You are viewing a single comment's thread.

view the rest of the comments →

AreWeSure ago

How did the Weather Bloggers make 38?
38. Capital Weather Gang Bloggers, The Washington Post

Why did another restaurant owner make #41? 41. José Andrés Restaurateur

How did three party planner make #42? 42. Svetlana Legetic, Jayne Sandman, Barbara Martin Party planners

How did a pitcher make #47 47. Stephen Strasburg

Perhaps it's actually hard to come up with an interesting list of 50 and perhaps genuine power is not exactly the criteria. If you think style and trends and influences day to day life, it makes sense to have a baseball player and a couple of restaurant owners on the list. Also Weather Bloggers, they literally have the power to control the weather. Pitcher, Washington Nationals

LaDonnaRae ago

Yes, but GQ is more of a sideline issue to make the point that THERE IS NO BIOGRAPHY ON THE 49TH MOST POWERFUL PERSON IN WASHINGTON D.C. I can look up Strasburg and find out all about him.

AreWeSure ago

GQ is not the sideline issue. They made the list. They used their own criteria to make the list.

Of course, you can look up information on Strasburg, he's an All-Star baseball player. You can look up info on any major league baseball player, even the scrubs. That's not surprising at all. Pro sports occupies a giant place in our culture and there's only a small number of pro athletes. Every newspaper has a whole section dedicated to sports.

My point about Strasburg is what is his power? How does he yield this power outside his day job of pitching for the Nationals? What about the weather bloggers? Or the party planners?

Anyone who is taking this list as some absolute accounting of power in America, or even just in DC, is taking things waaaaay too literally.

LaDonnaRae ago

Except that it appears to be true. How else do you account for donations from both the Clinton Foundation and George Soros? Where is he getting hundreds of millions of dollars to buy thirteen high-priced properties? From PIZZA?

AreWeSure ago

He is not getting donations from them. You're completely off track there and don't understand how FEC reports work.

Also hundreds of millions of dollars? Not a real estate person are you? You are off on the value of these properties and the amount of upfront money needed to acquire them.

LaDonnaRae ago

HELLO??? 1) There is a BIG, FAT, HUGE ARTICLE on his purchase in Kalorama! (BTW, Podesta bought one, too.) 2) There is something called a "TAX ASSESSOR'S OFFICE"! 3) Why the FUCK are you defending these people?!

AreWeSure ago

You don't have to lay out the entire value of a property to buy it.

Hi.

LaDonnaRae ago

Yes. I realize that. But I doubt I can buy thirteen properties in four different counties spanning two states and the District with just "good looks" and a pizza joint for collateral.

AreWeSure ago

What values do you put on the properties to get to $200 million?

bolus ago

you put down 20%. at least, and show that you've got revenue to cover the rest over time.

if your credit says you can afford 200 million dollars worth of house, you have a shit ton of assets, potential or otherwise.

AreWeSure ago

200 million is a ridiculous figure is one of my points.

bolus ago

understand what you're saying now, i misunderstood.

LaDonnaRae ago

I am not a real estate agent. However, I have bought a house (not recently). I know it is not easy jumping through hoops to get ONE. Never mind THIRTEEN, one of which is in NEW YORK CITY, one of the two highest-priced cities in the country!