OPINION — Congressman Dan Goldman ─ A Tycoon as Phony as a $3,000 Bill

By Arthur Schwartz

We have several interesting races coming up in June’s Democratic primary. Within the Village View readership area, there will be a new City Council member (which looks like it will be Carl Wilson), a new Assembly member (replacing Deborah Glick) and a new state senator (replacing Brian Kavanaugh). But no race will be more consequential than the congressional race between current Congressman Dan Goldman, and former Comptroller Brad Lander. Goldman was elected in the 2022 Democratic primary with 24% of the vote, spending $7 million (!!!) and getting over $1 million in attack mailings against his closest opponent from a group associated with the American Israel Political Action Committee (AIPAC). Goldman’s 10th Congressional District stretches from 14th Street, across Manhattan, to Brooklyn Heights, Park Slope and northern Sunset Park. Lander represented Park Slope and Brooklyn Heights for eight years on the City Council.

Goldman, who essentially bought his seat four years ago, is the heir to the Levi Strauss fortune, and presently, with a net value of over $350 million, he is by far the richest member of Congress. He is smart, telegenic, appears often on MS NOW, and has been a leading supporter of funding weapon gifts to Israel over the last four years.

But if you have been watching your mailbox, or if you use TikTok or Instagram, you would never know this. According to his mail, Goldman is leading the fight against “billionaires.” The first card he sent out said, “Wealth inequality is suffocating our nation, and it’s getting worse.” (Sounds like Bernie Sanders.) Then he asks, “How? Since most of their money is in assets, not wages, they avoid paying income tax.” He touts a bill he has introduced which would tax the use of corporate assets to pay for things which benefit “billionaires.”

His next mailing talks about the rich buying elections! He complains about the impact that his country club buddies have on elections through political action committees (PACs). Of course, he doesn’t mention anything about folks worth hundreds of millions of dollars just buying elections, like his friend Michael Boomberg did when he ran for mayor and outspent opponents 20-1.

Now we are talking about serious money here. Let’s look at the numbers right from Goldman’s Federal Election Commission filings.

For this race, as of March 31, against Brad Lander:

  • Goldman has raised $4,537,962 (16% more than he raised in 2022).
  • Goldman has spent $3,815,451.
  • Brad Lander has raised $1,374,757.

Let’s look further at these interesting numbers:

  • Goldman’s large individual contributors (more than $7,000) have contributed $3,051,930 (70% of his funds).
  • Goldman’s small contributors (under $2,000) have contributed $1,260,238, which is 5.97% of his funds.
  • Hedge funds have donated $126,000.
  • PACs have contributed $382,750. The biggest, AIPAC, has contributed $188,000 of that.

Doesn’t sound like Robin Hood to me.

And Goldman’s latest announcement? He will match any donation of $250 or more with his own money. He is well on his way to surpassing his $7 million in expenditures in 2022.

And just wait until we start getting mailings about how Brad Lander, who is proudly Jewish, is an antisemite. I guarantee you that that will come.

His most recent postcard accuses Bejamin Netanyahu of leading the U.S. into an immoral, illegal, and costly war in Iran ─ and pledges that he won’t “vote for a single cent for this reckless war.” He says money for bombs should be spent on health care, child care and affordable housing, “not death and destruction abroad.”

But a “no” vote now would be the first one he would have cast. The United States has provided at least $21.7 billion in military aid to Israel since the war in Gaza began on Oct. 7, 2023 ─ and Goldman voted “yes” for every cent. He said nothing about Israel’s overkill in Gaza, actions opposed by most American Jews. And then there was this: In a stunning betrayal of international justice and human rights and the prerogative of his own party and President Biden, Dan Goldman aligned with Republicans in passing a bill to sanction International Criminal Court (ICC) officials. This move came in response to the ICC’s decision to seek arrest warrants for Hamas leader Yahya Sinwar and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and over allegations of war crimes and crimes against humanity related to Oct. 7, and the subsequent conflict in Gaza. The bill, which passed 247 to 155, called for the imposition of severe sanctions on the entire ICC, from the judges on down, who were involved in investigating, arresting, detaining, or prosecuting “protected persons of the United States and its allies.” In essence, it aimed to end U.S. participation and support for the ICC any time it sought to prosecute “protected persons of the United States,” including Netanyahu. Now he calls what Netanyahu is doing “immoral and illegal.”

You know why I called this article “as phony as a $3,000 bill?” Because when a super-rich guy, who bought his way into Congress, pretends that he is Robin Hood (yes, those are his words in his mail), the phoniness is so large that I couldn’t say $3 bill.

Next month: We will look at Brad Lander’s record and life. We shouldn’t just reject Goldman because he is a hypocrite. We actually have an amazingly wonderful alternative.