Mike Bloomberg's campaign is sounding the alarm that Bernie Sanders will soon amass an unsurmountable delegate lead if the Democratic field stays split — and took the extraordinary step of suggesting laggards should drop out.Let's be clear on this: What Bloomberg and his people are saying is that everyone else should drop out. The "everyone else" are the candidates who have been doing the grunt work of campaigning: Meeting people one-on-one, going around the country to talk to people and ask for their votes. They are the people who have been asking people to support their campaigns by volunteering, donating and voting. You know, people who actually walk the walk of democracy.
What they're saying: Kevin Sheekey, Bloomberg's top strategist, said: "The fact is if the state of this race remains status quo — with Biden, Pete and Amy in the race on Super Tuesday — Bernie is likely to open up a delegate lead that seems nearly impossible to overcome."
They should drop out and let another thin-skinned billionaire take over, a man who switches party affiliation as often as Trump changes wives? Bloomberg has been a Democrat less than the duration of a human pregnancy. His idea of "grass roots" is using millions of dollars as fertilizer. He doesn't need volunteers, he hires people for that shit.
Bloomberg, just like Trump, latched onto a political party as a route to power. The Richie Rich of the Democrats, the Billionaire Bully, if you will, really is trying to buy the process.
Everything that most people despise about Trump is applicable to Bloomberg. He is as much an authoritarian. As mayor, Bloomberg repeatedly referred to the NYPD as "his army". He defended "stop and frisk", a policy that was blatantly racist, until it became inconvenient (a policy that Trump called "a tremendous success"). Like Trump, Boomberg targeted Muslims for no other reason than their faith. His reaction to adverse court rulings was to step in front of the cameras, excoriate the judges, and explain how he, Hizzoner Da Mare, knew best and that everyone should kowtow to him. The major differences between Bloomberg and Trump are that Bloomberg is shorter, richer, smarter and doesn't apply his makeup with a trowel.
I will lay my cards on the table: I don't like Sanders, though people have forgotten was that the reason he was elected to Congress in 1990 ws that he ran against a pro-gun control Republican. I think Sanders, Warren and Biden are too old for the job. My inkling is that Klobuchar would be a shitty person to work for. Buttigieg's probably light on experience. I'd go for either Buttigieg or Klobuchar, but I'll vote for any of them over Donald Trump.
But I will not vote for Bloomberg. Between Bloomberg and Trump, there is no choice, only an echo.
And you can take that to the bank and deposit it.
4 comments:
Posted this morning at Show Me Progress:
“Listen, some pundits may say that it was unsporting for Elizabeth Warren to kick off this debate by ripping Mike Bloomberg’s arms off and using them to punch him in the dick, but i respectfully disagree”
-Doug in Oakland
I agree with on most of those points but I'd still vote for Bloomberg if it came to it. Given a choice between two arrogant know-nothings I'll take a potentially-less-emboldened first-timer every time.
The only significant difference is that Bloomberg isn't a Russian stooge.
I would argue to consider giving Warren another look. Of the remaining main candidates, she's the one most likely to behave as an Active-Positive President (going by Barber's Character chart). Here's how I see them:
Biden = Passive-Positive (Dem version of Reagan, Congenial to the point of foolishness)
Sanders = Active-Negative (similar to Wilson, Uncompromising Idealist)
Warren = Active-Positive (similar to FDR, pushing comprehensive reforms)
Buttigieg = Active-Negative (similar to John Q Adams, slow to compromise)
Klobuchar = Active-Negative (similar to Cleveland, reform-minded but (also) reactionary)
Bloomberg = Active-Negative (similar to Hoover, preferring business over reforms)
if Harris was still in this = Active-Negative (similar to Carter, justice-minded but uncompromising)
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