John,
When you got this email from me last night, you were probably like, “Why is Brad emailing me about this Vivek Ramaswamy guy?”
Well after last night’s GOP presidential debate, the whole world knows who Vivek is (and what a grifter he is).
Take a moment to read about that time I debated Vivek months before last night’s debate, then please consider chipping in any amount to help me keep fighting for competent, compassionate government.
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Brad Lander [[email protected]]
Date: Wed, Aug 23, 2023 at 3:43 PM
Subject: That time I debated Vivek
John,
In what may be the shining pinnacle of their political careers, eight long shot candidates for President will take the stage in the first 2024 Republican primary debate tonight.
I will not be watching the debate, in case you were wondering (I’m not even sure who #8 is).
But before any of these candidates debate each other tonight, did you know that one of them debated your New York City Comptroller first? :-)
Back in April, I had the opportunity to engage in a friendly “debate” with GOP presidential candidate Vivek Ramaswamy on CNBC’s “Last Call” with Brian Sullivan. The debate topic was the urgent need to transition to a low-carbon economy, including divesting public pension funds from fossil fuel companies and launching our net-zero plan, the most ambitious in the U.S.
Vivek called me a “political actor" (which is pretty ironic, since he's the one pretending to run for President). I called him a grifter. And I sure stand by it.
His presidential campaign may be a joke, but it’s not a funny one. And his grift is real. Vivek is using his campaign to raise money for an investment fund designed to make him richer. I wonder where he got the idea for enriching himself via ugly right-wing politics...
If you really want to, John, you can watch my debate with Vivek here – then, will you please consider making a small-dollar donation to my re-election campaign? Even $5.00 will make a huge difference.
Needless to say, there is a little more than just divestment that Vivek and I disagree on. He’s running for president on a hateful anti-LGBTQ, anti-equality, anti-environment agenda that I’m sure he’ll try to defend during tonight’s GOP debate.
I, on the other hand, will always stand for compassionate, competent government. I will always work my heart out to make NYC a more sustainable, more equitable city for all of us. And I will always defend progressive ideals – even when “debating” grifters on television.
In solidarity,
Brad
