Category Archives: Democrat

RUTHERFORD, Calif. To reach the wine cave that set off a firestorm in this weeks Democratic presidential debate, visitors must navigate a hillside shrouded in mossy oak trees and walk down a brick-and-limestone hallway lined with wine barrels. Inside the room, a strikingly long table made of wood and onyx sits below a raindrop chandelier with 1,500 Swarovski crystals.

The furnishings drew the ire of Senator Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts on Thursday, when she chastised Pete Buttigieg for holding a recent fund-raiser in a wine cave full of crystals where she said guests were served $900 bottles of wine.

Billionaires in wine caves should not pick the next president of the United States, she said. Andrew Yang, a former tech executive, added that candidates should not have to shake the money tree in the wine cave.

On Friday, the billionaire couple who owns the wine cave wine is often stored underground because of the cool, stable temperatures said they were frustrated that their property had set off one of the fiercest back-and-forths of the debate. Watching the contentious moment on television, they grew frustrated as Ms. Warren and other candidates used their winery as a symbol of opulence and the wealthys influence on politics.

Im just a pawn here, said Craig Hall, who owns Hall Wines, which is known for its cabernet sauvignon, with his wife, Kathryn Walt Hall. Theyre making me out to be something thats not true. And they picked the wrong pawn. Its just not fair.

Mr. Hall said he had not settled on a favorite Democratic candidate, but that Mr. Buttigieg, the mayor of South Bend, Ind., was a leading contender. His positions on climate change, gun safety and immigration appealed to the couple, said Mr. Hall, who added that he wanted it to be easier for middle-class Americans to start successful businesses.

The Halls have given at least $2.4 million to Democratic candidates, committees and PACs since the 1980s, according to Federal Election Commission records. They have donated to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Senator Kamala Harris of California before she ran for president.

But in this election cycle, some Democratic candidates have criticized the spending of wealthy donors like the Halls, arguing that their large contributions can lead to outsize influence on policy or even jobs in a future administration. Ms. Warren and Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont, in particular, have harped on other candidates for soliciting wealthy donors and traveling from coast to coast to attend fund-raisers.

For the Halls, the scrutiny has felt personal. Mr. Hall said that during the debate, Ms. Hall turned to him and jokingly said she might go buy something for herself instead of contributing to another political campaign.

Mr. Hall, 69, made much of his fortune in the real estate industry and said he started a business at 18 with $4,000 from his savings account. Ms. Hall, a lawyer and businesswoman, served as the United States ambassador to Austria under President Bill Clinton after donating to his re-election campaign. Her family has worked in the wine industry since the 1970s.

As chairman of the Hall Group, which is based in Dallas, Mr. Hall oversees a financial services company, wineries, art exhibits and a luxury hotel. He said that in Texas, he is often seen as the most liberal among friends and business colleagues, part of why he felt unfairly targeted during the debate.

These people dont know who theyre talking about when they throw me in the class that they did, Mr. Hall said of the presidential candidates. As much as its frustrating, its more disappointing to me that Democrats are fighting with each other when we have a common goal, which is to get back to the White House.

On the debate stage, Mr. Buttigieg responded to the attacks by arguing that the views of donors would not influence his positions and saying that his net worth was one-hundredth that of Ms. Warrens.

Mr. Buttigieg said accepting the contributions of all donors was necessary to build a campaign ready for the fight of our lives, referring to the general election face-off against President Trump.

Ms. Warrens comments also did not sit well with some local residents, who are accustomed to encountering politicians and their high-end contributors. Ms. Pelosi and Gov. Gavin Newsom of California each own a valuable vineyard nearby.

It connoted something snobbish, which it really isnt, said Carl Myers, a retired general contractor who lives in St. Helena.

Wine is stored in caves around the world, and Mr. Hall noted that the Romans followed the practice. Storing wine underground saves money on climate control and humidification, said Jonathan Ruppert, the general manager of Garys Wine & Marketplace in St. Helena.

Caves are a necessity, Mr. Ruppert said. Its the green way to keep wine and preserve it for aging.

Although the wine cave at Hall Wines is occasionally used for fund-raising events, it typically serves as a private tasting room. But the winery was closed on Friday for the employee Christmas party and, in a sign of the times, active-shooter training.

High-dollar donors have visited his wine cave, but Mr. Hall emphasized that his wineries do not sell a $900 bottle of wine or, at least, not a regularly sized one. The $900 bottle they do sell is three liters, he said, which holds as much wine as about four normal bottles. Most of the companys wines cost between $45 and $65.

Mr. Hall said he intended to support any Democratic nominee in the general election, but he admitted it would be hard to back Ms. Warren or Mr. Sanders.

I hope I dont face that question, Mr. Hall said. It may be difficult. But I really want to support whoever the nominee is, and I plan to, but there may be some holding my nose.

Carol Pogash reported from Rutherford, and Nicholas Bogel-Burroughs from New York.

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Democrats Sparred Over a Wine Cave Fund-Raiser. Its Billionaire Owner Isnt Pleased. - The New York Times

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., disclosed her bundlers before she dropped out of the race, and Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, struggling to raise money and gain in the polls, released his list of bundlers last week.

Alan Kessler has considered himself a political fundraiser since 1988, when he worked on then-Tennessee Sen. Al Gores presidential campaign. In the years since, Kessler, a top lawyer at Duane Morris in Philadelphia, has amassed a wide network of Democratic donors.

Not until recently have they termed them bundlers,' Kessler said. But its not different from whats been done from the beginning of time those who not just write checks but solicit people to make contributions at the presidential level.

A bundler isnt legally defined except in the case of lobbyists, but the generally accepted understanding is that its a person credited with collecting donations from others, often by hosting fundraising events.

Bundlers essentially have the roles of local ward leaders in classic political machines, Kolodny said. A ward leader has only a single vote, but has power because of the ability to influence family, friends, and neighbors.

Similarly, bundlers can max out personally only once, but their power comes from the ability to marshal networks of other donors.

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2020 Democrats are naming their fundraising 'bundlers' - Columbian.com - The Columbian

Some politicians running for federal office make it sound as if the biggest problem facing our country is that we dont send enough of our paychecks to Washington, D.C.

They propose increasing or creating new federal taxes on income, payrolls, business profits, carbon emissions, financial transactions, wealth, and more.

Before they start trying to spend more and more of our money, they would do well to consider just how much theyre already spending. Looking back over the last decade, its clear theyve already entered the drunken sailor stage.

SENATE OKS SPENDING BILLS TO AVOID GOVERNMENT SHUTDOWN, SENDING THEM TO TRUMP'S DESK

From 2010 through 2019, U.S. households sent an average of $228,000 to Washington. Heres the math.

The Office of Management and Budget reports that federal revenues totaled $29.3 trillion during that period. The Census Bureau estimates there are currently 128 million households in the country. Thus, each households share of the tax burden comes out to around $228,000.

And this number is conservative, as in low. Adjusting for inflation and the smaller number of households at the start of the decade would cause the estimate to go even higher.

The federal government collected an average of $27,000 in revenue per household in 2019.

According to the latest data from the Congressional Budget Office, federal revenue hit an all-time high of $3.46 trillion in 2019, or roughly $27,000 per household. The vast majority of the haul comes from individual income and payroll taxes. Thats money directly out of your pocket.

The federal bill is hefty enough. When we consider state and local taxes, the full burden of government grows larger. The Tax Foundation estimates that workers need January, February, March, and half of April just to cover their full tax bill.

Federal revenue in 2019 matched the combined economic output of 13 states. It is difficult to comprehend the total amount.

If measured in terms of state economies, it would require the combined output of Indiana, Arizona, Wisconsin, Missouri, Connecticut, Louisiana, Oregon, South Carolina, Alabama, Kentucky, Oklahoma, Iowa, and Utah to reach $3.46 trillion.

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The fruits of that much labor ought to be more than enough to satisfy our politicians.

Each households share of the decades deferred taxes (debt) is $88,000.

We can think of government debt as deferred taxes. Washington placed an absolutely staggering $11.3 trillion on the national credit card over the decade.

That averages out to $88,000 in new federal debt per household.

Some would argue that the debt justifies a significant increase in taxes. This is the wrong prescription. Federal spending has grown far too fast, and is projected to increase even faster as more of the baby boomer generation receives benefits from Social Security and Medicare.

Real alternatives exist. By eliminating wasteful programs and reforming others, we could reduce federal spending and the national debt while protecting families from tax hikes.

A massive expansion of the federal government would require big tax hikes on the middle class.

Some politicians would have you believe it is possible to fund grandiose plans such as "Medicare for-all" and a Green New Deal while only raising taxes on the rich. Its not.

Even if Washington confiscated every dollar of corporate income and every penny of income from those earning above $200,000 per year, it wouldnt come close to paying for the full progressive agenda.

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In reality, a European-style social welfare state requires European-style taxes. Yes, that means higher income tax rates on high earners. But it also means dramatically higher taxes on incomes of $40,000, punishing sales taxes, and anemic economic growth.

American families would be better off keeping more of their hard-earned money in the decade to come. Washingtonis already taking plenty.

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David Ditch: Uncle Sam is picking your pocket with high taxes Democrats want to raise them even higher - Fox News