Fellow Coffee Mogul Roasts Schultz for 2020 Hopes
So, Howard Schultz is apparently willing to do this.
Having shown relatively little public interest in politics throughout the first 65 years of his life, the former Starbucks CEO has suddenly realized he can’t take his multibillion-dollar fortune to the grave and is determined to prove himself by running for president, or at least acting like he’s going to do so for a little while.
Schultz’s case is essentially that politics is broken and that both parties have gone too far — a platform that no one has ever tried, ever. His hopes seem to lie in convincing America he’s some sort of radical moderate, someone who will remake America’s politics without going too far in either direction and without any sort of party or coalition to speak of. This can only end well.
The most heartening part of Schultz’s potential 2020 bid is the sheer number of Democrats freaking out about Schultz’s candidacy like he’s Ralph Nader on steroids. The telling part of that is that Nader’s 2000 bid garnered votes by decrying corporations. Schultz, meanwhile, is trying to get traction by insisting that they’re not inherently evil.
For a representative reaction, take Robert Reich, the economist and former Clinton-era treasury secretary who pops up in those ridiculous videos your AOC-loving friend always posts to Facebook in which he oversimplifies and bastardizes some issue of the day in two minutes or less.
Schultz, Reich wrote at Salon, “represents the very worst aspect of America’s new billionaire class in politics: He simply anoints himself as a presidential candidate, declares he’s running as an independent so he doesn’t have to put himself and his ideas through any party primary contest, and can spend an unlimited amount of his own money marketing himself and his candidacy. American democracy wasn’t built for this.”
He’s not the only leftist going after Schultz. Another coffee baron — Todd Carmichael, the Elizabeth Warren-supporting co-founder of La Colombe Coffee Roasters — told Politico that Schultz isn’t fit for the position.
“I first met Howard in 1984 and he’s done a lot for coffee, but right now he’s out of his depth on a vanity run for the presidency,” Carmichael said. “Of course a billionaire would complain about a tax on billionaires, but it doesn’t mean it’s good policy for America.”
Carmichael was referring to the fact that Schultz was against Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s proposed 70 percent marginal tax rates on wealth.
“I respect the Democratic Party. I no longer feel affiliated because I don’t know their views represent the majority of Americans. I don’t think we want a 70 percent income tax in America,” Schultz said in a Jan. 28 interview with CNBC.
Schultz has also called Warren’s proposed “ultra-millionaire tax,” which would tax individuals with over $50 million at the rate of 2 percent a year and those with over $1 billion at 3 percent, “ridiculous.”
“There are a number of areas here that need to be addressed,” Schultz said during an interview the same day on NPR’s “Morning Edition,” according to Politico. “I’m not trying to dodge any question, but I feel like what we have today is an unfair system.
“However, when I see Elizabeth Warren come out with a ridiculous plan of taxing wealthy people a surtax of 2 percent because it makes a good headline or sends out a tweet when she knows for a fact that’s not something that’s ever gonna be passed, this is what’s wrong,” he continued. “You can’t just attack these things in a punitive way by punishing people.”
Carmichael, who has told Warren he would be a surrogate for her in 2020, says he thinks the tax is a great idea.
“I am not afraid to say that I want to be taxed more,” he said told Politico. “I want better schools. I want people to have better access to health care.”
Yes, because the Democrats have a fantastic history of taking people’s money, taking choice away from them and then giving them an excellent product for their money in areas like school and health care. Obamacare and the federal Department of Education have worked magic in these areas.
Carmichael’s interview was an object lesson in self-delusion. Take his reasons why he thinks Warren should be the next president:
“I believe that she has a steady hand, and now remember, the next president of the United States of America will be driving this thing in the deep bowels of hell in the recession,” he said (emphasis added). “That’s almost certain, and so as a driver, you want someone … that can take in a great deal of information, process it, and make a sober decision.”
Yes, the “deep bowels of hell in the recession” in an economy with low unemployment and high job growth. That grasp of economic reality should probably tell you exactly what to think about his call for left-leaning business owners to come out and support tax proposals like Warren’s.
“A lot of times, you have really, really smart people who have done things like teach at prestigious colleges, who are going to be accused of things that aren’t true or fair, like, ‘Well, you might be a genius, but you’ve never started a company,’” he said. “I (run) a live, active, really fast-growing business, and I can show you how (progressive economic proposals are) not killing me.”
It probably won’t surprise you that Carmichael is purportedly considering a run for office himself. The millionaire has been considered as a possible challenger to Republican Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey. He clearly has an agenda and it makes that whole “out of his depth” comment about Schultz seem humorous.
This is the kind of freakout that you’re going to see the Democrats indulge if a Schultz run gets serious. There’s going to be talk about Schultz being a spoiler and how he’s an evil billionaire.
What’s telling is the fact that it’s been a long time since there’s been a possible spoiler candidate who’s managed to take votes from the Democrats by going to the right of their standard-bearer. Usually, it’s someone to the left like Nader or Jill Stein.
In 2020, however, the beliefs of Nader and Stein could be codified in the Democrat platform or exemplified by their nominee.
No wonder they’re worried about the former Starbucks CEO. Given how far the party is moving to the left, Schultz could deliver the 2020 election straight to Trump in a Venti latte cup.
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