Michael Bloomberg's Campaign Is Huge. That's The Point

[left-of-center2012]

Michael Bloomberg is not a tall man. But his presidential campaign is very big.

The sheer hugeness of the former New York City mayor’s campaign is its defining feature. It is the Death Star of presidential campaigns. Bloomberg employs more — much more — staff than any other candidate, and pays them unusually well. And not only that, he offers them three meals a day and iPhone 11s. Bloomberg’s campaign events have everything: catered food, more than enough free t-shirts for everyone, highly produced stages with themed backdrops and lecterns. Bloomberg is carrying out the largest advertising campaign in the history of American presidential politics, with over $400 million spent on ads so far and counting. Bloomberg is cornering the market on available staff for other campaigns that might need them.

While the other Democratic candidates schlepped all over Iowa and New Hampshire, shaking hands in coffee shops and holding town halls in Elks lodges, Bloomberg was jetting around states that vote later and attracting large crowds; a move that looked particularly smart after the Iowa caucuses fiasco. Bloomberg’s advertising has raised his profile such that, though he did not contest New Hampshire and wasn’t on its ballot, Bloomberg won thousands of more votes in the state’s primary than two candidates who had pinned their entire hopes on the state. It’s probably not a coincidence that Bloomberg has been advertising heavily in neighboring Massachusetts, which votes on Super Tuesday, when more than a third of pledged delegates will be up for grabs across 16 contests. Bloomberg is simply everywhere.

Though Bloomberg’s name won’t appear on a ballot until that day, he’s become an increasing presence in the race. Everyone is suddenly talking about Bloomberg. There’s a few reasons for this; for one, former frontrunner Joe Biden is slumping, and voters who want a moderate candidate are searching for alternatives. For another, more and more polling shows he’s competitive nationally. And Bloomberg has been announcing more and more high-profile endorsements.

https://www.buzzfeednews.com/article/rosiegray/michael-bloomberg-campaign-2020-democratic-primary

[DemocracyMouse]

2. Left-of-Center2012, Are you on his staff?

You're only reminding me why I like the rest of the Democrats more.

[Kaleva]

3. kick

[BusyBeingBest]

4. Long article but interesting. Thank you.

[denverbill]

5. Thank God billionaires and corporations still have a man to represent THEIR interests in this game.

The too-big-to-fail bankers, the hedge-fund managers with their 15% tax rate on carried interest, trade deals that send American jobs overseas, protecting for-profit health care against the incessant whining of the ungrateful poor.

I know it's asking a lot, but won't you PLEASE think and instead of making your house payment this month, give it to Michael Bloomberg to save our billionaires from Sanders.

[left-of-center2012]

6. Bloomberg is self financed.

He's not asking you:
"instead of making your house payment this month, give it to Michael Bloomberg"

[denverbill]

10. Is your user name really true anymore?

Most Americans support national health care. Most oppose cuts to Social Security. Most support common-sense gun control. Most support legal abortion.

Where are you left-of-center?

[LongtimeAZDem]

7. Bloomberg isn't soliciting donations; he's using his own money, not Dark Money like Bernie

[denverbill]

9. True. Bloomberg isn't paying any of his 'volunteers'. Except some internest trolls.

Bernie taking 'Dark Money'. I've given Bernie more money than any other candidate I've ever given money to and them some. You can find my name, if you knew it, by searching for me in OpenSecrets. You would know that I've given many contributions of $27 over several years. I also supported Bill Bradley in 2000, Obama in 2008 against Hillary (who won), and Bernie in 2016 (when Hillary lost, again).

Do you even know what Dark Money is? Republicans and establishment Democrats take TONS of it from 'social welfare organizations' like the Heritage Foundation and other billionaire funded think tanks. Bernie is taking 'Dark Money' from workers unions, organizations dedicated to HELPING WORKERS. If you don't think organizations whose primary goal is to help workers are different from organizations that protect and aid billionaires and CEOs...well, answer that yourself.

I want to vote for someone who relies on people who believe in his ideas to support him, not someone who can afford to buy an election to serve his own purposes.

Do you seriously believe that millions of people giving $27 is the same as 100 billionaires giving $1,000,000? Do you really think the policies of a billionaire are policies that will benefit you or your parents or children? Anyone who will spend $1 billion of his own personal money isn't spending it because of altruism.

[floppyboo]

8. Someone did the math. Trump's tax cuts have paid for Bloomberg's campaign so far.

Tax cuts that could have paid a teacher, given you insulin.
This is all so insulting.

[denverbill]

11. Thank you.

Not just 'a teacher' or giving one person insulin, as you know. Millions of insulin dependent people and tens of thousands of teachers.

Bloomberg is about as progressive as George Bush (either).

Kind of sad that a billionaire spending hundreds of millions of dollars of his own money to get elected is treated the same as a someone who millions of people give $100 or less to because he's supporting the same policies you support for 60 years.

[McCamy Taylor]

12. Thanks to Citizens United, the best we can hope for is a benevolent billionaire.

I think he is doing his duty. He can't possibly spend all that money in one lifetime, so he is going head to head with Putin trying to regain control of our country. I see Bloomberg as a patriot rather than a megalomaniac.

[Talitha]

13. Well said... thank you!