What the actual hell is with this Bloomberg love?

[Kentonio]

The guy has a closet full of baggage including supporting countless Republicans, not least George W fucking Bush. Remember the shit people gave Joe Biden over his vote for the Iraq war? Yet apparently a guy who endorsed Bush in 2004 is now a liberal hero who we should send to the White House?!

More than any of this however, this is a guy who jumped in the race at the last possible second to splurge insane amounts of cash to try and buy an election. How many people were shouting for Bloomberg to enter the race before he spent $200m filling the airwaves with shiny TV adverts? How about fucking no-one outside the beltway?

People need to pull their heads out of their asses and stop this now. I'm a Bernie supporter, but you know what, if you support Biden then fair enough. If you support Warren or Yang or Buttigieg or Klobachar, then fair enough. But Mike Bloomberg? Are you fucking kidding me?

[CentralMass]

1. Here ? Or nationally ?

[Kentonio]

2. Here.

Nationally you'd expect some voters to be swayed by the massive TV campaign, but DU is supposed to be full of people who are actually politically engaged and remember political history from more than 2 months ago.

[CentralMass]

4. I think that the Bernie haters are just stirring the pot.

[Quixote1818]

83. Yep. nt

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

127. Just shows you Bernie is surging and Joe is faltering... Feelin the Bern baby!!

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

[Amishman]

3. I don't get it either. No billionaires

Bloomberg buying the nomination would confirm that democracy is dead.

[JudyM]

63. Yep. Literally For Sale.

So much for caring about genuine Dem values.

[Apple Fritter]

181. Yep This exactly

Wealth is the only true factor that separates Bloomberg from all the other candidates.

[alittlelark]

5. There is a likely theory that he entered to SPEND $$$$

As a candidate he can legally spend any amt of his own $$$ he wishes, not bound by campaign finance regs (lax as they are...). He detests tRump and will likely stay in the race no matter his poll #'s. He is gonna spend serious $$$$ to take out tRump. I doubt he expects or really wants to be prez.

Also NOTE - he is not attacking any D's, just tRump.

[Kentonio]

11. I thought that too initially, and it might still be the case

It just pisses me off seeing people here actually genuinely supporting him as a real candidate.

[I_M_Blue_2]

75. The answer is simple, he guarantees we defeat Trump

This is the only concern I have' My heart is with Bernie, but he cannot win. If he calls himself a Social Security Democrat, yes, the people are ready for his programs. But as a democratic Socialist no way, labels are important and Trump understands this.

[Autumn]

81. So if I'm understanding you he's in the race to take out Bernie?

The answer is simple, he guarantees we defeat Trump

This is the only concern I have' My heart is with Bernie, but he cannot win. If he calls himself a Social Security Democrat, yes, the people are ready for his programs. But as a democratic Socialist no way, labels are important and Trump understands this.

Blooms can spend all the money he wants, he won't make it. They can let anyone jump in, Kerry, O'Malley whoever they want to. They won't knock Bernie out. The most that will happen is they take votes from other candidates.

[Doremus]

121. He has already taken votes from Biden. nt

[Autumn]

122. Yes he has. If people are happy Bloom is in it to take votes from Bernie they will be disappointed.

[Trueblue Texan]

49. if he just wants to spend $$$ to ...

...defeat Trump, why doesn't he spread it around into the various PACs that are backing the real Democratic candidates. Otherwise, he' going to help Trump.

[alittlelark]

54. Trump is terrified of Bloomberg $$$$$$$$

cuz he can spend billions, and tRump doen't have any $$$. If Bloomberg 'spread it around' the $$$ he could spend on all the liberal groups together is only a small fraction of what he CAN spend as a candidate.

[getagrip_already]

55. what? you want him to spend to divide the party?

His move is to beat down trump and support the eventual nominee. Not set them at each others throats.

The pac's are all fully aligned to candidates. Even bernie has them. They attack other dems.

[JudyM]

65. You don't see him dividing the party the way he's doing it...

[getagrip_already]

71. absolutely not - he is merely running a campaign focussing on trump.....

There are other candidates doing exactly the same thing.

He isn't attacking any particular candidate nor is he trying to promote wedge issues.

I don't particularly like the positions he's taken or some of the people he's supported, but in this campaign, he hasn't been log splitting.

That's more than we can say for some candidates.

I'm fine with him in the race, even though the person who has the most to lose is my chosen candidate since they share some of the same voter pool..

[TexasTowelie]

179. There are plenty of people that see Bernie as dividing the party.

Bloomberg apparently has the blessing of the party to run just as Bernie has also received the blessing of the party to run. That's why a lot of Democrats want rules that would require membership in the party for a number of years as a prerequisite to any presidential campaign.

[bdamomma]

187. Bloomberg

should unleash a media frenzy on tRump with TV ads.

[MichMan]

191. So what happens after the convention when he is no longer a candidate?

Start a PAC or run as a third party to keep his candidacy going?

[alittlelark]

193. Dunno, but he will focus keeping his $$$$

in the race LEGALLY.

[whistler162]

6. Yes because

preferring Bloomberg over Sanders is love for Bloomberg.

Sorry, but Sanders and his bernmioebots have damaged him in the eyes of many!

If it comes down to a choice of Old White Male New Yorkers, one of three. I will take the one that isn't angry all the time.

[onetexan]

15. +1 -K&R

[woundedkarma]

38. Really?

You're satisfied with the state of the country?

Bernie's pissed off because everything in this country is f'd up. People are going poor while billionaires like Blooomberg live happy little lives without a care in the world. DO you know what being poor is like? It's not having money to buy food. It's not having the ability to take your child to the doctor. It's worrying about what might happen if you don't get your car fixed, it gets worse and suddenly you can't get to your job. You might get fired. And what little money you have will disappear.

If you deal with these things then I can't understand why you aren't angry.

And no, Bernie doesn't have to deal with these things but I don't starve either. I have medical care. But I am still pissed off because I've been there. I know what it's like and it's FFFFFing ridiculous. This isn't how it should be.

[McKim]

47. Thanks for the Great Post

Thanks for the great post. I too am very comfortable but very upset at having to live in a dystopia of tent cities, hopeless struggling people and people dying for lack of health care. I am angry too.
That is a correct response to our reality. Sanders is capturing that anger.

Elizabeth Warren would fix this and is a promising candidate that I support.

Bloomberg is popular because he spent $30 million on ads. Also it is basic human nature to yearn for a Big Daddy candidate father figure who is going to fix everything. This is the image he projects. Unfortunately for us all, this person is not who we have had as president for quite a while. Roosevelt would be the prototype.

I would not like to vote for Bloomberg, but I will Vote Blue No Matter Who!

[I_M_Blue_2]

80. I wish people who need the Government voted for the Government

But they do not. Look at England and the huge Tory victory for a man as crazy as Trump is. This is what I fear.

[redqueen]

96. So many people have given up. Checked out.

It's depressing but it's true.

[JudyM]

69. ⬆️ THIS

Folks who are turned off by Sanders’ demeanor don’t get it or don’t care. If you’re not really pissed you’re not paying attention, as the saying goes. Business as usual is destroying our economy, our society and our planet. F superficiality.

[Squinch]

141. Ah! I love it when Sanders supporters tell us how ignorant

we are because we disagree with them.

That's not mind-numbingly tone deaf and obnoxious at all.

[JudyM]

145. I said nothing of the sort, but it seems you just did.

[Squinch]

146. Yep. You did.

[JudyM]

148. Lol ok whatever you say, dear.

He is misunderstood by people who don’t choose to take the time to understand where he’s coming from. People who dismiss him out of hand because they don’t like the way he sounds or whatever. Plenty of that to go around here, it’s no secret.

[dchill]

102. I KNOW it makes ME angry.

[Squinch]

143. Why hasnt bernie done anything about all that? He's had 30 years.

Last I looked, post office names don't break the cycle of poverty.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

184. Taking your argument just a step further

Do you know how many people are a two-week layoff or an unpaid extended illness away from transitioning from "doing okay" to "in serious financial trouble?" There are a lot of people out there who could, if they had to, handle a $1000 car repair, or a three digit urgent care bill, but are screwed if a kid has to go to the ER, if the furnace dies, or a water pipe bursts.

[Mars and Minerva]

46. In my circle of lifelong NY area Democrats, I don't know one Bernie supporter and...

dozens of people happy to vote for Michael Bloomberg.
But if it makes you happy to think that Bernie can beat any Moderate Dem after New Hampshire, then celebrate to your heart's content.

The base of our party is more interested in ability then promises.

[denem]

7. I have no love for Bloomberg.

I also believe Sanders would lose the GE. He is vulnerable. So if I HAVE to choose between them, the choice is easy.

[Demsrule86]

160. Well said...although you have to appreciate the help with guns and the mid terms.

[oldsoftie]

9. I WOULD love to see a debate between Bloomberg & Trump though

As long as bloomberg didnt hold back. "I'm worth 30 times what you are". "I made my money without 400M from my dad'. "I've never filed bankruptcy". "I'm not a draft dodger"
Etc Etc

[Kentonio]

20. To be honest, as long as its not a candidates debate I'd love to see that too.

Just to see Trump's head explode.

[whistler162]

24. And the best comeback is

"I pay my bills."

[m-lekktor]

10. Yes I heard this rumor elsewhere and signed in to see for myself!

UNFUCKINGBELIEVABLE! and this is why i only can take this place anymore in SMALL doses. DU is on the WRONG side of history.

[OneMoreCupOfCoffee]

74. No, Sanders is on the wrong side of history.

Look at who he's allied himself with, from his top campaign staff to the foreign autocrats he's embraced.

Dead-wrong.

We need a liberal Democrat in 2020.

[stopbush]

12. Bloomberg can beat tRump, easily. Sanders would lose in a landslide.

That's why.

[Kentonio]

14. Your username is more than a little ironic, considering who you now support.

[stopbush]

19. Not ironic. I've just been around DU since pretty much Day One.

BTW - my original choice this year was Kamala Harris, but she dropped out.

[Kentonio]

21. So you don't even have that as an excuse for why you're now supporting a guy who endorsed Bush in 04

[stopbush]

23. I will never support a guy who deigns to call himself a Democrat for only 8 months out of every four

years when he decides to run for president.

Bloomberg was a lifelong Dem. He switched to R to run for mayor of NYC because Mark Greenberg had the D nomination sowed up. He served two terms as an R, then switched to I to serve his third term. Bloomberg put his money behind many D candidates in 2018 and helped create the blue wave. He has said that he will continue to spend his money to defeat tRump whether he gets the nomination or not. He is helping Ds across the board right now with his ads that effectively target tRump.

Compare that to Sanders, who took D money in 2016, promised to help on down-ticket races then didn't, and who dragged out his failed attempt to get the nomination and hurt Hillary in the process.

That's who I will not be supporting in these primaries. Sanders is my last choice in the primaries, though I will vote for him if he gets the nomination, which he won't.

BTW - if either Bloomberg or Sanders gets the nod, I fully expect the Rs to launch a virulent anti-Semitic attack against them. It will be ugly, shameless and overt.

[Kentonio]

28. A 'lifelong Dem' who endorsed Bush in 2004.

[stopbush]

165. Get over it. No one cares but you.

[Rorey]

86. Great points

Sanders is also my last choice (not counting Gabbard, if she's still even running......).

I'll vote blue, no matter who, but we need to choose someone who can win.

[I_M_Blue_2]

84. The only important thing is Bloomberg is guaranteed to beat Trump

Bernie and Biden are not. Our democracy is at risk here. Trump must be defeated.

[Anaxamander]

176. So uh,

how exactly is Bloomberg guaranteed to beat Trump?

[onetexan]

16. +1 -K&R the one w the positive message

Not the angry shouting uncle in poor health whose about to keel over.

[James48]

13. I'm with Bernie.

If Bloomberg wants to play- I’ll happily put Bernie’s record up against his.

Yes, Bernie can, and will win the GE.

[Squinch]

17. We have one job in this election. Beat trump. Nothing else matters. Bloomberg can, BS can't.

[Kentonio]

18. Every Democratic frontrunner beats Trump in the latest CNN head to head poll

So stop with this 'Bernie can't win' crap, its nothing more than an opinion based on nothing.

[Squinch]

22. No, dear. I won't stop with it. BS couldn't beat Hillary (cue the violins and the

"he was robbed! he was persecuted!" BS) He wouldn't have beat trump last time, he won't beat him this time.

Most of the polls you refer to have BS squeaking by trump within the margin of error. Did you learn nothing in 2016?

And by the way, BS has never won yet, so the "Bernie CAN win" crap is just as much an opinion based on nothing. Though I'm sure you would never see it that way.

[Kentonio]

29. I seem to remember getting endless lectures about how Bernie couldn't win last time

And how the eventual candidate was an electoral certainty. So no, I don't think I'll buy into the same nonsense this time either.

[Squinch]

134. And she lost. And BS couldn't even beat her.

[Oppaloopa]

30. Trump is just starting to use the Bernie is a communist/socialist crap This will really wind up his

base plus a lot of others unfortunetly.

[Kentonio]

32. Republicans spent 8 years throwing that stuff at Obama every day.

It's not the deadly attack it once was. Especially now so many American voters didn't grow up under cold war propaganda.

[McKim]

50. Joe McCarthy Died a Long Time Ago

Joe McCarthy died a long time ago. The charge of Communist or Socialist doesn’t have quite the same ring that it used to. Younger people actually like Democratic Socialism which is a European style fairer distribution of benefits to your average person. It’s called Civilization. What we have no is NOT!

[OneMoreCupOfCoffee]

78. Too many falsehoods to unpack them all.

European advanced-capitalist liberal democracies are NOT examples of Democratic Socialism.

These are Social Democracies. Yuge difference.

Socialism is not the path to a more civilized society.

[Zolorp]

62. Yeah, throwing lies is one thing, throwing the truth is another.

Sanders was actually a Communist for several years.

[I_M_Blue_2]

97. That statement about Sanders was not necessary

I personally think Sanders cannot win because he self-identifies as a Socialist.
I personally think Biden cannot win because he has no money and is not a good campaigner.
I personally think Warren cannot win because she put a price-tag on her programs and it is high.
I personally think Mayor Pete cannot win because it is reported he has a problem with black churches.

I personally think Bloomberg can win because Democrats will vote for him, because he is not Trump, Republicans will vote for him because he supported Bush in 2004, Independents will vote for him because Trump cannot call him a Socialist, and he scares no one because he is not calling for revolutionary changes.

[Kahuna7]

44. +1 nt

[RhodeIslandOne]

114. A traffic cone might beat Trump. That doesn't mean it should be President.

Bloomberg is no friend to the base of the party.

[Ferrets are Cool]

153. And yet, one of our best and brightest DID NOT beat the fucker. nt

[NYMinute]

25. lol Bernie people are having a sad

Bloomberg can beat Trump. Sanders, not at all.

[Kahuna7]

45. Exactly. Many Dems would prefer Bloomberg if Biden

tanks. I know I would. Bernie plans to uproot my party. I already know. If Dems stand in the way of his give-aways, he will havae them primaried. I'm not down with that.

[RhodeIslandOne]

115. Why do we have to get a Republican to do it?

Why not John Fucking Kasich at that point?

[stopbush]

167. Why do we have to get an Independent to do it (Sanders)?

[RhodeIslandOne]

185. I'm curious what your issue is with the other candidates not named Sanders. n/m

[stopbush]

188. Overall, I don't feel they have the gravitas necessary to excite the electorate

to put the fate of the nation in their hands.

Pete is too young and inexperienced. The longer he talks, the less I listen. I really dislike his whole religion schtick.

Warren staked out positions that now look ill thought, and she comes off to me as Cabinet fodder, rather than POTUS. Same goes for Amy, IMHO. I just don’t see her as POTUS. Perhaps she loses out when I compare her to Hillary’s qualifications.

Joe has lost more than a beat and his time has passed. He’s ahead solely on name recognition.

I was excited about Kamala. Sad she quit.

[Skidmore]

26. He's an ally

helping us battle in an arena that $27 can't touch.

Know your allies.

[amuse bouche]

27. I think people like him because he's spending to mock Traitortrump

[Loki Liesmith]

31. "Don't vote for the guy I don't like."

[helpisontheway]

33. Anyone in our primary except Bernie! Everything

about Bernie makes me not want to support him. His personality..his policies...secrecy about his health..his Bern or Bust supporters..etc

[comradebillyboy]

87. Many of us share your views on Bernie.

[Mike 03]

34. Indeed, those poll results are shocking when you see them.

A few quick points:

1. That poll question isn't, "Do you love Michael Bloomberg?"
2. Many of those of us who voted Bloomberg in that particular poll (as did I) tried to explain why we voted as we did.
3. My takeaway of that poll is that it illustrates the extreme risk-aversion many of us have to even the possibility of four more years of this president.

I will support ANY Democratic nominee.
I strongly supported Bernie in the 2016 primaries, but see things differently now.
Bloomberg is not my first choice.
Bloomberg can beat Trump.

[Kentonio]

36. Why?

Have you actually stopped to ask why you think Mike Bloomberg can beat Trump? He's similar policy wise to Hillary, he has the additional issue of being a billionaire in a time when populist feeling is high, and he has a ton of baggage that will be used against him in social media campaigns to drive down the Democratic vote.

Want to bet against big AA targeted social media campaigns about his support for Stop and Frisk?
Want to bet against big progressive targeted social media campaigns about his endorsement of Bush?
Want to bet again big targeted social media campaigns about his calling people who support weed legalization 'stupid'?

Now maybe you think Sanders would be a huge risk, and fair enough I totally get that. But let's not start pretending that Mike Bloomberg isn't. And I'm darned if I see what new voters he's going to bring us that Hillary wasn't able to in '16. Unless anyone actually believes that the working class in the Rust Belt are going to suddenly find a New York billionaire with fairly conservative economic views wildly appealing.

[Mike 03]

37. Your third paragraph is very strong.

Those are excellent questions.

This election is unlike any I've experienced before, where some of my decisions are being driven by fear instead of passionate enthusiasm.

I'm not as worried about those vulnerabilities you list.

But your third paragraph raises superb questions (i.e., what about the Rust Belt voters who didn't turn out for Hillary).

EDIT: Please look at that poll question again, because it's so specific in what it's asking: Who do you think is more likely to beat Trump?

[Kentonio]

42. I understand that fear, I really do.

But what scares me the most is that out of desperation to get rid of the twisted, corrupt bastard in the White House we'll end up going for what seems like a safe option, only to find we've repeated the same mistakes as we did last time, and end up handing him another four years.

I'm very aware though that I could be wrong. Maybe the people shouting 'It'll be McGovern all over again!' are right and I'm the fool. But after analyzing every aspect I can of the political situation we find ourselves in, I'm convinced that passion and enthusiasm and picking a candidate that inspires hope is the best chance we have against the endless ratfucking, lies and trickery we know the Republicans will pull in the general.

If you're passionate about a candidate its a lot less likely that you'll stay home when you see the opposition being negative about them, than it is if you weren't really that inspired in the first place.

[Mike 03]

43. I appreciate your response.

Yep, I'm scared of that too. Sometimes erring on the side of "caution" leads to disaster. Fear is never the right basis for action, but I'm just being totally and completely honest. I'm not in the least bit proud to admit "fear" is a motivating factor in my decisions.

It's very hard sometimes to see things objectively when you're in the middle of it. My first real brush with politics was being a precinct captain for the Dukakis campaign. I was really young and not that knowledgeable about how politics worked or how Dukakis came across to most Americans. My heart was broken when he lost. (EDIT: My point being, I apparently deluded myself about my candidate's chances of winning in that political environment.)

This situation we're in: I just can't compare it to anything I've been through before. Maybe there's some precedent for this in American history, but it's unknown to me.

I know one thing: I can get enthusiastic about whoever our nominee turns out to be. We had/have tremendous candidates. I even think I could recapture that love I had for Bernie in 2016. But dammit, I can't take four more years of Trump.

Hopefully, things will come clear and we'll get "an answer" by Super Tuesday or soon thereafter.

[I_M_Blue_2]

106. Hillary was establishment at a time people wanted to shake up the establishment

This is not true of Bloomberg. Look at the comments below this song on YouTube, they explain a lot of Trump's appeal in 2016.

<iframe width="480" height="360" src="

" frameborder="0" allow="accelerometer; autoplay; encrypted-media; gyroscope; picture-in-picture" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[Mike 03]

39. P.S.

I'm operating on the assumption that Bloomberg won't be our nominee, but that we will benefit from his campaign machine and psyops attacks on Trump.

I should have made that clear in my first response.

[reACTIONary]

35. Why I'm Supporting Bloomberg....

It's anecdotal...

I have some friends who are sick and tired of Trump, and have been from day one of his campaign. They piss and moan about him all the time.

BUT they are downright scared of "socialists" BS and EW. (No quotes for BS, they are for EW.) And they are anemic for Biden.

When Bloomberg announced, they immediately became enthusiastic and excited for his run. I'm on the way to getting one of them to register as a Dem so she can vote for him in the primary.

So I see him as a positive influence in the race and a potential Drumph beater.

[JudyM]

72. Your friends who are scared of Liz and Bernie really ought to do some reading to see what this

Boogieman they fear is actually about. Do they think FDR was scary too?

[comradebillyboy]

89. Bernie is no FDR by any stretch of the imagination.

[JudyM]

90. Same basic orientation, sorry you can't see it.

That’s his model. Nothing scary about it.

In fact, it’s exactly what’s needed to start shifting us back to a more fair and well functioning society, IMO.

[comradebillyboy]

123. Yeah I do realize Bernie wants to take us back to the 30s again.

Maybe he can revive the Wobblies.

[JudyM]

125. Lol, nope. It's called progressivism for a reason.

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

92. You do know FDR was from the wealthy upper class?

As was JFK for that matter.

Also FDR was probably more the moderate considering the troubled time that was the Great Depression.

[JudyM]

95. Who cares if he was upper class? It's policies that matter.

He was far from perfect, but in terms of people’s republican-stoked “fear” of socialism, his brand is a useful touchstone ... most people know that it was helpful even though it was a departure from status quo...

[Yo_Mama_Been_Loggin]

161. Guess you don't get what I'm saying

We agree more than we disagree.

For many sadly being well to do disqualifies one.

[JudyM]

164. Oh yeah, not me. It's not the money, it's the policies and the underlying values.

Though I will say I’m not happy about anyone buying their way into the presidency, I have to agree that if I thought their platform was aligned with my priorities and thought they could win, I’d have to grudgingly be ok with it.

[reACTIONary]

109. FDR was not a socialist....

..... he ran against, and trounced, several socialists. And that was back when socialism was considered something to consider. That ain't the case anymore.

My friends, like most voters, are not going to start studying up on the nuances of left wing or right wing ideological systems. That isn't the way you win elections.

If you are explaining, you are losing.

[JudyM]

110. Sanders follows the FDR model, regardless of nomenclature. Very simple and clear.

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/12/bernie-sanders-2020-vision-fdr-democratic-socialism

[reACTIONary]

111. Then Sanders should stop calling himself a socialist...

.... then things would be simple and clear.

If you are explaining you are losing. He's got a lot of explaining to do.

[JudyM]

113. I agree with you, I wish he called himself a social democrat.

[OneMoreCupOfCoffee]

124. Baloney. Sanders is NOTHING like FDR.

[JudyM]

126. Is.

Maybe you missed it in the post above: https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2019/jun/12/bernie-sanders-2020-vision-fdr-democratic-socialism

[OneMoreCupOfCoffee]

128. Really? Sanders is a pro-capitalist, pro-trade, anti-protectionist, internationalist-interventionist

, anti-populist, anti-socialist, proud liberal Democrat?

I was unaware.

[JudyM]

130. Res ipsa loquitur

You’re free to ignore whatever facts about him you’d like, since you’re virulently opposed to the changes he believes are badly needed to fix the current domination of our government by moneyed interests.

[OneMoreCupOfCoffee]

135. LOL. The things do speak for themselves.

FDR strongly opposed the socialist of his day and they--in turn--despised him.

There was no "common cause" between the socialist party and Roosevelt in the 1930s. They castigated him as a war-mongering corporatist plutocrat. Suggesting an equivalence borders on gaslighting.

The only thing you have right is that I oppose Sanders. FDR would have as well, so I feel like I'd be in very good company.

[JudyM]

139. Sanders follows the examples of FDR and Dr. King. A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

[OneMoreCupOfCoffee]

149. LOL.

Sanders is NOTHING like FDR.

And showing up at one speech doesn't make Sanders into MLK.

Are you for real???

[JudyM]

150. Am I? Hm, curious that you'd ask if I'm for real.

And if anyone listens or reads with an open mind they will see that this is genuinely what he’s about.
Thanks for your input, bye now.

[RhodeIslandOne]

118. Eisenhower was more radical than the modern day Democrat

Gimmie a break.

[SWBTATTReg]

156. Ditto.

[reACTIONary]

40. But what about stop & frisk???

There isn't any way that Bloomberg wins the nomination without the support of AAs. So if he wins the nomination, this issue will already be done and gone.

[Kentonio]

41. Primary voters tend to be more politically engaged

So you can give explanations for positions, rather then them just buying into something that appears on their Facebook feed.

[brooklynite]

51. The title of this OP says a lot...

People apparently have to "love" Bloomberg in order to support him. It's apparently not enough to think he'll perform better than certain other candidates.

[LongtimeAZDem]

59. Exactly.

[myohmy2]

52. you...

...speak the truth, Kentonio….

...

[Zolorp]

53. It could be because Sanders berned a lot of bridges over the past five years.

[Recursion]

56. People like the next new thing

There are an historically large number of undecideds right now and the novelty gives him some cachet. If I had to guess I'd say the luster will fade as the primaries get going.

[AJT]

57. I am a big Warren fan, but Bloomberg can win.

I have 2 Republican brothers who left the presidential part of the ballot blank because they couldn't vote for 45. Both would vote for Bloomberg possibly Biden but no one else, they would leave the presidential part of the ballot blank again. Bloomberg can get the "normal" Republican vote.

[myohmy2]

60. blank...

...is good enough...

[CTyankee]

64. Please read this article and tell me what you think...

https://www.businessinsider.com/michael-bloombergs-comments-about-women-and-rape-will-haunt-him-2019-11

You are an avowed supporter of this man. After reading this article, have your views on him changed and do you still support him?

[I_M_Blue_2]

116. Did you watch Michael Bloomberg's full DNC speech

I see no problem with it and you have to realize his jokes and comments reflect the times he grew up in.

[CTyankee]

157. No. Do you have a link to it?

My standards are high. How high? Oh, Barack Obama high just about sums it up...

[I_M_Blue_2]

159. Link is at bottom of article;

[doc03]

58. He is an outspoken billionaire, that's all. nt

[Act_of_Reparation]

61. "BUT HES NOT EVEN A DEMOCRAT"

Just in case anyone forgot.

[Peacetrain]

66. Because he is the only one people are seeing in most of the country..

He has the money to get his name out there.. and people get to know one person, they are not as apt to move to another.. we live with these people for a full year.. that is why Iowa is so pliable .. but other states, people are making up their minds.. it could be rough on all our candidates..

[sarisataka]

68. I don't know if

There are people who believe a Democrat cannot win so we must look to a former ( ) Republican as our candidate or if it is just about the money.

[I_M_Blue_2]

120. There are those of us who do not want to take any kind of chance

that Trump will be re-elected. Bloomberg is the closest thing we have to a sure thing.

[sarisataka]

133. Do you think a Democrat cannot defeat Trump?

That in order to "win" we must look to a candidate who views party affiliation as a matter of convenience? One who helped Republicans obtain and keep their Senate majority?

Why do you think the candidates who have called themselves Democrats for years and have loyally supported the party should be passed over?

[Demsrule86]

173. No I think Biden can beat Trump and I hope he is the nominee...but Sander no...he

cant. Thus, I would support Bloomberg should it be an either or...situation.

[LongtimeAZDem]

70. I don't like that Bloomberg endorsed Bush, but I like that Bernie called for Obama to be primaried

even less.

[JudyM]

98. Oh, the horror.

And yet all the calls for Sanders to be better vetted. Hm. Double standard.

[LongtimeAZDem]

99. No double standard; I stated a preference.

I dislike that Bloomberg supported Bush over Kerry, but I am appalled that Sanders attacked President Obama.

YMMV

[JudyM]

100. Your preference is that Obama shouldn't have been vetted?

[LongtimeAZDem]

101. He was a sitting Democratic President; are you serious?

[JudyM]

107. Plenty of Dems were upset at the administration's proposals to cut social security and leave shrub's

tax cuts for the wealthy in place.
https://www.thenation.com/article/archive/yes-bernie-sanders-wanted-obama-primaried-in-2012-heres-why/

[MineralMan]

73. Almost nobody here is actually supporting Bloomberg.

Some, however, are pointing out that he is gaining some support out there, and that he's likely to become a player in this race. That's a simple matter of fact. Once the early primaries are over, Bloomberg will start getting more press coverage as his poll results show him moving up.

It's not a matter of support. It's a matter of actual numbers and the always changing situation.

[ecstatic]

76. Probably not supported by DU Dems

so you're asking the wrong crowd.

Frankly, his stop and frisk past makes him unelectable. Do not underestimate the anger surrounding cruel & unfair police practices.

[I_M_Blue_2]

132. I am new here, what is stop and frisk?

What did he do to make him un-electable?

[JustAnotherGen]

77. If he's the nominee

I'm voting for him.

If he's not the nominee - we need his money and acerbic wit to out Trump Trump.

What's wrong with that?

My head is not up my ass.

So now - blue no matter who doesn't count? Is that what I'm to understand from this OP?

[Autumn]

79. I don't get it either.

[Quixote1818]

82. I am not convinced people here really like him. Bloomberg is one of the least popular

politicians in the country and him getting 85% of the vote here in a poll against Sanders either means DU is completely out of step with most Democrats or they voted that way to just stick it to Sanders and make him look bad in the poll even though they probably agree with Sanders more. If someone has honest fears about Sanders electability, I see that as the only honest reason to vote for Bloomberg over Sanders on this liberal site.

[LongtimeAZDem]

94. In my case, at least, you are completely wrong. I didn't vote to "stick it to Sanders even though

I agree with him more".

I disagree with Sanders fundamentally on a number of issues, I truly think that he is toxic to the process, I find his choice of Green Party campaign staff extraordinarily offensive, and I believe that the sheer tonnage of his baggage would give the Republicans enough ammunition to produce a landslide victory for Trump.

I'm a lifelong liberal Democrat, and I was a fan of Bernie way back before most people had ever heard of him. But he has gone from being a lovable liberal curmudgeon to a political spoiler, and this election is far too important to indulge his tactics, in my opinion.

So, faced with the danger of a Sanders candidacy, the choice of Bloomberg, who massively supports other Democrats and effectively attacks Trump, is easy.

[JudyM]

108. Aligning with greens is an alliance that could save the election if he's the candidate. We ignore

them at our peril. In a close election we should be forming alliances as other countries’ parties do. Party purity could very well kill us. The important thing is to find principles in common that can be mutually negotiated and promoted, with promises to work together after the election. Having green voters on our side would’ve made all the difference in recent election cycles.

We should IMO be offering a candidate that allows us to get as many green and independent voters as possible.

[LongtimeAZDem]

129. No, aligning with the Greens is political suicide. It's time to stop catering to the petulant and

focus on the main-stream actual voters in this country.

[JudyM]

136. You don't think it would help us if the greens opposed us less? If they were able to make less

principled arguments about why people concerned about climate change should vote for them?

I’m afraid the climate is going to be a far larger player in this election than we’ve ever seen, and they are perfectly positioned to win more voters away from us than they ever have. They are only the enemy if they oppose us. We desperately need to think outside of the box, IMO, and try to form an alliance with them.

Unless we put up a candidate who is proposing dramatic enough changes to transform us into a green economy far quicker than proposed before. Otherwise we can lose too many green voters for our timidity. I could see Greta T rallying with the Green Party candidate, imagine what that would do... we have no idea how that issue will play out because the Green Party hasn’t chosen their candidate yet. We are unwise if we don’t include something to address this in our big picture strategy, IMO... we could easily lose on this one issue.

[LongtimeAZDem]

137. They demonstrated unequivocally last time that they cannot be relied upon for support; pandering to

them is a losing strategy.

[JudyM]

142. There was huge opposition last time, and a migration to them. That's what we need to learn from

and avoid this time around. Let’s not give any voters a reason to choose them.

[I_M_Blue_2]

151. There are only 2 parties with any chance of winning the election for President

and the Green party is not one of them. A vote for the Green party is no vote at all.

[JudyM]

154. Exactly.

That’s why we need to make an effort to forge an alliance with them this time around. Their 1-2% could mean the difference between winning and losing in Nov. They made a difference in our losing elections before.

And if there is no alliance, the more they can differentiate our platform, the more votes they’ll get.

[I_M_Blue_2]

158. I know nothing about them

Except they are pro-environment. We are already pro-environment. What more can we do?

[JudyM]

162. If we can't form an alliance, we can still have major climate action in our platform so that their

potential voters - folks whose top priority is the environment (as well as some other progressive issues like pay equity, etc) - will feel like their issues will be addressed as a priority rather than just incremental progress being offered. I can’t overstate the importance of this.

More folks are concerned that climate is an existential threat than ever before. We can’t ignore this, and if the Greens’ platform is noticeably stronger than ours, we could easily lose more to them than we have in the past.

Sanders, Warren and Steyer have real green economy transformative platforms, e.g., quit tax support of oil, start funding solar. As a party, we need to put our best ideas together. And man, we’d be in much better shape if we could form an alliance with the greens... we might not like their leadership but we could sure a hell use their voters.

[Squinch]

131. Really? You are thinking the greens will save the day for us? They won't.

[Squinch]

147. Right. Because its all about Bernie. People couldn't possibly be

actually prefer someone else. It MUST be Bernie persecution!! Because, really, what isn't?

[dalton99a]

85. Why is it a bad thing that Bloomberg is attacking Trump every day using his own money?

Bloomberg is not attacking any Democrat or the Democratic Party

[Squinch]

105. Yes. I prefer him to the candidate who is spreading lies

about other Democrats.

[DemocratSinceBirth]

88. He would be an infinitely better president than Trump and would largely govern....

Last edited Mon Feb 3, 2020, 01:57 PM - Edit history (1)

Hr would be an infinitely better president than Trump and would largely govern as the median Democrat wanted him to.

[I_M_Blue_2]

144. He might even be able to get his program thru Congress N/T

[highplainsdem]

91. It isn't "Bloomberg love" so much as skepticism about Sanders, as I explained in a reply in that

thread:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287466179#post59


Sanders supporters shouldn't underestimate that skepticism.

And yes, Bloomberg has baggage.

So does Sanders, and his supporters shouldn't underestimate that, either.

If you want to understand why the poll got those results, read the replies there.

FWIW, I hadn't expected that many replies to the poll.

And while I'd thought there was some chance Bloomberg might poll better than Sanders in that thread, I wasn't at all sure of that, and was surprised by just how much better Bloomberg did.

But I'd noticed that professional polls had shown Bloomberg gaining more and more support. And various messages here had indicated the same thing.

So I thought I'd see what this liberal, well-informed group of politics junkies would say in response to that poll question.

And yes, DUers who don't support Sanders and who don't think he can beat Trump, and who'd even prefer Bloomberg, are still liberal.

You don't get to define "liberal" or "progressive" by whether or not one supports Sanders.

I'll still vote for Sanders if he's our nominee.

I just hope he won't be.

And the same is true of a lot of DUers, as that poll showed.

[redqueen]

93. It's an all new Democratic party!

And it's more ripe for schism than ever before!

[Nikki28]

103. for me it

is he knows how to get under the Donald's skin as well as what he has done in the past with helping people. If Joe don't get in, he will be one of my choices as well as Pete and Liz and Amy.He brings experience and a back ground and an already made business man who I know can get this country back on track and I will work by but off to help him or whomever get in,but these are my votes from Joe down to the others I named.

[Gothmog]

104. If the choice is between sanders who would be killed by trump and Bloomberg, I go with Bloomberg

sanders is such a weak and unelectable general election candidate that this is an easy choice

[booley]

166. All Trump has to do is mention Bloomberg's record

How is Bloomberg harder to beat by Trump?

All Trump has to do is point out all the ways Bloomberg agrees with trump, like on Taxes or law enforcement.

During a debate, Trump can just go "You were on my side with the Central Park Five and then watch as Bloom bergs as he stumbles through a nonanswer. Instant campaign ad.

Remember, trump doesn't' need to convince Democrats to vote for him. He just needs to convince Democrats to nto vote. Bloomberg's record on race alone would give many a serious case of the "ewws"

[Gothmog]

168. You are wrong yet again

I am in Texas and Bloomberg has a ton of very effective anti-trump ads that play well.

The real world is a nice place. In the real world, sanders is trump's preferred opponent because sanders is a very weak general election candidate who would be easy to defeat.

Link to tweet

sanders would kill down ballot candidates and if sanders is the nominee, we could have Speaker Kevin McCarthy

I will keep on working in the real world to turn Texas blue and help flip control of the Texas House and pick up congressional seats. I would hate to see Speaker Kevin McCarthy

[booley]

169. No good centrist candidates

remember when Buttigieg was going to win it?

Before him there was Harris.

Right now Biden is the chosen one. But as with the others, he is slowly but surely slipping. Hs whole spiel is he can win. But if he can't win or barely squeaks out a win in the early states, then that argument goes out the window.

So centrists flit from one candidate to another, hoping this time this guy will catch on and stay there.

Unpleasant for some to hear but that's the way it appears to be. They were so frantic to be against Bernie, they forgot to be FOR anyone.

[Gothmog]

175. I fear that a very weak candidate like sanders would kill down ballot candidates

I am very worried about down ballot races. sanders is a very weak candidate and would be easy for trump to destroy. In addition to the well written 101 page memorandum with oppo on sanders with a 1000 pages of backup from the Clinton campaign trump has his own oppo file on sanders that would destroy such a weak and divisive candidate like sanders.

Link to tweet

trump had a two foot thick book of oppo research on Sanders http://www.newsweek.com/myths-cost-democrats-presidential-election-521044

They ignored the fact that Sanders had not yet faced a real campaign against him. Clinton was in the delicate position of dealing with a large portion of voters who treated Sanders more like the Messiah than just another candidate. She was playing the long game—attacking Sanders strongly enough to win, but gently enough to avoid alienating his supporters. Given her overwhelming support from communities of color—for example, about 70 percent of African-American voters cast their ballot for her—Clinton had a firewall that would be difficult for Sanders to breach....

So what would have happened when Sanders hit a real opponent, someone who did not care about alienating the young college voters in his base? I have seen the opposition book assembled by Republicans for Sanders, and it was brutal. The Republicans would have torn him apart. And while Sanders supporters might delude themselves into believing that they could have defended him against all of this, there is a name for politicians who play defense all the time: losers....

The Republicans had at least four other damning Sanders videos (I don’t know what they showed), and the opposition research folder was almost 2-feet thick. (The section calling him a communist with connections to Castro alone would have cost him Florida.) In other words, the belief that Sanders would have walked into the White House based on polls taken before anyone really attacked him is a delusion built on a scaffolding of political ignorance.

sanders was such a weak primary candidate that the Clinton campaign did not use its oppo but trump would have fun destroying such a weak candidate like sanders

I will vote for the nominee of the party but I fear that the nomination of sanders will lead to a Speaker Kevin McCarthy

[RhodeIslandOne]

112. I'm confused as well

He's the ultimate milquetoast moderate, pandering to many masters. Good for him that he hates Trump, his speech at the DNC was good, but him as President?

He also has a touch of dictator. His bid to get a third term? Stop and Frisk? The soda tax? Come on.

[Enoki33]

119. It's possible Bloomberg got in the race not to try to buy the election,

but to help prevent tRump, who has a $300m+ war chest, from doing exactly that. His ads seem to be starting to do that.

[chia]

138. Vote your heart in the primary, vote the party in the general. As a Bernie supporter, will you

vote for Bloomberg should he end up being the Democratic candidate? Will you vote for whomever is the candidate, even if it's not Bernie? Or will you withhold your vote or throw it away?

[Ferrets are Cool]

152. In my lowly opinion, it's more than one thing

One, he is flooding the airwaves with commercials that are hard hitting.
Two, he isn't taking contributions. Like it or not, that resonates.
Three, there isn't ONE candidate in the field that inspires the masses in the way Mr. Obama did/does. (in all fairness, there may never be another him) And don't talk about the fever pitch some at DU have for "their" candidate. We are NOT a barometer for America.

This is JMO, yours may differ.

[Progress_Dem]

155. Bloomberg

is the "establishment's" last hope IMO. They want Biden and they would settle for Pete or Amy if one of them catches fire. However, if Sanders starts winning the early states and looks to be on a roll, Bloomberg is where I think they will go for their last ditch effort to block Sanders. Bloomberg has enough cash to be that late last hope too.

I also think that would be a major mistake on the part of those Democrats and if Bloomberg gets the nomination, it isn't going to look good for our party.

[Awsi Dooger]

163. Bloomberg doesn't have the baggage

Nothing you described in the OP is baggage. It may cause horrors around here but it doesn't translate poorly to a general election. Just the opposite. Voters love the rich powerful guy. They assign absurd benefit of a doubt. It showed up with Perot then Trump and we'd be idiotic not to understand how it would benefit Bloomberg.

I would always prefer to nominate a white male, unless the situational terrain is extremely favorable. That does not describe 2020 at all, not versus an incumbent whose party has been in power only one term. Trump is going to be hellish to defeat even by a whisker. I have emphasized that since he was elected. Day to day details mean nothing. The people who have long considered Trump an easy out are the ones who are fixated by day to day developments and therefore have the big picture fly comfortably over their head.

Trump's approval rating is going to steadily climb toward 45% on 538 once this impeachment process is over. Again, I predicted that scenario two years ago, that it would rise toward 45% range as reelection neared. So many people are willing to accept that incumbent if they deem their lives are going reasonably well. Hispanics always drift toward the incumbent. That will happen this year.

Sanders would have the socialist tag bombarded at him with effective results. Biden always reminds me of Republicans nominating Bob Dole in 1996. I mentioned that beginning two years ago. Older long term senator and good guy but already a multi time loser in presidential bids. Once you have lost multiple times the reasons for it generally show up during a general election. Simply not special enough. Voters are more magnetized by someone they consider unique.

Bloomberg would be like that guy who shows up out of nowhere in a Heisman Trophy race. Nobody nitpicks a Robert Griffin or Joe Burrow when suddenly they are having the dream season as a senior. No, the nitpicking is reserved for that college player who has been a known quantity throughout his career, like Andrew Luck losing to Griffin or Tua losing to Burrow this season, even if Tua had remained healthy.

We may think of Bloomberg as a known quantity. Voters would not. They are just getting to know him now via the commercials. Those voters will have second thoughts about Biden but be increasingly intrigued by Bloomberg.

Besides, I keep going back to what I heard from those older white folks during the shuttle bus at the LPGA golf tournament in Naples in November. They were in agreement that the only Democrats they would consider over Trump are Biden and Bloomberg. The most vocal guy summarized, "Biden often sounds confused. Not Bloomberg. He is in his 70s but still very sharp."

The others chimed in with loud agreement.

Don't underestimate how vicious Trump will be during the campaign and debates. Nothing is off the table. He knows his legacy is at stake. I think Trump realizes the one guy who can withstand everything then turn the tables and make a fool out of him is Bloomberg.

[LongtimeAZDem]

170. While I think Biden will do better than you estimate, your analysis is excellent

[Mike Nelson]

171. I don't love him, but I love...

... his ads - and his pledge to support whomever the Democrats pick to go up against Crooked Donald.

[stopbush]

172. Sanders has had 5+ years to explain how he would pay for his programs,

especially healthcare, but all he has offered are platitudes about taxing the rich and hopes for some grand revolution that will mobilize tens of millions to force the country to adopt his approach on faith and faith alone.

He’s a con man. I would give him more credit if he’d hit the issue honestly. Let Americans know that his programs would require the average Joe to pay a 30-40% tax rate to fund his proposals, the same way they do in Europe. Stop the bullshit that it will be free and put $5000 in the pockets of average Americans. Let’s have an honest debate about the actual costs of democratic socialism, rather than Sanders’ smoke and mirrors.

[JohnnyRingo]

174. I like Mike.

I don't expect him to be the eventual candidate, but he's the kind of non-partisan politician that wins elections. Nine times straight in NYC, a political arena that routinely and openly hates their sitting mayor.

I read a lot about Bloomberg back when he first took office and I was impressed then. The first thing he did was remove the office doors in City Hall, including his own.

the key to winning the White House isn't about moving as far to one side as possible to scoop up the 35% of far left or right votes. Trump did that but only won because of a quirk in the electoral system.

That strategy should be his downfall this time, unless we put forth a candidate that mirrors his on the left and assume the middle will get on board with us.

[Amimnoch]

177. I LOVE DEMOCRATIC PARTY CANDIDATE MICHAEL BLOOMBERG!!!

[dbinfla]

178. Support the candidate

If you can’t support the D on the ballot you aren’t one.

If your love for a quasi D disables you from voting d you are the problem.

Snap out of it.

[underthematrix]

180. I like mike Bloomberg and I appreciate what he's doing to

help Democrats win back the Senate and the presidency.

[Gothmog]

182. Former Biden advisor: Socialism 'has no chance of beating Trump in 2020'

Link to tweet

And Moe Vela, the former Director of Administration for Vice President Joe Biden and current CEO of the Vela Group, is critical of Sanders’ self-proclaimed socialist ideas.

“I feel relatively confident that socialism, or anything close to it, has no chance of beating Trump in 2020,” Vela told Yahoo Finance. “If Bernie Sanders is his opponent, [Donald Trump] will use the word socialism. And polling shows very clearly that centrist, moderate Democrat doesn’t like the word socialism. And in particular, Latino voters in Florida, for example, they see the world socialism, they run the other direction. Because many of them, either their families or they, themselves, have come from countries where they were victimized by socialism.”

Sanders and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) have both proposed forms of Medicare for all as their solutions to the current health care system in the U.S. And according to a poll from the Kaiser Family Foundation, more Democrats support building upon the Affordable Care Act (ACA) — which is basically Biden’s plan — rather than replacing it with a type of Medicare for all.

[Algernon Moncrieff]

183. I don't support MB, but here is (I think) the theory

1) A guy who is as rich as Trump, so there is no "if you're so smart, why ain't you rich?" argument.
2) Bloomberg has been a member of both parties. Truth be told, he is probably best described as Javits/Rockefeller Republican. Sadly, that wing of the GOP does not exist any more. For all practical purposes, he is a ConservaDem - fiscal conservative, but socially liberal.
3) I think there are centrists who like Joe Biden personally, but don't think he is the guy for the job. Bloomberg appeals to that group.

[The Mouth]

186. I think it's an experiment

to see how execrable a candidate we can run and still not have as bad of a candidate than Cheeto Benito.

[Warpy]

189. He's a member of the plutocracy with a conservative news outlet

but his record in office was not awful.

I would prefer nearly anyone else still in the race with the exception of Gabbard. However, I would vote for him in the general in order to get rid of Don the Mobster if by some miracle or perversion of process he is the nominee.

So my enthusiasm is about a millmeter deep. That's a few miles deeper than any Republican could get.

[Gothmog]

190. Steve Schmidt warns that the sociopath will beat the socialist.

Link to tweet

[Tweedy]

192. Well...

The former mayor is spending a ton of money advertising. He is doing so strategically and effectively. He has also said he will continue to do so no matter the nominee. He is effectively needling the very, very, thin skin of this president.

Most of us, I think, want money out of politics. Yet, the former mayor's spending spree is on our side.

[UniteFightBack]

194. Sounds like you're mad bro.