One thing is certain: NOTHING is certain about 2020 as far as electing the next President. Certainly, incumbents always seem to have an edge. But that applies to past U.S. elections. The United States presidential elections are no longer “like” past elections. Example: Donald Trump.
One thing IS certain: the landscape and operations of national elections is anything but similar to the past. Civility is gone; issue-only debates are gone; political party unity is gone. All of these past elements that controlled national elections have been forgotten, and have been replaced by Divisiveness. There can be NO question that America is completely divided. Whether one wishes to term the divisions as Republican and Democrat, Liberal and Conservative, Partisan and Non-Partisan, the rift is there. Even not yet having an exact name, we know that political rift is wide, deep, and VERY strong. That rift will determine the winners in 2020 and every national election in the foreseeable future.
Seldom does an incumbent President not run for a successive term. President Trump announced early into his presidency his plans to run for re-election. Many feel there will be at least one challenger from the Republican Party. Several have made some noise about that as a possibility, but to this point in the ramp-up process, no one has confirmed a run. But what IS certain is that Democrats galore are considering — and some have already indicated a “go” — to throw their hat into the ring. And a “ring” it will be: probably a circus ring!
As a guide for this series of stories about Democrat candidates and the ultimate prediction by TruthNewsNet of who will face a Republican challenger in 2020, we will in each chapter of this series introduce you to one or two potential Democrat candidates. Our final chapter will introduce you to the person we are fairly certain at this point will be the Democrat Party’s choice. As we name each, we will give you inside information about them, bullet-point for you their positives and negatives, and rate their chances to be the Dems’ pick to run. In each, we will disclose their views on United States politics, social issues, Immigration, Foreign Policy, and Economics.
As you certainly know, there are quite a few who have been singled out as possible contenders. We’ll narrow the field for you, but not until we give you the scoop on each. So, let’s get started.
Here today is a look and analysis of our first “possible” 2020 candidate for the Democrat Party nomination for President:
Michael Bloomberg
Michael Rubens Bloomberg is an American businessman, politician, author, and philanthropist. As of June 2018, his net worth was estimated at $51.8 billion, making him the 8th-richest person in the United States and the 11th richest person in the world. He has joined The Giving Pledge, whereby billionaires pledge to give away at least half of their wealth. Bloomberg is the founder, CEO, and owner of Bloomberg L.P., a global financial services, mass media, and software company that bears his name, and is notable for its Bloomberg Terminal, a computer software system providing financial data widely used in the global financial services industry. He began his career at the securities brokerage Salomon Brothers, before forming his own company in 1981 and spending the next twenty years as its chairman and CEO. Bloomberg also served as chairman of the board of trustees at his alma mater, Johns Hopkins University, from 1996 to 2002.
Bloomberg Politics
Michael Bloomberg as a politician served as the 108th Mayor of New York City, holding office for three consecutive terms, beginning with his first election in 2001. A Democrat before seeking elective office, Bloomberg switched his party registration in 2001 to run for mayor as a Republican. He won a second term in 2005 and left the Republican Party two years later. Bloomberg campaigned to change the city’s term limits law and was elected to his third term in 2009 as an Independent candidate on the Republican ballot line. In 2018, Bloomberg re-registered as a Democrat.
Bloomberg is a Democrat for most of his life. He is socially liberal or progressive, supporting abortion rights, same-sex marriage, strict gun control measures, environmentalism and citizenship for illegal immigrants, for example. On economics, foreign, and domestic issues, Bloomberg tends to be conservative or moderate. He opposed a timeline for withdrawal from the Iraq War and criticized those who favored one. Economically, he supports government involvement in issues such as public welfare, while being strongly in favor of free trade, pro-business, and describing himself as a fiscal conservative because he balanced the city’s budget. He is concerned about climate change and has touted his mayoral efforts to reduce greenhouse gasses. Bloomberg has been cited for not allowing many emergency officials who responded to the September 11, 2001, attacks to attend the tenth-anniversary observation of that day. He was also at odds with many around the U.S. for not inviting any clergy to the ceremony marking the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks.
Bloomberg on Social issues
Bloomberg supports abortion rights, stating, “Reproductive choice is a fundamental human right and we can never take it for granted. On this issue, you’re either with us or against us.” He has criticized “pro-choice” politicians who support “pro-life” candidates.
Bloomberg supports governmental funding for embryonic stem cell research, calling the Republican position on the issue “insanity”. He supports same-sex marriage with the rationale that “government shouldn’t tell you whom to marry.”
Bloomberg supports the strict drug laws of New York City. He has stated that he smoked marijuana in the past, and was quoted in a 2001 interview as saying “You bet I did. I enjoyed it.” This led to a reported $500,000 advertising campaign by NORML, featuring his image and the quote. Bloomberg stated in a 2002 interview that he regrets the remark and does not believe that marijuana should be decriminalized.
Bloomberg on Immigration
On issues of domestic and homeland security, Bloomberg has attacked social conservatives on immigration, calling their stance unrealistic: “We’re not going to deport 12 million people, so let’s stop this fiction. Let’s give them permanent status.”[109] He supports a federal ID database that uses DNA and fingerprint technology to keep track of all citizens and to verify their legal status. Bloomberg has held that illegal immigrants should be offered legalization and supported the congressional efforts of the late John McCain and the late Ted Kennedy in their attempt at immigration reform in 2007. Regarding border security, he compared it to the tide, stating, “It’s as if we expect border control agents to do what a century of communism could not: defeat the natural market forces of supply and demand… and defeat the natural human desire for freedom and opportunity. You might as well as sit in your beach chair and tell the tide not to come in. As long as America remains a nation dedicated to the proposition that ‘all Men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness’, people from near and far will continue to seek entry into our country.” In 2006, Bloomberg stated on his weekly WABC radio show that illegal immigration does not strain the financial resources of New York City since many immigrants are hard working and “do not avail themselves of services until their situation is dire.”
Bloomberg on Foreign Policy
As mayor, Bloomberg made trips to Mexico, the United Kingdom, Ireland, and Israel in the first four months of 2007. In late 2007 he conducted an Asia trip that brought him to China, where he called for greater freedom of information to promote innovation. He attended the United Nations Climate Conference in Bali. Initially, Bloomberg strongly supported the war in Iraq and the rationale for going in. He stated, “Don’t forget that the war started not very many blocks from here,” alluding to Ground Zero. In regard to the Global War on Terrorism including Iraq, he said, “It’s not only to protect Americans. It’s America’s responsibility to protect people around the world who want to be free.” During the 2004 presidential election campaign, New York City hosted the Republican National Convention at which Bloomberg endorsed President George W. Bush for President of the United States.
Bloomberg Economics
Bloomberg characterizes himself as a fiscal conservative for turning the city’s $6-billion deficit into a $3-billion surplus; however, conservative PAC Club for Growth has criticized him because he increased property taxes and spending while doing so.
Being a fiscal conservative is not about slashing programs that help the poor, or improve health care, or ensure a social safety net. It’s about insisting services are provided efficiently, get to only the people that need them, and achieve the desired results. Fiscal conservatives have hearts too – but we also insist on using our brains, and that means demanding results and holding government accountable for producing them. To me, fiscal conservatism means balancing budgets – not running deficits that the next generation can’t afford. It means improving the efficiency of delivering services by finding innovative ways to do more with less. It means cutting taxes when possible and prudent to do so, raising them overall only when necessary to balance the budget, and only in combination with spending cuts. It means when you run a surplus, you save it; you don’t squander it. And most importantly, being a fiscal conservative means preparing for the inevitable economic downturns – and by all indications, we’ve got one coming.
— Michael Bloomberg, speech to UK Conservative Party, September 30, 2007
Bloomberg has expressed a distaste of taxes, stating, “Taxes are not good things, but if you want services, somebody’s got to pay for them, so they’re a necessary evil.”
Summary
The question most should ask is whether or not Bloomberg will actually run. He has indicated several times an interest to run for president in the past, but those runs never materialized. Maybe, just maybe his ongoing dislike for President Trump and many Trump policies may spur him to enter the race. The two have much history. And remember this: what does every billionaire on Earth have? Answer: pretty much everything they want. However, this billionaire — Michael Bloomberg — can make only one political accomplishment claim: that of being New York City mayor — three times. You may find it hard to believe that a guy worth $50+ Billion would want the daily horrors of U.S. politics in his lap 24/7. When pondering that, however, just remember that Michael Bloomberg looks at the world from a bit different perspective than do all but 100 or so people on Earth. Bloomberg is a multi-billionaire who is accustomed to having and doing anything he wants. United States President is probably on Michael Bloomberg’s bucket list. And why not? He like Trump has been very successful in private business and Bloomberg at his personal sojourn into politics as New York City Mayor.
Not unlike almost every other politician, after their time in office, they can point to wins and losses, accomplishments and failures, and can (and often do) point to other people and circumstances that played roles in those wins and losses that are often more substantial than their own. Bloomberg as not just a politician, but a billionaire politician, must deal with the negative trappings that come with having lots of dollars. But on a positive note about dollars, Bloomberg was able to spend approximately a quarter of a billion of his personal dollars on were costs included in his three successful campaigns for New York City Mayor. Advertising in New York is pretty costly!
Whatever he does next, Bloomberg said, when he looks back on his three terms as mayor he is content to know that he defied special interests. “Yes, it’s nice to have everybody love you,” he said. “And, yes, I don’t like the question ‘Why is your polling down?’ But the truth of the matter is that if fifty to sixty percent of the people still think you’re doing a good job after twelve years in office—that’s pretty good. It’s like skiing. If you tell me you don’t fall, you’re not skiing the double black diamonds.”
Daniel Doctoroff, a deputy mayor in Bloomberg’s administration from 2002 to 2008 and now the president and C.E.O. of Bloomberg L.P., said, “Mike is not afraid to be criticized or to be wrong. He cares much less about how people think of him than anyone I’ve ever known. He’s comfortable with himself. He’s highly self-confident. Yet he doesn’t have a big ego.”
What will determine if a Michael Bloomberg run for the Democrat Party nomination for President will happen? It certainly will NOT be based on money. If Bloomberg was willing to personally shell-out $250 Million for the New York City Mayor’s job, what would it be worth personally to run for President? Add his money to what the DNC would throw in, and a Bloomberg campaign would certainly enter the 2020 race way ahead of any Republican candidate in dollars and cents.
But will rank and file Democrats support a billionaire from the East Coast? Hillary saw Middle America reject a coastal elite in 2016, choosing another billionaire. The question is: could Bloomberg copy Trump’s ability to fully engage the Middle Class sufficient to win?
As American voters, we will not know if Bloomberg will give it a go for a couple of years. And we certainly will not know if he can grab that win until that November evening that is just two short years ahead. Until then, we will push ahead, looking at other Democrats who may be ready for a run.
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