John Legend and Mark Cuban tangle over where donations are better served

Mark Cuban and John Legend tangled on Twitter Thursday over if donations are better served toward a food bank or for political causes for the Democratic party.

The 62-year-old billionaire brought up the topic in suggesting to his followers, ‘For those considering donating to Reps or Dems in the Georgia Senate run-offs, can you please re-consider and donate that money to your local foodbank and organizations that can help those without food or shelter? Lets put Americans in need above Politics.’

Legend, 41, replied that the political donations would help more people in the long run.

‘I get that politics is annoying and contentious, but the bottom line is that the Senate flipping would be far more impactful than a food bank donation.

‘We need massive stimulus and aid to individuals and small businesses. Government needs to do this. Charity isn’t sufficient … that being said, I’ll be doing both,’ said the EGOT winner, who’s won an Emmy, Grammy, Oscar, and Tony award.

Cuban, who owns the NBA’s Dallas Mavericks franchise, countered that the effectiveness of political ads was limited in comparison to taking care of the less fortunate.

‘Let’s go all the way,’ Cuban said. ‘Stop donating to charity, give those $ to politicians because 1 party will solve all of our problems! Come on John. There is a point of diminishing returns on political ad spend, there are no diminished returns when it comes to feeding the hungry.’

Legend said that while he agreed ‘there is a point of diminishing returns to political ad spending, charity isn’t going to be sufficient to address all the suffering out there’ bur rather the ‘big spending that only governments can do at scale.’

He compared the Republican and Democrat senate majority leaders, Mitch McConnell and Chuck Schumer, in saying it was critical to turn the branch of government blue.

‘There is clearly a difference between what a Mitch-led senate will do vs what a Schumer-led senate will do,’ Legend said. ‘As much as politics is annoying, this is very high stakes and hugely impactful to the lives of everyday Americans.’

Cuban agreed that ‘charity is often a band-aid,’ noting that ‘a lot of people are suffering now’ amid the coronavirus pandemic shutdown.

He asked: ‘Do you really think more money will increase the chances of winning, or is it an unknown and you figure it can’t hurt? And do you really think either party puts fundamental reform over gaining/retaining power?’

Legend said he was confident ‘the Democrats will do more to help the country recover’ than the Republican party, and the ‘difference isn’t even close.’

McConnell ‘will be obstructionist and try to find ways to make’ President-elect Joe Biden ‘a one-term president, just as he promised (and failed) to do with’ former President Barack Obama.

He added he was unsure if the Georgia runoffs in support of Democratic candidates Jon Ossoff and Rev. Raphael Warnock were another case of diminishing returns, he planned ‘to err on the side of donating to help Ossoff and Warnock win.

‘I hope it works,’ he said. ‘It will be better for the country.’