As someone who lived in NYC during the 12 years of Mayor Bloomberg, let me say...

[brooklynite]

...that the arguments people are throwing out HERE will have no impact on his success as a Presidential candidate. The average Democrat will care less who he gave a speech for in 2004 or who he contributed to 10-20 years ago. As far as "stop and frisk", he's acknowledged his mistakes, just as Biden has acknowledged the mistakes in the Crime Bill. Keep in mind that New York Democrats voted for him three times. If you want to complain about something topical, go through the extensive policy positions on his campaign website and find something you can criticize.

[George II]

1. I'll bet that 99% of the people on this site are unfamiliar with the political climate in NYC...

...in 2001 when Bloomberg switched from being a Democrat to a republican, and why he did it.

People also don't realize that a politician's FIRST priority is to get elected (my father taught me that before I was 10). Without getting elected, he/she can't accomplish anything.

[Hermit-The-Prog]

2. If he wins the nomination, I won't have to hold my nose to vote for him.

We really do not have any abominable (and viable) candidates.

[DemocracyMouse]

15. Bloomberg seems immune to comprehension of small businesses and renting masses

He's another clueless 1%er who believes only large corporations and huge real estate developers deserve his attention and tax breaks. His policies devastated my neighborhood in Brooklyn. Everybody I know was driven out like Native Americans pushed west by European conquerors.

[lapucelle]

30. What policies were those? N/T

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

35. +1

Bernie/Elizabeth or Elizabeth/Bernie 2020!!
Either way, they're stronger together & can't be bought!!
Jump on the Bernie Bandwagon & join The Revolution!!

[TwilightZone]

54. "like Native Americans pushed west by European conquerors"

He killed 90% of them?

One would have thought that would have made the news.

Comparing Bloomberg's policies to genocide is a bit misguided.

[calimary]

43. Nor will I.

I’d have no trouble voting for him.

If we’re stuck with a billionaire, then at the very least I want a billionaire who sees things the way I do when it comes to working for the greater good.

[melman]

3. So you speak for all New Yorkers?

Bloomberg might have been popular in certain circles but there are many people that feel he ruined the city.

[George II]

5. I think there are about eight million people who would disagree that NYC is ruined.

[melman]

7. I think you're wrong

Because I know for a fact there are many many people that lament what New York has become.

[left-of-center2012]

9. "many people that lament what New York has become"

What has it become?

"The AARP Bulletin, using data from the Livability Index, ranked New York City among the top ten most livable large cities in America."

The 8 Domains of Livability

As a member of the AARP Network of Age-Friendly Communities, New York City’s leaders commit to a continual cycle of improvement in the eight domains the World Health Organization has identified as influencing the health and quality of life of older adults:

Outdoor spaces and buildings
Transportation
Housing
Social participation
Respect and social inclusion
Civic participation and employment
Communication and information
Community support and health services

https://livabilityindex.aarp.org/featured-communities/new-york-ny

[melman]

12. Yes

Many many people do.


But I don't have the energy to explain it. Here's a book you can look at if you care.


https://www.amazon.com/Vanishing-New-York-Great-City/dp/0062439693


here's the author's long-running blog of the same name.

http://vanishingnewyork.blogspot.com/


and here's an article that relates specifically to Bloomberg.


https://www.cityandstateny.com/articles/opinion/commentary/bloomberg-killed-new-york-citys-soul.html

[George II]

19. Ah, Jeremiah Moss, aka Griffin Hansbury. Yeah.

[lapucelle]

41. He doesn't have the energy to explain NY to you George.

[George II]

50. The last thing I need is for someone to explain NY to me.

[lapucelle]

39. Those of us who have spent our lives here don't need you to 'splain the city to us. N/T

[AncientGeezer]

87. As a NY'er who spends a large amount of time in the City each yr..(for decades)

I disagree vehemently with your linked book and blogs.

[NellieStarbuck]

14. I'm going to jump in here and

count myself among those who think the city is nearly ruined and that Bloomberg is largely responsible for that. Giuliani is sooo responsible for it and I miss the humanity of David Dinkins. Mind you, I only lived in NYC between 1988 and 2000, but I got a good snapshot. And my husband is a retired cop who grew up in Hell's Kitchen and both of my kids were born there. At one time I harbored the hope of doing the reverse migration back to the city. It's just neither possible nor even desirable.

[George II]

20. "Banana Republic operators"?

[lapucelle]

36. I've been hear my whole life, and I've had the panorama. The city is not nearly ruined,

and it is not in cultural decline.

[Farmer-Rick]

52. At a 87.2% higher cost of living than in average America

AARP must think all seniors are filthy rich.

Most seniors living on dwindling Social Security, threatened Medicare and rarely any pension or retirement accounts, can not afford even a visit to New York City.

Housing alone is 194.3% higher than the rest of the US. Not just 94% higher but 194% higher.

I think AARP has their head up you know what body part.

https://www.bestplaces.net/cost_of_living/city/new_york/new_york

[George II]

17. Um hmmm....

[lapucelle]

32. What are you talking about? N/T

[brooklynite]

6. Do I speak for ALL New yorkers? No, I talk about political reality...

New York City voters (overwhelmingly Democratic) voted for Bloomberg three times, including a Hispanic candidate in 2005 (Ferrer) and an African American candidate in 2009 (Thompson). Maybe you think those weren't "real" Democrats?

[melman]

8. How about you don't put words in my mouth, okay?

That would be appreciated.


If Bloomberg is so great how come you're supporting Mayor Pete?

[brooklynite]

23. why am I supporting Pete? Because I think he's the best candidate.

That doesn't mean that I don't think that the criticisms I read about Bloomberg aren't lazy and pointless.

[DemocracyMouse]

16. NYC is culturally in decline. Money has driven out both

the arts and the working class cultures. It is an increasingly corporate mental space. Ugly as sin.

[lapucelle]

33. No it's not and no it isn't. N/T

[Recursion]

47. That's the most ridiculous thing I've read in a while

The median household income in NYC is $57,000, which is pretty much right at the national median income. The narrative about money pushing out all the artists is a complaint by the Whole Foods crowd that they can't afford Alphabet City or Prospect Park anymore. There are millions of working class New Yorkers doing just fine. And the arts scene is better than it's ever been.

[NYMinute]

4. Bloomberg has been a Democrat a lot longer than Sanders

Sanders uses the Democratic party like AirBnB.

[pangaia]

13. Good one...😁

[liskddksil]

25. Real Democrats don't give money to Scott Brown, Pat Toomey, the NY State Senate Republicans

and other Republicans. Real Democrats don't endorse George W. Bush. Bloomberg = not a Democrat.

[NYMinute]

46. Anyting to defend Bernie hahahahahahaha

Even attacks on other Democrats

[liskddksil]

60. Who said I'm supporting Bernie. I'm probably supporting Biden who

though is not my preferred choice, Beto, is at least a life-long Democrat.

[NYMinute]

118. hmmmmmm

Beto was also my first choice until he dropped out.

However, your post had the flavor of a Sanders support.

Bloomberg has explained the reasoning behind those donations. I have no problem with it. He has given 14 times more money to Democrats.

[MontanaMama]

27. ...

[DanTex]

10. People tend to think the "average Democrat" is just like them.

A lot of Democrats still see Bush's policies, including the Iraq War, as causing a lot of the problems we have today. A lot of Democrats don't like Bloomberg's austerity policies, they aren't in favor of the kinds of cuts to social programs that Bloomberg has favored his entire career. A lot of Democrats don't find it credible that he stood behind stop and frisk right up until he decided to run for president as a Democrat.

It's also not true that "New York Democrats" elected him three times. What New York Democrats did three times is run an opponent against him. Most Dem voters in NYC didn't vote for him, he put together a coalition of moderate Dem voters and Republicans/Independents. The most Democratic borough in NYC, the Bronx, voted against him every time. The second most, Brooklyn, only voted for him in 2005.

What has an impact on his success as a Presidential candidate is that he has $50 billion. Period. It's certainly not that his policies are anywhere near the mainstream of the Democratic electorate. I mean, Bloomberg is in favor of cutting Social Security and he doesn't even pretend otherwise. The reason he ran as a Republican in NYC is that he couldn't have won a Democratic Primary. If he wasn't spending more money than the rest of the field combined, he'd have no chance at the presidential primary either.

Wealthy white bankers who are pro-choice loved him. That's hardly an "average Democrat."

[brooklynite]

24. In which case, "a lot of Democrats" won't vote for him...

...but polling suggests his number have been going up since he announced.

[DanTex]

31. Yeah $200M of ad buys will do that.

[brooklynite]

49. So, you're saying that Democratic voters just aren't as perceptive as you are?

[MineralMan]

56. Yes, that's true. Even you think average Democrats are just like you.

Their votes say otherwise, though. Despite what you claim, Bloomberg did win three times. More Democrats voted for him than for someone else.

I'm not supporting Bloomberg in 2020. I support Joe Biden. You aren't saying who you support, which is your privilege.

Finally, there aren't enough "wealthy white bankers" to elect anyone. It is Democrats who elect other Democrats. They're not like me. They're not like you. They are individuals who make their own decisions. When the "average Democrat" votes, we find out what they want by who wins the election. it is that simple.

[DanTex]

61. I know I'm not average, I'm from the progressive wing of the party, I don't deny that.

Yes, Bloomberg won three times. Giuliani won twice before that. Are we going to say that Giuliani also somehow represents "average Democrats" simply because he won a NYC election?

[MineralMan]

62. I'm not going to say anything about any of that.

I'll let the voters decide on their local elections in some place I've only visited, and nationwide, for that matter.

I don't follow the politics of NYC. They don't affect me. I follow politics in the place where I live, in the past and now.

I like New York. I've been there many times. But, as a visitor, not a resident. Do you live in NYC?

Mike Bloomberg is one of several candidates hoping to be the Democratic nominee. I get one vote in that. I will rely on the Democratic voters where I live and across the country to decide who that nominee should be. I'm just one voter. My vote will only count here in St. Paul, MN, and later in the state of Minnesota.

Where do you vote?

[DanTex]

63. I live in NYC, yes. Texas is where I lived when I signed up for DU in 2002.

[MineralMan]

64. Lucky you. It's a great city.

You can find and experience literally anything there. I live in a smaller city, but pretty much everything is available here, too.

Neither of us lives in Iowa, do we?

[DanTex]

65. It is a great place to live.

Lots of people say "I love to visit, but wouldn't want to live there," which I get, but living here is a whole different thing, and it's great in different ways besides the ways its great to visit.

You do have to get used to some things, like grocery stores (and everything) being really cramped, and obscenely high rent, and sirens at all hours of the day and night.

[MineralMan]

66. I could live there easily, but live where I do for various reasons.

I no longer have much reason to go to NYC. I used to have to go there a couple of times a year, because one of the magazines I wrote for was located there, and there were trade shows I had to make an appearance at.

I'd fly in, take a cab to the Empire Hotel on the Upper West Side, buy a three day subway pass, and spend most of my time riding trains here and there to parts of the city I hadn't seen before. I even went to Coney Island once, but that was a long-assed ride, so i never went back.

I'm not much for trade shows or meetings at my editor's office, so I used my time to explore as much as I could. On one trip, though, I did the Manhattan north to south walk, Now, it was really interesting to walk the entire 14-mile length of the city. I was a lot younger then, though. I couldn't do it now.

[DAngelo136]

11. Really? As someone who lived in NYC during the 12 years of Mayor Bloomberg and the other mayors

before him...
You wanna talk about the illegal third term he engineered by basically bribing the City Council?
You wanna talk about the hissy he threw when he couldn't get his West Side Stadium project passed?
You wanna talk about his proposal to put tolls on ALL the bridges in NYC?
You wanna talk about "Stop and Frisk"?
Don't take my word for it. Read this book: https://www.amazon.com/Bloombergs-New-York-Geographies-Transformation-ebook/dp/B004Z1GNQA
And this book: https://www.amazon.com/Assassination-York-Forbidden-Bookshelf-Book-ebook/dp/B00N2CLTRQ/ref=sr_1_1?keywords=the+assassination+of+new+york&qid=1580702760&s=digital-text&sr=1-1
and you'll see that he's the face of the same neoliberal policies that progressives like Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are running against.

[brooklynite]

29. This is a truly fascinating rant...

Of all the things you could complain about, you brought up charging a toll on vehicles entering Manhattan in order to support public transportation?

[Me.]

38. Yes, Yes, Yes

The Op wasn't the only one who had to love through Bloomberg as mayor.

[rzemanfl]

53. Darn keys are right next to each other. n/t

[patphil]

21. I've lived in the New York City area since 1974.

I've seen a lot of different people lead NYC. It's one of the toughest cities to govern in the world, and Mike Bloomberg did an excellent job there.
The thing is that everyone makes mistakes, and the difference between a good leader and a bad one is that a good leader will acknowledge his/her mistakes and fix them if possible.
A bad leader blames everyone else for their mistakes.
Bloomberg is willing to take responsibility for his actions, Trump only accepts responsibility if it makes him look good, blaming others for his failures.

Bloomberg would make a good President; not my first choice, but a very worthy candidate.

Patrick Phillips

[grantcart]

22. Bloomberg had a huge event in AZ yesterday.

They had to move it out of the campaign headquarters to a larger venue.

Filled the main hall with 300, filled the over flow room and had to turn away folks

Head of Bloomberg's AZ campaign is State Vice Chair.

Has 20 full time staff.

Brought the crowd to a roaring ovation with a full throated introduction of Mark Kelly.

Bloomberg's campaign is the best organized and classiest campaign in AZ today.

Event was heavily populated by transplanted New Yorkers who, like the OP, seem to have positive feelings for his service as Mayor.

Yes he is spending lots of money but he is spending it in a very professional, classy way. He also is spending money in his campaign to promote Kelly as well.

People are underestimating the power Bloomberg is going to bring on Super Tuesday.

[elleng]

28. 'Brought the crowd to a roaring ovation with a full throated introduction of Mark Kelly.'

[sheshe2]

34. This.

Yes he is spending lots of money but he is spending it in a very professional, classy way. He also is spending money in his campaign to promote Kelly as well.

People are underestimating the power Bloomberg is going to bring on Super Tuesday.

Thanks grantcart.

[Cha]

45. thank you for that on the ground report from

Arizona!

[chia]

55. Interesting, thanks

[elleng]

26. Thanks

[Me.]

37. But They Will Care The Way He Cheated & Maipulated To Get That 3rd Term

by disenfranchising the vote for term limits and they will mind his autocratic ways.

[brooklynite]

48. No. Not at all.

[Me.]

67. Maybe You Don't Mind Being Cheated

I and many others do

[brooklynite]

70. The people who were "cheated" didn't have to vote for him in 2009. They did.

[Me.]

72. If You Know So Much

You know it wasn't as simple as that

[brooklynite]

73. Explain it simply...

Whether you think Bloomberg SHOULD have been able to run for a third term or not, the Democrats had a candidate running against him in the 2009 Election. And an overwhelmingly Democratic electorate voted for Bloomberg.

But my point stands. Regardless of how you or I feel, the average Democrat isn't going to be deciding based on this issue. They're going to decide based on his current policies and perceived electability. So far, his polling is continuing to go up.

[Me.]

74. Ah, I'm Guessing This Strong Defense Of Him Means ...

you must've lunched or dined with him.

[brooklynite]

75. Nope. But I found him competent and productive as Mayor. As did most New Yorkers.

FWIW - I've had dinner with Bernie and you'll notice I'm not strongly defending him.

[Me.]

79. Rose Colored Glasses

I kept wondering why there were no polls at the time about overturning the term limits vote and then the day after the city council did it the polls started appearing saying 70-80% of NYers wanted to keep the limits but it was too late as the dirty deal had been done.

[brooklynite]

80. So people were opposed to overturning turn limits, and voted for Bloomberg anyway?

[Me.]

81. Now You're Just Being Disingenuous

unless you truly don't understand what the situation was/happened...I refer you to the suggestion made in post #11

[brooklynite]

82. I'm not being disingenuous ; I'm being realistic.

DEMOCRATIC VOTERS had three chances to votes for a Democratic candidate instead of Bloomberg. DEMOCRATIC VOTERS have a chance to support someone other than Bloomberg if they choose too (currently outpolling Klobuchar, Yang and Steyer). My problem is with people, who say "I don't understand why everyone doesn't see him the way I do".

[Me.]

83. As I Said Your Answer Is In #11

and I will predict here and now, just as a political discussion on NY1 did some years ago, Bloomberg will not make it to the WH.

[brooklynite]

86. And your response was in #29

[grantcart]

59. Personally I hate term limits for obvious reasons

Did he get the most votes in a fair election 3 times?

Getting re elected twice in a city like NY isn't easy.

[Me.]

68. The People Of The City Voted For & Passed Term Limits

did he get the most votes is an answer complicated by the rigging of Quinn and the city council

[brooklynite]

71. Both Democrats...

[VarryOn]

40. If he turns out to be our best hope...

I'm willing to look past the billionaire, old, white man thing. Not my first choice, for sure. A good fallback.

[RockRaven]

42. If my choices are Bloomberg or Trump, then it's a no-brainer... Bloomberg 100 times out of 100.

Absent the context of an election versus Donald Fucking Trump, I have not seen or heard anything which would make me like Bloomberg as POTUS. Or trust Bloomberg as POTUS. Or want Bloomberg as POTUS. Compared to anyone else in the Dem primary, that is.

But I also recognize Bloomberg is a hell of a lot more likely to beat Trump than a portion/most? of the other Dem primary candidates. And beating Trump is ABSOLUTELY the priority in 2020 (priority #2 is a Dem Senate majority).

It is a pickle, no doubt about it.

[redqueen]

44. Yep he acknowledged his mistake less than 90 days ago - to run for office!

I'm sure all's forgiven now!

[mainstreetonce]

51. If Joe doesn't make it

I might latch on to Bloomberg
Beat Trump is what this is all about.

[cwydro]

57. Rec.

[MineralMan]

58. In the end, Democrats will decide who they want as their nominee.

When that happens, my support will go to that nominee, whatever his or her name is.

[Dem4Life1102]

69. How about raising taxes on the middle class

while cutting them for himself?

MAYOR WOULD GET A TAX BREAK Net gain from budget plan

By JOANNE WASSERMAN and TRACY CONNOR NEW YORK DAILY NEWS NOV 17, 2002

When Mayor Bloomberg says his budget plan won't be that rough on New Yorkers, he could be talking about his own bottom line. The billionaire stands to take a bath - well, maybe a sponge bath - under his property tax increase proposal, an analysis of his holdings shows. But with a nine-figure annual income, the break he'll get from his planned city income tax cut is more money than most people earn in a year. It's ironic but true: Like other super wealthy New Yorkers, Bloomberg would gain more from his proposed income tax cut than he would lose in higher property taxes. That irony was completely lost on Ed Skyler, Bloomberg's press secretary. "New Yorkers know that if the mayor wanted or needed more money, he wouldn't be working for a dollar a year or giving $100 million to charity each year," Skyler said. According to city records, Bloomberg's tax bill for his lavishly decorated townhouse on the upper East Side is now $46,621 a year. He also bought a unit in the small co-op building next door to make a new dining room. The tax bill for that building is $42,038; Bloomberg's share should be around $7,000. Hefty income So if the mayor's 25% hike in city real-estate taxes goes through, he will feel the pinch. His annual payments will go up about $13,000. The good news for Bloomberg is that his budget scheme calls for a decrease in city income tax. The top rate of 3.

65% will drop to 2.

7% next year, and gradually sink to 2.

25% by 2007. It's estimated that the mayor's gross pre-tax income - from his stake in the media company Bloomberg L.

https://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/mayor-tax-break-net-gain-budget-plan-article-1.507707

[Squinch]

76. The tax plan he has proposed raises the corporate tax rate by 33% and

puts a big tax hike on anyone making more than 5 million a year.

[Dem4Life1102]

84. Here is a study of that plan

https://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/study-city-tax-plan-article-1.506907

[Squinch]

85. Thats from 2002. Maybe you should read the new one.

[brooklynite]

88. You mean this one?

Mike’s Plan:

Raise rates for high-income taxpayers

The 2017 tax reform gave most of its benefits to the rich. In other words, instead of working to reduce inequality, Trump is making it worse. Mike sees growing inequality as a threat to all Americans. It is unacceptable. He will dedicate his administration to turning this dangerous trend around.

Reverse the Trump tax changes for high-income households, restoring the top rate on ordinary income from 37% to 39.6%.

Tax capital income more equitably

One of the biggest defects in our tax system is the way we tax capital gains for high-income taxpayers. Mike will ensure that wealthy owners of capital are taxed on equal terms with workers.

Tax capital gains at the same rate as ordinary income for taxpayers above $1 million. Taxes won’t rise on the savings of ordinary taxpayers.

Strong new measures to curb avoidance and deferral for the wealthiest Americans.

Impose a new tax on the very rich

Getting taxes on capital and taxes on income from employment on an equal footing is essential – but not enough to pay for vital investments. Mike will ask the wealthiest to make an additional contribution toward paying for necessary improvements in infrastructure, education, health care and more.

A 5% surtax on incomes above $5 million a year.
Will apply to income from capital and labor.
Will affect less than 0.1% of taxpayers.

Reform the estate tax

In the U.S., only very large estates are liable to face tax, and owners of the biggest estates are expert at gaming the system to reduce what they owe. One of the most egregious loopholes is “stepped-up basis at death,” which erases taxes due on trillions of dollars in capital gains – allowing enormous wealth to move virtually untaxed from generation to generation. Under Mike’s leadership, all this will change.

Lower the estate-tax threshold, so that more estates are taxed. This plan will protect family owned farms and small businesses. Estates liable to pay tax will still be less than 1% of the total.
End stepped-up basis for unrealized capital gains at death.
Shut down multiple estate-tax avoidance schemes.

Close loopholes

The U.S. tax system is full of complexities that could have been designed – and in many cases were designed – purely to give high-income taxpayers ways of paying less. This is deeply unfair to the ordinary working families that pay every cent of what’s owed, and lack the means to find and use these loopholes. Mike will work for a thorough simplification of the system, so that tax preferences serving no good purpose are purged. For example, he will:

Close the “pass-through” 20% deduction that lets many rich taxpayers pay less.
End the “like-kind” provision that lets real-estate investors defer tax indefinitely.
End the carried-interest loophole.
Move firmly to shut down other tax-avoidance strategies.

Make businesses pay their fair share

Trump’s tax reform cut business taxes too much – giving U.S. businesses a bigger tax cut than they had even asked for. While our tax code needs to ensure that our producers stay competitive with foreign companies, they can and should contribute more. We also need smarter and more effective measures to prevent companies using financial engineering to shift reported profits to foreign tax havens.

Raise the corporate tax rate from 21% to 28%.
Raise the minimum tax on foreign income and apply it on a per-country not global basis.
Tighten rules on transfer pricing and reporting of foreign taxes.
Apply pressure to countries that set up as tax havens.
Take the lead on cooperative international efforts to defeat profit-shifting.

Equip the IRS

The agency’s systems are out of date. IRS staffing has been cut by a third since 2010. The rate of audit of high-income households has fallen by almost half. This decline in IRS capacity has worsened under Trump, and the message has gone out to tax cheats: Don’t worry about getting caught. The so-called tax gap – the difference between what’s owed and what’s actually collected – stands at roughly $6 trillion to $8 trillion over ten years. An IRS equipped to do its job could cut that gap substantially.

Reverse Trump’s efforts to cripple the agency and give it the resources it needs to do its job.
Collect many hundreds of billions in taxes owed but never paid.
These and other reforms will raise approximately $5 trillion over ten years.

https://www.mikebloomberg.com/policies/tax-policy

[Squinch]

89. Yes. It looks pretty fabulous to me.

[Dem4Life1102]

92. Or people can look at what he actually did when he had power

and not what he is promising.

[brooklynite]

93. NYC doesn't have a tax policy (it's a State matter).

Unless what you're saying is that he's lying to the voters.

[Dem4Life1102]

96. Actually it does

Read about his plan here: https://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/study-city-tax-plan-article-1.506907 and here: https://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/mayor-tax-break-net-gain-budget-plan-article-1.507707

[Dem4Life1102]

91. That is the plan that he enacted in NYC

This is part of his record.

[Squinch]

95. No, actually he didn't.

[Dem4Life1102]

98. Then you're denying reality

https://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/mayor-tax-break-net-gain-budget-plan-article-1.507707

[Squinch]

99. That was his proposal before he entered office. It didn't happen. So no, I'm not.

And why don't you look at his tax plan for THIS year, listed a few posts up, and tell me what you have a problem with?

[Dem4Life1102]

100. So his proposals don't count

Sort of like giving Trump a pass on the Muslim ban because the courts stopped him.

[Squinch]

102. I get that you REALLY want the Daily News article from 2002 to REALLY matter. Let's agree

to disagree about that.

But again, read his current tax proposal a few posts up, and tell me what you don't like about it.

[Dem4Life1102]

104. I could care less about promises

I care about actions. Like the saying goes, 'Fool me once shame on you, fool me twice shame on me'. And this Billionaire is not going to fool me.

[Squinch]

105. I'll take that to mean you found nothing to object to. Because, really, his proposal is great.

And PS. NOW you could care less about promises. You based your whole argument in this conversation on a proposal from 2002 that never happened. And you argued that it was absolutely defining of his personality and what he would do in office now.

So.... I find your position inconsistent.

[Dem4Life1102]

106. No it means I trust a Billionaire about as far as I can throw

the Empire State Building. Especially one with Bloomberg's record.

[Squinch]

108. Bloomberg's record, meaning an article from the Daily News from 2002 about a proposal that

didn't happen.

OK.

[Dem4Life1102]

109. Yes his record

Such as Stop and frisk, illegally detaining protesters during the 2004 GOP convention, gutting NYC public school funding to support charter schools, his overturning the law to secure himself a 3rd term and many other things.

Plus it wasn't just one article. It was several: https://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/public-outcry-tax-no-input-18-hike-article-1.511067, https://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/study-city-tax-plan-article-1.506907, https://www.nydailynews.com/archives/news/mayor-tax-break-net-gain-budget-plan-article-1.507707

[Squinch]

110. Well those are different. Your insistence that he's terrible on taxes was simply wrong, but

here you have hit on some of the things in his past that are truly problematic.

Stop and frisk was disgusting. No question about that. I am also a member of the NYC school union, and he shit all over us. Affected my pocketbook directly. For a decade. I hate those things about him.

The third term, I don't really have any issue with. People were free to not vote for him, and they did vote for him.

But we have ONE job this year. Only one. Nothing else matters. Nothing. And he can get it done. If he's the guy, I will be happy as a clam. Because Filthy Donny will be gone, and that is all I care about. Nothing else.

And I can comfort myself for the parts of him I hate with the fact that Bloomberg is great on climate change and gun control, two of my biggest issues.

But he can do what I want him to do. And that's all I care about.

And PS, I really like his tax plan. Seems like the best of all the candidates.

[Dem4Life1102]

111. He was terrible on taxes

and doesn't get a pass on his proposal.

And if you trust Bloomberg on anything, you deserve what you get.

[Squinch]

112. Ooooohhhh!

[Dem4Life1102]

113. If you want to ignore his track record

that is on you.

[Squinch]

114. Have a lovely evening!

[Dem4Life1102]

115. You too

[aikoaiko]

77. The old 'don't look at my record, look at my words on my website' routine.

To Bloomberg I offer this James Baldwin quote:

[brooklynite]

78. No, people are welcome to look at his record...

My point is that the average voter won't care about political candidates he contributed to.

[jumptheshadow]

90. He was an excellent leader for very challenging times

Last edited Mon Feb 3, 2020, 06:46 PM - Edit history (2)

Bloomberg might be one of the best candidates to clean up the Trumpian mess.

He had a steady hand at a time when the city was economically devastated after 9/11.

Rudy's haranguing and ethnocentric regime had polarized the city.

Bloomberg's first days in office were spent in reopening communication with NYC's diverse constituencies.

He focused on making government services more accessible and organized for everyday New Yorkers.

He wasn't afraid to introduce controversial plans that challenged intransigent power blocs (e.g., his push on the state legislature for a commuter tax and congestion pricing, which would have headed off the recent mass transit crises. Also, I admired his introduction of meticulous plans to protect NY from sea surges and prepare the city for climate change.)

It's much like the way he's taken on the NRA.

When he assumed office, many businesses were having trouble meeting their payrolls.

Across the city, large numbers of New Yorkers were working long hours, often on diminished salaries, to slowly, incrementally, rebuild the city's post 9/11 economy.

Even those of us who were small fish found material assistance from the Mayor's initiatives for our efforts to stimulate business and put bread on the tables of our employees.

Now, I wasn't a fan of his big real estate initiatives, but I did admire the support for the arts, open spaces, recreation, NYC's neighborhoods and tourism that I saw from Bloomberg's administration.

His data game was powerful, too, bringing New Yorkers quicker answers to everyday problems and nuggets of information that helped frame and bolster marketing plans for reviving businesses.

I didn't vote in Bloomberg's third election because I was bothered by the term extension.

But, on that election day, I saw an intriguing hint of the power Bloomberg can bring to the Democratic candidate on the upcoming election day.

Bloomberg's GOTV crew had me nailed as a wavering supporter, and called me three times during that day to try to sweet talk me to the polls.

I suspect that his well-organized ground operations and well-informed data engineers will help Democrats win in November.

[LongtimeAZDem]

97. "Democrat party"?

Interesting

[padah513]

107. That's not what the poster is saying

They're talking about your use of the term Democrat Party. That's repug speak. It's the Democratic Party.

[jumptheshadow]

116. As much as I would like an ideal world...

...we're in an emergency and need anybody who can to step up and serve as a counterpoint to the money pouring in from other countries.

And it's never the "Democrat" party.

[Cha]

119. What kind of question is that, Lord Wilmore? No one on this

DEMOCRATIC UNDERGROUND site wants that.

[Squinch]

103. Hah! Like a neon sign, isn't it?

[choie]

117. I guess you've forgotten that he orchestrated a repeal

of term limits so he could have another term as mayor? How democratic of him..

[brooklynite]

120. And Democratic voters chose to re-elect him. How democratic of them...

[choie]

121. how democratic

that they awarded a politician who thinks rules don't apply to him.