Other Educational And Research Philanthropy
Through Bloomberg Philanthropies, Bloomberg established the American Talent Initiative in 2016 which is committed to increasing the number of lower-income high-achieving students attending elite colleges. Bloomberg Philanthropies also supports CollegePoint which has provided advising to lower- and moderate-income high school students since 2014.
In 2016, the Museum of Science, Boston announced a $50 million gift from Bloomberg. Bloomberg credited the museum with sparking his intellectual curiosity as a patron and student during his youth in Medford, Massachusetts. It is the largest donation in the museum’s 186-year history.
In 2015, Bloomberg donated $100 million to Cornell Tech, the applied sciences graduate school of Cornell University on the school’s Roosevelt Island campus.
In 1996, Bloomberg endowed the William Henry Bloomberg Professorship at Harvard University with a $3 million gift in honor of his father, who died in 1963, saying, “throughout his life, he recognized the importance of reaching out to the nonprofit sector to help better the welfare of the entire community.”
Bloomberg Thinks Theres A Path For Him
Bloomberg is running as a centrist alternative to the more progressive candidates in the field, and appears to be trying to occupy the space Biden and Pete Buttigieg are competing in. His entrance into the race has caused some eye-rolls hes swooping in late in the game, when voters arguably already have a number of candidates with similar platforms to choose from. Granted, some of these candidates are not as well known as Bloomberg is, andhe has the money to pay for his bid, regardless of any pushback.
As a candidate, Bloomberg is likely to focus on many of the same issues hes championed in recent years: namely, gun control and climate change. He previewed this emphasis in speeches and appearances ahead of his announcement.
During a speech in New Hampshire in January, Bloomberg talked about the need for commonsense gun laws, but was moderate in his rhetoric. Nobodys trying to take away anybodys guns, but we shouldnt be selling guns to criminals or people with psychiatric problems or minors, he said. During the same speech, he touted his record on climate and pointed out hes been working on the issue for more than a dozen years.
He visited Iowa in 2018, and prior to his arrival wrote an op-ed in the Des Moines Register in which he discussed the possibilities for clean energy in the state and the economic impact embracing green energy could have. He hosted a screening there of his new climate change documentary, Paris to Pittsburgh.
Illinois Governor Backs Biden For President
WASHINGTON Illinois Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker is backing former Vice President Joe Bidens presidential bid, he announced Monday.
The endorsement came one day before the states Democratic presidential primary and one day after Biden faced off against Vermont Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders in a one-on-one debate Sunday night. The endorsement also comes as governors across the country are scrambling to respond to the coronavirus outbreak and spread.
As our nation faces some of the biggest challenges of our time, I know Vice President Joe Biden is the right candidate to beat Donald Trump and lead us into a new era. Its time to unite as Democrats to restore respect to our nations highest office, Pritzker said in a statement.
Don’t Miss: How To Watch Patriots Eagles Preseason Game
/11 Attacks Catapulted Bloomberg Into City Hall Changed Nyc Staten Island Political History
Never the same again.
STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. In early 2001, few New Yorkers had heard of billionaire media magnate Michael Bloomberg.
That November, Bloomberg was elected mayor of the City of New York.
Note to readers: if you purchase something through one of our affiliate links we may earn a commission.
The Great Switch: How The Republican & Democratic Parties Flipped Ideologies
The Democratic and Republican Parties of have not always had the same ideals that they have today. In fact, America’s two dominant political parties have essentially flipped ideologies in the time since they were founded. The Democratic Party was founded in 1828 while the Republican Party dates back to 1854.
In its early years, the Republican Party was considered quite liberal, while the Democrats were known for staunch conservatism. This is the exact opposite of how each party would be described today. This change did not happen overnight, however. Instead, it was a slow set of changes and policies that caused the great switch.
You May Like: Do Republicans Support The Death Penalty
Michael Bloomberg Helped Republican Pat Toomey Win Big In 2016 Now He Wants The Democratic Nomination For President
As Michael Bloomberg edges closer to entering the Democratic race for president, he faces deep skepticism on the left over his Wall Street background and his record as New York City mayor. Those problems might be exacerbated in Pennsylvania.
In the last two federal election cycles, Bloomberg helped two high-profile Republicans win critical races in the Keystone State.
Gun control groups backed by Bloomberg endorsed U.S. Sen. Pat Toomey in 2016 and U.S. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick in 2018, lending weight to their pitch to voters that they were independent voices who could collaborate across the aisle. In both races, the lawmakers were trying to win over moderate swing voters, and each narrowly squeaked to reelection.
They are two of a handful of Republicans who have supported expanding background checks for gun purchases, a top Democratic priority and one Bloomberg has made a central part of his work since leaving the mayors office.
Still, Bloombergs aid for Republicans has left some Pennsylvania Democrats with a bitter taste.
I dont think theres any flavor for him here, said Philadelphia party chair Bob Brady, an ally of former Vice President Joe Biden. Hes for Republicans. Were not for Toomey, naturally.
Bloomberg, who has long cast himself as a centrist who can appeal to a wide swath of moderates in both parties, was in Arkansas on Tuesday to file paperwork to ensure he gets on the primary ballot there.
After Hints Of A Presidential Run Bloomberg Switches To Democrat
-
Send any friend a story
As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. Anyone can read what you share.
Give this article
Michael R. Bloomberg, the Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent, says he is returning to his roots: He has re-registered as a Democrat an initial but essential step toward a possible run for president in 2020 as a Democrat.
Mr. Bloomberg made the announcement in simultaneous social media postings on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, which showed the left-handed 76-year-old filing out his registration paperwork .
At key points in U.S. history, one of the two parties has served as a bulwark against those who threaten our Constitution, Mr. Bloomberg wrote, adding later, We need Democrats to provide the checks and balance our nation so badly needs.
Mr. Bloomberg had abandoned the Democratic Party to launch his political career in 2001 and win the mayoralty in New York City as a Republican. But he noted on Wednesday that he had been a Democrat for most of my life.
He ended nearly two decades of estrangement, inspired by what he said was the call of history and the need for an opposition party to provide on a check on President Trump.
The spending is expected to make him the single biggest political contributor in the country in 2018. His name is synonymous with excellence, the House minority leader, Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, gushed earlier this year.
Read Also: Houses For Sale In Republican City Ne
Bloomberg Helped To Flip The Us Senate
Over the last decade, Bloomberg helped Republicans take and maintain control of the U.S. Senate, which, in the Trump era and under Mitch McConnells leadership, has confirmed scores of right-wing judges, blocked liberal legislation passed by the House, and shielded the president from any repercussions after seeking foreign election assistance, tampering with witnesses, and defying congressional subpoenas.
Bloombergs Independence USA super PAC, which he funds exclusively, spent nearly $10.1 million supporting Republican federal candidates from 2012-16. The majority of that, $5.9 million, helped Sen. Pat Toomey win re-election in 2016 against Democrat Katie McGinty, an environmental policy expert and another Emilys List endorsee. In 2014, the super PAC boosted Republican House candidates Bob Dold and Michael Fitzpatrick . Two years earlier, Independence USA had spent $1.7 million backing Connecticut House candidate Andrew Rorabach, as well as $963,000 supporting Dold.
Americans for Responsible Solutions, a gun control-focused super PAC heavily funded by Bloomberg, also spends the majority of its money in favor of Democrats, but in 2014, when Bloomberg gave it $250,000, it backed Maine Republican Sen. Susan Collins and Fitzpatrick . Collins recently voted to acquit Trump of both impeachment charges and said she thought Trump had a pretty big lesson from impeachment. In 2007, Bloomberg personally donated $4,600 to Collinss campaign, and in 2014, he gave $5,200.
Biden Touts Support Of Warrens Bankruptcy Reform Plan As A Bridge To Progressives
WASHINGTON Joe Biden surprised audiences when he announced his support for Sen. Elizabeth Warrens bankruptcy reform plan during a virtual town hall, an issue both famously sparred over in public 15 years ago.
In his first virtual appearance before voters since cancelling public events to mitigate coronavirus concerns, the former vice president told a questioner from Illinois that one of the ways he would win over Bernie Sanders supporters is by coming to agreement on a whole range of things theyre both passionate about reforming, including bankruptcy.
For example, one of the things that I think Bernie and I will agree on Ive endorsed Elizabeth Warrens bankruptcy proposal, he said during the Friday evening livestream. Allows for student debt to be relieved in bankruptcy. Provides for a whole range of other issues that allows us in fact impact on how people are dealing with their circumstances.
Bidens full throttled backing of the proposal is a notable shift from the position he held while serving on the Senate Judiciary Committee, where he faced Warren, then a Harvard professor, in a hearing to debate the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention and Consumer Protection Act of 2005 . Warren laid out her case against why the bill that Biden supported was unfair because it made it harder for people to file for bankruptcy. The bill was ultimately signed into law by President George W. Bush.
You May Like: Republican Run Cities
Read Also: Patriot Lighting Outdoor Post Light
What Did The Republicans And Democrats Originally Believe
During the 1860s, Republicans, who dominated northern states, orchestrated an ambitious expansion of federal power, described by the Free Dictionary as “a system of government in which power is divided between a central authority and constituent political units.” This helped to fund the transcontinental railroad, the state university system and the settlement of the West by homesteaders, and instating a national currency and protective tariff. The Democrats, who dominated the South, opposed those measures. Indeed, according to the author George McCoy Blackburn ,” the French newspaper Presse stated that the Republican Doctrine at this time was “The most Liberal in its goals but the most dictatorial in its means.”
Involvement In 2018 Midterms
On June 20, 2018, Bloomberg announced he would spend $80 million supporting Democratic candidates in the 2018 midterms.
He released a statement that said the following:
| â |
Republicans in Congress have had almost two years to prove they could govern responsibly. They failed. As we approach the 2018 midterms, it’s critical that we elect people who will lead in ways that this Congress wonât â both by seeking to legislate in a bipartisan way, and by upholding the checks and balances that the Founding Fathers set up to safeguard ethics, prevent the abuse of power, and preserve the rule of law. And so this fall, I’m going to support Democrats in their efforts to win control of the House. To be clear: I have plenty of disagreements with some Democrats, especially those who seek to make this election about impeachment. Nothing could be more irresponsible. But I believe that âWe the Peopleâ cannot afford to elect another Congress that lacks the courage to reach across the aisle and the independence to assert its constitutional authority. And so I will support Democratic candidates who are committed to doing both. |
â |
| âMichael Bloomberg |
On October 2, 2018, Bloomberg announced he would donate $20 million to the Senate Majority PAC.
- See also: Everytown for Gun Safety
You May Like: Tickets To Giants Patriots Game
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.
Bloomberg Bows Out Of Presidential Contest But His Money Will Stay
By Jason Lange
6 Min Read
WASHINGTON – After a not-so-Super Tuesday, Michael Bloomberg is out of the presidential nomination contest. But the power of his $60 billion fortune is staying in.
Bloomberg on Wednesday switched from being a candidate to being a powerful backer of former Vice President Joe Biden, who dominated March 3 Super Tuesday voting in the race to challenge President Donald Trump in the Nov. 3 election.
Bloomberg, the 78-year-old former mayor of New York and one of Americas richest people, performed poorly at Tuesdays polls, winning only the U.S. territory of American Samoa despite spending more than $500 million in an unprecedented ad blitz.
In announcing he was ending his presidential run, he also endorsed Biden, who like Bloomberg is a moderate and is now the leading contender to take on the self-described democratic socialist, U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, for the Democratic Party nomination.
I will work to make him the next president of the United States, Bloomberg said of Biden in a statement.
It was not immediately clear how Bloomberg would support Biden. When asked what the support will look like, an official in Bloombergs former campaign pointed to his past pledge to keep campaign infrastructure in place through November to help Democrats defeat Trump.
Bloomberg addressed a crowd of supporters in New York, thanking his staff for their efforts but providing no details on how he would spend his money.
Don’t Miss: How To Get Rid Of Trump
Meet Michael Bloomberg Democratic Presidential Candidate
Update: Michael Bloomberg announced on March 4, 2020, that he was ending his campaign.
Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg seems to be taking the advice of John Maynard Keynes. The legendary economist is said to have remarked, When the facts change, I change my mind. Back in March, Bloomberg announced he wouldnt run for president in 2020. But he also warned: We cannot allow the primary process to drag the party to an extreme that would diminish our chances in the general election and translate into Four More Years. Flash forward eight months. With presumed favorite Joe Biden foundering in the polls and Elizabeth Warren rising in them, Bloomberg has now jumped into the race. He shares some similarities with his new rivals. Like Warren, he is divorced and used to be a Republican. Like Corey Booker, Pete Buttigieg, , and Bernie Sanders, he has been a mayor. And like Tom Steyer, he founded his own, very successful, business. If Bloomberg wins the White House, he will become the oldest person and the first Jewish American ever elected president.
More on:
Divorced. Lives with domestic partner, Diana Taylor
Children: Georgina and Emma
Alma Mater:Johns Hopkins University Harvard University
Career:Partner at Salomon Brothers, founder of Bloomberg, three-term mayor of New York City .
Twitter Handle: @MikeBloomberg
More on Bloomberg
Preservation And Development Issues
Bloomberg is a proponent of large-scale development. He has repeatedly supported projects such as the Pacific Park mega-development, the Hudson Yards Redevelopment and associated rail-yard development , and the Harlem rezoning proposal. On smaller-scale issues, Bloomberg usually takes the side of development as well. He favors the demolition of Admiral’s Row to build a supermarket parking lot. However, Bloomberg has occasionally sided with preservation, most notably in vetoing landmark revocation for the Austin Nichols warehouse. This move was widely applauded by architectural historians. The City Council overruled the veto shortly thereafter, however.
You May Like: Can Republicans Vote In The New Hampshire Primary
