Michael Bloomberg
It was already a different presidential campaign. It appeared to be simplifying itself due to the 73 Democrats that dropped out. We were preparing ourselves for a manageable slate of candidates. Then another ego jumped in. Though all are younger than I, several are long in the tooth.
I have neglected Mike. My excuses are that I have been busy researching and writing 3 more books. One should be published within a month. Then there is preparing for a podcast. It will need its own web site. There is also trying to keep up with the others in the race. Well, here I go in remedying my unintentional snub.
Mike’s candidacy has a few major pros and several cons. I should emphasize that is not a reference to the kind of con lounging in the Oval Office.
He will definitely not be outspent; and money is the ‘mother’s milk’ of politics. While working to his and the party’s advantage, it will work to the disadvantage of a couple of fairly commendable candidates. While his name recognition was high in the New York area and financial circles, it was not on the tip of everyone’s tongue across the nation. That problem is already being cured.
Though I have some significant policy differences with him, they don’t seem to be insurmountable. Is it really necessary to compare him to Wee Willie Wanker?
Though he was born into a middle class household and didn’t inherit his wealth and is a certified billionaire, he does share one trait with Trump (I have to actually include his name for SEO purposes). That trait tends to be a requirement of having tons of money, regardless of how it was obtained. That is feeling special, feeling entitled. There are 2 obvious incidences in Mike’s case.
Despite New York City’s limitation of 2 terms for the office of mayor, Mike swung his weight money to get a third term. That trait has not been eliminated, as witness his avoiding the rules required of all of the other candidates to be included in the debates.
Mike began as a Republican. Though he left that party, they never had an unkind word for him. Could there have been a reason? Yes, money can buy ads. It can even buy votes. Another thing for sale is silence. It doesn’t appear that Mike bribed those of the party he had deserted in the crass way. A donation to their favorite charity or a donation to their campaign worked wonders in reducing a response of the expected tenor. Such an approach was also effective in securing a third term. Corruption? No, but it is a close neighbor.
My philosophical position has long been, and continues unaltered, that leadership should come from the 99 percent. The immediately preceding paragraph is a partial illustration of why. Regardless of how progressive they may appear, the effect of such large sums of money immunizes them from fully understanding the plebes.
We claim, with minimal justification to be a democracy. In a democracy, people must be willing to accept that they won’t always get their way. That does not suit the temperament of plutocrats. Mike is certainly not an exception in that regard. He hasn’t been inoculated with that serum that doesn’t exist.
Being white and from the South, I didn’t experience ‘stop and frisk.’ I have no qualifications to advise the minority communities whether to accept or reject Mike’s recent “come to Jesus epiphany.
What he identified as the problem was the crime rate. That was not the point of view of the targeted communities. Perhaps he now understands the issue as some of those for whose welfare he was supposed to be responsible.
The possession of great wealth simplifies ones perspective. The effect of a policy on oneself carries a lot of weight, to the point of a lack of awareness of other factors. Much, possibly most, of the crime his policy was meant to address was crime against property. That is a sensitive area, particularly to people of wealth, even though he was not personally targeted.
If he becomes the nominee, I would breathe a small sigh of relief, as he could take a bit of a bite out of Trump’s base and shove his money up the hole where the KFC exits. And, as I pointed out earlier, he will not be outspent. However, there are a couple of others that I would prefer. If I had my ‘druthers,’ it would be one of them, backed by Mike’s willingness to part with a sizable amount of his pocket change.
If you found this educational, edifying, interesting or otherwise worth your time, this geezer would appreciate a little supplement to those Social Security checks, They forgot to factor in the cost of publishing a blog.
Many thanks,
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Merely a smiling visitant here to share the love (:, btw outstanding design and style. “He profits most who serves best.” by Arthur F. Sheldon.