Friday, March 29, 2024

Was Bloomberg A Republican At One Time

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All Thats Known About The 2024 Elections Are The Unknowns

Bloomberg to hit the debate stage for 1st time | WNT

The folks over at FiveThirtyEight ran their first 2024 Republican presidential nomination mock draft last week. They were careful to label it way too early. In a normal presidential-election cycle, I would have been quick to run an item about how that wasnt really true. Indeed, in a normal presidential-election cycle, I would have already written four months ago that the 2024 contest was already underway.

This is not a normal nomination cycle. Or, to be more accurate: These are not normal nomination cycles.

We really have no idea whether either the Republican or the Democratic nominations will be competitive.

On the Republican side, Donald Trump is the first former president to have a serious chance at winning a nomination since Theodore Roosevelt in 1912. No one right now, probably including Trump himself, has any idea whether he will have any interest in an attempted comeback by the time he would have to decide.


Nor does anyone, certainly including Trump, have any sense of whether he would win by acclamation or engage in a competitive contest or, for all we know, get clobbered in the early primaries and never come close to the nomination. Yes, Trump always polls well among Republicans. But remember, almost all well-known Republican politicians will poll well among Republican voters. Theres simply no way that polling now can predict how voters would act against an unknown field of opponents almost three years from now.

Billionaire Bloomberg To Spend $100 Million In Florida To Help Biden

By Trevor Hunnicutt

5 Min Read

NEW YORK – Michael Bloomberg, who spent $1 billion of his own money on a failed 2020 presidential bid, will inject at least $100 million to help Democrat Joe Bidens campaign against President Donald Trump in Florida.

The billionaires decision comes at a critical moment in the final 51 days of the race, with polls showing a close race in the battleground state and no financial advantage for the sitting president as voting gets under way later this month.


Trumps initial financial supremacy over former Vice President Biden evaporated after the Republicans campaign spent freely and Democratic fundraising surged once the partys divisive primary ended.

Mike Bloomberg is committed to helping defeat Trump, and that is going to happen in the battleground states, said Bloomberg adviser Kevin Sheekey, who added that the ex-New York City mayors spending will mean Democrats and the Biden campaign can invest even more heavily in other key states like Pennsylvania, which will be critical to a Biden victory.

Even before Bloombergs spending, both campaigns were expecting Florida to be the most expensive state in which to campaign. It will be the biggest prize among competitive states on Election Day, offering 29 of the 270 Electoral College votes needed to win.

In-state voting by mail in Florida starts on Sept. 24, and Biden is planning his first in-person visit to Florida of the general election season on Tuesday.

Bloomberg News To Refrain From Investigating Dem Presidential Candidates

Bloomberg News, the media outlet owned by former New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg, has decided to refrain from conducting investigations of Democratic presidential candidates during the 2020 elections.


On Sunday Bloomberg editor John Micklethwait sent a letter to staffers laying out the organizations policy for covering the elections while its owner participates as a candidate. Micklethwait revealed that two of the outlets senior editors, David Shipley and Tim OBrian, would be taking a leave of absence to join Michael Bloombergs presidential campaign.

We will continue our tradition of not investigating Mike and we will extend the same policy to his rivals in the Democratic primaries, Micklethwait wrote. We cannot treat Mikes competitors differently from him.

While investigations into the Democratic candidates will be out of bounds, the outlet will still carry on investigations into the Trump presidency.

For the moment, our . . . team will continue to investigate the Trump administration, as the government of the day, said Micklethwait. If Mike is chosen as the Democratic presidential candidate , we will reassess how we do that.

Michael Bloomberg formally announced on Sunday that he would be joining the presidential race. The billionaire former mayor recently bought $34 million in advertisements, in what Politicoreported is one of the largest ad buys ever for a presidential candidate.


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Mike Bloomberg Has A Terrible Past Will His Money Stop Scrutiny Of It

The former New York mayor championed stop and frisk as well as Muslim surveillance programs

During his tenure as mayor of New York City, Michael Bloomberg oversaw one of the most discriminatory surveillance programs in our nations history. His police departments Demographics Unit mapped out Muslim American communities and infiltrated and spied on everything from kebab shops to Muslim student whitewater rafting trips.

Not only was the program offensive to American values even the then New Jersey Republican governor, Chris Christie, an ally of President Trumps, was outraged upon learning of it it did nothing to keep New Yorkers safe. The Demographics Units work did not generate a single terror lead.

But Bloomberg himself has always been unapologetic, insisting the program was justified.


During the 2016 Democratic national convention, Bloomberg was given a primetime speaking role. Working with a colleague, I interviewed many key Democrats from members of Congress to representatives of the Clinton campaign and asked them if Bloomberg should at least apologize for overseeing this program. Almost no Democrat I talked to would call on Bloomberg to apologize foreshadowing his growing power over the party.

Bloombergs ability to buy silence presents a challenge not only to the Democrats, but to democracy itself

Michael Bloomberg Then And Now: Where The Former Republican Mayor Stands On Key Issues In 2020 Democratic Race

One

Michael Bloomberg is quickly becoming one of the top competitors in the Democratic primary for president despite being elected mayor of New York City three times as anything but a Democrat.

The 78-year-old billionaire was a lifelong liberal until he switched to the Republican Party in 2001 in order to get elected. Six years later, he abandoned the GOP and registered as an independentalthough the switch didnt seem to bother Republicans, as they supported his bid for a third mayoral term in 2009. Bloomberg remained an independent until 2018 when he became a Democrat in order to run for president.

What I feel is consistent about Mike Bloomberg is that he doesnt care what people think in the sense of party politics, New York-based Republican strategist Susan Del Percio told Newsweek.

He ran the city through a dollars-and-cents management style but when it came to public policy on other issues, he definitely was more to the left. He just wants to get the job done.


Much like with his party registration, Bloomberg has played both sides of the aisle when making campaign contributions. He spent $11 million helping GOP Senator Pat Toomey get re-elected in 2016, a major victory for Senator Mitch McConnell to keep control of the chamber. In the following election cycle, he poured tens of millions of dollars to help Democrats regain control of the House of Representatives.

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Gop Braces For Democratic Surge In November

John McCormick and Gregory Giroux, Bloomberg News

— Republicans are bracing for a potential Democratic wave in November that would rip away their grip on the U.S. House, leave their agenda in tatters and embroil Donald Trumps White House in a procession of congressional investigations.

As the midterm election campaign enters the homestretch, independent analysts uniformly agree Democrats are well-positioned to take control of the 435-seat chamber when the next Congress convenes and that their odds have only gotten better since the start of the year.


The GOP enters the final two months before the vote confronting an array of flashing warning signsincluding polls, fundraising and primary voter turnoutpointing to the end of one-party rule in Washington.

There is a confluence of things that suggest a very tough outcome for Republicans, said Sara Fagen, who served as White House political director to President George W. Bush when Republicans lost the House and Senate in the 2006 midterm election.

Democrats have expanded the congressional battlefield, putting more than 60 Republican-held House districts in play. They need a net gain of 23 seats to take the majority in the chamber, and are seeking to take advantage of the record number of GOP seats left open by retirements and resignations, which have left Republicans extra-vulnerable.

Read more: Upset Primary Win Shows Democratic Voters Eager to Make Changes

He is melting down all by himself, he said.


In 2000 Bloomberg Until Then A Democrat Registered As A Republican A Month Later He Hosted An Election Night Party With Magazine Editor Tina Brown And Movie Producer Harvey Weinstein

They invited hundreds of friends to a restaurant on Manhattan’s Upper East Side. When The New York Times asked at the party if he wanted to spend his 60s standing over wounded New York police officers as mayor, he responded, “I’d like to prevent cops from getting shot.”

According to The Times, he became a Republican because if he’d remained a Democrat he would have lost in a mayoral primary.

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In 2013 After The Boston Marathon Bombing Bloomberg Called For Constitutional Privacy Protections To Be Weakened According To The Atlantic

“We have to understand that in the world going forward,” he said, “we’re going to have more cameras and that kind of stuff. That’s good in some senses, but it’s different than what we are used to. And the people who are worried about privacy have a legitimate worry, but we live in a complex world where you’re going to have a level of security greater than you did back in the olden days, if you will. And our laws and our interpretation of the Constitution I think have to change.”

The Political Force Of Michael Bloombergs Tactical Charity

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In his quest for the Democratic presidential nomination, former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has already spent nearly a quarter of a billion dollars, more than that of the major Democratic candidates combined. But, ironically, focusing on his immense campaign budget underrates the impact of Bloombergs money on his chances. Just as important is the political force of his charitable giving.


Traditionally, presidential nominations have been than by grassroots mobilization. Bloomberg may be able to gin up some public support through campaign ads and Tammany Hall-style politics, but in the inside game, it would seem he is at a disadvantage. He has never run for national office, has supported Republican candidates, and was himself a Republican.

But politics in America is increasingly organized around institutions reliant on big-donor philanthropy. Candidates, local and state parties, advocacy organizations, think tanks, and many foundations are in a constant scramble for money. Few leaders of these organizations will want to offend a man whose personal wealth makes their entire operating budgets look like a negligible rounding error.

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Massive Hiring Of Staffers Exceeding Market Rate

In February 2020, Ryan Grim of The Intercept reported that Bloomberg’s campaign was employing so many staffers that other campaigns were struggling to fill all their available positions. As Grim pointed out, compared to a more typical monthly rate of $3,000-$4,000 for a field organizer, the Bloomberg campaign’s offered $6,000, which also often had “housing included, as well as a laptop and an iPhone.” As a result of significantly higher wages, many supporters of other candidates began working for Bloomberg while resolving to vote for a different candidate.

In November 2019, Bloomberg announced his run for president in the Democratic primary. After winning only American Samoa on Super Tuesday, Bloomberg ended his presidential bid the following day on March 4, endorsing Joe Biden.

Take Care Of Your Kids

On the 10th anniversary of the attacks, as bagpipers played and New York paused to reflect, Bloomberg presided over the opening of the 9/11 Memorial, a milestone that drew President Barack Obama and more than 10,000 relatives of the dead.

Soaring over the ceremony was the rising symbol of New Yorks recovery 82 of the 104 stories that would become the new World Trade Center.

We can never un-see what happened here, Bloomberg told the crowd assembled alongside two memorial pools tracing the footprints of the fallen towers. Etched in bronze parapets were the nearly 3,000 names of the dead, including that of Peter Alderman.

Over the years, Bloomberg had prodded the city to move past its collective grief. Giuliani had envisioned Ground Zero as a 16-acre memorial. Bloomberg wanted a smaller memorial and pushed for new offices and schools. He warned of turning downtown into a cemetery.

When he spoke to relatives of the dead still in the throes of grief, Bloomberg felt the urge to say, Suck it up, as his parents had taught him.

I thought to myself, Its tragic, but youve got to take care of your kids, he said. You dont want to be crying. You want to be talking about the future What can I do to help your kids?’ ‘What can I do to help you? rather than look back. Looking back isnt going to help.

On another wall, behind glass, was a campaign flier with the date in white letters Tuesday, Sept. 11 reminding voters to support a Republican on that days ballot.

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In November Business Insider Published A Report Delving Into Decades Of Court Records About The Culture Of Bloomberg Lp Which Has Been Described As A Sexualized Predatory Environment

The reporting showed that Bloomberg permitted his company to become in the words of one former employee a “reckless playground” for male senior executives to “target young, female, naive employees” for sex.

Bloomberg’s spokesperson said the comments were unfortunate episodes from decades ago, but the company faces five active discrimination complaints.

He said when he was president he’d turn the White House’s East Room into an open plan office, where he’d work beside his team, and that he’d never use the Oval Office for tweeting.

The new office also has countdown clocks ticking down to Super Tuesday and the General Election. This is because he’s skipping the first four states in his unusual campaign to be the next president of the United States.

Early Life And Financial Career

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Michael Rubens Bloomberg was born on February 14, 1942, in Boston, Massachusetts. The son of a bookkeeper, Bloomberg put himself through Johns Hopkins University and Harvard University, where he earned a Master of Business Administration degree in 1966. His first Wall Street job was with Salomon Brothers, where he quickly climbed the ladder, becoming partner in 1972.

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Murkowski Says She Knows Alaska Better Than Trump

WASHINGTON Republican Senator Lisa Murkowski of Alaska is pushing back against President Trump, saying she knows her states political terrain better than he does.

Trump said voters will never forgive Murkowski for opposing Brett Kavanaughs nomination to the Supreme Court, and he said the senator will never recover politically.

Murkowski, who isnt up for reelection until 2022, told reporters that her barometer is not necessarily what the president says but what the people of Alaska say.

She acknowledged that some voters are disappointed in her decision, but said thats unavoidable because Alaskans were split on whether Kavanaugh should be confirmed.

Murkowski got a vote of confidence Wednesday from Senate Republican leader Mitch McConnell, who told the Associated Press that nobodys going to beat her in Alaska.

Associated Press

Politifact: Michael Bloomberg Is Registered As A Democrat But Is He Accepted As One

Michael Bloomberg is a leading contender for the 2020 Democratic presidential nomination despite being first elected mayor of New York City as a Republican, and later switching his party affiliation to independent.

Indeed, he announced his re-registration as a Democrat in October 2019 just weeks before unveiling his presidential bid.

That history and the billionaire businessmans penchant for donating to Republicans has led to consternation among some Democrats who wonder whether Bloomberg is really one of them.

So is he?

Hes never been as good a Democrat as Ronald Reagan was a Republican, Jim Frasier, former member of the executive committee of the Democratic National Committee, told PolitiFact. Hes every bit as good a Democrat as Bernie Sanders is.

In 1980, Reagan was elected president as a Republican, after having spent much of his early political life as a Democrat. In 2016, Sanders was runner-up for the Democratic presidential nomination, though he hasnt always identified as a member of the party.

Bloombergs campaign didnt offer comment for this article. But in a June 2018 column, Bloomberg explained why he was supporting Democrats in their attempts to win control of the U.S. House of Representatives that year.

“Ive never much liked political parties,” Bloomberg wrote. “Ive always believed that we should put country before party. Too many politicians practice the reverse, with terrible consequences for the American people.”

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Michael Bloomberg Briefly Explained

Bloomberg was born in Boston and grew up in the surrounding area before attending college at Johns Hopkins University and, later, Harvard Business School. He subsequently joined Wall Street brokerage Salomon Brothers but after more than a decade at the firm was laid off after it was acquired with a $10 million severance. In 1981, he used that money to launch what would eventually become Bloomberg LP. The company initially sold computer terminals with financial information to Wall Street and has now expanded to become a media and technology giant with some 19,000 employees.

He was a Democrat before his 2001 mayoral run in New York City, but switched to the Republican Party for his bid and subsequently won. He became an independent in 2007 and served three terms as mayor.

Since leaving city hall, Bloomberg, who is worth an estimated $52 billion, has dedicated his time to Bloomberg Philanthropies, an organization that encompasses all of Bloombergs charitable giving and focuses on five main arenas: public health, the environment, education, government innovation, and arts and culture. The Chronicle of Philanthropy listed Bloomberg as the second-most generous philanthropist of 2018, behind Jeff and MacKenzie Bezos. He gave $1.8 billion to his alma mater Johns Hopkins in 2018, which as Voxs Dylan Matthews explained, while nice, was a sort of wasted opportunity with that money, he could have done other things to boost college affordability.

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