Democratic Primaries
Related: About this forum'Democratic' candidate Mike Bloomberg has spent millions keeping the Senate in Republican control
https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2019/11/26/1902046/--Democratic-candidate-Mike-Bloomberg-has-spent-millions-keeping-the-Senate-in-Republican-control'Democratic' candidate Mike Bloomberg has spent millions keeping the Senate in Republican control
Joan McCarter
Daily Kos Staff
Tuesday November 26, 2019 · 12:16 PM EST
It's becoming increasingly clear that the fact that Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warren are viable contenders for the Democratic nomination for president is the primary motivation for billionaire Michael Bloomberg to get in the race. Bloomberg doesn't want any part of his billions going to paying a fair tax rate, to fully funding government and all the programs that will help people and rebuild federal institutions. He doesn't want to pay taxes. He wants to direct the millions he spends on fighting gun violence or climate change very publicly and to have his name plastered on every penny.
Because he's fundamentally a Republican. He got into the mayor's office in New York City with the endorsement of former Mayor Rudy Giuliani. And he has spent millionsmillionson Republican congressional campaigns, including hosting a fundraiser for Rep. Peter King in 2018 and donating to Rep. Dan Donovan, who was defeated. He also helped Republicans hold control of the New York state Senate. "The path to win the House ran through New York, said Monica Klein, the Democratic challenger to King. "There were seven flippable seats in the state, and he supported Republicans in two of them. [ ] To come down and say he wants to be the head of the Democratic Partythe hubris is unbelievable.
He endorsed and raised funds for former Sen. Scott Brown in his reelection bid against Elizabeth Warren in 2012. He gave $2,700 to Pennsylvania Sen. Pat Toomey and spent nearly $10 million on dark-money issue ads to keep him in office. In 2014, he gave $5,200 to Sen. Susan Collins in Maine. Protecting the status quoand his low taxeshas been his priority, even at the same time that he's donated to Democrats. His bottom line seems to have been keeping the Senate, where his tax cuts are guaranteed, in Republican hands. Mike Mikus, former campaign manager for Toomey's 2016 Democratic opponent, Kathleen McGinty, pretty much nails it: "I'm certain his hand in giving Mitch McConnell a majority in the Senate will be remembered by a lot of Democratic voters."
When George W. Bush was president, Bloomberg gave donations to Bush, and only to other Republicans. He has never donated to Joe Biden, or Bernie Sanders, or Elizabeth Warren. It's hard to resist the notion that Bloomberg's political interests lie entirely in Michael Bloomberg, whether in preserving his wealth or in stroking his ego.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Hassin Bin Sober
(26,311 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
CentralMass
(15,265 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
lagomorph777
(30,613 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Kurt V.
(5,624 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
BlueMTexpat
(15,365 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Bradshaw3
(7,484 posts)Even though she voted for Dems since the 1970s. But this recent history for Bloomberg will be ok for some of them even he raised money for Warren's opponent in 2012. And he's against her and Bernie this time and runs ads for gun control so all of the above is ok.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
tishaLA
(14,176 posts)in 2018, he gave millions and millions of dollars to Democrats who support his ideas about gun control and climate change. There are at least 2 seats in SoCal alone that his money helped immensely: Katie Hill and Harley Rouda. He gave millions to PACs. He gave house Democrats 80 million overall and another 20 million to senate Democrats.
His history overall is bad, though.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Qutzupalotl
(14,285 posts)that does not shy away from covering politics, including of his rivals for the nomination.
Will he continue to use his bully pulpit to marginalize his primary competition? If elected, will he sell off his empire?
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
bucolic_frolic
(43,027 posts)That's it. He's a fraud as much as Trump.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
bluescribbler
(2,113 posts)"It's hard to resist the notion that Bloomberg's political interests lie entirely in Michael Bloomberg, whether in preserving his wealth or in stroking his ego."
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
IndianaDave
(612 posts)His utter dismissal of our entire field of Democratic candidates -- based on his sense that ONLY HE can defeat Trump -- is far too familiar to us. On the contrary, we have an excellent group of candidates, and our ultimate nominee will have both the capability and Democratic support to solidly defeat the corrupt clown who currently occupies the presidency.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
LudwigPastorius
(9,095 posts)...and it ain't working out too well.
GTFO Bloomberg.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
PatSeg
(47,239 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
FiveGoodMen
(20,018 posts)The other way will probably be necessary, though.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
TeamPooka
(24,204 posts)singular things that would be disqualifying for this guy, like 2004 RNC, Stop & frisk, giving to GOP candidates for years, forcing NY to give him a 3rd term, it starts to look pretty bad for him.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
AlexSFCA
(6,137 posts)He has zero chance winning the primary. However, if anything, his presence may help defeat Bidens bid by diluting the moderate vote. BS and EW will have a better chance at the nomination since Bloomberg entered the race; and it is nearly guaranteed that BS or EW would easily win the nomination should either decides to drop out.
On the other side, I am friends with NYCers who claim he was excellent mayor and really turned the city around. They are all liberal dems who never voted gop. Any NYCers here care to explain how Bloomberg won 3 terms in our nations principal democratic stronghold?
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
George II
(67,782 posts)....candidates for the House to defeat incumbent republicans.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
JoeOtterbein
(7,699 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Teach-only-love
(73 posts)as it is likely to do. Trump just by himself will motivate Democrats to vote, no matter who our nominee is. Bloomberg will be our strongest candidate with Independents and disenchanted Republicans. Trump and the Republicans will not be able to outspend him to change that. !00 million dollars is pocket change to Bloomberg, he could spend a billion dollars on his campaign and not think twice about it. We must defeat Trump in order to save democracy in this country. Bloomberg has never been self-serving. Over the last ten years, he has given more than 8 billion dollars to charities while Donald Trump had his charitable foundation closed because of fraud.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Raven123
(4,781 posts)1) I dont think Dems will show up to vote out Trump, unless they believe the person they vote for will be an improvement.
2) I dont believe any Dem President will get the GOP to work with him or her on legislation that will significantly advance the Democratic Party agenda.
3) I struggle to believe the assertion that Bloomberg has done nothing that is self-serving. Stop and Frisk served his needs as Mayor and the very recent admission that this was bad policy seems at least a little self-serving. Perhaps I am wrong, but I hadnt heard him speak out in a public forum on this issue until he decided to pursue the nomination.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Teach-only-love
(73 posts)He is a basic threat to American Democracy. Please see my post at https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287360272
I do not care what anyone's policies are as long as we get rid of Trump.
Stop and Frisk was a policy, it did not affect him, it was not self-serving. He gained nothing from it.
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
brooklynite
(94,302 posts)...for fundraisers for Democratic Housse and Senate members.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Kurt V.
(5,624 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
brooklynite
(94,302 posts)I'm willing to bet however that Bloomberg has never hosted an event for a Republican.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Kurt V.
(5,624 posts)i respect that
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
brooklynite
(94,302 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
wnylib
(21,312 posts)will he be a 3rd party independent spoiler?
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Teach-only-love
(73 posts)He is smart and hates Trump. He knows if he runs as a third-party candidate it will only help trump
primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
wnylib
(21,312 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
underthematrix
(5,811 posts)EVERY senator, including #MoscowMitch, #LennigradLindsey John Kennedy and Ron Johnson will vote to convict and remove Trump. Why because Bloomberg is gonna make sure we have a DEM senate with a supermajority. He's gonna increase the number of Dems in the House. We'll get more govships and state legislatures. Why because all of that is consistent with advancing his core policy agenda - Jobs (rebuilding our infrastructure), climate change, healthcare, and gun sense legislation. These are the four issues that will unify America.
And when it comes to Trump's financial documents whether the court orders their release or not, they will be released.
While I support Joe Biden, nothing would be more enjoyable then watching a REAL billionaire take on a FAKE one.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
Prof.Higgins
(194 posts)of the candidate(s) for whom we have higher preference to run against the most dangerous president since the Civil War.
Our children and grandchildren are already facing a grim global warming future. If Trump isn't defeated, then the planet will inevitably become heated beyond the tipping point for human survival.
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden
jalan48
(13,839 posts)primary today, I would vote for: Undecided
Hortensis
(58,785 posts)Though Bloomberg has also spent millions to support Democrats in recent years, some Democratic elected officials and party operatives remain bitter that he worked to defeat them up and down the ballot in the past.
https://www.politico.com/news/2019/11/26/bloomberg-republican-endorsement-2020-073807
primary today, I would vote for: Joe Biden