AROUND THE BLOCK
I learned today…
I learned today that former New York City mayor and multi-billionaire, Michael Bloomberg will not run for the Democratic nomination for president in 2020.
Bloomberg instead will work on helping Democrats win in 2020 while focusing on issues that are important to him including, public health, gun control and climate change.
As David Leonhardt writes today in the Times:
(*Mensch – Yiddish: a person of integrity and honor")
Bloomberg instead will work on helping Democrats win in 2020 while focusing on issues that are important to him including, public health, gun control and climate change.
As David Leonhardt writes today in the Times:
“Michael Bloomberg wanted to run for president in 2016, as an independent. But he decided that doing so brought an unacceptable risk of helping to elect Donald Trump.
Bloomberg wanted to run again in 2020, as a Democrat. But he decided that the party’s voters weren’t looking for a 77-year-old billionaire this time around.
So he passed on both races.
In 2020, he will instead focus on helping Democrats win and advocating for solutions to climate change. And his foundation will continue to promote public health, gun safety, clean energy, economic mobility and other issues.
It’s a vastly better way to spend some of his billions than to run an ego-driven vanity campaign.
It’s a case study of putting country before self.
As New York’s mayor, Bloomberg tried to bring a reality-based, data-driven approach to running the city. The result was not perfect. No politician is. But his 12-year mayoralty was highly successful and highly progressive.
He brought the same reality-based, data-driven — and honorable — approach to his decisions not to run for president.”Clearly, Michael Bloomberg is a “mensch*.”
(*Mensch – Yiddish: a person of integrity and honor")
I also learned today that Phillip Bump of the Washington Post reported that a new Quinnipiac University poll shows that most Americans think Trump is not honest, is less honest than previous presidents, committed crimes, and believe him less than admitted liar Michael Cohen.
Some highlights:
(*Gonif – Yiddish: a thief or dishonest or disreputable person; a scoundrel)
Of course, this is just what the people think. And a large percentage of people thought this way in 2016 and Trump was elected anyway. (And for full disclosure, the numbers are completely, and astonishingly, reversed looking at Republicans only.)
Importantly, we’re still waiting for what the special counsel says, the federal, state and city prosecutors do, and the Congress finds. Therein lies the big risk for Trump – actions that could lead to indictment, trial and prison.
But with a notably fickle public, with a divided Democratic party with no real leadership and the tendency to shoot themselves in the foot, and an unwritten rule that presidents cannot be indicted while in office, the 2020 election might be Trump’s saving grace.
In fact, it could be that the real reason he’ll run for reelection is to delay his inevitable prison term for another four years.
Some highlights:
- Think Trump is not honest: Yes – 65%; No 30%
- Think Trump is less honest than previous presidents: Less – 50%; More – 20%
- Who would you believe more Trump or Cohen: Cohen – 50%; Trump – 35%
- Think Trump committed any crimes before he was president: Yes – 64%
- Think Trump committed any crimes while he has been president: Yes – 45%; No – 43%
- Think Trump is not a good role model for children: 71%
(*Gonif – Yiddish: a thief or dishonest or disreputable person; a scoundrel)
Of course, this is just what the people think. And a large percentage of people thought this way in 2016 and Trump was elected anyway. (And for full disclosure, the numbers are completely, and astonishingly, reversed looking at Republicans only.)
Importantly, we’re still waiting for what the special counsel says, the federal, state and city prosecutors do, and the Congress finds. Therein lies the big risk for Trump – actions that could lead to indictment, trial and prison.
But with a notably fickle public, with a divided Democratic party with no real leadership and the tendency to shoot themselves in the foot, and an unwritten rule that presidents cannot be indicted while in office, the 2020 election might be Trump’s saving grace.
In fact, it could be that the real reason he’ll run for reelection is to delay his inevitable prison term for another four years.
1 comment:
Good One.
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