Starbucks’ Finance Plan Faces Some Controversy

Former Starbucks chief executive Howard Schultz has angered Democrats by considering an independent campaign for president in 2020. They are condemning the billionaire’s idea as a “vanity project” that would only help President Donald Trump.

Political strategists say such a third-party candidacy would divide the left, taking votes from the president’s yet-to-be nominated Democratic challenger.

Schultz said he would run as a centrist.

Why the outcry?

Neera Tanden, president of the liberal think tank Center for American Progress and confidante of 2016 Democratic candidate Hillary Clinton, tweeted: “Vanity projects that help destroy democracy are disgusting.

“If he enters the race, I will start a Starbucks boycott because I’m not giving a penny that will end up in the election coffers of a guy who will help Trump win.” Michael Bloomberg, another billionaire who previously considered an independent bid, released a statement criticizing Schultz’s decision without specifically naming him.

He said: “The great likelihood is that an independent run would just split the anti-Trump vote and end up re-electing the President. That’s a risk I refused to run in 2016 and we can’t afford to run it now.”

Dan Pfeiffer, a former adviser to Barack Obama, tweeted: “This half-baked idea… will pose an existential threat to a Democrat in what will likely be 2020 race decided by a few votes in a handful of states.”

Jennifer Palmieri, a former campaign adviser to Clinton, tweeted: “Pfeiffer speaks the truth.”

Larry Sabato, who directs the University of Virginia’s Center for Politics, tweeted that Schultz’s slogan “might as well be, ‘Re-elect Trump'”.

The Republican president himself appeared to goad Schultz into launching a bid, saying the businessman “doesn’t have the ‘guts’ to run”.

Washington Democratic chairwoman Tina Podlodowski tweeted: “A billionaire buying his way out of the entire primary process does not strengthen democracy.”

Democrats in the Pacific state posted a photograph, without comment, of a Starbucks cup with: “Don’t do it Howard” written on.