Meet the “Mooch”
by digby
At Salon today I discuss the fact that both parties now have to deal with something even more vexing than the crazy hippies on the left or the looney tea partiers on the right: wacky wealthy donors:
This story in yesterday’s Politico about one wealthy egomaniac named Anthony Scaramucci, who’s bought the hype that being rich automatically assumes one must have great talent in all pursuits, illustrates the problem perfectly:
Scaramucci’s meteoric rise has tested traditional clenched-jawed mores in finance and especially in politics, where discretion and the ability to avoid attention are prized. The Mooch — who favors custom-made Loro Piana pinstriped suits and participated in a 2009 CNBC program called “Untold Wealth: The Rise of the Super Rich” that showed him walking by a golden harp in his living room — is not one to shun the spotlight.
In 2012, he boasted that he was “one of the top raisers” for Mitt Romney’s campaign, and about the time he spent at Romney’s New Hampshire lake house, while filling his Twitter feed with a mix of sensitive campaign finance information and a stream of backstage photos and glimpses of the Romneys and other top Republicans.
That’s the tip of the iceberg. The man’s high jinks make Donald Trump look like a prince by comparison.
And it isn’t just the Republicans. In fact, “the Mooch” recently held a confab that featured top Democrats as well as Republican, including none other than President Obama’s right hand, Valerie Jarret.