Running for election has become the new multi-million dollar sabbatical of the super rich
There comes a time in the lives of the mega rich when they grow tired of the pleasures and adventures the world has to offer, all the jetting off to exotic places, sky or scuba diving, hiking etc. At such times, they rack their complacent imagination to find a fresh, stimulating escapade to latch on and whisk themselves off the ennui that has set in their lives. That fresh escapade now, apparently, is being in the limelight, busk in the profuse attention of the world. The new adventurous hobby is not just as exhilarating as hunting for big games but more pleasuring as it strokes their inflated ego. That adrenaline, roller coaster adventure is running for the president of the United States. The thrill and excitement comes at a cost, for being in the limelight also means exposing one’s frailties to the whole world and risk being object of derision.
Expensive adventure was what the presidential run of the two billionaires, Tom Steyer and Michael Bloomberg in the 2020 democratic presidential primaries had been. Michael Bloomberg spent half a billion dollars while Tom Steyer 200 million. Paying the mammoth from their own large pockets is part of the thrill — they would not have it other wise. America is still reeling from the shock of the amount of money these men splashed into the campaign everyone, including themselves, knew they had little chance of winning. They have bowed down from the race leaving people speculating what they had got for their money and time.
The venture, upon reflection, is not as reckless as it may appear though. Steyer spent only 12.5 percent of his money (a little more than the tithe the Bible ordains Christians to pay the church) and Bloomberg spent a meager 0.58 percent of his net wealth. Contrast that with how much we spend on our recreation: an average person spends, for instance, two percent of their monthly salary on Starbucks for a breathing space. These men, however, have got more than their money’s worth, for every mention of their name through our lips, every google search I have done on them to write this small piece, every appearance on late night shows, every view of their avalanche of ads is a stroke on their ego. They sure have been gratified as it was epitomized by Steyer’s dance of “Back That Azz Up” with the rapper Juvenile on eve of dropping out (video below in case you have not watched it).
