Democratic loyalists aren’t going to like billionaire and former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg entering the race for the party’s presidential nomination. But, whether they acknowledge it or not, they need him right now.
The New York Times on Thursday reported that he’s preparing a run:
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Biden will be mad, but so what?
They need Bloomberg the way Republicans needed Donald Trump.
Democrats got a brief reprieve from their status as a directionless party thanks to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi pursuing impeachment, but the fact remains that they have no real enthusiasm for any one candidate on their side.
Bloomberg isn’t going to bring the wattage to a debate stage, but he’ll do what Trump did. He’ll say what needs to be said, and if no one likes it, he won’t give a damn.
Back during the President Barack Obama years, Bloomberg was the conservative idea of government excess. He wanted legislation that limited salt intake, and he wanted to ban oversized sodas from 7-Elevens.
Whatever. Sprinkle more salt on your food and lift your big bottom up to go refill your soda cup. Those issues were so small.
What matters is that Bloomberg is a wildly successful businessman who, by every indication, has sincere beliefs about the direction the country should move. He wants less crime, so he stands by the successful stop-and-frisk policy. He wants a healthier population, so he stands by his positions on the salt and soda stuff. He wants strict standards in the education system, so he stands by performance-based raises for teachers and cellphone bans for public school students.
These aren’t the views of a far-left liberal who wants the government to control every part of your life. They’re the views of someone who, like Trump, believes that there are some public policy solutions to some problems.
A Bloomberg run is good news for Democrats, whether they like it or not.
