An oligarch is an extremely wealthy person who uses that money to influence government and policy. How rich you are or how you spend the money is immaterial.
CC: @mehdirhasan @AnandWrites
CC: @mehdirhasan @AnandWrites
That doesn't mean a millionaire and a billionaire are the same thing but if we're having an academic discussion of the term ( and my initial point was about messaging) then yes Sanders, like Papa John, or Bill Gates or George Soros would qualify
The fact that Sanders has spent his life fighting for economic equality doesn't mean that he's not part of the 1%. WHEN he became a millionaire or HOW is not relevant to the definition of an oligarch.
If you finish college you're a college graduate. Whether it took you 4 years or 12. Whether it's Harvard or community college. If we're talking academic definitions, which again was not my initial point.
It seems as if you're both arguing (and correct me if I'm wrong) that because Bloomberg is richer than Sanders, and is essentially buying his way into the primary he is an oligarch, but Sanders with his grassroots support isn't. But that's not how definitions work
If I'm struggling to make $15 and don't have healthcare, the difference between a millionaire and a billionaire is an academic discussion. The whole system is corrupt and dehumanizes my labor. Which again, I said from day one
I agree with Mehdi (probably more than he agrees with me!) And I have profound respect for Anand so I figured I'd address you both because I think your good faith critiques are coming from a similar place.
My initial point which I think some people (not either of you) either didn't understand or willfully misinterpreted was as a messaging tool calling Bloomberg an oligarch isn't effective in the US context. Great for Twitter convos not so much for talking to regular people
