Bloomberg Factor

Prior to 2016, if there was a poster child for the rich seeking political office with no prior experience, it was, arguably, Mike Bloomberg. Funding his own campaign, the billionaire media mogul primarily steamrolled City Hall by following Rudy Giuliani’s post-9/11 popularity and faking a three-term government in the city that limited its political leaders to just two.

This week, according to the Times of London, Mike Bloomberg plans to take a serious trip to the Oval Office in 2020 as a Democrat hopes to send President Trump packing for Mar a Lago once and for all. In the current turbulent political atmosphere, and given the mayor’s vocal opposition to many administration policies, this announcement should not surprise anyone, but the question of whether Bloomberg could be widely accepted by the wider American voters, let alone win the Democratic nod to run, is essentially still unsure.

While it’s true that the mayors of the nation’s largest cities enjoy high-profile political positions, and are equipped with disruptive platforms on policy issues outside the city itself, no New York City mayor has finally occupied the White House as leader. from the free world. Nonetheless, it’s unwise to use history as a barometer of how things are going in American politics today.

Despite running as a Republican in 2001 as a candidate for mayor, Bloomberg has arguably ruled from the center-left. He was more socially liberal than his predecessors, while retaining some of Giuliani’s practices, particularly those related to crime and financial matters. The warm embrace of one of the major parties never mixes while he is at City Hall, making his switch from Republican to Independent seem the most natural.

Governing a city like New York requires an unconventional chutzpah, but it is unclear whether a man who has won three terms here can do the same as President. After all, successful city management stems from policies that apply to a city’s specific needs (i.e. crime, law enforcement, homelessness, business incentives, etc.). What works at the local level may be difficult to implement at the national level.

With the Democratic Party struggling to accept its own definition (Socialist vs. Not-So-Socialist), is there a place for somebody like Mike Bloomberg who embraces many of their core issues (gun control, climate change, gay marriage, etc.), but has convictions? which is more pro-capitalist? Hard to say, whether Democrat or not, Mike Bloomberg’s vote during the 2020 race will absolutely be heard. How effective it is going to be remains to be seen.