Billionaire Activist Tom Steyer Is Unapologetic About His Ambitions to Impeach Trump
*By Christian Smith*
Billionaire activist Tom Steyer is not apologizing for his campaign to impeach Donald Trump.
In an interview with Cheddar Monday, he dismissed criticism from certain Democrats that focusing on impeachment will energize the Republican base.
"Standing up for the Constitution and the American people" should be more important than campaign tactics, he said.
But Steyer is focused on both the immediate and the political long term.
If Democrats don't take back the House of Representatives next month, "this year is a failure," he said.
Otherwise, Steyer said, the thousands of hours and millions of dollars pumped into this election cycle will have been for nothing.
"We've just got to say that and own it," he said of acknowledging the urgency of the midterms for Democrats.
According to an August report, Steyer has poured more than $120 million into this election cycle primarily through his two political groups ー the "NextGen America" super PAC and the "Need to Impeach" campaign.
Steyer's game plan is to mobilize the millions of millennials who don't normally vote in an attempt to undermine President Trump, whom Steyer calls a "corrupt, lawless, and dangerous president."
NextGen America has spent millions of dollars engaging young voters in key battleground states like Florida. Millennials traditionally haven't shown up to vote in the same numbers as other generations, but Steyer isn't fazed.
"I am confident," Steyer said when asked whether he thought millennials would turn up at the polls.
To some, Steyer's well-oiled political machine might resemble the early outline of a possible 2020 campaign.
But the former hedge fund manager reiterated that his focus rests solely on the midterms ー at least for now.
"We are nose down through Nov. 6, 2018," Steyer said.
"I think anyone who is thinking about themselves instead of doing what's right and doing the work over the next two weeks, or over the past two months, really is missing the point."
For full interview [click here](https://cheddar.com/videos/how-billionaire-tom-steyer-plans-to-mobilize-his-political-machine).
Heading into 2022, the eyes of political nerds like us are fixed on statehouses across the country. State legislatures are in the process of taking the data from the 2020 census and using it to draw new congressional districts. The process has major implications for midterms, as Republicans could retake the majority just by gerrymandering enough seats into their column. In Maryland, state level Democrats are considering several maps, one of which would completely draw out the only Republican from the state in Congress.
Bruce DePuyt, senior reporter at Maryland Matters, and Helen Brewer, legal analyst at Princeton's Electoral Innovation Lab, join Cheddar Politics to discuss.
Today is Veterans Day, a day each year that gives us a chance to honor our service members and reflect on the issues they face in our armed forces. One issue that's gotten a lot of scrutiny recently is the handling of sexual assault cases in the military. The military has long been criticized for how it handles cases of sexual assault, with particular attention paid to how cases are investigated and prosecuted usually within the chain of command. The defense department has said sexual assault cases will be removed, but it's not the same as Congress changing the law itself.
Lory Manning, retired U.S. Navy captain and the director of government operations at the Service Women's Action Network, joins Cheddar News to discuss.
Greenwood, a digital banking platform aimed at supporting Black and Latino businesses and clients, is launching its very own GreenBook. Named after the historic publication for Black travelers during the era of Jim Crow, the online guide will provide a directory of Black- and Latino-owned businesses across the country. Ryan Glover, the founder and chairman of Greenwood, joined Cheddar to provide additional details about the listings.
President Biden's infrastructure plan will be pumping billions of dollars into the EV sector. David Shepardson, Correspondent at Thomson Reuters, joined Cheddar News' Closing Bell to break down all of the details.
Al Root, Senior Writer at Barron's, joined Wake Up With Cheddar's Jill Wagner to break down who qualifies for the proposed EV tax credits and why some automakers aren't too pleased about extra incentives for vehicles made at union plants.
Jill Wagner is joined by Baker to talk about kids and vaccines: we finally know how many young kids are getting vaccinated. Plus, Democrats are working on a Plan B for paid family leave. And the salad chain Sweetgreen goes public.
A breakthrough deal between the U.S. and China when it comes to climate has finally been reached. The two countries have pledged to work together to curb carbon emissions. Amy Harder, executive editor at Cipher, joined Cheddar News to discuss more.
President Joe Biden is expected to visit GM's 'Factory Zero' plant in Detroit, where mass production of its electric vehicle fleet will get underway. Biden is likely to tout his recently passed $1.2 trillion infrastructure plan, which allocates $7.5 billion toward EV infrastructure.
