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PAC money starts flowing in pop tax debate

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Illinois

The candidate filing deadline for Cook County Board seats is still about two months off, but the beverage industry has sent a signal to those who support the controversial soda tax.

Soda makers, bottlers and distributors earlier this month contributed a total of $111,000 to the Citizens for a More Affordable Cook County Political Action Committee, which has pledged to back commissioners who support repealing the tax.

Coca-Cola North America in Atlanta, Great Lakes Coca-Cola in Rosemont, Pepsico Inc. in Purchase, N.Y., and the Dr Pepper-Snapple Group PAC based in Plano, Texas, each contributed $22,200 to the fund. That’s the maximum amount state law allows each of them to give

* Chicago cable TV buys for this week, via Comcast…

Bloomberg’s ad buy is just for Friday through Tuesday.

And keep in mind that’s only his cable buy. Network is larger.

* The advantage the pop companies have is the public is on their side. They just don’t need as much money as the pop tax proponents. The companies can also give directly to individual candidates. And once Bloomberg starts spending money on political races, he’ll likely… um… pop those campaign caps.

But $111,000 is a relatively paltry sum.

posted by Rich Miller
Thursday, Sep 21, 17 @ 3:55 pm

Comments

Just think about how many ginormous sodas Mayor Bloomberg could buy with $453,320…

Comment by Curl of the Burl Thursday, Sep 21, 17 @ 4:11 pm
The other problem is trying to sell the tax as government public health effort to keep kids from drinking pop.

If that were the case, they would put an age requirement on pop like booze and smokes. And you wouldn’t make taverns and restaurants collect it.

This is a consumption tax for revenue, where you hope a few extra pennies every time make it easier to swallow.

Those aren’t impossible to pull off, obviously; but the rollout out on this one was incoherent. No one knew what was supposed to be taxed at what level.

Comment by wordslinger Thursday, Sep 21, 17 @ 4:11 pm
People
Ending
Preckwinkle’s
Soda
Ignorance

Comment by City Zen Thursday, Sep 21, 17 @ 4:21 pm
My disdain for regressive taxes and my deep loathing of transnational beverage conglomerates have left me really conflicted about all this…

Comment by Actual Red Thursday, Sep 21, 17 @ 4:34 pm
Tell Bloomberg “we don’t want nobody that nobody sent” Go back or stay in NYC and solve your problems there like (the rat infestaition) His legacy to NYC banning large soda cups and surgary drinks glasses from sale at 7/11s ? Elbow him to the back like they used to do at the start of the St Pats Parade in the old days

Comment by NorthsideNoMore Thursday, Sep 21, 17 @ 4:59 pm
Bloomberg must want Prekwinkle to lose by reminding voters of just how bad she is.

Comment by Ron Thursday, Sep 21, 17 @ 5:32 pm
Toni’s “Big Soda” jihad is not helping her political fortunes. The rhetoric she’s using is so out of touch with real people. Average voters are mad because this tax is arbitrary and regressive. The health argument is disingenuous given how they’ve applied the tax. So her attempting to equate Coke and Pepsi with merchants of death is falling on deaf ears.

Instead, the Bloomberg ads are hurting her politically as they’re a constant reminder of her association with this tax. The slogan might as well be, “keep hate alive.”

Comment by Chicago Cynic Thursday, Sep 21, 17 @ 5:49 pm
Has anybody stepped up to run against her? You can’t lose when you’re unopposed. I hope somebody with some gravitas challenges her. Seeing her lose the primary would be great.

Comment by Trapped in the 'burbs Friday, Sep 22, 17 @ 12:28 am
=== Tell Bloomberg “we don’t want nobody that nobody sent” Go back or stay in NYC ===

But it’s just fine to have such out-of-staters as Coca-Cola North America in Atlanta Pepsico Inc. in Purchase, N.Y., and the Dr Pepper-Snapple Group PAC based in Plano, Texas. I guess the real objection is not that Bloomberg is from NY, like Atlanta Pepsico, Inc.

Comment by anon2 Friday, Sep 22, 17 @ 8:50 am
The real objection is that the obscene amounts of money billionaire Bloomberg is willing to spend on vanity airtime could be so much better used and allocated to help fund real people in need in IL and across the country. It’s his money and he can do whatever foolhardy thing he chooses with it. But it is viewed as a sickening waste by many people and propping up hypocrite Toni is hardly admirable at this time.

Comment by Responsa Friday, Sep 22, 17 @ 9:05 am