Rep. Dean Phillips, D-Minn., has a clear reason for challenging President Joe Biden in the Democratic presidential primaries: "It is time for a change," he has said. But it's not clear if Phillips knows exactly what that change would look like. If his embarrassing deference to folks like hedge fund manager Bill Ackman and X owner Elon Musk is any sign of what's to come, it seems that the presidency he envisions will be dictated by reactionary billionaires. Ever since kicking off his campaign in October, Phillips has struggled for both supporters and funders. At one campaign event in New Hampshire last Tuesday, not a single voter showed up. ("Sometimes if you build it, they don't come," he joked.) Then, over the weekend, Ackman announced that he was donating $1 million to the super PAC supporting Phillips' White House bid. It was "by far the largest investment I have ever made in someone running for office," declared Ackman, the son of real estate titan Lawrence Ackman. This is a preview of Zeeshan Aleem's latest article. Read the full column here. |
