SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell is facing criticism over a column he wrote Wednesday claiming Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) is a hypocrite for her position on fundraising. (Photo: Center for American Progress/Flickr/cc)
'Total Dirtbag Move': Biden Surrogate Ed Rendell Pens 11th Hour Attack on Warren Before Debate
"The problem with Rendell's long track record is that it's just too easy to dive in and unearth examples of his own hypocrisy."
Sep 12, 2019
A Wednesday column by former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell accusing Sen. Elizabeth Warren of "hypocrisy" in fundraising for her 2020 presidential drew anger from progressives and Democrats who said the piece was an unofficial across-the-bow attack from the campaign of former Vice President Joe Biden.
The charge of hypocrisy is premised on the idea that Warren's pledge to avoid big donor fundraisers is a deceptive ploy for voters because the Massachusetts senator transferred $10.4 million into her presidential campaign from her Senate warchest, some of which was raised by big money-donors. Rendell also claims that Warren was a regular attendee at fundraisers he organized.
Critics of the column saw the article as a move by the Biden campaign ahead of Thursday's debate in Houston, Texas.
"Total dirtbag move by Ed Rendell and the Biden mafia," tweeted Philadelphia Enquirer opinion columnist Will Bunch.
"Rendell is a total hired hitman for Biden," Bunch added. "He played the same role for Hillary in '16 and '08."
The New Republic's Libby Watson wrote that while "there's a case to be made against Warren on this issue," Rendell made it personal, and thus revealed the uncomfortable reality of the fundraising donor world:
Tantrums like Rendell's expose the truth that the membership of the donor class, despite having enough money to effectively immunize them against the political choices that unravel the lives of ordinary people, are also just socially-stunted people who use campaign money as currency in their social relationships, and whose personal feelings have a great effect on who and what they support.
And, as The American Prospect's deputy editor Gabrielle Gurley pointed out, Rendell's not exactly free from charges of hypocristy himself.
"The problem with Rendell's long track record is that it's just too easy to dive in and unearth examples of his own hypocrisy, from lobbying for fracking companies to his role in shadiness associated with the 2016 Democratic Convention held in Philadelphia," wrote Gurley. "None of these things bode well for Rendell going forward and, by extension, Biden."
Rendell, for his part, told Philly Mag that he objected to the accusation.
"The last thing I should be called is a hypocrite," said Rendell. "I am not a hypocrite. I say what I believe. It's been said that I shit where I eat, and that's gotten me into a lot of trouble. But a hypocrite? Never."
In comments to Politico, an unnamed Biden staffer didn't seem completely displeased with Rendell's column, though the campaign claimed it had nothing to do with the content.
"He raised some fair points," the staffer said.
And, Rendell told Politico, supporters of the former vice president have been similarly supportive.
"I got contacted by Biden supporters all over," said Rendell, "saying 'great column.'"
But, said journalist David Dayen, Biden should be careful relying on the Rendell column at the debate. The former vice president has his own financial secrets, particularly around taxes.
"I look forward to hearing Joe Biden parrot his lobbyist friend Ed Rendell about financial hypocrisy tonight," Dayen tweeted, "only to be asked 'now that you bring it up, why are you dodging taxes on your millions in recently acquired wealth?'"
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
A Wednesday column by former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell accusing Sen. Elizabeth Warren of "hypocrisy" in fundraising for her 2020 presidential drew anger from progressives and Democrats who said the piece was an unofficial across-the-bow attack from the campaign of former Vice President Joe Biden.
The charge of hypocrisy is premised on the idea that Warren's pledge to avoid big donor fundraisers is a deceptive ploy for voters because the Massachusetts senator transferred $10.4 million into her presidential campaign from her Senate warchest, some of which was raised by big money-donors. Rendell also claims that Warren was a regular attendee at fundraisers he organized.
Critics of the column saw the article as a move by the Biden campaign ahead of Thursday's debate in Houston, Texas.
"Total dirtbag move by Ed Rendell and the Biden mafia," tweeted Philadelphia Enquirer opinion columnist Will Bunch.
"Rendell is a total hired hitman for Biden," Bunch added. "He played the same role for Hillary in '16 and '08."
The New Republic's Libby Watson wrote that while "there's a case to be made against Warren on this issue," Rendell made it personal, and thus revealed the uncomfortable reality of the fundraising donor world:
Tantrums like Rendell's expose the truth that the membership of the donor class, despite having enough money to effectively immunize them against the political choices that unravel the lives of ordinary people, are also just socially-stunted people who use campaign money as currency in their social relationships, and whose personal feelings have a great effect on who and what they support.
And, as The American Prospect's deputy editor Gabrielle Gurley pointed out, Rendell's not exactly free from charges of hypocristy himself.
"The problem with Rendell's long track record is that it's just too easy to dive in and unearth examples of his own hypocrisy, from lobbying for fracking companies to his role in shadiness associated with the 2016 Democratic Convention held in Philadelphia," wrote Gurley. "None of these things bode well for Rendell going forward and, by extension, Biden."
Rendell, for his part, told Philly Mag that he objected to the accusation.
"The last thing I should be called is a hypocrite," said Rendell. "I am not a hypocrite. I say what I believe. It's been said that I shit where I eat, and that's gotten me into a lot of trouble. But a hypocrite? Never."
In comments to Politico, an unnamed Biden staffer didn't seem completely displeased with Rendell's column, though the campaign claimed it had nothing to do with the content.
"He raised some fair points," the staffer said.
And, Rendell told Politico, supporters of the former vice president have been similarly supportive.
"I got contacted by Biden supporters all over," said Rendell, "saying 'great column.'"
But, said journalist David Dayen, Biden should be careful relying on the Rendell column at the debate. The former vice president has his own financial secrets, particularly around taxes.
"I look forward to hearing Joe Biden parrot his lobbyist friend Ed Rendell about financial hypocrisy tonight," Dayen tweeted, "only to be asked 'now that you bring it up, why are you dodging taxes on your millions in recently acquired wealth?'"
A Wednesday column by former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell accusing Sen. Elizabeth Warren of "hypocrisy" in fundraising for her 2020 presidential drew anger from progressives and Democrats who said the piece was an unofficial across-the-bow attack from the campaign of former Vice President Joe Biden.
The charge of hypocrisy is premised on the idea that Warren's pledge to avoid big donor fundraisers is a deceptive ploy for voters because the Massachusetts senator transferred $10.4 million into her presidential campaign from her Senate warchest, some of which was raised by big money-donors. Rendell also claims that Warren was a regular attendee at fundraisers he organized.
Critics of the column saw the article as a move by the Biden campaign ahead of Thursday's debate in Houston, Texas.
"Total dirtbag move by Ed Rendell and the Biden mafia," tweeted Philadelphia Enquirer opinion columnist Will Bunch.
"Rendell is a total hired hitman for Biden," Bunch added. "He played the same role for Hillary in '16 and '08."
The New Republic's Libby Watson wrote that while "there's a case to be made against Warren on this issue," Rendell made it personal, and thus revealed the uncomfortable reality of the fundraising donor world:
Tantrums like Rendell's expose the truth that the membership of the donor class, despite having enough money to effectively immunize them against the political choices that unravel the lives of ordinary people, are also just socially-stunted people who use campaign money as currency in their social relationships, and whose personal feelings have a great effect on who and what they support.
And, as The American Prospect's deputy editor Gabrielle Gurley pointed out, Rendell's not exactly free from charges of hypocristy himself.
"The problem with Rendell's long track record is that it's just too easy to dive in and unearth examples of his own hypocrisy, from lobbying for fracking companies to his role in shadiness associated with the 2016 Democratic Convention held in Philadelphia," wrote Gurley. "None of these things bode well for Rendell going forward and, by extension, Biden."
Rendell, for his part, told Philly Mag that he objected to the accusation.
"The last thing I should be called is a hypocrite," said Rendell. "I am not a hypocrite. I say what I believe. It's been said that I shit where I eat, and that's gotten me into a lot of trouble. But a hypocrite? Never."
In comments to Politico, an unnamed Biden staffer didn't seem completely displeased with Rendell's column, though the campaign claimed it had nothing to do with the content.
"He raised some fair points," the staffer said.
And, Rendell told Politico, supporters of the former vice president have been similarly supportive.
"I got contacted by Biden supporters all over," said Rendell, "saying 'great column.'"
But, said journalist David Dayen, Biden should be careful relying on the Rendell column at the debate. The former vice president has his own financial secrets, particularly around taxes.
"I look forward to hearing Joe Biden parrot his lobbyist friend Ed Rendell about financial hypocrisy tonight," Dayen tweeted, "only to be asked 'now that you bring it up, why are you dodging taxes on your millions in recently acquired wealth?'"
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.