Bloomberg-do you trust him?

[apcalc]

I don’t , but am open to discussion.

He has switched parties. He’s a ‘convenience’ Democrat imo. I don’t like that.

He doesn’t like Trump, but donated to R’s here in PA as recently as 2018 in races we needed to win ( Toomey and Fitzpatrick to name two).

He has BIG baggage, misogyny and racism.

Your thoughts?

[WhiskeyGrinder]

1. No. Not because of his party switch, but because of his record.

OTOH, I don't trust much of anybody.

[abqtommy]

7. +100 Spot on!

[apcalc]

23. Not a good record...

[uponit7771]

69. THIS !!!! He didn't need the racism either

[Zolorp]

2. I'll put it this way

I distrust all politicians.

I distrust Bloomberg about a million times less than I distrust Sanders.

My daddy taught me there are three people you can never trust; politicians, preacher, and used car salesmen.

[apcalc]

21. +1

[Fresh_Start]

100. +1 nt

nt

[pandr32]

190. + another

[womanofthehills]

222. Sander's did not ruin the life of thousands of black kids

and with all his billions keep Americans from getting a decent minimum wage.

[Turin_C3PO]

3. Not really.

But I’ll be supporting him if he gets the nomination.

[hlthe2b]

4. I have a LOT of qualms, I'll just leave it at that...

I NEVER trusted Trump (or any of those around him), Cheney, Bolton, Karl Rove, 99% of the Republican Congressional delegation.

Bloomberg DOESN'T quite rise to that level of complete and emphatic IMMEDIATE mistrust but, time will tell as I see him, hear from him and research him more.

[apcalc]

25. True, not as bad as others.. but maybe a snake all the same.

Will support if he gets the nom.

[wnylib]

85. A snake with more intelligence and money than

Trump. A snake who can appear to be ok on the surface.

I read once that he was a Dem before registering as Republican for the NYC mayoral race. So Reagan and Trump were also Dems before switching.

Then Bloomberg switches back again?

We worry now about Trump not leaving office. Bloomberg got NYC law changed so he could have a 3rd term. Even Guiliani did not do that after 9/11 when a few people suggested it.

I will never trust him. I do not care about his philanthropy. He has the money to throw away in order to buy the confidence and trust of people desperate to beat Trump.

What about emolluments, divestiture, government run as a business, or as the personal business of the president? If that is an issue now with Trump, it will be 10 times worse with Bloomberg.

Beating Trump? It is not a win if you replace one misogynistic, racist oligarch with another.

[Beakybird]

5. If don't trust Bloomberg. If he can buy the nomination, I'll support him.

I trust him far more than Sanders even though I'm far more aligned with Sanders on policy. Sanders choice of staff and surrogates tells me he has zero integrity.

[apcalc]

19. Good points. I am in agreement.

[wnylib]

98. IMO, Bloomberg is below zero on

integrity. He is not as open as Sanders, which makes Bloomberg less trustworthy.

He is not the only candidate who could beat Trump. I do not think we should let our eagerness to defeat Trump lead us into trading one racist misogynist oligarch for another because that would not be a win at all.

[greymattermom]

185. He may be the key to getting rid of Citizens United.

Because he shows that buying the Presidency doesn't automatically make it Republican. That's my hope, anyway. I don't hope he wins, I hope he scores.

[snowybirdie]

6. We already had

A diverse and qualified list of candidates. In rides Mike on his white horse to save us all from them! This smacks of Trumpism to me. He could have used his millions to donate to those already running in all races, but no. He must be out savior. Arrogance! His record is just being vetted. Don't trust him at all. Would vote for him, but would hold my nose and pray.

[Beakybird]

8. Well stated.

[cherryinpa]

18. 100%

This is the part that amazes me the most! It's not like there isn't any other option; if you don't like Biden then look at Klobuchar / Warren. Where the hell does Bloomberg even come into this picture. Both Amy and Liz have decades invested in the Democratic party and a long track record of backing the causes we care about.

What does Bloomberg bring to the table? Money and the likelihood that he alienates 25% of our left-leaning friends.

In any other organization no one would accept this, but in politics money is god.

If Bloomberg really is obsessed with getting Trump out and doesn't think Biden can handle it, then fine ... throw ALL your economic resources behind Klobuchar who could do the job equally well as Biden.

[apcalc]

29. Spot on , on lots of counts...he raises suspicion.

We have some solid candidates, with lifelong service.
That should be rewarded imo.

[2naSalit]

48. I think of him as idiot45 with table manners. ...nt

[apcalc]

60. Lol! I do call the other guy Dolt 45, but it's more like 44 1/8.

[wnylib]

123. Thank you for expressing it that way.

I've looked for an expression to describe Bloomberg vs Trump. You nailed it. Trump with table manners.

Except Bloomberg is not the idiot that Trump is. Better health, more money, more brains, more dangerous.

[2naSalit]

129. Well, yeah he does have an IQ on the

positive side of 0 on a number line but otherwise, he's more like dolt45 than not... well and the fact that he actually is wealthy.

He can be nice in public and that was my point, he's still not smart enough to not be an asshole.

[emmaverybo]

220. I hear you.

[jrthin]

137. I've been saying similar to you. I told my friend the difference between he and

"idiot45" is the veneer of civility.

[ancianita]

236. +1

[uponit7771]

72. THIS !!! I'm asking same question in OP; will minorities support someone who's had RECENT racism

... record ?!

[uponit7771]

70. +1, cause that's what Bloomberg has ... money... he could've used it for something else

[wnylib]

109. Agree completely except maybe the last sentence.

I don't know if I could vote for replacing Trump with a copy of him that projects a slightly better image which is just an image.

[Devil Child]

9. I do not trust Bloomberg at all

As you note, he has more baggage than any of the other candidates.

[rzemanfl]

30. I always read profiles. Interesting information in them. n/t

[Devil Child]

65. Good for you! I like to read profiles and I also enjoy long walks on the beach.

I still don’t trust Bloomberg.

[apcalc]

35. So it seems... waiting for the debates, media for exposure.

[Devil Child]

71. Same, also hoping that Bloomberg is intensely vetted

As the other candidates have been subjected to. I’m frustrated that his entry is threatening not only all the campaigns but specifically Biden, Klobuchar, and Buttigieg.

[InAbLuEsTaTe]

10. Is that a rhetorical question?! For all the reasonss you mentioned + he gave us Shrub...

Never thought I'd see the day that people on DU would push for this kind of candidate, a member of the billionaire class, the top 1 - that's 1 as in NUMERO UNO, not 1 percent - who has taken positions that are antithetical to Democratic principles... it's amazing they're so quick to adopt Bloomberg out of fear that Bernie would dare fight to give every American their human right to universal healthcare without having to incur any out-of-pocket costs.


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

[apcalc]

31. Ugh yes, he supported shrub. Forgot that.

A Democrat of convenience.., not good.

[FoxNewsSucks]

92. I don't get that either,

in the media and on this site, Bloomberg is held out as a "better" Democrat than someone who has worked for and with Democrats all his life to advance liberal policy.

[uponit7771]

86. +1, People think PoC will vote against their own best interest after Trump turns Bloomberg into

... someone who's slightly less racist than he is.

[FoxNewsSucks]

89. Well said.

I don't understand the support for him either.

[apcalc]

32. +1

[Walleye]

12. Did he pay for the ads smearing Katie McGinty?

She ran against Toomey. It was a disgusting and sexist negative campaign. And what did it accomplish? Was he just putting Toomey in his pocket? Not ready to trust Bloomberg.

[apcalc]

36. I have to research that...by donating to Toomey I would say yes.

[Tom Rinaldo]

13. I don't trust that he would govern in line with how he currently is presenting himself

to a Democratic electorate in a primary battle. I am positive he would move to the center, both in a General Election AND as President Given that he is already positioning himself as "a moderate", an anticipated further shift rightward in office is of great concern to me. Obviously a President Bloomberg governing from the center assumes the defeat of Donald Trump, which is of existential importance. But before we had a crypto-fascist in the White House, what the actual policies and priorities that a President likely would have as their intent used to be of pretty high importance to Democrats. We don't need to nominate Michael Bloomberg to defeat Donald Trump, and therefor IMO we shouldn't.

[apcalc]

38. Excellent description. Ty

[uponit7771]

88. THIS !!!!

[Mars and Minerva]

14. He was a very good Mayor of NYC for 12 years...

he would have been excellent but for Stop and Frisk, and I believe he learned his lesson about that. He has been putting out policy papers to help confirm that.

The viable candidate that comes out completely clean on Racism and/or Misogyny (including yours) does not exist except, possibly, Warren.

Without his money, we might not have the majority in the House we now enjoy, new gun laws would be languishing on the desks of politicians all around the country and the environment and voting rights would suffer. And not just his money. His organization helped elect Democrats in every level of government all across the nation.

I'm sure that pales in comparison to Sanders, Klobucher, Warren and Biden, who have spent most of their careers perpetually running for office and occasionally voting for a bill.

[apcalc]

41. Thanks, hadn't thought of that money donating to our causes.

I’m sort of stuck on his Toomey and Fitzpatrick support...
Ok Fitzpatrick paints himself as moderate ( tho he votes with Trump... like a Susan Collins type).

But, Toomey?? Ugh.

[uponit7771]

90. To whom ?!!? My goodness ... most PoC in NY hate him for his racial profiling terrorism and it wasnt

.. just PoC it was his religious bigotry too with spying on Muslims.

[apcalc]

166. true

[Mars and Minerva]

240. Sorry but that's simply not true. Most POC in NYC do not hate him.

It is possible that most of the POC in NYC that you hang out with may hate him.

[wnylib]

147. So he created a positive image

of himself by doing that. Why did he also support Pub candidates if he intended to help Dems? How can he represent our party when he puts Pub candidates in office?

[silverweb]

187. Exactly.

Bloomberg has been donating to progressive causes for decades. His philanthropic giving has dwarfed his political donations many times over, and his political donations have been overwhelmingly for Democrats, albeit not 100%. I think these facts give a more accurate picture of his political orientation and predict how he would govern better than anything else.

I haven't quite decided who to vote for yet, but Bloomberg's definitely in the running for me. I think that in a one-on-one race, he'll obliterate Trump -- and that is goal #1.

[pandr32]

192. Thank you for pointing this out

[silverweb]

216. The more information the better, right?

[pandr32]

231. Exactly

[redstatebluegirl]

15. I trust him more than Sanders, he is not the only "convenience" Democrat running.

At least he doesn't bash the party he is running with all the time.

[Squinch]

34. No. He donates to candidates from other parties when they pledge to help with

what have been his pet issues which are gun control and climate change.

[Squinch]

57. Moving the goal posts much? My post was about his donating to Republicans. And yes. The

purpose of those donations was to help candidates who promised to pass legislation on his two pet issues which are climate change and gun control.

I don't agree with it, but that WAS the reason.

[Squinch]

99. And what has your candidate accomplished in his long political life of perfect virtue?

[Squinch]

133. Then you simply have not done enough research into the other candidates. ALL of them

without exception have done more for the poor and middle class than your very pure candidate.

[ehrnst]

161. "I won't disparage any of the other candidates"

But....

I see him as the very definition of a billionaire who would sell his own mother if it was in his interest to do so.

when you are worth 60 billion dollars, money no longer has value besides spending it to get power whenever you can.

You left out "Bless his heart."

[apcalc]

233. Good points.

[ehrnst]

145. It's worth mentioning that there is a candidate on the Democratic ticket has been promoted

by both the republicans and Russia.

It's not Bloomberg. He cleared that low bar. In fact, the Trump campaign feels far more threatened by Bloomberg than Sanders.

https://www.nytimes.com/2020/01/14/us/politics/trump-sanders-bloomberg-2020.html

President Trump’s advisers see Senator Bernie Sanders as their ideal Democratic opponent in November and have been doing what they can to elevate his profile and bolster his chances of winning the Iowa caucuses, according to Republicans familiar with the plans.

But their new focus on Mr. Sanders, independent of Vermont, comes at a time the president himself has been closely watching Michael R. Bloomberg, a late arrival to the Democratic primary race, unnerved by his campaign spending and his suggestion he might spend $1 billion of his own fortune on opposing Mr. Trump, even if he does not emerge as the nominee.

It has left the president and his campaign focused on two different candidates in the weeks before Democrats cast their first votes in Iowa — one, a populist running with a grass-roots movement behind him, and the other, a liberal billionaire who could refashion the general election because of his bottomless bank account.

[ehrnst]

163. If they didn't want him as the nominee, they'd be treating him like they are treating Biden.

But they are not. They are clearly promoting him.

Is that clearer?

[ehrnst]

183. Yes yes yes

It's clear by the way they are going after Biden that they don't want him as the nominee.

They are treating Sanders the opposite.

You seem to think that Democrats will just listen to Trump and the GOP then "just do the opposite", and fight with each other and that's their cunning plan?



You also sound like you really believe that Sanders supporters are easily persuaded by Trump and the GOP to stay home on election day if he's not the nominee.

Is that true for you?

[ehrnst]

199. Why would Sanders supporters be suspicious of the process?

[ehrnst]

209. "Some Sanders supporters"

Certainly not enough to affect the election. I think that people are smarter than to believe those debunked myths.

You don't seem to think that "some" Sanders supporters have much in the way of critical thinking skills and are mere sheep willing to believe anything that Trump says about the topic.

Why is that?

[ehrnst]

211. So you think "some Sanders supporters" can't be relied on to differentiate between

Trump's lies and reality?

What makes them still distrustful of the process? After all, Bernie jumped in with both feet, knowing full well what the process is.

[George II]

175. Switching of parties constantly"? REALLY? He was a Democrat for 40 years, became a republican...

...in 2001 because there were NO republicans running for Mayor that year. To get elected it was a smart move. He left the republican party after about six years and returned to the Democratic Party two years ago. That's not "constantly".

Your I candidate (why not mention him?) has never belonged to a party for 40 years, ever.

[Mike 03]

182. Thank you George

I tried explaining this once. Once was enough.

[George II]

186. It gets tough sometimes. Bloomberg ran in the republican primary against DEMOCRAT Herman Badillo!

There were no republicans in the republican primary. That was the state of NYC politics back in 2001.

[George II]

168. You have no idea of the dynamics of the Mayoral race in 2001. If you did you'd know why....

....he became a republican for only six years. Prior to that he was a Democrat for about 40 years.

Plus, since he joined the Democratic Party in 2018, he's been a Democrat longer than that other candidate has been in his life.

[ehrnst]

191. "not going to disparage any candidates..."

he will do and say whatever is in his best interest to do and say at any given moment even if you agree with some of the things he say sometimes.

Again.... you left out "bless his heart."

[ehrnst]

197. But you don't call that "disparaging"

[George II]

215. Herman Badillo, another life long distinguished Democrat, felt the same as Bloomberg....

...when he ran in the republican primary in 2001. There were no "true" republicans running in either primary that year.

[apcalc]

61. I can't imagine here in PA that Toomey supports gun control.

Why did he donate to him, then? I will be watching for his gun control comments.

[Squinch]

63. Climate change legislation or programs?

[Bradshaw3]

101. What a crock

And they just happen to support tax and other policies that benefit billionaires. I'm sure that had nothing to do with his support. Oh and those repubs also vote in judges and support policies that do tons more damage to our country, and they voted to acquit drumpf. But hey who cares about those things right? Sheesh. So lame.

[Squinch]

103. Have you seen Bloomberg's tax policy proposal? He's not looking for a tax break.

[Bradshaw3]

108. Have you seen the Wizard of Oz

All of a sudden he is now a Democrat who is for working people and reigning in the corporations. I can't believe people are falling for this.

[uponit7771]

112. THANK YOU !!! He's had decades of racism against PoC and defended Racial profiling last year

... and now we're supposed to believe it wont be a nation wide thing if he's president !?

[Squinch]

126. And Biden defended his racist crime bill LAST YEAR:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/05/16/joe-bidens-defense-crime-bills-role-incarceration-trend/

And now we're supposed to believe it won't be a nationwide thing if he's president!?

[uponit7771]

139. This is false on its face ""It was a big mistake when it was made,"(link)

https://www.businessinsider.com/biden-apologizes-for-pushing-hardline-laws-on-crime-immigration-in-1990s-2019-1

and Biden doesn't have decades of saying racist shit about Minorities to justify racial profiling

[Squinch]

149. And 5 months LATER he defended the crime bill.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/05/16/joe-bidens-defense-crime-bills-role-incarceration-trend/

At least Bloomberg is sticking with his apology.

[uponit7771]

154. No he's not !!! He said Stop and Frisk was "overused" vs racial profiling shouldn't have been used

... at all because it's racist and he had to justify that racism with some overtly racist shit about PoC.

Just stop, Bloomberg on the issue set out with a racist policy and justified it was racist crap about PoC ... that's a matter of record.

No other candidate has set out with an overtly racist policy on it face like Racial profiling used in Stop and Frisk.

Bloomberg is worse than any other candidate in that area and the reason his numbers are horrible with blacks.

[apcalc]

42. +1

[DanTex]

83. What do you not trust Sanders about?

Do you think he's going to somehow make a right-turn in office and abandon all the principles and policies he campaigned on? I gotta say, that seems extremely unlikely.

But if not that, then what else is there to not "trust" about him, or any other politician, really?

[uponit7771]

94. I don't trust Sanders consummate LEADING deflection and not answering questions.

[DanTex]

116. I'm asking what do you not trust him to do or not do if he's elected.

For example, with Bloomberg, I have trouble trusting that he won't embrace austerity type politics, since he's been in favor of benefit cuts for his entire career. I also don't trust that he wouldn't implement stop-and-frisk type policing tactics. I don't trust that he wouldn't expand the military. And so on.

I can't be sure, of course, but it's not easy for me to trust that he'll govern based on the things he's saying now, when those things are contrary to the views he's stated for 20 years, and the way he governed as mayor of NYC.

With Bernie, though, I don't see how anyone, like him or not, would be worried that he's going to flip on his policies and principles. Maybe on gun control, there he's been late to the game, but in terms of things like healthcare, taxes, wages, labor, environment, pro-choice, etc., he's never wavered.

[uponit7771]

122. I don't trust he'll get MFA or anything close enacted and I don't trust him on immigration because

... of the statements he said in the past.

I don't trust him on guns because of his recent stance with them nor on education cause the amount of pandering it takes to say "Free" vs accessable.

I've looked at his past record, he's been consistent but not practical

[DanTex]

127. I agree that anyone who becomes president will face resistance from the GOP to their agenda.

[Squinch]

140. Bloomberg has always been consistent on immigration. During his tenture in NYC he took away all

administrative blocks that had worked in the past to prevent undocumented residents from receiving any social services. He has always advocated for a path to citizenship for all 11 million undocumented in the US. He has always called the need for that path a "no brainer."

[uponit7771]

159. Hmmmm, that's a good thing

[Squinch]

164. .

I mean you no ill, uponit7771. We both want what's best for the country.

I hope we get it.

[uponit7771]

167. 👍, I want to like Bloomberg cause he's got the money to buy it all I just want dem policies

... to go forward and not me and mines situation to be made worse.

My pockets are already lighter because of Trump

[apcalc]

171. yup...move Dem policies forward

[Squinch]

172. Mine too.

But at this point, I have real fears for the rule of law, and real actual fears that the Democracy won't last another Trump term.

I'd be happy with going back to the status quo that was in place when Obama left.

[dalton99a]

87. +1

[Squinch]

16. Here's how he has acted in the past, and how I think he will act in the future:

He identifies the problems that he thinks are the worst. Then he does EVERYTHING he can think of, sometimes without considering the ramifications, to solve that problem.

As NYC mayor, one of those problems was the skyrocketing murder rate of young black men. Stop and frisk was one of many initiatives he thought would solve that problem. It was immoral, ineffective, and unconstitutional. There is no argument about that.

HOWEVER, during Bloomberg's tenure, the murder rate of young black men fell by 50%. And the incarceration rate FELL by 40%. (At a time when the incarceration rate of young black men was rising fast due to the crime bill passed by Biden and BS, who seem to be getting a pass on their racist act.) Bloomberg did give back some things of great value to the population he wronged.

Since he left NYC politics, gun violence and climate seem to be what he has identified as the major problems. I happen to agree with him on those choices. He has contributed money to some Republicans in the service of solving those problems. Do I strongly object to that? Of course I do. But on the other hand, I feel pretty certain that when Bloomberg is done, gun violence will be vastly reduced and the climate will be in much better shape.

As President, I think he will identify reversing all that Filthy Donnie has done as the major problem. And I agree with him there too. And I feel confident that, though I might not like his methods, might at some points hate them, in the end, Filthy Donnie will be erased from history.

[Turin_C3PO]

24. Hope you're right.

[Squinch]

33. It is how he has done it in the past in my observation. At times it is painful. I will be

the last one to deny that.

[Mike 03]

40. This is exactly what I took away from "The Many Lives of Michael Bloomberg"

The good he's done is getting lost, understandably, in this period of vetting. NY has vetted Bloomberg for 20 years, but the rest of America seems not to know that much about him.

I'm reading everything I can get my hands on.

He's tried a lot of things that have never been tried before, and some of them succeeded (most, in fact) but some of them failed badly.

He hires brilliant people and he lets them do their jobs. He made a couple of hiring mistakes, but the vast majority of his choices were excellent.

The talking point "He's a Republican" is rubbish. I wish people would read a bit more about him.

When he was Mayor of NY, he went into his own fortune multiple times to fill voids in the NY budget, including on the World Trade Center memorial. He gave teachers raises of forty+ something percent.

Many of his top people were women and nobody's talking about that.

The story of him taking on the NRA was revelatory. There's a chapter in the book cited above on police operations under Bloomberg. If you only read one chapter in that book, read "Bloomberg's Bulldog". Bloomberg's challenge of the NRA--I can't think of anyone who has taken it more to them. That chapter also does a deep dive on Stop and Frisk, which I have no intention of defending. Incarceration dropped enormously under Bloomberg because he didn't believe in throwing young people into prison.

Then there's his environmental push in the later part of his Mayorship.

There's a lot here, but now the avalanche of negative stuff is coming out, as it should, but hopefully it will be balanced out by the things he did right. He fixed things in NY that had been broken for decades. He built more than six hundreds schools (he closed around a hundred and fifty?). He built parks and revolutionized public transportation. He overhauled a broken 911 emergency system, and implemented 311. Then there are his controversial anti-smoking/sugar/salt health initiatives.

My subjective appraisal is that on character, implementation and guts, it's 80% positive and 20% questionable.

Having said that, I do have some concerns.

But Bloomberg is going to have to teach Americans who know little about him of all the things he's accomplished. That's tough, because it's kind of embarrassing to be asked to tell the world all the good things you've done. But I'm sure he'll manage.

[BusyBeingBest]

54. I agree with much of your assessment. I was looking at

a NYT article about his opening a program for young minority men, for which he contributed 30 million, to help at-risk youth learn how to apply for and hold jobs and learn skills related to that. The NYT article comments were overwhelmingly positive AT THE TIME. There was even charges of reverse racism that he was favoring minorities over white kids. People were more positive about him back then (I think this was 2011?). Vetting has brought out all the negatives and none of the positives, it seems--and the GOP really wants Dems to reject him as the nominee, I'm sure.

[apcalc]

73. Your points are excellent. I do need more education about him.

I like much of what you have written about his positions.
His determination to his causes was pointed out by another poster.

I do need to see what the debates reveal. The media could do better ( as they could with Amy!).

I feel a bit more positive after reading this. TY

[apcalc]

45. I like your arguments re : deaths of young black men

And laser targeting the problems he deems important.
His position on climate change is excellent, as is the position of other Dems.

I suppose climate change should be our most important focus.

[uponit7771]

84. Bloomberg could've done all this without racism and without defending that racism just last year

[Squinch]

95. Biden and BS passed a racist crime bill that resulted in the unjust incarceration of thousands of

young black men. They could have done what they did without the racism too.

But they seem to be getting a pass.

Would you rather be stopped and frisked, or unjustly incarcerated?

Neither is acceptable, but I know which one I'd prefer.

[uponit7771]

106. That wasn't last year and both of them would've done it differently. Bloomberg on the other hand

... was defending his racism last year and then lied about "no one told be about stop and frisk..." which doesn't indicate to me that he's changed his mind.

Bloomberg has not apologized for racial profiling

Again, when it comes to negative impact on PoC Bloomberg is first among all the candidates BECAUSE He defended his racial profiling just LAST YEAR.

[Squinch]

120. Here's Biden defending the crime bill LAST YEAR:

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/05/16/joe-bidens-defense-crime-bills-role-incarceration-trend/

So I guess Biden and Bloomberg have both had a negative impact on POC.

And Bernie has never admitted any wrongdoing. So let's put him there too.

NONE of them is clean. Your insistence that Bloomberg is worse is simply not true.

[uponit7771]

131. Joe Biden says he'd do different now and that's believable because of his record. On the other

... hand Bloomberg said "no on told him about stop and frisk ..." which is a lie.

Again, HANDS DOWN ... Bloomberg is worse when it comes to impact on PoC ... there's no arguing that IE his dysmal numbers with PoC according to last Yahoo poll

Biden said about the crime bill - ""It was a big mistake when it was made," Biden said. and made no excuses about it like " no one told me about stop and frisk ... " which is a lie

[Squinch]

136. So Biden says he'd do it differently today, but was defending it LAST YEAR and

that's believable. Bloomberg puts a ton of money into an ad that says stop and frisk was wrong and ineffective and puts it on the airwaves, and that isn't believable.

OK.

We're going to have to agree to disagree. And I think POC are perhaps our most pragmatic voting bloc. I think they will go for Bloomberg over BS. Time will tell.

[uponit7771]

138. YES !!! Because Biden doesn't have decades of saying racist shit about Minorities

[Squinch]

142. But he DID racist shit. That crime bill was racist. Which is worse?

[uponit7771]

148. Bullshit, there was no racist intent with 94 Crime bill there was racist intent with Stop and Frish

... and Bloomberg even defended with racist statements about PoC.

There's no equivalency here, Bloomberg set out to do racist shit with racist justifications.

No other candidate did that

[Squinch]

152. Bloomberg set out to stop the skyrocketing numbers of murders of young black men in NYC.

Stop and frisk was racist and unconstitutional and immoral. No question.

But Bloomberg's other policies had the result of reducing the murders of young black men by 50%. Is that racist?

And Bloomberg's policies resulted in a 40% reduction in the incarceration of NYC residents.

Whereas Biden's crime bill INCREASED incarceration rates of young black men.

[uponit7771]

157. We're not talking about "other policies" we're talking about Racial Profiling which was on its face

... illegal and justified with some overtly racist shit about PoC.

Bloomberg could've done all that without the racism but chose not to, that's what sets him apart for the other candidates.

[Squinch]

160. And we're talking about the overtly racist shit that was the crime bill.

We aren't going to agree. Have a nice day.

[uponit7771]

169. The crime bill wasn't aimed purposefully at PoC while Bloombergs racial profiling was.

[jmg257]

219. Very interesting post. here is an article explaining about the dropping incarceration rates...

https://www.pbs.org/newshour/nation/new-york-city-defied-national-trends-cut-incarceration-rate-half-study-finds

...
The report’s researchers attribute the dramatic decline to three things: changes in the state’s mandatory minimum sentencing laws; more effective rehabilitation programs and a shift in attitudes among police officers and judges. Between 1996 and 2014, the city’s rate of property crimes and violent offenses also declined 58 percent.

By 2014, New York had closed 13 prisons and directed $24 million to communities affected by prison closures.
“The old notion that locking up more people is the way to reduce crime is—if that ever was true—it hasn’t been true for quite a while,” said Judith A. Greene, study co-author and director of Justice Strategies, a criminal justice research organization.
...
In 2009, the Rockefeller Drug Laws were rolled back, but even before official legislative action took place, the city’s police force moved away from felony drug arrests, reducing them by 66 percent.

Judges also began to see the benefits in the city’s network of rehabilitation programs, said Vincent Schiraldi, study co-author and Harvard Kennedy School senior fellow. By 2014, New York had closed 13 prisons and directed $24 million to communities affected by prison closures.

[Nanjeanne]

20. Not one bit.

[BusyBeingBest]

22. I sort of do. Having watched some of his speeches and presentations now, I

even sort of like him. He is extremely smart and also has a sense of humor. That said, he could turn into another authoritarian in a hurry, I believe, so that would need to be watched. I don't think he will go back on his campaign platform promises though.

[uponit7771]

80. I look at his record from just last year, I don't think he's changed anything and wont do anything

... he says he'd do.

That's if he can get to the office, right now his numbers with PoC are just abysmal

[BusyBeingBest]

91. I would suggest some reading of articles like The Life of Michael Bloomberg by Business Insider

and NYT articles from when he was mayor to see how people used to see him when he was an actual public servant. You're mostly reading and hearing all negative stuff right now because Democratic rivals and the GOP want him out of the race--and his negative stuff is pretty bad, but that is still an unbalanced view, I believe.

[uponit7771]

104. I'm black, of course I'm hearing of the terrorism he enacted on PoC in NY and didn't apologize for

... it until last year then lied and said " no on told me about stop and frisk"

[BusyBeingBest]

111. Yes, I'm aware of all that. I understand that especially black people may never trust him.

I'm not trying to overlook that. I'm just looking at who is strongest against tRump at this point, because if we lose this election it's not going to get better for ANYBODY--not black people, not white people, not hispanics, nobody.

[uponit7771]

117. That's 25% of the electorate and its not just blacks it was Hispanics too. Dems aren't going to vote

... against their own best interest.

We can beat Trump without bloomberg and it'd be easier with his money.

If we win with Bloomberg I don't believe for a second it would get easier for me and mine, we're trading one for of antagnistic racism for another that might be slightly better but still horrible.

[BusyBeingBest]

125. I'm not trying to talk you out of supporting Biden. You have to do

what you have to do, and if you think Biden will help your situation better than any other candidate, you should vote for him. I'm just saying that if Bloomberg ends up the nominee, you might take some comfort in the fact that his record is more mixed, good and bad, than what it appears now with everyone "vetting" all at once, and the Democratic Party will keep him in line I'm sure.

[uponit7771]

165. " the Democratic Party will keep him in line I'm sure." Oh goodness ... this is EXACTLY what they

... said about Trump.

Damn ... never mind

[NedBraden]

26. NO

No.

He is a racist.

He is a misogynist.


But he has lots of money.

And can beat Cheato.


Still no for me.

What kind of direction is the party going on when Bloomberg is allowed to step in and BUY the nomination, effectively killing all the hard work and ideas Klobuchar, Buttiegeg, Biden , BS, and Warren have put in?

Where does that leave us four years from now? As a party ?


We are willing to sell out to a racist misogynist oligarch?

[apcalc]

49. Yes. Buying a nomination ' at the last minute' rots, plus baggage.

[sinkingfeeling]

27. No.

[Happy Hoosier]

28. Not my candidate.... but....

He's better than Trump, and I think he'd have a better chance in the GE than Sanders.

[jcmaine72]

37. About as much as I'd trust a starving cat around my pet parakeet

Less than that, actually.

[apcalc]

50. Funny! To the point, tho!

[Jirel]

39. No.

Nothing can change that. He is a racist, misogynist DINO.

[apcalc]

68. DINO!

[zackymilly]

43. I don't trust him. I think his hate for Trump is greater than his wanting to be president.

So if he gets the nomination and wins the election, I think he would suck at it.

[apcalc]

52. Good point.

[Evergreen Emerald]

46. I trust him more than I trust Bernie n/t

[zackymilly]

51. Why? What has Sanders done to lose your trust? Thanks. n/t

[redstateblues]

121. Bernie is promising things he can't deliver

How did MFA work in Vermont?

[apcalc]

181. Convenience Democrat...criticizes Dems as a party in off years....have trust issues there as well.

[Act_of_Reparation]

47. Fuck no.

[apcalc]

53. Lol, I like your answer!

[Jarqui]

55. +1

[Tipperary]

56. I don't trust any of them.

They are politicians.

[Act_of_Reparation]

59. Right on.

It's best to approach them for what they are: tools to enact legislation you feel the country needs. It's best not to get enamored with them, no matter who we're talking about.

That said, I'd argue they are not all equally untrustworthy. Bloomberg is measurably worse than the rest of the lot.

[Tipperary]

174. I agree - some are better than others.

I never understand those posters who talk about candidates like they’re Hollywood heartthrobs.

I am not the type to get enamored with a candidate.

[emmaverybo]

221. Hollywood heartthrob! Yeah, sometimes supporters' infatuated profiles remind me of stories in

teen idol mags back in the day I.E. over fifty years ago. But falling madly—and I admit I am a tad crushed myself—shows our trusting nature and need for s/heroes. We just have to remember politicians play to that trust and need.

Background checks and more dates, er , debates before we accept a ring.

[lees1975]

58. Not really but

I don't trust very many politicians. Now, if he wins the nomination and its a choice between him and Trump, no choice there, Bloomberg gets my vote.

[apcalc]

62. Hear ya there, sort of the spot I'm in.

[Laelth]

64. Sure.

Even a Republican mayor of New York would be more liberal than most of the Democrats in the area of the country in which I live. I see no good reason to believe that he is a wolf in sheep’s clothing. He’s running as a Democrat, and he is focused on beating Trump. He’s also putting his money where his mouth is. I am not terribly suspicious of Bloomberg at this point.

-Laelth

[Firestorm49]

66. How it plays out is how it plays out. Sound like a Yogi-ism?

The country will decide who gets the nod, whether we like it or not. No amount of bellyaching on DU about which candidate is best will change anyone’s mind. Whomever it turns out to be, I will vote for.

[apcalc]

76. True we need unity. I still think the R's will

Cheat their asses off, flip votes , voter purges, suppression...
Like last time.

[uponit7771]

67. ✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨NO!!!!!✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨✨ MB Was defending his racism last year !!!

[apcalc]

75. Racism . Misogyny too.

Some of his statements are awful, re blacks and women.
I have seen different positions on stop and frisk-ie saved lives vs racist to the core.

[uponit7771]

79. +1, Stop & frisk is legal and its MB's way to conflate the legal vs racial profiling he supported

... based on horrible racist thoughts about PoC in NY.

Not facts just his racism

Just horrible and overt racism that he defended even last year then lied about it and said "no on told him about stop and frisk..."

He hasn't changed ..

[emmaverybo]

225. SQF--stop, question, frisk--is legal. But depends how employed. Bloomberg's policy was declared

unconstitutional. This article discusses why—and how it does not have to violate civil liberties to be a more effective crime fighting tool. Certainly NYC was not the only city to employ SQF in an aggressive and widespread way that exacerbated tensions between community and police and, importantly, led to accusations of racial bias.

This article examines the policy and needed safeguards. Yes, it is also an opinion from a crime fighting perspective, but an apolitical
analysis:

https://thecrimereport.org/2019/11/26/why-bloombergs-apology-perpetuates-misunderstanding-of-stop-and-frisk/

[Squinch]

115. Here's Biden LAST YEAR!!! defending the crime bill he wrote that resulted in the unjust

incarcerations of thousands of young black men.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/05/16/joe-bidens-defense-crime-bills-role-incarceration-trend/

And BS voted for that bill and has justified that vote ever since.

None of them is clean on race issues. But only one of them is getting any heat right now.

[uponit7771]

144. Biden said "It was a big mistake when it was made," & Biden doesn't have decades of racist

... justification for racial profiling like MB.

[Squinch]

146. He said that in January, and then 5 months LATER he defended the crime bill.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/2019/05/16/joe-bidens-defense-crime-bills-role-incarceration-trend/

At least Bloomberg is sticking with his apology.

[uponit7771]

150. He defended aspects of it not the bill as a whole, I can read. Just stop, Bloomberg's set out with a

... overtly racist policy and justified it with racist statements about PoC.

It was horrible and he's not apologized or shown a different mindset when it comes to racial profiling just Stop and Frisk.

That's why his numbers among blacks are dymal

[Squinch]

155. We are not going to agree. Have a good day.

[comradebillyboy]

77. I trust him more than Sanders.

[lamp_shade]

78. Nope.

[dchill]

81. No, I don't trust him. Any reason I should?

[Demsrule86]

82. He helped Toomey because he did gun control...

And I trust Bloomberg way more than Trump. Now Sanders uses the Democratic Party during elections ...and then switches back. He constantly attacks the party and our elected. So I fail to see why Bloomberg switching to the GOP to win a primary and cozying up to Bush to get badly needed funds out of Bush is so terrible. He was representing the people who elected him. It doesn't matter anyway as I want Trump gone. And if Bloomberg can do that, then he has my vote.

[CrispyQ]

93. I trust that he wants the Con out of office & would like things to return to the status quo.

The house is on fire. I'm okay with status quo right now.

To your other points, people change. Has Bloomberg? I don't know, but he's good on climate change, I like his daughters, and I've read articles that he treats and pays his employees well. And he knows how to throw a solid punch. I think he is the one candidate the Con is least prepared to run against.

That said, my ballot is in front of me and I still haven't filled it out.

[hedda_foil]

96. Not at all. He's too old and too arrogant to have suddenly switched his core beliefs.

He doesn't like Trump but it's a conversion of convenience scripted by the best consultants his money can buy. He's no more committed to Democratic ideals of equality and empathy than Romney.

[Mersky]

97. I trust that he's acting rationally.

Last edited Tue Feb 18, 2020, 12:04 PM - Edit history (1)

It is in his best interest to run for the presidency if he cares to keep making money in an economy that isn’t controlled by christofascist hooligans. Whether he wins or not, the electorate is better off with him putting out his own message than pumping money into candidates behind the scenes. I assume he’d rather not than pay the pipers that loom if the crook in the WH cheats another election to victory. In this way, I’d say he’s smarter and more trustworthy than the mercer type billionaires of the world, but I guess that’s not saying much.

So, I glanced over some of his platform, and I like the strictures of a $15 minimum wage and cutting greenhouse emissions by 50% by 2030. Learning centers, apprenticeship, and increased rural broadband access sound good, too.

I wish he wasn’t so vague about reigning in Wall Street - I’d like to see more acknowledgment of the real factors that lead to the recession that involved the risk taking culture that ran wild after the repeal of Glass-Stegall. Maybe if cj roberts needed to maintain group health insurance in between jobs by taking extra college courses on the economics of the mortgage crisis and nutrition like I did, he would have thought differently in his evaluation of the citizens united decision? Then maybe Bloomberg wouldn’t have to run for the presidency against the gadfly of NYC mayors?

I trust that Bloomberg isn’t a fascist asshole, even if he’s kind of a jerk. He’s perhaps way more conservative than I’m currently able to recognize, and he is a bit hard to take, but I like his ads. I tend to think he won’t win the nomination, but that his fight against tRump is true and worthwhile, regardless. I can appreciate his voice in the race and be circumspect at the same time.

Got lost in the over-thinking of this. Do I trust him? That’d be a, yes, on some things. Is it enough? I don’t know at this time.

[hedda_foil]

107. His platform? You believe his consultant polled and written platform reflects his beliefs?

Please!

[apcalc]

113. +1

[Mersky]

132. Yeah, I hear you

I really don’t know, as we haven’t seen him speak to it. I am leery. He’s not my first, second, third, or fourth choice. I’d take him over Gabbard, but that’s not saying much.

[hedda_foil]

205. I wouldn't be happy voting for either of them, but I've held my nose before.

[apcalc]

110. Very thoughtful and comprehensive. Ty for the platform research

I appreciate that we are sort of stuck, in the back and forth . More research , more back and forth.

Not a fascist asshole? Agree! And that is worth some points right there!

[Mersky]

141. I'm grappling with it

I’ll dig into his questionable comments and history on my own. Haven’t been impressed with the hair on fire takedowns of him. Stop and frisk gives me chills - I do think he can be lead astray and that bothers me the most. I don’t want another pResident just going with his gut instincts about complicated issues that can cause real harm.

Again, tho, I am perhaps fooling myself, but I am doubtful of him getting the nomination. Helps me to just appreciate his tRump ass-whipping ads.

[apcalc]

176. like those ads...my fave has a karate kick to the head

[Mersky]

178. It is a good one - probably my favorite, too

[Mersky]

170. Is a good question you asked

I needed a space to think out loud about him. And I’m interested in the ensuing discussion.

[apcalc]

173. tty. me too. The discussion is good...still going back and forth.

[Fresh_Start]

102. I trust if he loses the nomination he won't spoil the convention

and screw up the party by strewing garbage in 2021-2024

[apcalc]

114. I have not forgotten. And I'm still pissed.

[Fresh_Start]

118. i could forgive the convention

I can't forgive the current actions and lies.

[Faux pas]

105. I don't trust him

he's trump with real money, brains, and an extra scoop of bigotry.

[apcalc]

119. Ah, you may be right. How are we to know?

[Faux pas]

218. I've been paying

attention to his record. Minorities, women etc, etc, etc. Plus, he didn't get rich by being a nice guy.

[randr]

124. His record includes an apology for mistakes

He is the most strong supporter of gun control
He bailed out Planned Parenthood
He has standing organizations in all the states needed for electoral victory
He helped us win back the House in 2018 with his gun stance and organization
He can free up funding for Dems to take back the Senate
He is willing to help who ever has nomination, something not all are committed to do.
He is winning support of the black community, something no one will beat Trump without.
I have been disturbed by much of his past and only recently came to understand that the "stop and frisk" policy is viewed as a necessary evil by the black community that were mostly affected by the violence the policy was intended to thwart.
My only goal at this moment is to help choose a candidate to beat Trump.
I have a gut feeling the Trump will eat Bernie alive as for most of the others. The only candidate he has not demeaned so far is Amy and I think this is a tell.
I am hoping we put forth a Bloomberg/Klobuchar ticket and win back the Senate.
With the House and Senate in hand, all of our favored policies will get fair debate and consideration.

[Loki Liesmith]

128. I don't trust any politician.

Politicians are tools for political ends, not friends.

[Anaxamander]

134. In a word: no

Why would I trust a billionaire Republican trying to buy the nomination? That's kind of the opposite of what I look for in a candidate.

[Omen78]

135. Not if I hold to my core principles

I'll say it again... We can't find a democrat to beat Trump?

[Throck]

143. I'm skeptical about candidates who excessively self fund.

If a candidate raises money via donations it shows a level of support and endorsement by the general population backing them. Also who makes the donations? The average voter or high end big business connected people?

If they spend millions/billions of their own money, how much is ego?

I want a politician with a heart in the campaign.

My opinion is not an end-all, just makes me take a closer look at the candidate.

[stopbush]

153. Yes.

It would be nice if you would list some of his positives as well.

[Kurt V.]

156. no. he has clearly shown who he is.

[lapfog_1]

162. trust him to do what?

hire openly racist assholes like Stephen Miller? I don't think so.

Grab women by the pussy in the oval office? nope.

Say no to M4A - yeah... pretty sure we won't see M4A from him.

Expand the ACA (Obamacare) - I think this is a sure bet.

Spend less on the military and more on infrastructure and social programs - it's a fair bet.

[totodeinhere]

177. Absolutely I do not trust him. He is far down my list.

But he would be better than Trump and I would vote for him. But he is far from my first choice.

[Pachamama]

180. I switched decades ago from being a Republican to a Democrat

Yeah - just like I trust myself, I trust Michael Bloomberg

[apcalc]

184. why did you switch decades ago...I hated Nixon, liked Ford....but not Reagan...no way

Vietnam war, women's movement, civil rights turned me Dem all the way...no going back

[Pachamama]

198. I grew up and formed my own opinions versus my parents

Many people like myself have their declared “Party” based on their environment and family and peers.

As I matured, went out into the world, got educated, worked in the world, formed new relationships and experiences - I realized that my values were more in line with the values of the Democratic Party.

[apcalc]

203. +1

[nobuddy]

193. Trump fears Bloomberg

that should be good enough for everyone

[apcalc]

204. +1 good point

[at140]

228. He won't after the Vegas debate

I think Trump fears Sanders, Warren, Biden & Klobuchar more.

[samir.g]

194. Not as far as I could throw him.

[jmg257]

200. Personally? Not so sure, but with my wife, daughter, minority or Asian friends? No F'ing Way.

[Baked Potato]

201. At first, I thought, well sure, he looks like a Trump stumper, but then the backstories came out

There is a lot of statements and positions from him which need a LOT of cleaning up and explaining. I trust all of the other candidates more than him.

[Fiendish Thingy]

206. Nope

I don’t trust any racist, authoritarian, misogynist, billionaire oligarchs, regardless of which party they belong to.

[The Mouth]

207. Nope

He's just another billionaire out to screw everyone he can. The fact he's selling an anti-trump message and has personal animus towards Trump just makes us want to buy into it blindly.

We've always been at war with Eastasia

[customerserviceguy]

212. I've made my feelings about him known

he is a disaster waiting to happen, but I suspect something else sinister that he would be sorely tempted to try. Should Bernie Sanders get the nomination (especially on a second or subsequent ballot) Bloomie might very well try to run a third party campaign. He's said that he's going to oppose Trump, and I can see him tossing big bucks to both Democratic and GOP candidates for House and Senate, to build a bought coalition to get his way if the third party gambit works.

Remember, we had the Jesse Ventura election some two decades ago, where a personality cult threaded the needle to eke out 34% to both major parties' nominees getting 33% each. And if Bloomie carpet bombs swing states, he might well achieve enough electoral votes to win.

My opinion is that it would just put Trump back in office. I hope at the debate, someone on the stage challenges him to a pledge that he will not run third party.

[apcalc]

214. Omg 3rd party bid... had not thought of that 😕

[customerserviceguy]

217. Bloomie's said

that he intends to keep fighting Trump. Anything in those statements that precludes a third party candidacy, especially if he's declared Sanders as unfit to be President? And he has a bunch of super-worried Democratic House members and Senators up for election that his campaign funnels money to?

I can imagine people like Doug Jones who would be desperate for that money. Can you imagine a Democratic challenger to Mitch McConnell not taking big bucks to defeat the Turtle? I can't.

And if it works, President Bloomie would own them.

[uponit7771]

238. +1

[LanternWaste]

213. If Biden's the Dem nominee, I'll vote for him. If Bloomberg is the nominee, I'll vote against trump.

That's about as far as any faith or trust I have in him goes.

[apcalc]

235. +1

[Dem4Life1102]

223. No!

[loyalsister]

224. No.

[Aviation Pro]

226. Look at his donations for all of 2019

Yep, I trust him.

[tencats]

229. Same here.

Should it be Bloomberg, I'm all in supporting him. He's not my first or second choice though.

[uponit7771]

239. I don't trust his words his actions I'd like to take a good look at though

[at140]

227. No!

[Doreen]

230. NO!

I see him as a Democrat version of Jill Stien.

I fear he will turn back to Republican rule the moment he wins the presidency if he wins it.

I fear he will actually not try to turn back the damage trump has done to this country.

Just as trump I would not be surprised if he bought his votes.

The only thing I think he might do that is good is work at repairing our relationship with our allies we had before trump.

We need more than just that.

[mvd]

232. No, and it is my biggest reason he is last on my list

We have a common goal in hating Trump, but I am not sure Democrats and Bloomberg really share a vision for the country. I also distrust someone using so much money. I don’t think he really cares about income inequality, and now we have the misogyny and racism.

[myohmy2]

234. No!

...

[ehrnst]

237. a 'convenience' Democrat...

Yep. That's something to consider in a candidate.

[Kaleva]

241. Warren and Bloomberg were registered Repubs for about the same amount of time

[ehrnst]

243. Warren has been a Democrat for longer than all of Bernie's primary runs combined

Bernie, however...
Sanders: I don't consider myself a Democrat

In fact, Bernie said the only political party he would consider identifying with (other than the fringe socialist parties that he was associated with before he realized he couldn't win an election running on those ticket) was the Working Families Party.

This year they endorsed Warren, and got harassment from Sanders supporters.

Not seeing where Warren or Bloomberg has had that issue....nor did they ever say that there wasn't much difference between the Democratic and Republican parties... You're a Bloomberg supporter, you know that.

In one speech in 1989, Sanders said that the Democratic Party could not be turned around and that it was impossible to build a progressive movement within the party. More than two decades later, in 2011, he suggested that the party should change its name to the "Republican-lite" party.

Sanders' derision of the Democratic Party was discussed during his unsuccessful 2016 presidential run. But the little-known1989 speech reviewed by CNN's KFile reveals the depth of Sanders' criticisms of the party he has now pledged to represent if he becomes the Democratic nominee in 2020. And though Sanders has endorsed the Democratic presidential candidate in every election the 1980s, including campaigning to elect Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton, his past criticism of Democrats has fueled some of the continued skepticism of his candidacy from the more establishment wing of the party.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/07/11/politics/democratic-primary-bernie-sanders-kfile/index.html

[Kaleva]

247. My mistake. You were talking about Sanders being a "convenience Democrat".

[ehrnst]

249. You thought I was talking about Bloomberg? (nt)

[Kaleva]

250. The OP is about Bloomberg

So I just made the assumption that is who were were talking about. My bad.

[ehrnst]

251. I understand.

I was trying to be too clever by half, and I guess it was pretty vague.

Mea culpa.

[BeyondGeography]

242. Why would anyone trust him?

He's a technocrat with no ideological center. If he has a moral center it takes a back seat to the bottom-line mentality that brought him to where he is at this point. He saw NYC as an underappreciated asset, re-zoned it neighborhood-by-neighborhood, made the city increasingly unaffordable for more and more people and saw absolutely nothing wrong with that.

On social issues, maybe he regrets stop-and-frisk now, but primarily because it has become a political inconvenience for him. His misogyny was laid bare by EW the other night along with his lack of remorse. He would put a good faith effort forward to improve on race and gender issues IMO but he would never be proactive and wouldn't recognize a bad social policy idea if it sat on his head.

He's a cold fish. The vision of Michael Bloomberg simultaneously pondering the issues of budget deficits and entitlement reform should give everyone chills.

If this is who Democrats settle on to take out Trump we have completely lost our way.

[aikoaiko]

244. No.

[ibegurpard]

245. Nope

Not a Biden fan but I'd jump for joy if the contest was between him and Biden and Biden won. And it wouldn't even be a lesser of 2 evils and hold my nose kind of situation.
Biden is OK. Bloomberg represents everything that is wrong with our political and economic system. It really WOULD be a hold my nose situation if I had to vote for him.

[brooklynite]

246. I do trust him. He's not a "convenience" Democrat; he WAS a "convenience" Republican.

[Kaleva]

248. Yes

[patricia92243]

252. He has been a Democrat for 60 years out of his 77 years.

[Liberalhammer]

253. I think he would have been better served

Using his vast wealth to help build more party infrastructure and messaging against Trump, then letting his ego get in the way.