reportedly, but still needed those big tax breaks.. More important than buying yachts, those big ol' tax breaks buy influence.

The guilt burden, the constant pleas for money and the obscene amounts being spent on elections when it is needed elsewhere and we are going to have to address all three.

I am not certain what all this expensive GOTV stuff accomplishes. For me, nothing. The texts and phone calls and mailers are ignored. I would never answer the door for pollsters or party volunteers.

Political action stuff is a huge industry. They abuse our e-mail addresses, and clog our texts and phones with endless daily appeals for money, money, money so they can send out MORE texts and email messages for $$$$.

Americans are exhausted by this never ending abuse and our government officials should be ashamed for creating this abusive situation.

"Election reform" used to be at least bandied about at election time. Now I haven't heard it mentioned in at least a decade.

But THAT kind of money—in OUR corner, for once!—is not nothing.

ONE thread not trashing billionayahs or obsessing about people who have more money than we do, let’s hear it!

TRUE! According to Bloomberg news. This is awesome! Ef off, elmo!

50 mill is nothing to him.

allows for a BIG push in ads and get out the vote at a time when it really counts.

The debts don't end on Election Day.

Many have already voted.

The reality is , we have no real way of knowing how much anti -democracy billionaires are funneling to people like Leo and Trump and their front groups

At the very least, for me, it is not sustainable.
I personally, have enough environmental exposure to guilt, without being confronted, online maybe 20 times a day, that I haven't given enough and if I would just give now,boy that would take care of everything. That's my point.

Not only is the guilt-tripping stupid, but it shows a lack of gratitude. I'm sure these are all pre-programmed emails, but can't they tailor the message to those already giving monthly?

But the biggest reason I've unsubscribed is it's a waste of time I need for working for democracy. I don't have time to read things I can't respond to because of budget limits.

Same for texts. I've gotten rid of almost all of them.

Really, thanks Bill Gates.

I remember years ago before he married Melinda, he was quite often criticized for his less than generous/non-existent donations to worthy causes. After he married Melinda, it seems like she was instrumental in his becoming more philanthropic. He has done an awful lot of good in many ways, so I will not criticize him.

I assembled my own computers from parts since Windows 95 and I had to buy the OS separately. I bought 95, 98SE, XP, and 7 (free upgrade to 10, skipped 8) and came to resent giving money to Gates after having to deal with buggy 95 and 98SE. XP was the best, very stable and BSODs were as rare as a robin in winter. The user interface was a joy. And then came 10, a big leap backwards in the user interface department, but an absolute necessity as XP just could not cut the internet anymore. I just bought a used Lenovo ThinkCentre with 11 already loaded, as 10 will not be supported much longer and my current computer will not support 11. When it arrives I will see if the user interface in 11 is more like 10, or XP. In any case, I feel a bit less resentful toward Gates now... just a bit, mind you.

Billionaire fight.

This waste of money that could be spent in upgrading our country, improving education and making college and grade schools affordable makes more sense.

Invest in America not politicians,

but the titans are getting in the ring big time

The Apple fanboys here are very quiet about this news.

Let's win this big!!!

Full article ...

https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/22/us/elections/bill-gates-future-forward-kamala-harris.html?unlocked_article_code=1.UU4.VMgS.RgIPI4Ngvjnt&smid=url-share


"After decades of sitting on the sidelines of politics, Bill Gates, one of the richest people in the world, has said privately that he recently donated about $50 million to a nonprofit organization that is supporting Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential run, according to three people briefed on the matter.

The donation was meant to stay under wraps. Mr. Gates, one of the founders of Microsoft, has not publicly endorsed Ms. Harris, and his donation would represent a significant change in the strategy that has previously kept him away from gifts like this.

In private calls this year to friends and others, Mr. Gates has expressed concern about what a second Donald Trump presidency would look like, according to a person briefed on Mr. Gates’s thinking, although he has stressed that he could work with either candidate. Mr. Gates does not have a deep relationship with Ms. Harris, but he has celebrated the Biden-Harris administration’s work on climate change. Mr. Gates’s philanthropic organization, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, is significantly concerned about potential cuts to family planning and global health programs if Mr. Trump is elected, according to two people close to the foundation.

Mr. Gates has said he made his donation to Future Forward, the main outside fund-raising group supporting Ms. Harris, according to the people briefed on the matter. Mr. Gates has talked about his pro-Harris donation with his peers, including Mike Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor and a major supporter of Future Forward who has considered a similarly sized gift, two of the people briefed said. Mr. Gates’s donation went specifically to Future Forward’s nonprofit arm, Future Forward USA Action, which as a 501(c)(4) “dark money” organization does not disclose its donors, according to the people briefed. So any contribution by Mr. Gates will never appear on any public filing..."

It takes time to spend that much money. Perhaps he's just making a grand gesture.

However, in the meantime, go Bill!

Awesome!

Even though he was already wealthy from his law practice, and became moreso after Microsoft got going, he thought rich people should pay their fair share and even wrote a book against the repeal of the estate tax -- https://www.amazon.com/Wealth-Our-Commonwealth-Accumulated-Fortunes-ebook/dp/B01BRFKMFY.

Might even convince some to come out to vote, or swing their vote to D.

Money IS a big part of US elections.

And btw….hes a Boomer. So….Boom!!!!!

Better late than never.

Because of the fraudulent SCOTUS and their decision in the Citizens United case it has become necessary to have the support of billionaires to compete in the political arena. This is dangerous and gives the mega wealthy undue influence in our elections.

The good news is there are billionaires who have some ideals and some fundamental sense of fairness. People like Bill Gates help to mitigate fascists like Elon Musk.

Thanks Bill for stepping up for democracy.

Back in the people's hands. Now where's the rest of it?

..it released her to be a great asset for womens causes. Same with McKenzie Bezos.. they needed to lose the men to flourish on their own.