The Left appears to be shaking in its boots at the prospect of former Starbucks CEO Howard Schultz running for president.
Right after Schultz announced that he was “seriously considering” a run for president as an Independent, Twitter Leftists began calling for a boycott of Starbucks, even though Schultz is no longer the CEO. Then, former Obama officials started hyperventilating, saying Schultz’s run would “ruin the world.” Finally, polls were released shortly after that found Schultz polled at a whopping 17% in a three-way race against President Donald Trump and either Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) or Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA). Trump and one of those Democrats polled at 33% and 31% respectively, making Schultz’s 17% a huge upset.
Schultz only announced a week ago, and already a Leftist Super PAC is digging up opposition research on the former CEO. American Bridge 21st Century — the Super PAC founded by Media Matters for America leader David Brock — is trying to take Schultz out by researching legal settlements paid to Starbucks employees during the former CEO’s tenure.
CNBC received the results of the first round of research, which found “Starbucks paid $46 million in settlements to employees complaining about wage and compensation issues, much of the time while Schultz was often at the helm.”
American Bridge has considerable funds with which to damage a candidate, as it receives financial support from George Soros, Bernard Schwartz, and George Marcus.
“While some of these settlements noted by the super PAC did not take place when Schultz was either CEO or chairman, the group is clearly trying to convince voters that under his leadership, Starbucks took advantage of employees. The messaging campaign comes as Democratic leaders and donors have slammed Schultz for even considering running as an independent because, they argue, it will split the vote in 2020 and give President Donald Trump a second term,” CNBC reported.
Attacks on Schultz have largely fallen by the wayside as scandal erupted among the Democrat leadership in Virginia. Both Gov. Ralph Northam and Attorney General Mark Herring have come under fire for dressing in blackface while in college, and Lt. Gov. Justin Fairfax has been battling a sexual assault accusation.
Brock’s contempt for Schultz stems from the former coffee CEO’s wealth and the belief that he would spoil the 2020 presidential campaign for Democrats, letting Trump win a second term.
“The country deserves to know the truth about Howard Schultz’s real record,” American Bridge spokesman Andrew Bates told CNBC. “The last thing the American people are hungry for is another arrogant billionaire who takes advantage of anyone he can, just like the man currently sitting in the Oval Office. Schultz can’t win the presidency — all he can do is ensure that Donald Trump stays in the White House for another disastrous 4 years.”
Now that a Democrat Super PAC is attacking him, Schultz is more convinced than ever that a third-party candidate finally could do well in an election, according to his spokesman Tucker Warren.
“This attack is a perfect illustration of how broken the system is and how the Washington attack machine has corrupted our politics,” Warren told CNBC. “The small group of individuals who fund this effort should spend their energy advancing their ideas, not just tearing people down.”