Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York City, N.Y., speaks to the media aboard the amphibious transport dock ship PCU New York (LPD 21) while under way in the Atlantic Ocean Nov. 1, 2009. The ship is hosting more than 80 visitors overnight prior to pulling into New York City for its commissioning ceremony, which is scheduled for Nov. 7, 2009. (DoD photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Rachael L. Leslie, U.S. Navy/Released)
Why is Michael Bloomberg running, anyone might ask. Answers Conrad Black in American Greatness: “The incompetence of the present field of Democratic candidates has the virtues of both truthfulness and accuracy.”
Gore, Bradley, Bush, McCain: Ready for Mount Rushmore?
When Donald Trump was contemplating seeking the presidential nomination of the improvised Progressive Party in 2000, he referred to the four main contenders of the Democrats and Republicans, Vice President Al Gore, Senator Bill Bradley (D-N.J.), Governor George W. Bush (R-Texas), and Senator John McCain (R-Ariz.), as “a bunch of stiffs.” That was a fairly apt description, as his pejorative comments about people often are (and it was the beginning of his prolonged altercation with John McCain, which continued through to McCain’s funeral).
Better than Jonathan Swift’s Land of Giants
But that foursome was a Brobdingnagian cluster of potential candidates for elevation to Mount Rushmore compared to Joe Biden, Pete Buttigieg, Bernie Sanders, and Elizabeth Warren.
A Curious Fact: Historically Mayors Don’t Win
None of these people is remotely plausible as president. Presumably, Michael Bloomberg and perhaps Senator Amy Klobuchar (D-Minn.) will gain ground as the frightening unfeasibility of the current frontrunners inexorably sinks in.
Klobuchar is no world-beater but she’s not terrifying.
As Black points out, after three terms as mayor of NYC, no one would dispute Bloomberg’s competence and serious experience in the complexities of government. Yet, historically, mayors of major American cities have been unsuccessful in seeking the presidency, Mr. Black continues:
The only one to get to the White House was Grover Cleveland, the mayor of Buffalo, New York, but he was also governor of New York state. The only other ex-mayors of sizeable cities who were presidential candidates were Hubert Humphrey (1968) and DeWitt Clinton (1812).
It is a curious fact, for which there is no obvious explanation, that mayors have not got farther as John Lindsay and Rudolph Giuliani have demonstrated in recent times.
What Has Trump Accomplished?
- Cut most people’s taxes
- Helped drive unemployment to historic lows
- Brought more assistance, with the drastic reduction in illegal immigration, to the country’s lower-income groups than any president since Franklin D. Roosevelt.
Trump Aggressively Poaching Traditional Democratic Voting Blocs
And yes, many would argue that Trump’s personality is an acquired taste. Few among us would perhaps rather not enjoy an evening with Trump at our family BBQ. But as Conrad Black maintains, the “wild charges of racism, misogyny, and warmongering have not amounted to anything.”
Those offended by the proportions of Trump’s ego will not find Bloomberg much of an improvement.
There is a widespread aversion to Trump, but his record in office is increasingly hard to dispute and his attractions as the ultimate single combat warrior are slowly growing.
Read more here.
