From Mondoweiss: Yesterday’s Republican caucuses in Nevada came and went with no declaration from the state’s most famous political resident, Sheldon Adelson. The media say he is taking a pass on the Republican field for now. Politico says that he has declined overtures from anti-Trump forces– even though “he distrusts Trump’s commitment to Israel’s defenses, which is the mogul’s animating issue.”
Which raises the question: Why shouldn’t Sheldon Adelson go to Hillary Clinton? Why shouldn’t he be pleased as punch by Hillary Clinton and quietly building his bridges to her?
Adelson has to fear Trump greatly since Trump does not need his money. Trump is the least Israel-friendly in the entire Republican field, and he’s the frontrunner. Adelson has to like everything Hillary Clinton says about Israel, so why do anything to defeat her?
Clinton is the biggest Israel lover in the race right now, right next to Marco Rubio and Ted Cruz. She has promised to take the Israel relationship “to the next level,” has bragged that she was born within months of Israel, she has promised to fight Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) and work with Republicans to do so. She has also promised to invite Benjamin Netanyahu to the White House in the first month of office. In her latest book, she kisses up to Dennis Ross, the leading policy advocate for Israel who works in both Republican and Democratic administrations, no problem; and Ross’s latest book is a giant shill job for Hillary Clinton not liking Obama’s policy on Israel.
Sheldon Adelson has to love all of that. Helping her out financially will only solidify her support for Israel. As Bernie Sanders says, those billionaires don’t give their money for nothing!
The Clintons have always excelled at triangulation, and this is a golden opportunity. We’re bound to see that triangulation if Hillary Clinton wins the Democratic nomination. She will instantly try to buy off the Sanders forces and move to the right. For instance, she could even reach out and get a middle-of-the-road Republican running mate, so as to form a new coalition. Adelson would be behind her all the way. There are rumors today that Mike Bloomberg is offering himself to Hillary Clinton as a running mate. Sheldon Adelson can’t have any real problem with Bloomberg either.
Clinton’s triangulation to Adelson should begin quietly right now. She surely thinks that Marco Rubio will be more difficult to beat than Donald Trump. Clinton’s game right now is to hope that Adelson doesn’t jump in for Rubio in a big way, thereby maybe upending Trump. Hillary Clinton should be sending a quiet message to Sheldon Adelson through his good friend her sponsor, Haim Saban, to stay on the sideline; because your favorite country is safe with me, and Rubio is a lightweight who can’t beat Trump and keeps coming up third and will just waste your money.
