Just as I suspected: Bloomberg is not running to win nomination.

[beastie boy]

He just pledged his entire campaign apparatus, including the big bucks that come with it, to the eventual Democratic nominee:
https://www.axios.com/mike-bloomberg-staff-general-election-democratic-nominee-8148b285-5108-4470-b8e4-577b3ca07a75.html

It appears that his two goals are: to position himself for the VP spot, no matter who the nominee is, and, more importantly, to piss Trump off, no matter who Trump runs against in the Generals. It's personal. Having been NY's mayor for 12 years, he's appears to really be pissed at Trump, and he is ready to hurt him where it hurts most.

Hey, that works for me, especially the last part!

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

1. He's got exponentially more money than Trump,

which by itself is enough to drive His Lardship crazy. Good for him for keeping the money coming even if he isn't nominated (and he probably won't be). I doubt he'd be chosen as anybody's running mate because of his age, if nothing else. I am wondering, though, whether Bernie would accept his filthy billionaire money if he (Bernie) is the nominee.

I think it sucks that there's so much money in politics, but as long as that's how the game is being played I'm glad there are some deep pockets on the Democrats' side.

[calimary]

17. Hopefully that won't even be an issue.

[Demsrule86]

26. IMHO, Bloomberg is running to make sure Sanders is not the nominee.

And Sanders would never choose Bloomberg...maybe Nina Turner or even God forbid Stein.

[still_one]

32. +++

[Demsrule86]

57. Thank you!

[SunSeeker]

50. Or Killer Mike?

[Demsrule86]

56. Thanks you made me spit my coffee on my key board...damn your eyes (kidding)

[getagrip_already]

73. +1.. nt

[Demsrule86]

74. Thanks!

[UniteFightBack]

81. +1000

[Demsrule86]

94. Thank you!

[AlexSFCA]

92. Sanders would choose Gabbard

this is as clear as it can be.

[Demsrule86]

93. Really? He couldn't be that clueless...

[Mars and Minerva]

121. No...he's that solipsistic. nt

[AZ8theist]

107. If that ever happened...

I would sit out the election. First time since 1976.

[AlexSFCA]

114. so is many millions more

BS will never go with what big donors what, at any cost. It’s all about his own purity.

[druidity33]

118. Bullshit. nt.

[KPN]

103. That is almost correct. I think he wants tRump gone No. 1, and anyone but Sanders or Warren No.2.

I can get behind No. 1, and as I've said all along, I'll 100% support and vote for whoever our eventual nominee is gladly. But his No. 1 goal matches mine -- we need this guy gone! My gut tells me Sanders and Warren are better risks than Joe in the GE, but that might just be my preference showing.

At any rate, I have a better opinion of Bloomberg this morning.

[Renew Deal]

53. Bernie won't have to make that decision.

[Cha]

115. OH BULL.. ENOUGH with the GD CTs.

[Demsrule86]

28. Your post is very sensible...expecting Democrats not to fund raise is madness and would lead to

many election losses.

[yonder]

99. "His Lardship"

Fits him perfectly. I'm still chuckling....or chucking.

[NYMinute]

2. He has found a loophole in the campaign finance laws

If he were not running, he would be severely limited in what he could spend or contribute.

Now he can spend a billion attacking Trump without breaking any laws.

[NoMoreRepugs]

3. This.

[Demsrule86]

24. Awesome...he is smart and rich.

[Mars and Minerva]

122. And on our side. nt

[NoMoreRepugs]

5. Bloomberg is going to hassle tRUMP every single day.

[Demsrule86]

23. This helps to take away Trump's advantage in not having a primary and being able to run a general

while we have a primary and are still going after each other.

[PatSeg]

13. That makes sense

Quite brilliant actually.

[mopinko]

25. nah. he pumped millions into 2018. there are plenty of ways to funnel money.

he doesnt have to do it this way.

[Pacifist Patriot]

116. He doesn't, but if it works like state campaigns in FL,...

He has a hell of a way to get seriously big bucks to the eventual nominee without violating campaign finance law. Direct funds the campaign can use any way they want. Off to go verify that is the case.

[NewJeffCT]

36. Yes - I think that is definitely a part of the reason

there was speculation that he was why he was doing this when he first entered the race. The ads should be cheaper and he can run them anywhere - nationally, or in battleground states.

if that's the case, kudos to Bloomberg - his money supporting gun control groups has scored a lot of victories at the local level. I heard a year or two back that he was also spending big bucks working with some tech gurus to help with micro-targeting Democratic voters - to counteract Cambridge Analytica (or whatever they are called these days)

[True Blue American]

105. Silicon Valley

Is pouring money into Democrats, too! Facebook is hurting themselves by Running false Republican Ads

[Salviati]

109. I'd love to see a billionaire run some fake facebook ads targeting corporate officers of facebook

run some ads claiming that they support the most awful candidates, I'm sure you can find some legitimate out and proud nazis, klansmen, etc that are running for office somewhere. Put up some ads on facebook claiming that zuckerberg et. al. support them, and microtarget them to their social circles. I suspect that facebook would clean up it's act pretty quickly.

[True Blue American]

113. He said they are

Not going to turn down Political ads like the slowed down video of Pelosi making her look woozy.

That would be great revenge. If he tried to turn them down, let it all out.

[Captain Zero]

71. He could always then resign from VP

Like a year in and let the President pick anew one. Subject to Senate confirmation.

[Thekaspervote]

87. Excellent point!!

[pandr32]

90. Exactly!

[Cousin Dupree]

96. Yaassss!

[TrollBuster9090]

124. That was my thought, also. Along with him declaring that, as long as he's one of the Democratic...

...candidates, he's told Bloomberg News to not 'investigate' any of the Democratic candidates, because it would be a conflict of interest. Thus, temporarily turning Bloomberg News into a counterweight for the Trump shills at Fux News and Sinclair.

Now all we need is for Jeff Bezos to start a grudge match with Trump by declaring himself a candidate, and then doing everything he possibly can to NOT get nominated. Making SURE he doesn't qualify for any of the debates would be a good start, and refusing to take money from donors is a great start. As Bloomberg has demonstrated.

[greymattermom]

4. He's demonstrating the obvious.

If money rules, anyone with money can rule. Democrats have money too. Get rid of Citizens United and play fair.

[Demsrule86]

12. We wouldn't have united if the left/Greens had supported Gore...hard to get rid of bad SCOTUS

rulings, It is far easier to support the Democratic Party so they are never written in the first place...now we need a constitutional amendment which will be almost impossible to get and take years. I wonder what sort of judges Gore and Clinton would have appointed? Probably they would not have appointed the sort who would have found in favor of Citizen's United.

[DemocracyMouse]

112. Oh for crying out loud! We all know what you are insinuating.... Then make Joe more Democratic

and he'll get more Democratic votes in the prinaries. He's a bit behind most Americans and operates in the same corporate framework as Bill Clinton during his post-Reagan phase.

The Earth is burning.
Wake up Joe.
Inequality is rampant.
Wake up Joe.
High tuition is created by admins, not teachers.
Wake up Joe.
Our health care system needs more than a few tweeks.
Wake up Joe.

If he wakes up, does some research like Warren and her team, and stops the lazy reliance on old paradigms, then we'll get behind him.

We want results, not platitudes.

[emmaverybo]

126. Joe has a top rate education plan. Americans want his his health plan and his climate change

plan was praised by the Sierra Club. Not too lazy or out of touch to be leading all this time. And he has had a strong, appealing message of unity for all Americans who care about democracy. Also, rivals lacking in FP cred might study up so they can hold a conversation with world leaders. Joe can.

[KPN]

102. Great observation. nt

[LongtimeAZDem]

6. I think he's also there as a backup in case Biden falls ill

[Demsrule86]

9. I don't agree...I think his being in helps Biden.

He doesn't want a Sanders/Warren win...as I think he believes they would lose a general.

[LongtimeAZDem]

42. That's what I meant; I love Biden, I want Biden, but he is old, and I think Bloomberg

wants to be there just in case Biden has to drop out, because otherwise, it's Sanders/Warren, which means Trump.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

47. Bloomberg is a little older than Biden.

[LongtimeAZDem]

51. Yeah, I know, but he hasn't had an an aneurysm, as far as I know

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

52. We don't know anything at all about Bloomberg's health, do we?

[LongtimeAZDem]

54. Fair enough; I think we're quibbling at this point. I think we agree that Bloomberg helps biden,

helps Biden, works against Sanders and Warren, and is geared up to stop Trump.

That's good enough for me.

[Demsrule86]

62. That was in 1988. His face was frozen at first but with rest he recovered and is fine to suggest

otherwise does his candidacy a disservice. Teddy Kennedy visited him when no one was supposed to...I miss Kennedy he was a great senator.

[LongtimeAZDem]

64. Yeah, again, I think we're on the same page. I don't have major concerns about Biden, just

minor worries, and I think Bloomberg's presence alleviates most of those.

[Demsrule86]

59. Bloomberg is older than Biden. He will turn 78 in February. Biden turned 77 in November.

[LongtimeAZDem]

60. Yeah, I acknowledged that

[Demsrule86]

63. It is 31 years since the surgery for the second aneurysm. And he released all of his medical records

[LongtimeAZDem]

65. I agree with you. Completely. Don't know what else to say.

[Demsrule86]

72. You don't have to agree with me...haha. I respect your point of view...I just like to argue.

[druidity33]

119. Well...

it looks more like he'll take votes away from Biden in the Primaries. Bloomberg voters wouldn't vote for Warren or Sanders... they're more likely to vote for Biden. How does that help Biden?

[MineralMan]

7. That's good, because he won't be the nominee.

His financial position, however, enables him to advertise widely. I'm glad to hear he's going to use it to help elect the actual nominee.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

20. The ads I've seen are very good.

There's one where he really slams the GOP on health care. It's very persuasive.

[MineralMan]

30. They are. He can afford the best when it comes to his ads.

I hope he keeps it up, as he said.

[ChiTownDenny]

85. +1

It's a little unnerving to see someone with that kind of money use it to actually become a contender in a presidential election.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

88. That does bother me. I don't want people to be able to buy a nomination.

However, since that's what he seems to be trying to do, at least he seems to be putting his money to good use. The ads are targeted at Trump first of all, then follow up with a promo for Bloomberg. It's the slam on Trump that's the most memorable part of the ads.

[Demsrule86]

8. That is impressive...I actually think Bloomberg would make a good VP although...two white guys?

[PatSeg]

16. If the nominee is a man

There has to be a woman running mate and ideally a woman of color. If it is Joe, I'm 99.9% sure he will pick a woman.

[NewJeffCT]

37. Biden has said as much

in the fake blow up over his comments about a Republican VP, he did say that he would most likely choose a woman as his running mate - Abrams, Harris, Warren, etc (or a Democratic governor that's a woman?)

[PatSeg]

39. Yes and I think he's said it numerous times

I would imagine that he probably already has a very short list in his mind of who he'll choose.

[LongtimeAZDem]

44. No, there doesn't

[PatSeg]

46. I think women voters feel that there does,

especially at a time when we have so many highly qualified women.

[LongtimeAZDem]

49. I know they do, but I haven't seen anything that tells me they'll turn out more for a woman

than for a man.

Every time a woman has dropped out, or even has received different coverage, it has been attributed to misogyny in the electorate. If we genuinely believe that is a real factor, then it's foolish to risk it.

53% of white women voted for Donald Trump; I'm not putting a lot of stock in monolithic female support.

[PatSeg]

55. I don't know

Hillary Clinton won more votes than Donald Trump. Considering that HE cheated with the help of Russia and the media's coverage of the candidates was slanted more towards Trump, she still came away with more votes. I can't see how a woman as a VP candidate would be detrimental. The people who wouldn't want a woman in that position are probably people who wouldn't vote for a Democrat in the first place.

Anyway, I am very confident that there will be a woman on the Democratic ticket!

[Demsrule86]

66. Tammy Duckworth should be considered too...we have to think of election prospects in 24 and 28.

[LongtimeAZDem]

67. If the numbers show that she can help defeat Trump, hell yes

[Demsrule86]

70. She is pretty amazing...I think she could...she is a disabled war hero who made it despite her

injuries...she has guts and determination...and young kids which is always nice in to see when campaigning.

[LongtimeAZDem]

75. No kidding; I'm a big fan of hers. All I'm saying is that all of my focus is on electability

I'm fortunate that, in this instance, my favorite candidate also has the best electabilty, by every apparent measure.

Clinton had the best qualifications of any candidate that I have ever voted for, but there were entrenched biases in the electorate that worked against her in key markets, coupled with the fanatical onslaught from the far left.

This time around, I only care about improving our odds; anything that drags us down, however well intentioned, must be discarded. I honestly, fervently believe that this election is that important.

I'm reminded of Bruno's speech to Bartlett on The West Wing:

When I was a teenager, I crewed Larchmont to Nassau on a 58-foot sloop called Cantice. There was a little piece of kelp that was stuck to the hull, and even though it was little, you don't want anything stuck to the hull. So, I take a boat hook on a pole and I stick it in the water and I try to get the kelp off, when seven guys start screaming at me, right? 'Cause now the pole is causing more drag than the kelp was. See, what you gotta do is you gotta drop it in and let the water lift it out in a windmill motion. Drop it in, and let the water take it by the kelp and lift it out. In, and out. In, and out, till you got it. The voters aren't choosing a plumber, Mr. President. They are choosing a president. And if you don't think that your family should matter, my suggestion to you is to get out of professional politics. And if you think that I'm going to miss even one opportunity to pick up half-a-knot boat speed, you're absolutely out of your mind. When it costs us nothing, when we give up nothing?! You're out of your mind.

[moosewhisperer]

95. Duckworth was born in Thailand

Wouldn’t that disqualify her (unfortunately) from Pres or VP?

[Demsrule86]

98. No, Her Father was an American citizen.

"Since her father was a US citizen (according to Tammy Duckworth - Wikipedia), then yes. As the child of a US citizen, she is a “natural born citizen” as required by the constitution. This is why the Obama birther nonsense was so crazy. There was absolutely no reason for anyone to lie, because even had he been born in Kenya, he would be eligible to serve as president."

Ted Cruz for example was born in Canada, but was still eligible to run for and become President.

[yellowdogintexas]

108. if Tammy's father was military, she may also have been born in

a military hospital, which is US territory - just as McCain's birth in Panama was on a naval base and at the time Panama was US territory

[TheFarseer]

101. I believe her Dad was an American citizen

So it’s OK, I think. Just like John McCain who was born in Panama.

[lark]

10. Now this Bloomberg plan I can definitely get behind.

Just don't want him to be a 3rd party candidate.

[beastie boy]

15. I think he just derailed any third party hopes with this move.

Unless the third party finds a way to be funded by the one dude who is richer than Bloomberg: Putin.

[lark]

58. Indeed you have named our true peril.

How many billions will Russia invest to destabilize America and put themselves in place as the worlds' foremost power? That is my main concern - repugs won't win on their own - can't. But what will PUtin do to retain his demented tool of destruction?

[left-of-center2012]

11. Article doesn't say he's not running to win

Says he'll go all out in support of the eventual nominee;
as everyone should.

[Demsrule86]

18. Actions speak louder than words...he would not have put this out if he was not sending a message...

that he is will support the nominee and he doesn't believe it will be him.

[beastie boy]

19. If he is running to win, why in the world would he make plans for defeat before he gets defgeated?

[thesquanderer]

40. He's merely saying he will work to defeat Trump in the general, whether he is the nominee or not. nt

[Demsrule86]

68. Has Warren announced this? If she did, I missed it

[thesquanderer]

78. Many (including Warren) have pledged to support the nominee, but only Bloomberg...

...has the personal financial resources to do what he described doing in the linked article.

[ChiTownDenny]

89. +1

The article doesn't even allude to it.

[IronLionZion]

21. He's the wealthiest politician to ever be elected to any office in the US

since Trump's wealth can't be verified. He should troll Trump about that until dude releases his tax returns and finances.

[Scruffy1]

22. Works for me.

He has no chance in my opinion. I don't think he wants the VP job though. It is essentially useless unless the elected President dies or is incapacitated. He is used to having real power and untangling his businesses would be a nightmare. I really think he doing it to help destroy the current WH occupant.

[beastie boy]

27. It's his portrait in the presidential gallery and history books.

[The Velveteen Ocelot]

33. I agree. I think what he's doing is using his money to blast Trump and the GOP with ads

in a way that would violate campaign finance laws if he wasn't a candidate, but as long as he is a candidate he can do and say whatever he wants with his own money - of which he has a shit-ton more than anyone else. If he doesn't get the nomination (and I think he knows he won't), he'll still help fund the nominee, but indirectly. I can't imagine that he'd want to be anyone's running mate, or that he'd be selected even if he did. He can do a lot more good as a financial backer.

Sorry, Bernie, but as long as the political campaign game is being played with money, the occasional billionaire can come in handy.

[randr]

29. Bloomberg is the dark horse

He has so far only been running against Trump. He has pledged to run a campaign against him win or lose the nomination.
Here is a prediction:
After the Super Bowl Americans will see two people running in the next election and that image will last throughout the campaign.
A while back, maybe as long as two years, I expressed my hope for our party to replace the primary mess with a nation wide "town hall" series of meeting to LISTEN to what the voters want. Draw from the people for the solutions to the major issues. Build a platform from this exchange that Democrats can present to the public and be proud of.
Let one candidate or a dark horse emerge from this process.
The most important issue, in my opinion, is to beat Trump. Whomever rises to that challenge will get my vote.

[Chakaconcarne]

31. I've wondered the same about steyer...

offset some of the costs with campaign contributions.

[Pepsidog]

34. Hard to see him as second fiddle.

[Fiendish Thingy]

35. Rachel asked this very question on last nights show

Sounds like he answered it

[rurallib]

38. just because I am a nervous Nelly I fear this may somehow boomerang

but if he can pull it off, good for our side.

Maybe it will have a long term effect of passing real legislation to get money out of politics

[ananda]

41. Deal!

...

[redqueen]

43. Fantastic. I read that he was doing it to get campaign advertising rates.

Cannot wait to see that Superbowl ad!

[MojoWrkn]

45. I suspect trump is horribly

jealous of Bloomberg's wealth!

[California_Republic]

48. Buttigieg Bloomberg 2020 I like it!

[ChiTownDenny]

91. Interestingly,

NBC polling has Mayor Pete first or tied for first in IA and NH.

[OMGWTF]

61. Bloomberg can't even particpate in the debates becase he's the only one giving his campaign $

[LongtimeAZDem]

79. Which means that he can't be hurt by debate performance, which is a bigger risk, as Warren and

Harris found out.

[bluestarone]

69. I know one thing. He wants tRUMP OUT!!

That's good enough for me!! Love what he's doing, and how he's doing it!!

[Demsrule86]

76. +1000

[samnsara]

77. he can spend all the $$ he wants to piss off trump!!!

[UniteFightBack]

80. Thank you Michael Bloomberg. nt

[CrispyQ]

82. If we have two white men on the ticket, the Con will dump Pence, put in Haley and we will lose. -nt

[UniteFightBack]

83. While you're at what's the next round of winning lotto numbers.

[CrispyQ]

84. I sure wouldn't tell you.

[UniteFightBack]

86. C'mon I"ll split it with you!

[CrispyQ]

104. Quick pick.

One time our state Lotto got really high and 10 people matched the winning numbers. Turns out they all filled out the same pattern on the paper grid.

[yardwork]

97. I like his anti-Trump ads.

[sarisataka]

100. Pledging to support the nominee

Is far different from not running to win.

He is positioning himself to either be the man in the Office or to be the man behind the chair reminding the future President who put him in office. It is a win-win.
For Bloomberg.

[beastie boy]

129. You are right, he is positioning himself to win. But not necessarily by becoming the nominee.

He wins if he makes Trump lose. He wins if he is the VP pick. He wins if he is the behind the scenes kingmaker in the Democratic race. He wins if he gets a cabinet post.

As one of my particularly irreverent friends would say, there is more than one way to skin a cat.

[left-of-center2012]

106. So ...

Any candidate who says he or she will support the eventual nominee
is really saying:

"I'm not in this race to win".

[yellowdogintexas]

110. This is wonderful! I would also like to see him drop some funds on

the Congressional, Senate and state legislative campaigns especially in Texas. Right here in my county we have all or part of 5 or the 14 State House districts which are being targeted to flip. Tarrant County (Fort Worth) is Ground Zero in turning Texas Blue. He could start with Beto's PAC which is raising $$ for these flippable districts. Beto is campaigning in all of these House Districts to help the candidates. I read that he is already out blockwalking with the candidates who are unopposed in the primary, and we all know what kind of ground game he can muster.

Texas is now the largest swing state.

Taking back the Texas House gives us power in the redistricting which will be done in 2021. This means all Congressional Seats, State Senate Seats, State House seats and a bunch of Judicial seats will be redrawn. It is estimated that Texas will gain 3 or 4 Congressional seats, so the whole map will look completely different.
This will not of course impact any state wide contest since there are no boundary lines except the ones which form the borders of Texas.

[onetexan]

111. i agree with reason #2, not so much #1

Bloomberg is 77, and so is Joe Biden. Warren & Bernie are 70 & 78 respectively. So from the age perspective the "no matter who the nominee is" bit doesn't make sense. Plus the rest of the other candidates are younger than him & i don't think Bloomberg would wana play second fiddle to anyone. It would just be wierd.

Now if he wants to pledge part of his wealth to help the Dem nominee? I'm all for it. I'd tend to think his reason for helping the Dem candidate is because he wants what's best for the country.

[scarytomcat]

117. He should pool his wealth with that other billionaire democrat and start

an anti-dimwit, anti-rethug new TV network they could save the planet if they went all in

[RhodeIslandOne]

120. Bloomberg brings no one to the table as a veep

New York is locked up.

He's a moderate white dude. Him and Biden? Or Pete? Please.

No one cares about Bloomberg. I don't even dislike him. He's fine as a surrogate. But he has zero place in this race.

[TrollBuster9090]

123. I think his plan also included the fact that, if he declares himself a Democratic presidential ...

...candidate, he had to tell his whole Bloomberg News outlet to not investigate any of the other Democratic candidates, because it's a 'conflict of interest.' That means that from now until the convention, Bloomberg News will only be digging up dirt on TRUMP. Normally I wouldn't be in favour of that sort of thing. But, since Fux News and Sinclair have devoted their entire networks to investigating ONLY the Democrats; and boosting 'the dear leader,' it's a necessary evil.

[booley]

125. Wait. that means he plans on Buying the VP spot

And from what I gather you seem to think that is not only plausible, that at least some of the Democratic contenders would be open to that...

.. But also it would be good or at least acceptable if that happened.

How is Bloomberg a Democrat?

I don't mean if he has a D by his name. I mean how does what he represents fit in with the values Democrats re supposed to have?

[beastie boy]

128. I agree. Not everybody with a D next to his name is a Democrat. The letter can easily be replaced.

But Bloomberg just put his money where his mouth is. He is throwing the weight of his entire campaign apparatus behind the eventual DEMOCRATIC nominee, no matter who that is. If he does that, I don't care if he calls himself an Independent most of the time.

I am not commenting on who among the candidates will be open to it, but buying his way into the VP spot seems to be Bloomberg's ambition. Then again, there may have been a time when his ambition was to buy his way into the Presidency. Looks like he is over that one.

[wiley]

127. Yet he still receives the most vile bullshit from the supporters of certain candidates

Thanks, Mike,