Former Republican and former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg is likely to run for president as a Democrat in 2020. Being a wealthy, white male puts him at an automatic disadvantage in this contest, but he has a plan to compensate for his privilege.
He’s going to push climate change and gun control.
Marc Caputo reports at Politico:
How Bloomberg plans to create his own lane in 2020White. Male. Old. A Wall Street billionaire.At first glance, Michael Bloomberg would seem to have zero appeal in a Democratic Party where progressive populism is on the rise and activists and elites say it’s time for a woman or a person of color to win the White House.But unlike any of the other presidential hopefuls, Bloomberg plays a dominant leadership role on two of the top issues on the minds of progressives heading into the 2020 cycle: climate change and gun control. He’s spent a decade as the nation’s preeminent financier on those issues, buying considerable goodwill in progressive circles. If he runs, those familiar with his thinking say, they’ll be the pillars of his campaign.No successful presidential campaign has ever been anchored to those issues. But the politics surrounding climate change and gun control have changed dramatically in recent years, and nowhere more than in the Democratic Party. In a splintered field where the former New York mayor’s message would be reinforced by a theme of governing competence and private sector success, those close to him believe Bloomberg could find traction despite his seemingly awkward fit.
Like almost all other Democrats, Bloomberg is putting a lot of faith in the ideas touted by the new super-lefties in Congress:
Bloomberg is polling and collecting “data,” the source said, and climate change and guns are “going to drive Democrats to the polls.” The politics of climate change have been front and center with the opening of the new Congress as Democrats discuss making a “Green New Deal.”Bloomberg’s top boosters insist he hasn’t made up his mind yet about running. He’ll make an official announcement within a month.If he decides to run, Bloomberg told reporters in Iowa last month, he would make climate change “the issue.”Guns won’t be far behind.
It’s going to be fun to watch Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders do their usual routine about evil billionaires while potentially sharing the debate stage with Bloomberg.
Bloomberg’s candidacy could also have a few hurdles from his time as NYC mayor to overcome with the party’s base.
Theodore Bunker writes at Newsmax:
Stop-and-Frisk May Pose a Problem for Bloomberg in 2020Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg could have a problem should he decide to run for president in 2020 over the “stop-and-frisk” policy he supported, CNN reports.”I can’t stand up here and tell you every decision I have made as mayor was perfect,” Bloomberg, who recently re-registered as a Democrat, told attendees at a breakfast honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, hosted by Rev. Al Sharpton and the National Action Network.”I listened to concerns, and I tried to be responsive,” the former mayor continued. “But I can tell you that we were always guided by the goal, first and foremost in all cases, of saving lives of those who faced the greatest risk of gun violence, young men of color, and by cutting murders in half I am glad to say some 1,600 people are alive today who otherwise would not be and most are young men from black and Hispanic communities.”
Featured image via YouTube.
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