Michael Bloomberg can spend unprecedented amounts of money to package himself as a product designed to please — that much we know. But Wednesday’s debate showed what he cannot do.
Mass marketing is one thing. Interacting with the masses is another. It looks suspiciously like when it comes to the former New York City mayor there may be no “there” there.
To me, he brings to mind the music industry’s biggest hoax of the late 1980s. Milli Vanilli was a German pop duo that seemingly came from nowhere to record hit after hit. And not just hits, they had three No. 1’s and a multiplatinum album, all of which led to a Grammy Award for best new artist in 1990. The flaw behind their flawless production is that they did not actually do the singing.
In the studio, it made no difference if they were not on the track, as long as they were on the cover. In public, they lip-synced. It worked well for a while, but eventually the truth became unavoidable. Little clues indicted them until a skipping soundtrack betrayed them during a live concert. As fast as they had appeared, they were gone.
Likewise, Bloomberg has come out of nowhere to the Democrats’ top tier in just 10 weeks or so. So far, he has not been on a ballot, and he is not a candidate in Nevada this weekend, either.
What Bloomberg has shown he can do is spend money — lots and lots and lots of it. According to estimates, it is breaking records and easily outpacing his rivals. In just the fourth quarter of last year, despite having only announced his candidacy on Nov. 24, he spent $188 million — more than Bernie Sanders, Joe Biden, Elizabeth Warren, Pete Buttigieg, and Amy Klobuchar combined.
He has hired an enormous staff. More visibly, he has run commercials nationally — even in states on whose ballot he will not appear. Fox reported he had spent $350 million on ads so far; for comparison, Obama held the previous record of $340 million — amassed over the entire 2012 election cycle.
Bloomberg emerged because he may be the Democratic establishment’s only hope to salvage a race spinning out of control as it spirals leftward. With Biden failing in the first two contests and sinking nationally, the establishment has nowhere else to turn.
Bloomberg’s dismal debate performance must have turned their desperation to exasperation. He appeared unprepared for both the questions and other candidates’ relentless attacks. Both were entirely predictable, yet even on obvious topics, such as stop and frisk and sexual harassment allegations against his company, he offered unsatisfactory, bland, and technical responses to visceral questions.
Bloomberg has used his unmatchable resources to wall himself off from his rivals; it is also clear that he has walled himself off from the public. Wednesday night’s performance demonstrates why.
Retail politics is still important. It reveals who candidates really are under pressure and unscripted. It gives people a chance to connect with those seeking their nation’s highest office. As with singers, it shows whether they can actually perform outside of the controlled studio environment.
During this campaign, the candidates’ biggest mistakes have come from direct encounters — with voters, press, or opponents. So have Bloomberg’s: You will not find his remarks on stop and frisk, redlining, or farming in his slick commercials. But most would say that it was important that these were heard.
Bloomberg is the newest entrant to the race. Perhaps he should be expected to lack his opponents’ eight months’ preparation. Yet on Wednesday, it seemed maybe there was more to it than that. Bloomberg is not just unprepared. He has been purposely living in a bubble. His message is a soundtrack, and he is only adept at transmitting, not receiving.
When Milli Vanilli were finally unmasked, their Grammy was taken away. Democrats should be careful — they will not be able to take back their nomination once they’ve given it.
J.T. Young served under President George W. Bush as the director of communications in the Office of Management and Budget and as deputy assistant secretary in legislative affairs for tax and budget at the Treasury Department.
