In 2012, Steve Kraske, the Kansas City Star’s political correspondent, quoted approvingly from liberal authors’ James Steele and Donald Bartlett’s book, “The Betrayal of the American Dream”:
“We have created the world’s newest financial aristocracy, a class that has successfully put itself beyond the reach of government constraint and can do pretty much whatever it wants…in pursuit of its own personal gain.” Kansas City Star, 9-21-2012
More recently, the Star has had nothing but good things to say about Greg Orman, the “Independent” candidate for the U.S. Senate this year in Kansas.(It endorsed him Sunday!) This is a little surprising since Orman is a very wealthy man, with a net worth of upwards of $80,000,000 and an annual income of somewhere between one million and four and a half million dollars, i.e. the top tenth of the top 1%.
Orman has filed only the minimal financial disclosure required by law so it’s hard to understand the exact extent of his wealth. It’s pretty clear, though, that by any measure he qualifies as a member of the “new financial aristocracy” that Kraske, like other writers for the Star, finds so deplorable.
Orman, moreover, made his money by buying and selling in quick succession (“flipping”) a series of businesses. Several of these have collapsed, leaving investors and creditors owed hundreds of millions of dollars. Orman himself has been involved in numerous lawsuits for everything from fraud and self-dealings to trademark infringement.
Most ominously, Greg Orman has been a close business associate of convicted Wall Street felon Raj Gupta and was called to testify in the grand jury proceedings that resulted in Gupta’s indictment which, in turn, resulted in his eventual conviction on insider trading charges. What was that about “a class that has successfully put itself beyond the reach of government constraint and can do pretty much whatever it wants…in pursuit of its own material gains”?
Steve Kraske
Greg Orman is everything that the KC Star supposedly abhors–a quick buck artist who has made a huge fortune in a hurry by cutting corners and crony capitalism. The fact that the Star has so often ritualistically invoked “income inequality,” ”growing disparity between rich and poor,” and “alarming concentrations of wealth held by the 1%” is conveniently forgotten.
Friday’s news brings word that Orman’s campaign is being bolstered by out-of-state money coming from billionaires like George Soros and Michael Bloomberg.
The Great Gatsby
I recall the description in F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 1925 “The Great Gatsby” about the truth behind the fictional Jay Gatsby’s seeming financial success. The mysterious Gatsby who drifts in from nowhere to Long Island’s posh North Shore turns out to have a decidedly sketchy past:
“Who is this Gatsby anyhow?,” demanded Tom suddenly. ‘Some big bootlegger?’……’I found out what your “drug stores” were. He and this Wolfsheim bought up a lot of side-street drug stores here and in Chicago and sold grain alcohol over the counter. That’s one of his little stunts. I picked him for a bootlegger the first time I saw him and I wasn’t far wrong.”
“This is Slagel speaking. Young Parkes is in trouble!” he said rapidly. “They picked him up when he handed the bonds over the counter. They got a circular from New York giving them the numbers just minutes before. What’d you know about that, hey? You never tell about these hick towns.”
Self-reinvention to hide a sordid past may be noble and even moving in a romantic hero like Fitzgerald’s Jay Gatsby or Victor Hugo’s Jean Valjean in “Le Miserables.” It is less inspiring in a candidate for high public office.
And I find it even less inspiring when it comes from The Star, determined to make us forget, at least for the next three weeks, it’s supposed abhorrence of the role of big money in politics.
The silence of the left on Mr Orman’s wealth speaks volumes on who his supporters are.
Maybe you haven’t seen the polls, but Kansans look to be his supporters. Do yourself a favor and make sure you have your id ready when you go to vote as Kobach thinks you are an illegal until you prove otherwise.
Curtis Blows: You are such a fool. Kobach is PROTECTING your vote and mine. If you think there isn’t voter fraud, then you are an uninformed idiot. ~ just sayin’
And how many confirmed cases of ACTUAL voter fraud have occurred in the last 10 years that have been successfully prosecuted in the USA? I would love to hear the real answer and please do not quote Fox news as your source unless you want me to laugh uncontrollably in your face and maybe get a little spittle on it.
There have been suspicious patterns of 100 percent turnout in numerous inner city precincts in recent elections. Since voter turnout is largely a function of income and education,I doubt very much if this was legitimate.( This was pre Obama ,by the way,so don’t tell me this was a predictable outpouring of racial pride.) Since these results coincided with visits to those cities by the Rev.Jackson for closed door meetings with local Democrats,I guess it could be attributed to the spiritual aura he emanates by his very presence. Either that or enough walking around money he brought with him from the DNC. By the way,what happened to all those allegations about Diebold ,the voting machine manufacturer stealing elections for the GOP? You guys weren’t claiming vote fraud was a non-existent problem then! See the Daily Kos and the Huffington Post circa 2002 & 2004. The problem with voter fraud allegations is that it can only take place with the connivance of elected officials,the same people who would have to investigate it and prosecute it. That’s why the Democratic excuse that there couldn’t have been election fraud in Chicago in ’60 because no one was ever charged rings hollow. (An interesting variation on that theme is that the GOP didn’t dare complain because they did just as bad stuff downstate! Where and what this was is never explained.)
Electronic voting machines without a paper back up is an instant recipe for rigged elections. And don’t think I didn’t notice that you didn’t give me any hard numbers Dwight, you tap danced around my question like a true politician. Maybe you should be running as an independent.
There have been only a handful of voting fraud cases in the last few years. (I explain why below.)There were no prosecutions here in K.C. during Pendergast’s heyday,either,but that doesn’t mean that election fraud didn’t take place. The fact that six people were killed in street fighting in the 1934 KC municipal elections tells you all you need to know about the sanctity of the electoral process,prosecutions or no. By the way,your sweetie Rachel Maddow was on her show last night,warning that the Republicans were likely to steal a number of the close senate and governors races this year, Did you e-mail her to complain what a non-issue voting fraud was?
Kobach is that you?
The only thing he protecte is rich old white dudes who want to pass legislation that benefits rich white dudes.
He is a clown. You are a clown.
People will overlook some one is a hypocrite as long as they are their hypocrite.
It is the cult of personality which drive politics rather than substance when it comes to the voter.
Absolutely.
A hypocritical, lying politician whose motivations are self serving?
How did he even make it onto the ballot in the utopian state of Kansas, U.S.A?
yes southy …lets talk hypocrite and the lies and smear campaign you just wrote.
Orman started a furniture store…built a company…sold it…built and
made products….worked…made things….built companies….was
a forward thinking entrepreneur!!!!
You sat and had your money fall in your lap. Daddy and Granddaddy gave you
your job. Probably never wore a pair of work gloves in your life. Never moved
a piece of furniture..and now its all bull sh*t from you about someone
who started with almost nothing and built a business.
and what were you doing. Sitting on the couch living off gramps money.
You ever mopped a floor….swept a room….ever had lack of capital and when
you did you could call daddy for the money.
For the guys like greg and glaze and I…we’ve worked our asses off. We got
nothing for free.
You are always wanting free stuff…tax breaks/more subsidies….everything
you want because someone else pays for it.
Your ideas don’t work.
“You didn’t build that. Somebody had to do it for you”
What’s the name of Glazer’s comedy club again?
Harley buddie,you miss my point! It’s the Star that has spent the last few years fulminating against the disproportionate role of the wealthy in politics. How can they blithely ignore someone like Greg Orman who is using his vast personal wealth to buy public office ? Oh,I get it, the point is that personal wealth is okay if it’s used to buy elections for Democrats but just not for Republicans. Why don’t you just come out and admit it,rather than go off on tangents about my supposed silver spoon upbringing? The Kochs want to preserve the free enterprise system so others can have the same opportunities they did.They’re not like the guilty rich liberals like Soros,Steyer,Orman et al., trying to undermine the very system that made their own success possible.
Hahaha!! lol!!!1!
Wew, what a knee slapper. Only a child, and golden spoon born Nancys, believe the Kochs look to better the conditions of others.
Have your servant come and wipe that spittle from your chin, Jr.
If you had 40 billion dollars,would you subject yourself to all the abuse these guys have by their political efforts? Why not just hang out in Aspen and Southampton and enjoy yourself ? You’ve got all the money for you and your descendants to not only support yourself but give generously to all the charities and cultural institutions you care about. How is being attacked personally by the president of the U.S. and by the majority leader of the U.S. senate,having your and your family’s lives threatened,and your business falsely maligned any one’s idea of a peaceful and relaxed way to spend one’s retirement? Truly selfish people couldn’t be bothered with making a long and difficult fight for their beliefs which has come at such a cost.
The Kochs dropping obscene amounts of money on any number of elections is of zero consequence to them; you trying to paint them as moral crusaders is belly laughable.
This seriously is the most comical gathering of words I have come across in a long time.
You are a laughably transparent fortunate son.
He didn’t build the furniture store – his father did – he just worked in it summers as a kid. He’s a hustler and a sharpie – made his way through Princeton but has always played on the edge. He is Ivy League liberal but also a chameleon – whatever the moment requires him to be. His title is the “OR” man which clearly describes his lack of any central value system.
Good to see you back Dwight. Especially when your topic is related to politics. In my view there is a real disconnect here and maybe it is more on the part of the Star as opposed to you, although it appears you buy into it a little.
In my view, the real difference between Democrats/Liberals and Republicans/Conservatives is how they view the role of government, nothing more, nothing less. It is not a rich versus poor conflict. There is that generalization made by many that rich people are always Republicans because their primary goal is to retain as much income as they can by advocating for lower taxes. Poor people are always Democrats because they want government handouts. The generalization seems to be that one’s politics are driven by wealth alone (or primarily) .
Why can’t a wealthy person see a larger role for the federal government in addressing issues like job, healthcare, etc. Yes, a more active government requires more money (higher taxes), but higher taxes is not the primary driver of their vote? Why can’t a poor person still want the federal government to refrain from regulating industry, getting involved in healthcare, pouring stimulus money into the economy, etc. even though those actions may benefit them personally? Guess I’m naive but I’d like to think that voters take a larger view of how government can play a role, or shouldn’t play a role in events and not be concerned with an individual candidates’ wealth, or the lack of wealth, as the primary determing factor party selection.
No argument from me that the KC Star leans left but that doesn’t mean they are hypocrites for endorsing Orman. Very few things are black and white; lots of gray out there.
By the way, we are all hypocrites in some manner or fashion.
Thanks for throwing me a bone, Dwight.
Stomper, you got lost at the end of a great diatribe. The way Orman accumulated his wealth is an indicator of his beliefs that will work their way into legislation he submits or supports, or fails to support. If, indeed, his wealth is marked by collusion, almost-illegal, certainly unethical activities, then he is not the lesser of two evils. A newspaper that editorially condemns the kind of wealth-amassing practiced by Orman, it is duplicitous of it to support such a practitioner without explaining, transparently, why it is now supporting such a character.
Diatribe?? Ouch. I thought I was pretty mellow. Guess I’ve lost my Mojo.
I think Dwight pointing out inconsistencies in Star opinion and editorial writers is more than fair game, Stomps.
That’s what the newspaper tries to do in others, why not hold them to a similar standard?
Because trust me, I lived behind enemy lines for quite some time and the people at 18th and Grand have a very low self awareness of their own fallibilities and hypocrisies. So while they are quick to police the thoughts and actions of others, there really is little outside policing of theirs, given the scope and size of their editorial footprint versus the minuscule size of their critics.
So I applaud Dwight for stepping up and attempting to level that wildly unlevel playing field. It’s a somewhat thankless task, but hey, somebody’s gotta do it, right?
All I was trying to say was that it is not inconsistent in my opinion to have amassed wealth and also lean left. Pointing out that there is a problem of wealth inequality and a concern with “alarming concentrations of wealth” ( a slice that Orman might fall into under their definition) doesn’t mean in my opinion, that it is hypocritical to endorse him, and his view of the role of government, when faced with a choice between Orman and Roberts.
The Star criticized the amassing of wealth of the 1% in 2012. In 2014, they endorsed Orman over Roberts. I just don’t see those two events as mutually exclusive. Apparently you and Dwight do. Vive la difference.
Back when I was a kid folks used to say the Republicans were the party of the rich while the Democrats were the party of the idle rich.
I wonder if Orman had been involved in the pay-day loan business how the Star would have been able to rationalize endorsing him. Of course, this is the same principled editorial board that backed Democratic Bob Holden,who made political history by selling insurance on TV as a sitting governor of Missouri. This is the same newspaper that spoke in only the most glowing,fawning terms about the late Missouri State Senator Harry Wiggins while never hinting that this statesman spent long periods away from Jeff City being dried out. You can never go wrong at election time by taking the list of Star endorsements to the polls and then voting exactly the opposite of every one of their recommendations. This year is no exception.
If we eliminated all the candidates that were lacking in their morals and/or ethics, D’s and R’s, we’d have to write in a name on a blank ballot the majority of the time.
Clearly you’re not buying what I’m selling.
Well it didn’t bother them to endorse a felon convicted f public corruption and denounce a former college president who simply asked for an audit at KCKCC. And they had not one whit of difficulty endorsing Cleaver when he had a trainload of baggage when he ran against clean-as-a-whistle Jamie Metzyl. Nor did it trouble them to endorse a judicial pal who was challenged when the only issue was the judges drunkeness on the bench. In all of those case, ideology wasn’t an issue, they were all liberals, the issue was honesty versus corruption and at The Star, corruption trumps everything else.
I wonder if he were born with a golden spoon in his mouth, like our intrepid reporter here, if the GOP old school might have embraced him as a replacement for the current aged golden spoon who hasn’t lived in the state he represents for years.
The Koch’s love them some old rich white man candidates, to be sure.
There you go again with another diatribe, Stomps…
Kidding
whens your article on the kochs? and their attempts to take over this nation?
funny…when you’re born into wealth you don’t have to do much but walk to the
mailbox and get a check.
Why are you complaining about the Kochs? Jonathan Soros is hosting a fundraiser in NYC on Wednesday for Greg Orman. I don’t see you complaining about him…..
The #1 PAC is Harry Reid’s Senate Majority. The Koch’s are #5. So who is trying to take over America. By the way only 2 of the top 5 PACS are Republican. My source: MSNBC.
Oh look…. a gathering of republitard koch fetishist.
So what? I am supposed to automatically vote for the insider, crony republican candidate because this Orman cat may be Jay Gatsby??
Sounds like a classic political choice between a douche and a turd burger.
I will write in Micky Mouse in protest.
Go, dude!
An independent voter is one who hasn’t made up his mind which “truth” he likes best. Truth is often violated by falsehood, but can be equally outraged by silence.
Can Stomper or Wislun or Sutherland over expensive our esteemed admin get the scoop…the real nuts and bolts on what Claire whispered to the Democrat Party candidate to have him step aside?
That’s the real story here. Why did the DNC sacrifice a spot on the ballot? Is it “follow the money” like it usually is? And if so, where does the trail lead?
What if Orman backdoored a pile of money to the DNC to get whatshisname to step aside? Or, did the DNC backdoor a pile of money to whatshisname to step aside?
In any case, I am curious what Claire said, who authorized it, and why it has been all but buried.
I know Orman is a multimillionaire and all that. I know he is a liberal in “independent” clothing. What I don’t know is the machinations behind the developing fraud.
Pendergast has been dead for awhile, right?
b12, thanks for the implication that I have any ability to provide a “scoop” on this but it’s pretty simple in my humble opinion.
Democrats are handed an unexpected opportunity to pick off a previously untouchable Republican Senate seat. Orman polls surprisingly strong as an “Independent”. Heck yes, do whatever it takes to get Chad Taylor to step aside so he won’t split the left. Republicans would certainly do the same if Wolf had decided to run in the general election as a tea Party candidate ( and maybe they did). There is no fraud here. It is politics as usual. Yes, lots of outside money is coming into Kansas to buoy Orman but Roberts is calling in all his “chits” built up over the years to more than compensate for his bank account.
If you are a Republican, you just need to chill. Roberts will win this race.
I can’t give you that, B12…
However I can tell you that no politician I know is more Machiavellian and duplicitous than Claire McCaskill.
I agree with Stomps for the most part tho
Only since Arlen Spector has passed.
b12…it leads to the buried treasure inbeing a senator.
This scheme was brilliant. Take a guy who can campaign and looks
good on tv. Talk his democratic opponent into dropping out to get
a special job or contract so the independent gets all the people
who hate Robertson. Robertson looks like a walking dead man standing
next to orman.
pretty simple. its a game. happens all the time.
that’s politics.
…I have demons inside my head too, Dwight…when I read your writings on politics, it reminds me to find other issues outside of government and elections before the hate stress kills me…
b12 – Claire McCaskill probably just gave him some cash. Her Net Worth, as seen on TV today, is 9 million buckolas.
Wow.
She is right behind Pelosi and only 9 postions from the top.
A life in service to the Government is a sweet life indeed.
Democr… errrrr…. I mean “Independent” candidate Orman to scam millions in bribes..err… “contributions” from fellow uber-rich 1%ers at fundraiser sponsored by —
George Soros!!
http://freebeacon.com/politics/soros-to-host-fundraiser-for-independent-kansas-senate-candidate/
I nominate Mr. Sutherland for the prize awarded for the best political commentary on the 2014 election in Kansas. But I want to know more. Why does the Star think it can have it both ways? Is it a belief that the rubes will not remember from one year to the next what has been “reported”? Or is there are more troubling explanation?
“In the walls of the cubicle there were three orifices. To the right of the speakwrite, a small pneumatic tube for written messages, to the left, a larger one for newspapers … For some reason they were nicknamed memory holes …” The memory hole is where George Orwell’s Winston Smith deposits politically inconvenient documents to be destroyed. Smith’s job at the Ministry of Truth is to rewrite old newspaper articles so they reflect the constantly changing propaganda needs of Big Brother. Unfortunately for Mr. Kraske and the Star editorial board, the memory hole has been stymied by Mr. Sutherland’s formidable powers of recall.
I’ll second, Lydia
Do as we say, not as we do. Pretty much the Cliff Notes for political parties, politicians and newspapers.
I move nominations close and Lydia’s question take center stage.
A bit of discussion here before the vote.
Clearly Dwight has a grasp of the facts and writes masterfully. I have great respect for Dwight and if one intends to debate him on issues, they better bring more than a knife to a gunfight. However Dwight writes with an obvious tilt to the right. If we are looking to annoint the “best political commentary” here, should we be looking for a bit more of a centrist?
On a national scale, there are a number of commentators with republican pedigrees/perspectives that I give credibility to and respect their opinions. They are pragmatists, not ideologues. Three Davids come to mind. David Frum, David Gergen, and David Brooks. Shouldn’t we be looking for someone from that cut of cloth to elect as the “best political commentator” with regards to Kansas politics?
No disrespect to Dwight, but, just sayin’
Stomper, I’m for having the best local guy rather than some guy with no sense of the territory.
And it is good to see someone, whether you agree with their position or not, put some of themselves in the writing.
While no one can know why the Star does anything but the Star, there can be educated explorations of what the author sees.
Thanks for the mention Stomper, but your name too, should be in lights where it belongs.
You’re too humble, finding space between you and Harley entails the use of an exothermic torch. Why bother?
Ok, that was good. Thanks Chuck.
An older money douche going after a newer money douche… how delicious.
Me thinks Southland doth prostrate a lot.
The Daily Show (10/14) takes the Democrats to the woodshed for their hypocrisy over money in campaigns by showing they have raised more than Republicans.
It is easy to take those of an opposing view to task but I am more impressed by those who show how little clothing their own emperor is wearing.
A cult of personality is what our political candidates are rather than people with ideas, desire and ability to work for the common good. To focus on the important rather than the partisan.
Suggesting we all vote for ugly, socially awkward candidates rather than someone who just stepped off the cover of a magazine.
+1
Orman strikes me as just another political slimeball, all too happy at the moment to accept the support and financial backing of the leftists, but also most certainly will sidle up to the gop-ers if he wins and they win a Senate majority. He walks this tight wire by playing both sides and not saying what he really believes about much of anything. That, at best, makes him a mealy-mouthed “moderate”. But I think it more likely that he’s a more dangerous creature — a political opportunist who will say, do, or take up sides with just about anyone as long as it serves his best political interests. In other words, he’s no different than every other skunkwad democrat party and gop-er party lout in Washington. He ain’t no Independent, and I believe he does a disservice to Independents everywhere by calling himself one. I’ll be voting third party candidate (i.e. not for Orman nor Roberts) in the Senate race this year, as usual.