Bloomberg in 2020?

If you didn’t catch Michael Bloomberg’s interview with Fareed Zakaria Sunday morning, and can find the time, this CNN-uploaded video is, I think, well worth a watch.  I liked everything Bloomberg said.  He may be just the kind of candidate our nation needs right now:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YCwSOBAcGKo

NY did alright under 12 years of Bloomberg but America sucks after only 2 years of Mario's mushroom.

Exactly so. Hope you'll watch the interview - very interesting.

Nobody much out here in flyover land likes Michael Bloomberg ... even among Democrats. So why does the media keep trying to foist him upon us?

There's something I'm not crazy about with Bloomberg, but it's nothing I can put my finger on. Just a vibe I get from him, something offputting. But, since I can't really name it (it's the kind of thing I call my "combat antenna," after reading too many Sgt. Rock comics as a kid) it could be nothin'. I think maybe it's because he considered an independent run once, which shows really bad tactical skills... you split the vote, you hand things over to the Repubs (one of the reasons I still hate Bernie). But, he didn't go through with it, so... who knows? He wouldn't be my first choice, but pretty much any Dem who could win, I would support. My main goal is to keep conservatives out of power, since I've spent decades seeing how awfully they govern.

I'm still hoping someone better will show up, but, Bloomberg's definitely someone to be considered.

zsomething wrote:There's something I'm not crazy about with Bloomberg, but it's nothing I can put my finger on.    Just a vibe I get from him, something offputting.   But, since I can't really name it ....

That's what I was alluding to in my previous post.

zsomething wrote:
(it's the kind of thing I call my "combat antenna," after reading too many Sgt. Rock comics as a kid)

lol!   Now that reference is sure one blast-from-the-past.  Haven't thought about that in years.   I used to read Sgt Rock too ... and "Sergeant Fury and His Howling Commandos" "The Haunted Tank", "GI Combat", etc

Funny ain't it how we were reading comics about WWII right in the midst and aftermath of the Vietnam war .... but I don't recall any comics of that era about Vietnam?

zsomething wrote:

I'm still hoping someone better will show up, but, Bloomberg's definitely someone to be considered.

Were I an avid Democrat ... I think I'd be rooting for somebody like Gov Hickenlooper or Gov Bullock.

EmeraldGhost wrote:

zsomething wrote:
(it's the kind of thing I call my "combat antenna," after reading too many Sgt. Rock comics as a kid)

lol!   Now that reference is sure one blast-from-the-past.  Haven't thought about that in years.   I used to read Sgt Rock too ... and "Sergeant Fury and His Howling Commandos" "The Haunted Tank", "GI Combat", etc

Funny ain't it how we were reading comics about WWII right in the midst and aftermath of the Vietnam war .... but I don't recall any comics of that era about Vietnam?

/quote]

Loved Haunted Tank, etc. And all the trashy Charlton war comics... some of those had Vietnam stories. DC and Marvel mostly stayed away from those, though. Also loved Gravedigger (he was a black soldier, total badass, but had a pretty short run of comics - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gravedigger_(comics) And, my fave, Enemy Ace, a German WWI fighter pilot. Amazing Joe Kubert art, and I'm a sucker for biplane dogfights. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Enemy_Ace

I only had a couple issues of Sgt. Fury... they didn't seem to market them locally for some reason, but I picked up reprints later.

zsomething wrote:

I'm still hoping someone better will show up, but, Bloomberg's definitely someone to be considered.

Were I an avid Democrat ... I think I'd be rooting for somebody like Gov Hickenlooper or Gov Bullock.

I don't know much about them yet. It'll be interesting to see who emerges. So far I'm liking Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, although they'd stir up the right-wing like crazy. But, what doesn't, really? In their heads they turned a pretty moderate guy like Obama into a double-naught Soros spy, so I kinda gave up on worrying about what sets 'em off.

Just what America needs.....another silver spooned egotistical billionaire from New York. Will not happen. We need a white working union man old style democrat who works for improved wages, fair taxation, fair voting and free trade. Sadly, most of those democrats are protectionist who are all in on tariffs. Cory Booker is a nightmare of four more years of racial strife. Sorry the truth is that women and minorities are pushing the former democrats to enter the Trump world, and frankly even I am sick to death of the Rachel maddow world where minutiae of gender neutral bathrooms fills hours of time, but absolutely nothing about folks wages and the failure of the median income to keep up with the wealth which has been transferred to the 1%. This is no longer about black and white, but poor and wealthy, and I am sick of these billionaires entering politics. Here in Illinois we have two billionaires running for governor, and one of these bastards puts on his plaid shirt and blue jeans and runs these folksy ads when everyone knows he was less than honest how he manipulated public employee pension funds, and then he becomes governor and wants to take the rights of public employees to organize. I agree we need a democrat governor and I like the governor of Colorado. He could bring in some western states and appeal to many in the red states. We need common sense to win.

I want to know whether any single one of you with negative opinions/feelings/whatever about Bloomberg has watched the video first linked above.

I'm betting not.

zsomething wrote: .... It'll be interesting to see who emerges.   So far I'm liking Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, although they'd stir up the right-wing like crazy.  ....

This is where many Democrats are misguided. The objective should be to win elections and policy/legislative battles .... not to "stir up the right-wing like crazy" While that might feel good, it really doesn't accomplish anything.

RealLindaL wrote:I want to know whether any single one of you with negative opinions/feelings/whatever about Bloomberg has watched the video first linked above.

I'm betting not.

I've heard him speak before .... no need to hear any more. He's un-electable anyway, so what would be the point?

EmeraldGhost wrote:

RealLindaL wrote:I want to know whether any single one of you with negative opinions/feelings/whatever about Bloomberg has watched the video first linked above.

I'm betting not.

I've heard him speak before .... no need to hear any more.  He's un-electable anyway, so what would be the point?

Anyone here need a definition of a closed mind?  

RealLindaL wrote:

EmeraldGhost wrote:

RealLindaL wrote:I want to know whether any single one of you with negative opinions/feelings/whatever about Bloomberg has watched the video first linked above.

I'm betting not.

I've heard him speak before .... no need to hear any more.  He's un-electable anyway, so what would be the point?

Anyone here need a definition of a closed mind?  

Did you miss the part where I said "I've heard him speak before" ???  It's not like he's new to the national scene and nobody knows anything bout him.  I know all I need to know about Michael Bloomberg ... and I'm not overly impressed.

That's not a "closed mind" .... all that means is I had an open mind, listened to him, and I've already forumulated my opinion of the man.   Is there something new about him and his ideas of late?

Geez ... it's okay for you to like the guy, but you need to accept that others may not ... and not assume that's only by reason of ignorance that they don't.

RealLindaL wrote:I want to know whether any single one of you with negative opinions/feelings/whatever about Bloomberg has watched the video first linked above.

I'm betting not.

I'm not really "negative" on Bloomberg... he's just not my first choice. I'm willing to see how he goes.

But, yes, I saw the interview live on Fareed's show over the weekend. It was good, but I stay cynical about anything politicians say, be they my side or the other's. But, like I said, I'm not really anti-Bloomberg, just cautious and want to see how the field plays out. I'll be supporting whoever the Democratic candidate is, regardless.

EmeraldGhost wrote:

zsomething wrote: .... It'll be interesting to see who emerges.   So far I'm liking Cory Booker and Kamala Harris, although they'd stir up the right-wing like crazy.  ....

This is where many Democrats are misguided.   The objective should be to win elections and policy/legislative battles .... not to "stir up the right-wing like crazy"   While that might feel good, it really doesn't accomplish anything.

I know, that's why I mentioned it as an "although" instead of an "especially because." I'd rather have candidates that didn't make either side crazy... but, that seems to be a thing of the past. Anybody the Democrats put out are going to be tarred and feathered as "socialist commie" blah-blah-blah by the right wing now. Like I said, they turned a pretty mild, mostly-middle-of-the-road candidate like Obama into their scariest boogeyman ever.

And, meanwhile, the right's measuring stick for candidates actually seems to be "Who'll piss off the libtards the most?" That's why they crawled over a heap of better candidates to nominate the biggest asshole their party could scrounge up. They wanted Trump not because they thought he'd actually be good at anything... they wanted somebody their opponents would hate and feel miserable about. That's what motivates 'em now.

Which is why I don't worry too much if a Democratic candidate will upset them. It's not my goal, I'd rather we elect somebody who'll do their best for all Americans, including those who didn't vote for them... but, no matter who who put out the Republicans are gonna act like they're Satan. And, meanwhile, they don't return the favor -- they want somebody who'll only govern for their base.

EmeraldGhost wrote:

RealLindaL wrote:

EmeraldGhost wrote:

RealLindaL wrote:I want to know whether any single one of you with negative opinions/feelings/whatever about Bloomberg has watched the video first linked above.

I'm betting not.

I've heard him speak before .... no need to hear any more.  He's un-electable anyway, so what would be the point?

Anyone here need a definition of a closed mind?  

Did you miss the part where I said "I've heard him speak before" ???  It's not like he's new to the national scene and nobody knows anything bout him.  I know all I need to know about Michael Bloomberg ... and I'm not overly impressed.

That's not a "closed mind" .... all that means is I had an open mind, listened to him, and I've already forumulated my opinion of the man.   Is there something new about him and his ideas of late?

Geez ... it's okay for you to like the guy, but you need to accept that others may not ... and not assume that's only by reason of ignorance that they don't.

Sorry to have set you off. Of COURSE I realize that others may not like Bloomberg, and the word "ignorance" never passed my lips, only yours.

What I failed to explain is that I was not a particular fan of Bloomberg's before, either, but found him in this video'd discussion to be very solid and believable.  (Maybe that's partly because he's such a substantial contrast with Trump, but in any case it made me sit up and listen.) So when you ask if there's something new about him and his ideas -- I sense so, but you should judge for yourself.  

Personally, I think if the middle class wants a rich man to lead them to economic health or even wealth, they should pick this rich man far above the one in the White House.

It's clear now, however, that you have your mind made up about the guy already (which is what I meant by a closed mind -- it just is what it is, let's face it), such that watching the video -- whether or not some like myself see the man cast in something of a new light after viewing it -- would obviously be of no value in your case.

So be it.

After the bottle cap fiasco, I have not taken this person seriously despite agreement on many issues. The idea he could win among democrats is silly, he was hated by Cook County residents who are 80% democratic over the bloomberg bottlecap tax.....the venom toward Bloomberg was overwhelming......Illinois Democrats and Republicans want no part of the man.

RealLindaL wrote:and the word "ignorance" never passed my lips, only yours.

Never said it did.   Otherwise I would have put it in quotes.   Your post though assumed I was ignorant of Bloomberg.

But no worries ... it's aaaaalllll good!   I ain't mad.    


Bloomberg is that smart rich kid nobody likes .... so he'll never get elected Class President, regardless of how good his ideas might or might not be.

Oh good... another old white kook.

PkrBum wrote:Oh good... another old white kook.

BUT a DEMOCRATIC WHITE KOOK . . . . HUGE DIFFERENCE!!!

EmeraldGhost wrote: Your post though assumed I was ignorant of Bloomberg.

Nope - nothing of the sort, since I had no way of knowing what you knew or didn't know about him - only that your mind was closed to the point that you wouldn't even look at the video.

And yep, it's all good, and I'm not angry, either.

knothead wrote:

PkrBum wrote:Oh good... another old white kook.

BUT a DEMOCRATIC WHITE KOOK . . . . HUGE DIFFERENCE!!!

AND MAKE THAT A SANE DEMOCRATIC WHITE KOOK!!

   

RealLindaL wrote:

knothead wrote:

PkrBum wrote:Oh good... another old white kook.

BUT a DEMOCRATIC WHITE KOOK . . . . HUGE DIFFERENCE!!!

AND MAKE THAT A SANE DEMOCRATIC WHITE KOOK!!

   

Ummm... NO... that doesn't make him sane.

Imagine the internal process that's required to use the force of govt to dictate soda size.

RealLindaL wrote:

EmeraldGhost wrote: Your post though assumed I was ignorant of Bloomberg.

Nope - nothing of the sort, since I had no way of knowing what you knew or didn't know about him - only that your mind was closed to the point that you wouldn't even look at the video.

I'm under no obligation to watch every freaking video somebody posts on here or elsewhere on the internet. That doesn't mean I have a "closed mind." It just means I don't want to waste my time listening to a politician whose history and views I'm already aware of and not interested in hearing more from.

Did you listen to the entirety of Trump's speech at his last rally? No? Well, then .... YOU MUST HAVE A "CLOSED MIND" !!!!

EmeraldGhost wrote:

RealLindaL wrote:

EmeraldGhost wrote: Your post though assumed I was ignorant of Bloomberg.

Nope - nothing of the sort, since I had no way of knowing what you knew or didn't know about him - only that your mind was closed to the point that you wouldn't even look at the video.

I'm under no obligation to watch every freaking video somebody posts on here or elsewhere on the internet.   That doesn't mean I have a "closed mind."   It just means I don't want to waste my time listening to a politician whose history and views I'm already aware of and not interested in hearing more from.  

Did you listen to the entirety of Trump's speech at his last rally?   No?  Well, then .... YOU MUST HAVE A "CLOSED MIND" !!!!    

OK EG, have it your way. Whatever you say, kiddo.