February 22, 2020
Good work, Democrats! In the Las Vegas debate, you blasted every target but Donald Trump. Instead of quivering in his Gucci loafers, the man who would be king was left dancing on air.
The man who should have been king, newcomer Mike Bloomberg, was left looking like a beaten-up cigar store Indian. He had not prepped for the debate and failed to dodge the obvious incoming missile attacks on him launched by a hissing Elizabeth Warren and Pete Buttigieg.
Many veteran Republicans fear that TV promoter Trump will steamroll Warren, Buttigieg, Biden and Amy Klobuchar. They may be right. Trump had to be delighted by the no-prisoners Democratic debate that bloodied his opponents before he could even get to them. Bloomberg was totally unprepared for the savage attacks launched against him. He looked like a neophyte suffering from camera fright.
I got a good read on Bloomberg when I had an intimate dinner with him some years ago. Rather than the stiff, unsmiling man we saw on TV in Las Vegas, in real life Bloomberg is clearly brilliant yet understated, charming, and endowed with a sharp sense of humor and quick wit.
Bernie Sanders, who has three homes, blasted Bloomberg for being ‘rich.’ This is a big sin to the Democrats who, like Hillary Clinton, pocketed millions in political support from big banks, unions and businesses under the cover of night or via bogus speaking fees and her fake foundation – a scam emulated by Trump.
The deeply corrupt Democratic National Committee, controlled by Hillary Clinton, rigged the vote that blocked Bernie Sanders during the last election. When news of this scandal emerged, Hillary kicked off the anti-Russian hysteria to divert attention from her chicanery.
Yes, Bloomberg may be the 9th or 10th richest man in the world. But his net worth comes from ownership of one of our most successful and reliable financial news organizations that he built up from nothing, and that employs important numbers of men and women. The use of Bloomberg terminals saves forests of trees.
Ignore Elizabeth Warren’s cheap shots about women being called names like ‘horse-faced lesbians’ or ‘fat’ at his firm. Many men speak this way to one-another in casual talk. Women often do the same regarding men. The answer to this is to totally segregate the sexes, as in Saudi Arabia. Trying to whip up a war of the sexes is not going to make angry Elizabeth Warren president. She should stick to her commendable work with banking and voting rights.
It’s pretty clear after the shootout in Vegas that Joe Biden has used up his last chance. Black voters and unions won’t save him. He looked old and very tired. But not as tired or off the mark as Mike Bloomberg. By contrast Bernie looked old, to be sure, but was full of beans.
As a foreign affairs specialist, what really dismayed me was that there was only one significant mention of international policy. That’s when the abrasive, loud-mouthed Sen. Amy Klobuchar could not remember the name of the president of Mexico. For God’s sake, she on a senate committee that deals with Mexico.
While our presidential debate focuses on overweight women and health care, the US and Russia have come terrifyingly close to open war in the Mideast.
But barely any mention of this in the debates. Trump and his big money men from New York and Las Vegas are trying to push Iran into an air war. The US is seeking to overthrow the governments of Venezuela, Cuba, Syria, and Iran. Clashes between China and the US are a major danger. Former defense chief Sam Nunn warns the US and Russia are closer to a nuclear conflict than any time since the 1960’s Cuban missile crisis. No matter.
Americans want entertainers for their made-for-TV politicians. Poor, dignified Mr. Bloomberg didn’t know he would face professional actors, not legislators.
Copyright Eric S. Margolis 2020
This post is in: USA
From NBC News:
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“When a federal judge ruled that the police department’s use of stop-and-frisk violated minorities’ rights and ordered oversight by a court-appointed monitor, Bloomberg — a lifelong Democrat who became a Republican to run for mayor and switched to independent while in office — vowed to keep stop-and-frisk going through his final days in office. When the council voted to enact the reform measures, he vetoed them, called them “dangerous to the city” and tried to sink attempts to override the veto.”
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Now, do the Americans really want this fascist for a presidential candidate? As I mentioned numerous times earlier. Trump is a symptom of a much greater problem.
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Dik
Hi Eric I think your slicing the cheese a little thick. I agree in most cases politicians are mere actors but I take exception to Bernie. Bernie has spent his whole life fighting injustice. Not always popular with main stream thought. Be it civil rights, anti Vietnam war, shedding light on US domination of Latin America including Cuba. He also was against the illegal invasion of Iraq and the insane backing of Saddam in the Iraq Iran war. I think history shows who was right He even has the balls to call out Israel. Can’t wait for the “self hater” label!! ….!P.S. Was WW2 only fought for Rapacious Capitalism?
what are the rules when it says “awaiting moderation” ?
If I may answer…
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Prior to Eric’s site being moderated, there were a couple of religious posters that ‘ruined’ the tempo of the site. This was fixed by moderation and works quite well… all postings are moderated and it may be a few days before the moderator gets around to checking the various postings. The awaiting moderation just means that the moderator hasn’t gotten around to checking things.
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Dik
There is a possiblilty that those in charge of the Democratic Party, aka the Old White Guys, may not allow Bernie to run as president. If you scan various newsgroups, the, MSNBC in particular, and the CNN and NBC to a lesser extent are quite ‘slanted’ against Sanders…
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The old white guys are speaking and directing things in the background.
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The Intercept, another newsletter that I read had quite an article on this.
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Dik
The American Democrats are at a watershed moment. The Party has to come to grips with socialism. Bernie Sanders has to be accommodated as it appears that he is the front runner. This can change if the Party refuses to endorse him and this will have tragic consequences for the party. Such a dilemma… If the Party endorses him, it too, will have tragic consequences.
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The Democratic Party is still run by the DOWGs (Democratic Old White Guys) just as the Republican Party is (ROWGs). They really aren’t much different. The DOWGS have to come to grips and endorse a form of socialism. In this situation they have to endorse medicare for all, and not medical insurance for all. The endorsement can have caveats that ensure that people with current medical coverage are not short changed and the resulting product is that their current level of coverage is not diminished. Unless the Democrats subscribe to this and seriously push this form of medicare, they are doomed to be losers. Leaving it as the elephant in the room, without clearly addressing it, will greatly harm the party.
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The Democrats have to educate the masses that some forms of socialism are acceptable. This is the first big hurdle, because the masses have been brainwashed otherwise. It is in the countries best interests that healthcare and education should take precedence over military spending. They can point to the fact that infant mortality in Cuba is lower than that of the United States. Are the Americans proud of this? This is a consequence of not spending money where it should be spent. The Democrats also have to educate the masses that money that would be spent for nuclear re-armament is better spent on the general health and education. The masses also have to be educated that the wealthy should pay according to their wealth; they are the ones benefiting most from the American infrastructure. A few rice bowls of the wealthy and the military industrial complex will have to be broken. This re-education will be difficult because these are the very people keeping the masses ‘in the dark’.
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The new ‘batch’ of Democrats are pushing for the socialism of healthcare and education. The DOWGS will have to fall in line. The US should join the rest of the Western world. The DOWGs have to address the matter of socialism and push for the re-education of the masses to accept this. If not, the party will be splintered and, over time, will fail. Failure to address it will lead to the formation of a new socialist political party. Members from this party will likely come from the current Democrats, further reducing their stature. Some European nations have half a dozen political parties or more. The lack of direction will, in the short term, open the door for the Republicans to remain in power.
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The people, who can benefit most for social improvement, are those likely not to cast a vote. This has to change and with more underprivileged votes, the change will occur more quickly.
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A huge number of Americans live below the poverty line with many of them holding two or more McJobs and they are still barely surviving. They can lose whatever savings they may put together only to lose them with a single illness. This has to change. This should not happen in a civilised country.
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The impoverished Americans have to endorse the idea that some socialism is in the best interests of the country and the population. Those with finances have brainwashed them to think otherwise. The upper 1% who have no concerns about health insurance can easily afford the premiums. The middle class should not have to worry about losing their home because of illness. Hospitals should not be allowed to sue people to recover costs for medical treatment.
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The scary thing is that the education process can take several years and until it happens, people like Dotard Trump will set the scene to prevent it.
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I’m glad that Bloomberg was singled out; the man and his fascistic ideas belong with the Republicans. It was unfortunate that too much effort was expended on attacking him and not enough spent highlighting Trumps excesses, legal and otherwise. As several news commentators have observed, Donald was the clear winner. The Democratic Party is at a cross-roads and has to determine which direction to go. More and more people will embrace free healthcare and education; it’s just a matter of time.
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Dik
You might be underestimating Trump and how he would campaign against Sanders. Trump labelled Sanders a communist in 2016. For this year’s election, if Sanders becomes the Democratic nominee, Trump will probably pull up a Washington Post article from last year that showed Sanders in the Soviet Union in 1987, during which time he made some interesting statements that would be used to suggest that he (Sanders) has communist leanings. (See my comments below.)
I think that only Bloomberg can defeat Trump. See my comments above and in my own epistle below.
It really looks like Joe Biden is a spent force in the Democratic Party and I think that it’s likely he’ll drop out of the race for their presidential nomination in the next couple of months. The only candidates who now seem to have a serious chance of winning that nomination are Bloomberg and Sanders. However, Bloomberg’s political stumble in the Las Vegas debate could well lead to him being set aside. Trump is not worried about the challenge from any of the candidates for the Democratic nomination, except for Mike Bloomberg, whose campaign might well falter. That would leave Sanders, whom NY Times columnist David Brooks, who is a moderately conservative writer, but no fan of Trump, has tagged as the likely winner of the Democratic contest. However, whether it be Bloomberg or Sanders, one question that would be raised is this: is the US ready to accept a Jewish president? The question of religion dogged Kennedy, a Roman Catholic, in the 1960 election, which he won by a fairly close margin. Although this question should not matter at all (it certainly doesn’t matter among our major party leaders in Canada and has not for many years), I doubt that voters in most of the southern and mid-western states would accept a Jewish president. But would voters in the Democratic and swing states accept Sanders or Bloomberg? Hard to say. As for Sanders, he would be a perfect foil for Trump, who would almost certainly label him a communist (he did in 2016) and drag up a column from the Washington Post that discussed Sanders’s visit to the Soviet Union in 1988. In one picture, Sanders, then 46, can be seen enjoying the vodka. He praised the Soviet system’s cheaper housing and health care system and said that the US should “take the best of both systems”. How can any sane person say that there was much good about the Soviet Union’s central planning model, which was a proven failure? Trump would be delighted to poke fun at Sanders over that! Anther concern that I have is that this election is unlikely to give the US the option of generational change. Just think, the US has President Trump, who will turn 74 this year, and a likely choice of either Sanders, who will be 79 this year, or Bloomberg, who is now 78. Even Warren is in her early 70s and Biden is in his late 70s. These people are really too old to be president, in my view, and Sanders’s health is very much in doubt. He has said he won’t release his medical records to the public, even though he has recently had a heart attack. What a pickle the US is in this year!
Very entertaining and informative column! It really looks like Joe Biden is a spent force in the Democratic Party and I think that it’s likely he’ll drop out of the race for their presidential nomination in the next couple of months. The only candidates who now seem to have a serious chance of winning that nomination are Bloomberg and Sanders. However, Bloomberg’s political stumble in the Las Vegas debate could well lead to him being set aside. Trump is not worried about the challenge from any of the candidates for the Democratic nomination, except for Mike Bloomberg, whose campaign might well falter. That would leave Sanders, whom NY Times columnist David Brooks, who is a moderately conservative writer, but no fan of Trump, has tagged as the likely winner of the Democratic contest. However, whether it be Bloomberg or Sanders, one question that would be raised is this: is the US ready to accept a Jewish president? The question of religion dogged Kennedy, a Roman Catholic, in the 1960 election, which he won by a fairly close margin. Although this question should not matter at all (it certainly doesn’t matter among our major party leaders in Canada and has not for many years), I doubt that voters in most of the southern and mid-western states would accept a Jewish president. But would voters in the Democratic and swing states accept Sanders or Bloomberg? Hard to say. As for Sanders, he would be a perfect foil for Trump, who would almost certainly label him a communist (he did in 2016) and drag up a column from the Washington Post that discussed Sanders’s visit to the Soviet Union in 1988. In one picture, Sanders, then 46, can be seen enjoying the vodka. He praised the Soviet system’s cheaper housing and health care system and said that the US should “take the best of both systems”. How can any sane person say that there was much good about the Soviet Union’s central planning model, which was a proven failure? Trump would be delighted to poke fun at Sanders over that! Anther concern that I have is that this election is unlikely to give the US the option of generational change. Just think, the US has President Trump, who will turn 74 this year, and a likely choice of either Sanders, who will be 79 this year, or Bloomberg, who is now 78. Even Warren is in her early 70s and Biden is in his late 70s. These people are really too old to be president, in my view, and Sanders’s health is very much in doubt. He has said he won’t release his medical records to the public, even though he has recently had a heart attack. What a pickle the US is in this year!
You should write about Buttigieg’s connections to the CIA and the American intelligence community.
Buttigieg’s alleged connections to the CIA and other intelligence agencies won’t matter anyway. He is highly unlikely to win the nomination and even a number of Democrats have quietly said that the US is not ready for an openly gay president. And, although I have nothing against Buttigieg, I think they’re right.
Add to this the extreme danger of the Democrats are just as much as a cult as the Trump cult and will not accept anything outside of Russia is our enemy and Hillary, Obama and the Democrats are saints.
Saying anything outside of this is proof you are either a Trump supporter or KGB.
Bloomberg is used to more issue-centric discussions aimed at problem solution.
He is also probably used to being lead dog and having people defer to his opinion. So he was perfect roadkill for political theatre.
“So he was perfect roadkill for political theatre.” I love the imagery…
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He could be selected as the Democrat for running… which would ensure that Trump was re-elected. He’s one of those suitable to the ‘old white guys’ running the party.
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The guy’s dangerous ‘road kill’ and a fascist at heart… the US would become that much more of an unbridled police state. Unlike some of the other candidates, he is acceptable to the OWGs.
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It’s going to be a real interesting election (in a Chinese sense) for the Americans as well as the rest of the world.
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Dik
Four years ago, I was puzzled to read articles here, cheering on Trump to “destroy the corrupt Republicans”.
He won, and his party is now proudly more corrupt.
I look back over my life and remained puzzled as USA had choices: between Nixon and McGovern and chose Nixon; between Bush and Gore, and chose Bush; between Clinton and Sanders and (with manipulation) chose Clinton.
Now we are asked to ignore the candidates who espouse health care for all, less militarism, more environmental protection, and more labour rights?
And support another member of the entitled class?
This Canadian’s rosy dream of the Rockwell America is gone.
Glad to live in a country that still has not succumbed.
Proudly Canadian!
Joe
Even at the time of the Rockwell pictures… I was well aware of that being the way Americans saw each other… not the way they were.
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Dik