Dem
50
GOP
50
On Saturday, we had an item about Jeff Bezos ordering The Washington Post not to publish the endorsement of Kamala Harris an editorial writer had already written. The endorsement wouldn't have changed a single vote, but the whole story may matter a lot.
Jonathan Last over at The Bulwark has a somewhat different take on the matter. The story begins in 2003 in Russia. Vladimir Putin was in his first term as president. He was busy consolidating power and realized that the oligarchs who supported him were independent power centers and could be a threat to him, especially those in the media or banking. And like the good autocrat he was, Putin understood that having other power centers around was unacceptable, so they had to be neutered.
At the time, the wealthiest man in Russia was a guy named Mikhail Khodorkovsky. You are not expected to remember—or even pronounce—this so let's call him Mike. His source of wealth was a massive oil company, Yukos, he had cobbled together from former state-owned assets that he basically stole. He (foolishly) began making noises about running for office. Putin instantly understood what this meant so he had Mike arrested, tried in a kangaroo court, and shipped off to a forced labor camp in Russia's Far East. His company was dismantled and pieces were given to Putin's cronies on the understanding that they could keep them as long as they were totally obedient to Putin. The other oligarchs got the message real quick. If Putin could take care of Mike, he could take care of anyone. So they all fell in line. Instead of power centers, they became vassals.
Now fast forward to Oct. 25, 2024. If Donald Trump could cow Jeff Bezos, the second richest man in America, with a
net worth north of $200 billion, into submission without even being in power, all the other American oligarchs
business leaders understood instantly what that meant for them. Jamie Dimon, the CEO of the biggest bank in the world
and a long-time Democrat, is not going to talk about his support for Kamala Harris. Neither is Bill Gates, even though
he quietly donated $50 million to a super PAC supporting Harris in the hope it wouldn't leak out. The captains of
industry now all understand that if Trump wins, they had better be good vassals and obey, even if they know
that the orders they are receiving are disastrous for their companies, their country, and the world. If Trump wins, the
show is over for them. And if guys like Bezos and Gates are scared, what does that mean for everyone else? (V)