Almost immediately after announcing that he would be launching a "listening tour" (coincidentally timed with his national book tour), critics accused billionaire ex-Starbucks CEO of becoming the next Ralph Nader — that is, a general election spoiler.
Because Schultz espouses some Democratic views and would be running a "change" campaign, the likelihood is that if he launched an independent bid for president in 2020, he would siphon votes from the eventual Democratic nominee. After Green party candidate Jill Stein got more votes than Trump's margin of victory in several key swing states, Democrats are aghast at the possibility of yet another spoiler that could result in the re-election of Trump.
Schultz conceded that the reason for his consideration to run was because of congresswoman Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez's proposal to levy a 70% marginal tax rate on income above $10 million annually. In other words, the billionaire former CEO has predicated his possible run on maintaining his own ability to continue hoarding wealth and refusal to pay his fair share—even if it means Trump – whom he himself has called "despicable" – could be reelected as a result.
Whether Howard Schultz is in the spotlight to sell more of his books or truly launch a 2020 bid to keep his tax rate low, the American people have spoken loud and clear: he should abandon once and for all his misguided, self-serving campaign for president.
