A. A 78-year-old gambling magnate with a shady history of international wheeling
and dealing, hatred of labor unions, a fixation on Israel and, in the era of
Citizens United, determination to spend whatever it takes to unseat Barack Obama.
Before the Supreme Court flooded obscene money into politics, Adelson was
dismissed by George W. Bush as “some crazy Jewish billionaire.” In 2012, he has
morphed into the poster boy for corruption of the electoral process.
Until now, Romney’s new best friend might be seen as just another example
of high-bracket arrogance and egomania who puts his money where his mouth is (pace
Donald Trump), but as the malleable GOP contender bows and scrapes to him in
Jerusalem, Adelson deserves a much closer look.
His clout became visible in Gingrich’s South Carolina primary victory
fueled by a $16.5 million SuperPAC tip in return for the former Speaker’s past legislative favors but, as Newt faded, Adelson grudgingly turned to Romney, who
leaped into his leash without so much as slipping Gingrich a finder’s fee.
In this era of news snippets and sound bites, researching Sheldon Adelson’s
history is a headache-inducing experience, but the outlines of a dark HoratioAlger American success story are clear.
A child of dirt-poor immigrants, he clawed his way to wealth with
computer trade shows in the 1980s and, a decade later, invested in Las Vegas
casinos, pivoting right politically after bruising battles with unions. In
1991, he married an Israeli-born MD specializing in drug addiction and, under
her influence, became obsessed with Holy Land politics to the point of turning
into a right-wing nuisance in Israel.
Adelson expanded into international intrigue by making deals with China
to operate a casino in Macao, in a corrupt atmosphere reminiscent of old Robert
Mitchum-Jane Russell movies.
A driven, visceral man whose public pronouncements betray limited
intellectual content, Sheldon Adelson is on the brink of funneling untold
millions into electing Mitt Romney.
He has a right to his opinions but, if he succeeds, the degradation of
American politics under Citizens United will be complete.
Update: Adelson demonstrates his usual way of handling criticism by threatening to sue the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and bullying them into
retracting accusations that he profits from prostitution at his Chinese
resorts.
Pimping is not his style, unlike the candidates he supports.
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