Democrat Billionaire to Fund Attack on 'Anti-Science' Republicans

Democrat Billionaire to Fund Attack on 'Anti-Science' Republicans

Billionaire hedge fund tycoon Tom Steyer is single-handedly creating a resurgence for true believers in global warming, using his great fortune to push greenism. Now, for the 2014 elections, Steyer is promising to throw $100 million into an attack on what he feels is the “anti-science” Republican Party.

Steyer’s green group, NextGen Climate, is calling itself the counterweight to those evil oil companies, not to mention a foil for libertarian political donors Charles and David Koch. Steyer is looking to use NextGen as a platform to campaign for Democrats who agree with his political ideology.

The billionaire has already used his money to push greenism, generally by spending millions to run TV ads fearmongering about climate change. But he isn’t stopping there.

Steyer has already identified two Democrats he will support with his fortune. Florida’s Republican-turned-independent-turned Democrat Charlie Crist, who is looking to take the governor’s chair this year, is one. Another is Iowa Democrat candidate for U.S. Senate Bruce Braley.

But according to CNN, Steyer is widening his reach. He is now looking to throw cash into U.S. Senate races in Michigan, New Hampshire, and Colorado, as well as races for governor in Maine and Pennsylvania.

Steyer has already been hit with charges of hypocrisy. Liberals have claimed that the participation of billionaires in politics is a great evil, but Steyer has claimed that he doesn’t count in that criticism; he is better because he cares about people.

Steyer’s group is not just throwing money at any Democrat, though. According to Steyer adviser Chris Lehane, the group is targeting only races where climate change is a particular issue.

“The 501(c)4 group will play in races that feature a stark choice between ‘pro-climate action’ candidates–all Democrats–and ‘anti-science’ Republicans who have questioned the veracity of climate change or supported the interests of the oil and gas industry,” CNN reports.

Lehane went into a full-throated bout of name-calling, saying that the Republicans the group is targeting are the “Republican troglodyte brand.” They are “anti-immigrant, anti-women, anti-science.”

Lehane also admitted that the targeting map the group has created focuses on states that will have a big impact on the upcoming 2016 presidential race, a map that raises suspicions that the 2016 election is far more of a goal than the group lets on.

A spokesman for the Koch brothers-backed Freedom Partners noted that Steyer made his billions by dealing with foreign coal investments, and he called Steyer a hypocrite for pushing greenism on the U.S. while he profited off dirty coal abroad.

“Tom Steyer’s investments at Farallon have lined his pockets with millions of dollars from the foreign coal industry,” said spokesman James Davis. 

Davis added:

Now he wants to burden the American people with new energy regulations to protect his current green energy investments. He’s already attempting to buy the votes of Senate Democrats on Keystone, which will cost America thousands of good-paying jobs. Surely the media will call him out on the hypocrisy of his claims.

One of Steyer’s big investments is in a company called Adaro, Indonesia’s second-largest coal company.

Follow Warner Todd Huston on Twitter @warnerthuston or email the author at igcolonel@hotmail.com.

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