Does anyone know why Bloomberg switch to GOP to run for mayor in 2001?

[LAS14]

I've Googled and can't find the reason. Not that I'm a superior Googler or anything.

tia
las

[bluewater]

1. He was above running in the Democratic field.

It was too crowded or "messy" or something like that...

In other words, he gamed the system and took a short cut...


Hey... I think I see a pattern emerging....

[George II]

6. No, that's not true at all. Yes, in 2001 there was a full field of Democrats vying for the ...

....nomination but the Democratic candidates and voters were extremely divided ideologically.

On the other hand, republicans didn't have anyone looking to run except Democrat Herman Badillo. Their primary turned out to be a contest between two Democrats (why doesn't anyone bash Badillo for switching???)

He didn't game the system or take a short cut. He looked at it pragmatically and realized the best way to get elected was to become a republican.

Also forgotten in all this "he's a republican" BS is that he was a republican barely six years.

[silverweb]

14. Exactly.

[PatrickforO]

18. Whoa, stop the horses!

Just a gentle chide, George, but its strange to me that you are giving Bloomberg a pass for being 'pragmatic' and switching parties to get access to the ballot when a certain candidate in this particular primary is not being given the same pass.

Oh, I know there are differences, but still......

[progressoid]

24. +1

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

53. BOOOOOOOOMMM!!

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

[PatSeg]

19. He may have only identified as a

republican for six years, but he supported an awful lot of republicans candidates over the years and some of them are still in congress.

[Kaleva]

35. Bloomber donated millions in 2018 to help Dems flip the House that year.

In 2016, Bloomberg endorsed Hillary

[PatSeg]

38. Also in 2018,

he hosted a fundraiser to help Peter King. Before that he helped to elect many more republicans to congress, including Pat Toomey in 2016, the same year he endorsed Hillary. He helped republicans to keep a majority in the senate, something which still affects us profoundly under Trump.

That doesn't come across as bipartisan, but more like opportunistic and indecisive. I'd take him any day over Donald Trump, but I would never completely trust him.

[Kaleva]

39. Helping to flip the House Blue may have saved our asses.

"Bloomberg’s aides are addressing the issue of his past donations by highlighting that he has backed Republicans who support his priorities, such as liberal gun policies. He has also attempted to blunt criticism about spending his fortune on his own presidential bid by pledging to donate $100 million to an anti-Trump digital campaign.

“As mayor and as the country’s leading gun safety champion, Mike has supported Republicans in the past, including Republicans who helped deliver aid to New York after 9/11 or who crossed the aisle to vote for gun safety in Congress,” Bloomberg spokesman Jason Schechter said....

In 2016, Bloomberg reported spending nearly $10 million to successfully help reelect Toomey in his race against Democrat Katie McGinty. Independence USA ran TV ads in Philadelphia’s collar counties that drew attention to his support of gun control legislation, helping him win over critical moderate voters."

https://www.politico.com/news/2019/11/26/bloomberg-republican-endorsement-2020-073807

-

[PatSeg]

46. I like Democrats

that don't donate to or endorse republican candidates. Anyone who supports a progressive agenda needs to consistently support the Democratic candidates who can make it happen.

Our asses might not have needed saving in 2018, if people like Bloomberg hadn't helped get so many republicans elected.

[Kaleva]

48. I think most people see candidates like Biden and Bloomberg as being moderates or centerists.

[PatSeg]

50. I think because Sanders

is considered so far left, many traditionally progressive candidates are now called moderate or centrists. I've never seen Biden as a moderate, but more of a pragmatist who knows how to get things done, especially after years in the senate and the White House.

As for Bloomberg, I see more of a centrist, though he seems to be liberal about some issues. I'm just concerned that he may not have evolved enough on race issues to attract the support of African Americans or Latinos. I'm afraid "Stop and Frisk" and redlining will plague him throughout the campaign, though I am surprised by the AA support he has received thus far. Its still early, so we'll see!

[Kaleva]

52. Yes, it's early and we can't predict what will happen.

[PatSeg]

60. It is good to expect

the unexpected, especially when it comes to politics!

[bluewater]

21. No... Yes... but... he didn't take a shortcut... he was pragmatic... took best way... LOL

WOW, that "explanation" was ALL over the place.



Thanks for acknowledging:

Yes, in 2001 there was a full field of Democrats vying for the nomination but the Democratic candidates and voters were extremely divided ideologically. On the other hand, republicans didn't have anyone looking to run

So, yeah the Democratic field was too crowded and "messy" and Bloomberg took a shortcut.

Thanks for making that obvious for everyone.

[George II]

22. However way you want to see it.

[bluewater]

23. As it really was would be best. Bloomberg "pragmatically" avoided running as a Democrat.

Hard to look at that any other way.

[melman]

30. Three times

[Kaleva]

36. Several here say candidates ought to drop out and clean up the field.

[marybourg]

28. That's ' how I remember it also.

[PoliticAverse]

40. "He looked at it pragmatically and realized the best way to get elected was to become a republican."

In other words he gamed the system and took a shortcut.

> Also forgotten in all this "he's a republican" BS is that he was a republican barely six years.

Hey lots of us haven't forgotten he endorsed George Bush over John Kerry...

[tiredtoo]

2. and more data about Bloombergs party alignment

Bloomberg campaigned to change the city's term limits law and was elected to his third term in 2009 as an independent on the Republican ballot line.
The more i read about this dude the more i think he is just another trump. Do whatever it takes to get what i want.

[BlueIdaho]

15. So...

Kinda like Bernie running as a Democrat then?

[tiredtoo]

25. Bernie has caucused with the Democratic party for years, they have accepted him

Why can't you? Bernie has never campaigned or donated to republican candidates unlike Bloomberg.

[BlueIdaho]

32. Two weeks after he's done

He will drop his “Democrat” label. Past is prologue.

BTW - who said anything about Bloomberg?

[tiredtoo]

59. If i recall correctly, this thread is about Bloomberg.

PS. you should refrain from using the term "Democrat" the right wingers use it in a derisive manner when speaking of Democratic candidates.

[BlueIdaho]

61. So I shouldn't say

I am a Democrat, you are a Democrat, Bernie (for the moment) is a Democrat?

Thanks for the litmus test...

[tiredtoo]

62. You can and will say whatever pleases you eom

[jimfields33]

27. Bernie never endorsed George w. Bush!!!!!

[BlueIdaho]

31. No, he endorsed Castro.

[tishaLA]

47. oh, shit!

that's a debate drop the mic line.

[Kaleva]

37. Bloomber's been a Democrat longer then Warren I believe.

[tiredtoo]

58. He is a Dino

His actions all follow the republican mantra. He spent 3 million supporting Michigans republican governor Rick Snyder. He sued the city of New York to get out of raising the minimum wage for workers. He supported G.W. Bush. He did spend a few of his millions in helping us flip the house last election. But that was most likely part of his big plan to get support as a fake Democratic candidate.
You cannot judge a politician by what he/she says you have to judge them by what they do.

[Kaleva]

65. Bloomberg's actions on gun control and climate change are probably the best of all the candidates.

Bloomberg has been endorsed by the former mayor of Flint, Karen Weaver.

"FLINT, MI-- Karen Weaver has endorsed Michael Bloomberg for president because he will “lead the country in the right direction," she said.

The former Flint mayor met Bloomberg in 2016 in the midst of the city’s water crisis. Weaver said that experience showed her what Bloomberg did for the city.

“I got to see first-hand what he did not only for Flint but for mayors all over the country," Weaver said. “He used his voice, power and money to make things better. I’m excited to go around the country and speak on behalf of him and to help make him becoming president a reality. I think he’s long overdue for this country and I believe he will lead us in the right direction.”"

https://www.mlive.com/news/flint/2020/02/michael-bloomberg-opens-flint-office-gets-former-mayors-endorsement.html

He also just gained the endorsement of the mayor of Houston

"Houston Mayor Sylvester Turner endorsed Michael Bloomberg for president, Bloomberg’s campaign announced Thursday morning.

The backing of the mayor of the fourth-largest city in America is Bloomberg’s most high-profile Texas endorsement yet. It also gives Bloomberg another nod from a prominent black elected official as the billionaire grapples with pushback over his use of “stop and frisk” policies while he was mayor of New York City.

“As mayor, Mike embraced New York’s diversity and made smart investments that brought better infrastructure and greater opportunity to all five boroughs,” Turner, a Democrat, said in a statement released by the campaign. “We need a president who knows how cities run. It’s why I’m proud to endorse Mike for president, and I look forward to sending him to Washington in November.”"

https://www.gosanangelo.com/story/news/2020/02/13/houston-mayor-turner-bloombergs-apology-key-endorsement/4756541002/

[Bleacher Creature]

3. Big fish, small pond.

There are lots of strong Democrats in NYC, with lots and lots of name recognition and a much greater claim to be the Democratic nominee. When he joined the GOP, he got to cut to the front of the line.

[TwilightZone]

4. Crowded primary field.

It had little or nothing to do with ideology as some insist. He'd been a lifelong Democrat prior to switching.

[bluewater]

8. Bloomberg claimed to keep a girlfriend in every city, which he disclosed in his 1997 autobiography.

Personal life

During his time working on Wall Street in the 1960s and 1970s, Bloomberg claimed to keep a girlfriend in every city, which he disclosed in his 1997 autobiography.[313]
On multiple occasions, Bloomberg has commented "I'd do her", regarding certain women, some of whom were coworkers or employees. Bloomberg claimed that by "do", he meant that he had a relationship with the woman.[31] Bloomberg's staff told the New York Times that he now regrets having made "disrespectful" remarks concerning women.[31]

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Bloomberg#Personal_life

Huh, I just stumbled across that looking for info on his elections....

Well, he was single at the time, probably. He married in 1975.

[tiredtoo]

26. Any chance you can provide us with some examples of his Democratic activities?

I have him supporting republicans in various races. Only time i see him supporting a Democratic candidate was when he supported Hillary over trump. A case of lesser of two evils methinks.

[TwilightZone]

43. He spent $80 million on Dem causes and races in 2018.

It's common knowledge that he helped flip the House in 2018 and is heavily supporting gun legislation in Virginia and elsewhere, which has made him a primary target of the NRA.

Are you really unaware of this stuff?

https://www.opensecrets.org/news/2018/06/bloomberg-to-spend-a-record-80-million/

https://www.cnbc.com/2019/11/06/mike-bloombergs-gun-control-outspends-nra-helps-democrats-win-virginia.html

https://wset.com/news/at-the-capitol/3-gun-bills-including-one-handgun-a-month-law-pass-virginia-senate

https://apnews.com/ade5f558b678cdb6c4e1ab6d92d8b2af

[tiredtoo]

57. Here is another thing Bloomberg did that may excite you

The city council passed a law raising minimum wage in the city. Bloomberg vetoed it. The citizens overruled his veto. He sued the city to stop it.

[highplainsdem]

5. See this OP:

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287491783

[LAS14]

9. Thanks for this link! nt

[DanTex]

7. Because he couldn't win as a Dem, but could as a moderate Republican.

[TwilightZone]

13. Liberal Republican.

https://www.democraticunderground.com/1287491783

He ran as a liberal, not a moderate. He ran in the GOP because the Democratic field was loaded, not because of ideology.

[DanTex]

16. Moderate Republican at best. Socially liberal (maybe), economically conservative.

Even "socially liberal" is a stretch, because there's nothing remotely liberal about stop-and-frisk.

Most Dems voted against him, in all of his NYC campaigns. He won by combining Republican votes and votes from moderate Dems.

[TwilightZone]

44. Nope, liberal Republican.

The move was entirely tactical. You should know all party identification changes for purely tactical reasons because your candidate is famous for them.

[msongs]

10. probably same reason bernie ran in the dems senate primary then dumped dems

to run as an independent

[MaryMagdaline]

11. Best chance of winning was to win the Republican primary

Democratic primary may have been too big and too liberal. Bloomberg plays to win. (What a concept!)

[MaryMagdaline]

12. Sorry, sarcasm was not meant for the posters

just those voices in my head

[IronLionZion]

17. He was unlikely to win the Dem party nomination

The other candidate in the GOP primary that year was also a former Dem. It was immediately after 9/11 so there may have been some riding of Giuliani's coattails and idiots falsely associating the GOP with patriotism. He got Giuliani's endorsement. That one should be fun to bring up now.

He leveraged his business experience in a year with a down economy for NY and got endorsements from the Independence party and local Repubs in Staten Island. He outspent the Dem 5 to 1 to narrowly win that election.

It worked out well for him as he was a popular mayor and won reelection by the largest margin of any Republican mayor in NYC history.

It's always a risky proposition to support a wealthy guy who does whatever he wants while we hope he does the right thing for the people.

[squirecam]

41. I didn't know ghoul

Endorsed him.

[SWBTATTReg]

20. Hey, rump was not a repug until he decided to run (or at least not a confirmed repug)...

he wasn't vetted by the republican party or anything for that matter. There is no long list of demands etc. for joining a party (both for that matter). When you go vote, they simply ask if you want the democratic ticket or the republican ticket. When registering to vote, you simply register. Simple as that (this is in MO).

[Pachamama]

29. George W Bush and Cheney?

That was the reason given by people I know who switched in 2001 to Democrat...

[melman]

33. It's worth noting this was the only political office he's ever held

So what difference does it make that he was a "lifelong Democrat" when he was never in politics before? He was a businessman.

When he decided to run for office he chose to do it as a Republican. Three times in a row.

[George II]

51. He didn't run for Mayor as a republican three times in a row.

[melman]

56. Yes he did

2009 - independent on the Republican line. Same fucking difference.


---

He effusively praised Rudolph W. Giuliani, hinting that the former mayor could excel as New York’s next governor.

He ticked off a list of Republican candidates he has backed over the years, from State Senator Martin J. Golden to former Representative Vito J. Fossella.

And he suggested ways for New York City’s weak Republican Party to expand — by reaching out, for example, to religious and Hispanic groups.

For 90 minutes on Wednesday, during a lively, at times tense closed-door meeting in Manhattan, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg pleaded his case, trying to persuade five Republican chairmen to let him run on their party’s ballot line this fall.

https://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/26/nyregion/26repubs.html

[George II]

64. Party affiliation for the most part means little in mayoral elections in NYC....

You might want to research this, particularly with respect to Mayor John Lindsay.

[Fresh_Start]

34. there were multiple other people running for the democratic candidacy nt

nt

[George II]

54. I think there were six, and actually everyone running in the Democratic AND republican primaries..

...were Democrats. Bloomberg ran against Democrat Herman Badillo in the republican primary.

For some reason no republicans were interested in running that year.

[karynnj]

42. Crowded primary that Bloomberg would not win

The primary was on or near 911 and had to be delayed. Bloomberg rN as a Republican and Mark Green, the Democrat , lost in the wake of 911.

[blm]

45. Immediate aftermath of 9/11. Bush at 91% of polls and Giuliani was

being treated like a god, but, term limited. ONLY a Republican was going to win.

[Demsrule86]

49. He wouldn't have won a Democratic primary.

[customerserviceguy]

55. Because

he's a political chameleon. He does whatever it takes to give himself an advantage. I had a number of years in the NYC media market to know that much about him.

We will indeed lose to Trump if he is our nominee.

[Skya Rhen]

63. And the only reason he's running in the Dem party is because he would never be able to primary Trump

in the Repub party. He is all about himself.