Dismayed by Donald Trump, Michael Bloomberg Will Endorse Hillary Clinton

[NAC4EV]

http://www.nytimes.com/2016/07/25/us/politics/michael-bloomberg-hillary-clinton-dnc.html

Michael R. Bloomberg, who bypassed his own run for the presidency this election cycle, will endorse Hillary Clinton in a prime-time address at the Democratic National Convention and make the case for Mrs. Clinton as the best choice for moderate voters in 2016, an adviser to Mr. Bloomberg said.
The news is an unexpected move from Mr. Bloomberg, who has not been a member of the Democratic Party since 2000; was elected the mayor of New York City as a Republican; and later became an independent.
But it reflects Mr. Bloomberg’s increasing dismay about the rise of Donald J. Trump and a determination to see that the Republican nominee is defeated.
Mrs. Clinton is seeking to reach out to middle-of-the-road swing voters and even moderate Republicans uneasy about Mr. Trump. Polls show that significant numbers of Republicans remain wary of Mr. Trump, and question his fitness for the presidency.
Mr. Bloomberg will vouch for Mrs. Clinton “from the perspective of a business leader and an independent,” said Howard Wolfson, a senior adviser to Mr. Bloomberg.
“As the nation’s leading independent and a pragmatic business leader, Mike has supported candidates from both sides of the aisle,” Mr. Wolfson said. “This week in Philadelphia, he will make a strong case that the clear choice in this election is Hillary Clinton.”
Mr. Bloomberg, who has been sharply critical of Mr. Trump’s views on immigration and the economy, may fortify Mrs. Clinton’s appeal to the political center.
And with the Republican nominee basing his campaign on his background as a businessman, Mr. Bloomberg, a billionaire media executive and philanthropist, may help counter the Trump sales pitch.


It is unusual, but not unheard-of, for a speaker who is not a member of a political party to address that party’s convention. Mr. Bloomberg is expected to speak on Wednesday, the same evening as President Obama and Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr.
Mr. Bloomberg and Mrs. Clinton are not personally close but had a positive working relationship when he served as mayor and she as a senator from New York.
Mr. Wolfson said the Clinton campaign had contacted Mr. Bloomberg several weeks ago to ask if he would be willing to address the convention. Mr. Bloomberg, he said, mulled over the idea and ultimately agreed to speak, after drafting a speech that reflected his distinctive set of political views rather than a boilerplate Democratic message.
Mr. Wolfson also said Mr. Bloomberg was pleased by the selection of Senator Tim Kaine, a former governor of Virginia and a strong supporter of gun control, as Mrs. Clinton’s running mate.
Mr. Bloomberg is not an entirely natural fit for the Democratic Party of 2016: Though he has been an energetic advocate on issues related to guns, immigration and climate change, he has also been a vocal ally of the financial services industry and has defended the strict policing tactics his administration employed in New York.
Jennifer Palmieri, Mrs. Clinton’s communications director, said Mr. Bloomberg would bring to the convention “a unique and important voice that lays out the choice in this election.”
“As a business leader and philanthropist, Michael Bloomberg has lived his values and fought to make a difference for others,” Ms. Palmieri said.
The Trump campaign did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
In the past, Mr. Bloomberg has rebuked Democrats for attacking Wall Street — a part of his record that may sit uneasily with liberal Democrats, and especially with the supporters of Senator Bernie Sanders of Vermont who are already smarting from his defeat.


Mr. Bloomberg has been quiet in recent months about the presidential race. But in the past, he has criticized Mr. Trump in stark terms, describing him as a threat to American security.
When he decided late last winter not to run for the White House, Mr. Bloomberg explained that he could not take the risk of running an independent campaign that might inadvertently ease Mr. Trump’s path to power.
Mr. Bloomberg castigated Mr. Trump at the time for his proposals to ban Muslim immigration and deport millions of undocumented immigrants, as well as his pledge to launch trade wars with China and Japan.
“These moves would divide us at home and compromise our moral leadership around the world,” Mr. Bloomberg wrote. “The end result would be to embolden our enemies, threaten the security of our allies, and put our own men and women in uniform at greater risk.”
In April, he warned in a commencement address at the University of Michigan that the country faced an unprecedented political threat from “demagogues” in both parties.
Mr. Bloomberg, who served for 12 years as the mayor of New York, has never addressed a political convention in a partisan capacity. He appeared at the 2004 Republican National Convention in New York in his role as mayor of the host city.
He endorsed Mr. Obama for re-election in 2012, writing in a column that his views on climate change had been the decisive factor.
Michael Nutter, a former Philadelphia mayor, said he expected Mr. Bloomberg to receive a “warm and positive welcome” from delegates, even thought he is not a Democrat. Mr. Nutter said it made political sense to go after voters outside the party: Mr. Bloomberg, he said, could help persuade other business leaders to back Mrs. Clinton, “in some cases Republican business people.”
“I think Mike Bloomberg gives validation to Hillary Clinton and the campaign,” said Mr. Nutter, a Democrat. “We want to win, and everybody has a role to play.”

 

[LegendKiller]

wow, a democrat endorses a democrat. Color me shocked.

 

[umbrella39]

Wow, a republican, many notable and reputable ones in fact, don't endorse a "republican". Color me oops...

 

[NAC4EV]

wow, a democrat endorses a democrat. Color me shocked.

He has not been a member of the Democratic Party since 2000; was elected the mayor of New York City as a Republican; and later became an independent.

 

[LegendKiller]

He has not been a member of the Democratic Party since 2000; was elected the mayor of New York City as a Republican; and later became an independent.

So name a single major stance he has that is Republican in nature, other than his support for Wall Street, which is bipartisan.

Gun control?

Family values?

Smaller government?

He was always a Democrat. Everybody knows this.

There's a reason why he polled like shit when they did some exploration for his presidential run. No Republican wanted him and everybody saw he'd take a huge portion of D voters.

 

[emperus]

So name a single major stance he has that is Republican in nature, other than his support for Wall Street, which is bipartisan.

Gun control?

Family values?

Smaller government?

He was always a Democrat. Everybody knows this.

There's a reason why he polled like shit when they did some exploration for his presidential run. No Republican wanted him and everybody saw he'd take a huge portion of D voters.

How does Trump fit into that last you made?

 

[LegendKiller]

How does Trump fit into that last you made?

Did you see how horribly bloomberg would have polled? It was ridiculous.

You simply cannot be a Republican and be as anti-gun ownership as Bloomberg.

That'd be like an anti-abortion candidate being named the Nominee of the Dems. It wouldn't happen, ever.

Bloomberg was worse than a RINO.

 

[Paratus]

How does Trump fit into that last you made?

Well you know, family values. Multiple divorces and talking about dating your own daughter. Those are good wholesome conservative values in many states.

 

[theeedude]

Moderate Republicans, Hillary is your candidate!

 

[ivwshane]

Did you see how horribly bloomberg would have polled? It was ridiculous.

You simply cannot be a Republican and be as anti-gun ownership as Bloomberg.

That'd be like an anti-abortion candidate being named the Nominee of the Dems. It wouldn't happen, ever.

Bloomberg was worse than a RINO.

And there it is, the deflection and the No true Scotsmen fallacy.

Not sure if you are a Republican, just ask lk! He the authority on Republicanism (along with every other Nutter who says the same shit).

 

[compuwiz1]

Moderate Republicans, Hillary is your candidate!

Moderate Republicans aren't that fucking stupid. Gary Johnson!

 

[JSt0rm]

So name a single major stance he has that is Republican in nature, other than his support for Wall Street, which is bipartisan.

Gun control?

Family values?

Smaller government?

He was always a Democrat. Everybody knows this.

There's a reason why he polled like shit when they did some exploration for his presidential run. No Republican wanted him and everybody saw he'd take a huge portion of D voters.

wtf is family values?

 

[JSt0rm]

Moderate Republicans aren't that fucking stupid. Gary Johnson!

A vote for gary is a vote for hillary.

 

[pcgeek11]

Did anyone expect anything different?

Really.

 

[ivwshane]

Did anyone expect anything different?

Really.

I'm just curious if anyone actually cares about endorsements? I can't remember a time when I saw someone give an endorsement and I thought to myself, hmm, let me see what's going on.

 

[pcgeek11]

They don't mean a thing.

 

[Genx87]

He has not been a member of the Democratic Party since 2000; was elected the mayor of New York City as a Republican; and later became an independent.

Whatever party is advantageous to get himself political power he joined. Anybody who thinks this guy is a Republican or Democrat is delusional.

 

[PokerGuy]

Lefty authoritarian anti-gun zealot endorses hildebeast. Color me shocked

 

[fskimospy]

Lefty authoritarian anti-gun zealot endorses hildebeast. Color me shocked

Bloomberg isn't a 'lefty' by any commonly understood sense of the term.

 

[elitejp]

Well you know, family values. Multiple divorces and talking about dating your own daughter. Those are good wholesome conservative values in many states.

But great points for pulling in dem votes.

 

[PokerGuy]

Bloomberg isn't a 'lefty' by any commonly understood sense of the term.

Can you name his positions that would be considered to be aligned with the right wing? His anti-gun-zealot status puts him on the extreme left. He's definitely an authoritarian as well. The allegiance with wall street is both left and right, but other than that he's a lefty.

And those going with the "he was a republican!" tripe, don't bother. The fastest sloth is still not fast. Just because he's less of a leftist radical than the others in NY doesn't make him a righty.

 

[Jhhnn]

wtf is family values?

Peddling gambling & liquor are family values once in the exclusive realm of crime families. So are various scams like Trump U & Trump Baja, not to mention expertise in creative bankruptcy. Besides that, what good family man wouldn't want a string of trophy wives, anyway?

 

[bshole]

Bloomberg isn't a 'lefty' by any commonly understood sense of the term.

Bloomberg is an oligarch. It is pretty clear that Clinton has made a career out of selling out the poor and middle classes to the oligarchs.

This presidential election may have been driven by populist fever in both parties, but at the end, the campaign has left the nation’s oligarchs in better position than ever. As Bernie Sanders now marches to his own inevitable defeat, leaving the real winners those oligarchs—notably in tech, media, urban real estate and on Wall Street—who are among Hillary Clinton’s most reliable supporters.

 

[fskimospy]

Can you name his positions that would be considered to be aligned with the right wing? His anti-gun-zealot status puts him on the extreme left. He's definitely an authoritarian as well. The allegiance with wall street is both left and right, but other than that he's a lefty.

He was against unions, for less business regulation, anti-tariff, huge proponent of charter schools, etc.

Oh and Wall Street support isn't bipartisan.

And those going with the "he was a republican!" tripe, don't bother. The fastest sloth is still not fast. Just because he's less of a leftist radical than the others in NY doesn't make him a righty.

His political positions make him a moderate conservative. To most people on the ultra right though they are so far to the right to them it looks the same.

 

[michal1980]

Bloomberg isn't a 'lefty' by any commonly understood sense of the term.

really?

Anti-Gun. Check.

Higher Taxes. Check

Anti-fossil fuels. Check

Pro-Huge Goverment. Check.

Only not a lefty by people that are left of Marx.