Actor Mark Ruffalo has endorsed billionaire Tom Steyer in the race for California governor, even though the movie star regularly criticizes billionaires.
The Disney-Marvel star expressed his support for Steyer in an Instagram post on Thursday.
“Tom has spent the last two decades working to stop climate change. Becerra is bought and paid for by Big Oil and other corporations who have spent nearly $50 million to elect him,” Ruffalo stated.
Although Ruffalo admitted that he is not a “fan of billionaires” and added that he sees “no reason for people to have that kind of wealth,” he sidestepped that issue by trying to distinguish Steyer from an oligarch, apparently not realizing that Steyer is using his vast wealth to buy political power and influence… like an oligarch.
“While I’m not a fan of billionaires and I don’t see any reason for people to have that kind of wealth, I think there is a distinction between an oligarch and a billionaire,” he said. “You use your wealth and power to accumulate more wealth and power, driven purely by greed. Your wealth is usually based on the exploitation of land, the environment, other resources or people. Although Tom is a billionaire, I don’t see him as an oligarch, unlike Musk, Thiel, Trump or Bezos.”
“Tom is a progressive who will work for the people of California, not to enrich himself or corporations. If elected, he will appoint an administration of progressive, solutions-oriented people,” he continued. “He will be a bulwark against Trump. Tom is calling for the abolition of ICE and will hold ICE accountable for crimes in California. He is against the corporate merger of Paramount and Warner Bros., and will work to make Hollywood a thriving California-based industry again. Tom supports taxing the rich (including himself), while Becerra has not supported calls to tax billionaires.”
Ruffalo’s hardcore progressive fans expressed disappointment, with many feeling that Steyer’s very status as a billionaire disqualifies him for office.
“It’s very disappointing to read this from you. Steyer could help millions of people without even holding office. With his money TODAY. But instead he has spent $300 million on his presidential run and this gubernatorial run. Billionaires shouldn’t exist,” one user said.
“Dear Mark, Tom is the perfect example of ‘if he wanted to, he would’. Steyer doesn’t need the title of governor to do any of the things he says he wants to do, he’s a billionaire!!!” said another user.
“Making promises about ICE doesn’t mean you’ll actually do something, or can actually do it. The problem with multi-billion dollar promises is getting multi-million dollar results when your billionaire friends turn their backs,” said another.
