Mike Bloomberg will join Stacey Abrams in Georgia on Friday for her voting rights’ summit. Bloomberg donated $500k to her gubernatorial race in 2018 and $5M to her org Fair Fight in Dec. 2019.
— Alexi McCammond (@alexi) January 8, 2020
She’s been speculated to be a top pick for VP for others and her ability to connect with communities of
color is unmatched. Although not an endorsement, the optics of even standing next to Abrams is a huge get for any Dem presidential candidate.— Alexi McCammond (@alexi) January 8, 2020
Stacey Abrams will not be Bloomberg’s VP, if only because his chances for the nomination are vanishingly small. But if her local paper, the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, is correct, Bloomberg was responsible for about a third of the funds Fair Fight raised to fight voter suppression during the second half of 2019. For that money, not to mention the money he’ll be expected to donate in the future (and that his support will produce from other donors), she’s willing to give him a spot at her invite-only summit. Who knows, he might learn some important leassons… as might the reporters who’ll follow Bloomberg, who wouldn’t have shown up otherwise.
It’s purely transactional, on both their parts. I’m sure this is actually comforting to Mike — he’s a self-proclaimed Data Guy, for whom transactional is easy, unlike all that grip’n’grin stuff natural politicians find fulfilling.
Abrams' 2018 gubernatorial run and subsequent fight against voter suppression has made her a Democratic darling who’s now one of the most sought after surrogates for the party's 2020 contenders. More on @axios https://t.co/ydUXNIlPgu
— Alexi McCammond (@alexi) January 8, 2020
NotMax
One might even say she’s become the surrogate motherlode.
;)
Felanius Kootea
Good news because Republicans win in part by cheating and Democrats ignore voter suppression at their own peril.
Jim, Foolish Literalist
Bloomberg is also running an ad positioning himself as the defender of Obamacare, citing a bunch of statistics about expanding health care as mayor that make wonder how much he did, and how much O’care did while he was mayor, but I’m too lazy to check it out.
I don’t like him much, but giving a big check like that to Abrams is a good move
hells littlest angel
Good for him. It’s nice when old white guys running for the Democratic nomination do good.
Emerald
Absolutely, take the money, Stacey! I can’t see her as anybody’s VP for two reasons: she isn’t qualified (yet) and what she’s doing with her Fair Fight work might be more important than anything else happening this year.
Republicans can’t win a fair fight. You go girl!
Yutsano
@Emerald:
How is she not? She’s over 35 and a naturally born US citizen.
Sister Golden Bear
In the words of the famous/infamous California pol Big Daddy Unruh:*
*Unruh was referring to lobbyists, but the same principle applies here.
SWMBO
@Sister Golden Bear: This sounds like a Molly Ivins quote about some Texas pol.
Shalimar
@Emerald: I would take her resume over Mayor Pete’s.
James E Powell
$5M is real money. What will it take to get him to do the same in other states?
Like maybe paying the court costs of the people in Florida who are trying to vote?
Mai naem mobile
I like Bloomberg. I know he ran as a Republican as NY Mayor and the extra term. I know about the wall to wall ads he bought. I know he’s rich and has Wall Strèet connections etc. but we could do a lot worse than Bloomberg. Right now my top three are Warren, Biden and Bloomberg. I like Klobuchar but don’t know if she comes across as too midwestern hockey mom. Fuck Bernie. Mayor Pete. Seriously? Small town mayor who looks like he is 16? Blòomberg has dealt with Trumpov in NYC. I worry about him being short and a New Yawk City Mayor. I wonder about antisemitism in this country but I figure somebody who is not going to vote for Bloomberg based on his ethnicity wasnt going to vote for a Dem anyhow. He’s self made and he’s ambitious and willing to do what it takes. Nothing wrong with that.
joel hanes
@Shalimar:
I would take Stacey Abrams’s political skills over Mayor Pete’s in a heartbeat.
OzarkHillbilly
Heh: Who Needs a Dad When You Have a Donny Monster?
David ??Merry Christmas?? Koch
Have you ever seen Alexi McCammond on MSNBC – she is stunningly beautiful (photo).
debbie
@Jim, Foolish Literalist:
The one with the NYC nurse? It is indeed a good ad. Not my choice for candidate, but anything that attacks Trump can’t be all bad.
daveNYC
I would be far more enthused about Bloomberg as a Republican candidate for president. He wouldn’t be a great president, but at least he’d be one who shares some of my policy goals and who would be willing to work with Democrats to achieve them.
artem1s
@Mai naem mobile:
this. I’m sick to the teeth with the notion that you can run a government like a business. Or that a business man will make a good legislator. It’s a ridiculous fallacy that has been foisted on us for decades. It takes unique skills to navigate public service life. When I hear ‘run it like a business’ – I hear Ken Lay claiming he’s not responsible for the CFO’s decisions. I hear Romney saying corporations are people too! I hear the asshat currently in the WH claiming he makes the best deals! Sorry, it’s time for the ‘businessmen’ to step aside and admit there are more qualified people running, even if they aren’t as well versed in being born rich and stealing other’s labor and wealth.
sdhays
@daveNYC: THIS! Being a Republican was good enough for him when he was mayor, and he would be a lot more interesting as a Republican candidate for President (and have the same chance of getting the nomination).
But at least he’s kicking some change to actual critical Democratic infrastructure rather than merely lighting money on fire buying ads that will never pay off.
sdhays
@Mai naem mobile: He’s said some pretty misogynist things, pretty recently if my memory isn’t betraying me. His tenure as mayor of NYC was mixed, at best.
He is a Republican. Graded on that scale, he’s not too bad, but I he’s pretty terrible when considered for the Democratic nomination.
Another Scott
@sdhays: He’s in the race because he’s afraid of Warren. That’s enough of a reason for me to say, No to Mike.
We don’t hire plumbers to do brain surgery, or brain surgeons to do plumbing. Skills and aptitudes in politics matter much, much more than finding ways to wrangle the system to make a bazillion dollars.
The press likes Bloomberg because he can and will spend a bazillion dollars with them for ads. Full stop. It’s not a reason to consider giving him our vote.
My $0.02.
Cheers,
Scott.
khead
Yup. Adams is smart enough to take that money and then leave him at the curb.
khead
@Mai naem mobile:
Please expand on “Dealt with Trumpov”. TIA
Exregis
Bloomberg is a Republican only because the Democratic mayoral primary field was crowded with name candidates and the Republican primary was not. His credentials on racial and female issues are mixed, but he certainly has long supported many core Democratic principles. (When a reporter commented how interesting it would be to have two New York billionaires—he being one—battle for the presidency, he asked who the other one was.)
tam1MI
I’m not a huge fan of Bloomberg, but I’ll vote for him if that’s what it takes to deny Bernie the nomination.