That’s “bills” as in BILLIONS. I don’t know about you, but I’m shedding tears at the collapse of Shelly Adelson’s fortune according to a Forward story:
The past year has not been kind to Adelson’s finances: Las Vegas Sands stock, which constitutes the bulk of Adelson’s fortune, has plummeted more than 70% as the slowing economy has hurt the bottom lines of the casino industry. According to the financial information service Bloomberg, at the end of 2007 Adelson owned 227 million shares of stock, which were worth roughly $8 billion at press time. A year ago, those shares would have been worth more than $28 billion.
This means he’s cutting back on the $30-million yearly commitment he’d made to Birthright-Taglit. It will only be $20-million and $10-million respectively over the next two years. The organization is finding out that there is a big problem with relying so heavily on an ego-driven donor like Adelson who forces you to dance through hoops to do his bidding. If you don’t do the right steps, donors like this sour on you and hang you out to dry. Meanwhile, you’ve ramped up your organizational staffing based on a funding level provided by your sugar daddy. Then he pulls the plug and leaves you to pick up the pieces. How can Birthright possibly replace the $70-million he gave over the past two years?
Adelson has been criticized by his fellow right-wing Republicans for holding out the prospect of big money to fund an aggressive neocon attack on Democrats by Freedom’s Watch, the group he founded. But the money hasn’t materialized because, it’s rumored, Adelson hasn’t liked what he’s seen so far of the group’s work.
For some reason Adelson reminds me of a Jewish Napoleon except I’ve never seen him shove his hand into his vest as the French emporer used to do. Alternatively, I also think of him as a Jewish Jimmy Cagney shoving a grapefruit in the face of anyone who doesn’t meet his political or business standards. He’s one tough sombitch.
Hard to know what makes Shelly happy. Ehud Olmert certainly knows that, since the former detests Olmert as being far too left-wing for his taste. Adelson’s Israeli darling is Bibi Netanyahu and the gambling baron would love to come up a winner in the next national election. I’m just happy Adelson may have that much less to spend on the campaign given his “impoverishment.” But as Olmert has proven, it only takes chump change (by Adelson’s standards) to buy an Israeli pol and fully finance an election campaign. The Las Vegas tycoon has already financed a new Israeli right-wing daily that trumpets Netanyahu’s virtues even in the news pages (why confine his admiration to the opinion pages?).
I’m thinking that if Shelly gets his way they’ll erect a huge statue of him and plaque (like the ones you see in your local synagogue except MUCH, MUCH bigger) at Ben Gurion. It will say something like:
The land of Israel–bought, paid for, and presented to the residents of this great nation by a loving son of Israel, SHELDON ADELSON.
It would be only fitting after all.
I wonder what Adelson and the Republican Jewish Coalition will have to say about this
http://www.rabbisforobama.com/
I think they may be thinking of poor Sheldon with his millions when they wrote in their letter”
“We are fully aware that a smear campaign against Senator Obama has been waged in the Jewish community, and we feel it is our duty as Jewish leaders to fight for the truth and against Lashon Hara. Senator Obama has been viciously attacked using innuendoes, rumors, and guilt by association, and we urge our fellow American Jews to judge Senator Obama based on his own record and the clear statements he has made about his personal beliefs and principles. Continuing efforts to defame him and distort his record help perpetuate a deeply disturbing political process in our country.
Read http://www.jewfaq.org/speech.htm concerning “Lashon Hara”
I think these rabbis are on to something, let’s say, what their faith clearly teaches is forbidden.
I don’t know this guy nor really care apparently you don’t like him… the only thing I take issue with is your disparaging of the Birthright program and trips to Israel which are wonderful… I have many many friends that have gone and loved it and as a result developed life long friendships and a personal feeling and affinity with Israel…. If he funds this and makes it possible, great.
As per usual I strongly suspect that you will go overboard as typical and find something that is just not PC enough for you with Birthright, displaying your true colors once againl.
Probably Adelson has enough cash stashed away here and there to live in comfort. I don’t foresee him having to raise his own potatoes and onions.
Zhu Bajie
@Zhu Bajie:
I like the image of Shelly Adelson being forced to resort to growing root vegetables in his penthouse suite in the Mirage in order to make ends meet.
Maybe in a Bushville shack, out by the railroad tracks?
Zhu Bajie
I don’t know if you read Dimitry Orlov’s essays, but he says that lots of Russians survived on their 1100 square meter garden plots, after the Soviet Union imploded. I met a prof from University of Khabarovsk a few years ago, and her pay package included a garden plot so she could raise her own food. It could be a useful skill for anyone in the US, if the current economic collapse continues. Forget guns and gold coins. A dog is better protection and real wealth is something you can eat or wear.
Being in the inner circle of Sheldon’s world, I can tell you that he is cold and calculating and gets what he wants no matter the cost. He has no remorse for hurting those who disagree with him. And he has the money and the power to do just about anything he wants to do, just ask his brother Lenny.