I am sad that Bloomberg, of all people, might have to save us from ourselves

[scheming daemons]

75% of the nation feel the economy is ok or better. They will absolutely reject anything that looks like economic "revolution".

But in the deep blue enclaves, too many of us are in a bubble. Too many of us think things like Medicare-for-all and Green New Deal have majority support nationally, when they really only have support within the Democratic party.

Too many of us are maddeningly trying to run on the economy on OUR side. The economy is literally the ONLY thing keeping Trump's approval above 40%, and we have too many on our side that think running on economic issues is smart politics.

If we run on the economy, we will lose. Very badly.

Elections are about perceptions. And the perception of the majority of the American people is that the economy shouldn't be f***ed with right now.

What polls say now about head-to-head matchups with Trump isn't that relevant. For most Americans, the election hasn't begun. They aren't paying attention yet.

But when they do, candidates arguing for economic upheaval will be crushed.

Americans want a different President than Trump, they hate how he makes them feel. But they won't replace him with a revolutionary. Americans, for the most part, want a return to some sense of pre-2016 normal.

They want Obama, frankly.

Bernie and Liz are great people. But their policy prescriptions will be rejected mightily by the general election voters if we are tone-deaf enough to nominate one of them.

If Joe, or Amy, or Pete don't catch fire soon... we will need Bloomberg to save the Democratic party from ourselves.

And that makes me sad, because Bloomberg wouldn't be a great President.

Removing Trump is literally all that matters. Nothing gets accomplished if that doesn't happen.

And Bernie or Liz makes removing Trump a near impossibility. Not because they are bad people... but because their stances are not where the American people are. And the American voter will be scared enough after months of their plans being demonized to reject them.

This election MUST be a referendum on Trump, or we will lose.

If it is a referendum on economic change, we will be crushed.

Rick Wilson is a Republican, but he knows how elections are won and lost. His quote that "the greatest gift a politician can have is the ability to pick their opponent" is true.

Trump is trying desperately to make Bernie his opponent. Why would we think of giving him that gift?

I would prefer a solid sensible liberal nominee like Joe or Amy.

But to stop Trump, I will get behind Bloomberg if I have to.. a guy who was a Republican less than 15 years ago. Our existence as a Democratic Republic depends on Trump's removal.

Ps. When Trump loses, we all know he will do everything to keep from leaving office. I want all the lawyers money can buy available to us between Nov 3 and Jan 20... because we will need them. Bloomberg can afford them.

[50 Shades Of Blue]

1. You'n'me both...

Although my candidate is Warren. I mostly stay out of primary wrangling, because I'll support whoever gets the nomination no matter what I may think of him/her. The goal is to oust Trump, and I'll take whoever can do that.

[BlueJac]

2. We must win this no matter what!

Or we are doomed!

[cilla4progress]

3. Absolutely

DITTO.

What about progressives and young people? What will get them out? Could he bring on Harris or Booker or Castro for VP? Would they do it? Would that work?

Another inspiring POC? Abrams?

[dalton99a]

4. The monster must be evicted.

[jcmaine72]

35. So another one can move in?

"We disproportionately stop whites too much and minorities too little".

There are literally THOUSANDS of POC who were profiled and had their civil rights violated under the Bloomberg administration. That sounds pretty monstrous to me, and certainly not one that can be easily whitewashed by the sudden appearance of a (D) adjacent to his name and an apology written by a professional speechwriter and read off a teleprompter.

I'm as desperate to get rid of Trump as anyone, but this seems more like swapping out strychnine for cyanide.

[Kentonio]

5. Totally reject your conclusions

70% of Americans say U.S. economic system unfairly favors the powerful

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2020/01/09/70-of-americans-say-u-s-economic-system-unfairly-favors-the-powerful/

But hey yeah, let's show them we care too by electing a billionaire from our side.

[ProfessorPlum]

19. no they don't

they keep hearing from the teevee that the "economy is going great", but that is just Wall Street. The majority of Americans own no stocks and can tell that the economy is not working for _them_

[TwilightZone]

24. Not the same thing.

People can believe that the economy is OK while simultaneously believing that it unfairly favors the powerful.

Based on the two stats, a majority of people do.

[Kentonio]

27. Bernie isn't running on 'the economy is bad'

He’s running on the proceeds of that economy being unfairly shared. Which the poll shows most Americans agree with.

[bucolic_frolic]

6. Throw the bums out can occur for 2 reasons

The economy, as you say. Malfeasance other than the economy. I'm thinking of 1976, 1992, 1968. These are elections where first term presidents were thrown out. OK LBJ didn't run, but he knew. Ford '76 had Nixon baggage. Bush '92 had mild economy problems, but also 12 year fatigue and S&L Crisis. Nixon '68 promised to shorten a war.

So of the three, Trump has ethical problems. Severe unsuitability for office. And the economy is turning south as we speak. So conventional wisdom 9 months before election day is far from a certain bet.

[scheming daemons]

8. If the economy turns south soon, then literally any of our candidates will win.

But are you willing to bet on that now?

[bucolic_frolic]

12. It won't influence any primary voting

Based on Corona virus, I would bet growth will drop by 1/3 before October.

[bucolic_frolic]

15. How does he do that?

The Fed is a voting board of governors, not the tool of the president, and they are injecting money into the economy for liquidity just like Bernanke in the recession, and as needed in the liquidity crunch in September 2019.

[DanTex]

7. I hope Bloomberg keeps his word and supports Bernie if Bernie gets the nom.

Bernie's popular progressive agenda on the ballot, and Bloomberg's billions attacking Trump, that's a good combination.

[scheming daemons]

9. Every Democrat in a tough district will have to run AWAY from Bernie's agenda

They will beg and plead for him NOT to campaign in their districts.


Electoral disaster.

[denem]

30. I believe Bloomberg will keep his word, and back Sanders to the hilt.

Mike is well and truly on trump's enemies list now. He has no choice. trump and Barr would come after him, his children, his friends and supporters in a second term.

[aeromanKC]

10. I agree 1000%!!

However, I do disagree about Bloomberg. I believe he can be a successful president. He was a successful mayor of a city larger than most states. And as a bonus, Trump hates him.

[Bradshaw3]

11. No, we don't need the great white father to "save us from ourselves"

Only we can do that. And we don't need to, nor should we, make choices based on fear. That only makes things worse. Every bully operates on that principle. You are only playing his game with ideas like this.

[honest.abe]

17. I have little doubt Bloomberg would win in a matchup with Trump.

But I agree it is troubling that we need someone like Bloomberg to save the day. I guess he is a decent enough guy but clearly not a solid Democrat.

[Laelth]

21. I think that Daffy Duck would win in a matchup against Trump.

Recent polls show that over 50% of Americans wanted the Senate to remove Trump from office pursuant to the House's Articles of Impeachment. If we can't beat Trump in 2020, the Democratic party should fold. Daffy and the American people both know this truth about Trump, and I think they will vote upon this truth in November. To Trump the American people will say:



-Laelth

[honest.abe]

22. Trump and Republicans and RW media are masters at cheating and manipulating the ignorant masses.

Plus the fact Russia still wants Trump to remain as President. We cannot assume anyone can win.

[Laelth]

25. I wouldn't encourage people to be lazy about electing a Demorcat to the White House this year.

But I still think that we will win--despite Republican dirty tricks and foreign interference. My point, here, is that I am not engaged in intra-party warfare. I think we will win, no matter whom we nominate. For that reason, my goal is to tamp down the intra-party conflict.

We've got this.

-Laelth

[jcmaine72]

37. "I guess he is a decent enough guy"

There are a lot of POC in NYC who had their civil rights violated en masse under his Stop-And-Frisk program who might disagree with you.

I wish we would raise the bar just a tad higher for ourselves and our party.

[honest.abe]

40. Our main focus is extracting Trump out of the WH.

None of our candidates are squeaky clean over their entire public record. I think most Democrats can accept past mistakes made by a candidate as long that candidate admits it.

[Laelth]

20. Sad? Perhaps.

The race may come down to our oligarch vs. their oligarch, and that seems awfully un-Democratic, but there is no way that I can conceive of Bloomberg's spending multiple millions of dollars to defeat Trump as "sad"--not in any way. I welcome his energy, his passion, and mostly, his money. I'll take it, and I feel no remorse about it. I am positively glad that this oligarch has stepped up to the plate in defense of our republic. He's putting his money where his mouth is, and I must admire that.

-Laelth

[scheming daemons]

26. I meant, as the nominee

[Laelth]

28. Our oligarch vs. their oligarch.

I knew what you meant, but I will take Bloomberg over Trump any day, and I do appreciate the fact that he has entered the race ... in force. Naturally, I'd prefer a liberal candidate, but I will take what I can get.

Cheers!

-Laelth

[highplainsdem]

23. Bloomberg is 100x better than Trump. I'd rather have Biden, but if Biden can't get the nomination,

then it could very well be Bloomberg we'll need to defeat Trump.

And he can spend his own money on his campaign, while voters' donations go to down-ballot candidates.

[sarisataka]

29. If Bloomberg is our only hope

Then the Democrats have lost.

People keep predicting the end of the GOP but if the Democratic party cannot challenge Trump we need to do some serious self reflection.

I believe we have good candidates who we can choose from and make a run this year. I do not believe we have to go begging, especially to someone who has helped Republicans get and maintain their Senate majority.

[Hoyt]

31. Don't necessarily agree on Bloomberg, but running on the economy is going to be a tough slog.

trump deserves no credit for the economy, but he'll get credit from a lot of Independents and the GOPer base.

According to a recent CBS survey -- "Seventy-five percent of U.S. adults say the economy is in good shape, the highest in almost 20 years." Only 23% say it's bad.




Otherwise, 56% ain't happy with the "state of the country." That's where we can win.


https://www.cbsnews.com/news/most-feel-good-about-the-economy-but-not-the-state-of-the-country-opinion-poll/

[spicysista]

32. I agree that this must be about tRump.

If we're counting on Sanders or Bloomberg, then we've already lost. I don't know anyone who's going to support Mayor "Stop and Frisk". All of the over 50 (my mom's age and up) black people I know would never pull the lever for Sanders. He's not a democrat and his using our party for political gain isn't setting well with them. Mayor Pete has no shot with either group (as far as I know).

It's Biden or Warren. That's all unless you guys know of enough whites who are going to fill in the gaps for a depressed black turnout.......

I think people forget how President Obama came to be. One of the factors was some longtime Democratic candidates choosing to move aside so that history could happen. I don't see anyone with any such grace at this time. The time for that would have been before the only non-wealthy people of colour had left the race.

[HarlanPepper]

33. Not my choice either

But am okay with it if the alternative is nominating Bernie.

[stopbush]

34. Who is to say that Bloomberg wouldn't be a great president?

I disagree.

[Awsi Dooger]

36. We need economy weakening by summer, or Trump to be disgraceful like 2017

Minus either one of those, we don't win.

The nation is not going to throw out an incumbent when the economy is viewed as strong, not unless that president is viewed as an incomparable ogre.

Obviously Trump qualifies but he actually benefits since the shocking nature of his first year in office has worn off. It always figured to wear off. I am good at evaluating situational influence as opposed to getting stuck in here and now. That's why I was warning in 2017 and 2018 that his shocking behavior would become an accepted aspect of American existence.

The economy cannot wait until fall to decline. There have to be indications by summer to the point it is mostly a given by fall. Every model that studies how the economy impacts presidential elections indicates that mid summer of election year is the focal point.

There is no reasonable expectation the economy will tank. We need some type of high profile topic or event that Trump reacts badly to in shocking fashion, one that restores impression of him back to late 2017 level.

Unless that happens his approval will steady climb and he will be narrowly re-elected. We cannot defeat Donald Trump. He has to lose it himself.

Don't get stuck in the 2017 through 2019 idiocy around here that Trump is an easy out. I realize I don't make any friends by emphasizing the opposite. But on site after site regardless of topic my reputation is always... we may not like what he has to say or how he says it, but he is normally correct.

[R B Garr]

38. Yeah, it's pretty much the economy. The socialist pipe

dreamers don’t talk about the payroll tax they need and that will never go over.

Look at these protracted primaries with such divisiveness and it’s just more red meat for Trump to ridicule.

[R B Garr]

39. Bloomberg would be in a position to challenge Trump from

a businessman’s perspective on the economy. Although Trump is a mobster, not a businessman, but Bloomberg looks like he can deliver some punches.

If Bloomberg can get under Trump’s skin by humiliating him, we may see some epic implosion.