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"At key moments in the history of the United States, one of the two parties has served as a bulwark against those who threaten our Constitution." Two years ago, at the Democratic Convention, I was forced to go to the polls. I warned against these threats.Today, I re-registered as a Democrat – – I had been a member for most of my life – because we need Democrats to provide the brakes and balance our country so badly needed. "
You will remember (or maybe not!) That Bloomberg was a democrat for much of his adult life, before leaving the party to register as a Republican in 2001. This decision was entirely political; he wanted to be Mayor of New York City and the Republican Party – and the main party – offered a much more direct way to achieve that goal.
Political observers saw Bloomberg's tactics setting the stage for an independent presidential race in 2008, a campaign that never came to fruition after Barack Obama and John McCain won the nominations of their respective parties. Bloomberg was elected to a third term at the City Hall of New York City in 2009 as an independent, and then four years later, he left his elected office.
Which brings us to Wednesday – and to the last change of chameleon from Bloomberg's party. It's no secret that Bloomberg has (for a long time) been interested in applying for a position at the National Office. And his decision to speak at the 2016 Democratic National Convention seemed to be a pretty clear indicator of the current position of his supporters.
So what does he tell us then, then, that Bloomberg thinks his best potential way to achieve this goal is that of a democrat?
1. The idea of a viable third party is dead.
I have long been skeptical about the idea that someone who runs outside the two party system could be anything but a spoiler for one party or the other in a presidential race.
Yes, many people point out that the fastest growing political party in the country is "unaffiliated". But many people who identify as self-employed are not really self-employed. When rubber meets the road, they tend to always go to the same side. People like the idea of saying that they are independent, but very few of them are actually up for grabs for both parties. I think this is even more true in the Trump era; there are just not many people in the political world (or a country close to it) nowadays.
Then there are the huge logistical hurdles to overcome in trying to escape the two-party system. The two party structures are so much part of the less glamorous job of running for the presidency – collecting signatures to make sure that the party candidate appears on each state's ballot – it not only takes a long time, but also very, very expensive. Bloomberg is a billionaire – and could possibly get out of this problem. But it would take tens of millions of dollars – and this, before the purchase of a single ad or planning a visit to an early-voting state.
2. The Democratic primary race is totally open.
Did you know that there are more than thirty Democrats who are actively considering running for the presidency in 2020? 30! This huge field tells you that there a) that there is no clear leader in the race and b) that there is a lot of pent-up ambition among the democrats who, overall, voted for the 2016 presidential race. Bloomberg is looking into this area and, judging by his decision to re-register as a Democrat, is not afraid of Joe Bidens, Bernie Sanders and Elizabeth Warrens of the world.
And did I mention that Bloomberg had tons of money?
3. The angle of the foreign business man is not played.
Some claim that after four years of billionaire businessmen without prior experience outside of New York City, Democrats – and the country – will not designate a person with a profile as close to that of Trump. Bloomberg clearly believes that this is not the case. The argument he makes is not that a successful businessman can not run the country, but that Trump is never as successful as a businessman.
Bloomberg's theory of the 2020 case was clearly outlined in his 2016 DNC speech:
"Throughout his career, Trump has left behind a well-documented record of bankruptcies, thousands of lawsuits, angry shareholders and subcontractors who feel cheated and disillusioned customers who feel ripped off. God helps us, I understand the attraction of a businessman president, but Trump's business plan is a disaster in the making. "
You can see this presentation of Bloomberg in Iowa or New Hampshire during the year 2019: I am the current billionaire of New York. We have tried an incompetent, we must now let a competent enter the oval office.
Is Bloomberg right about this message – or his broader assessment of his candidacy for the presidency as a democrat in two years? I'm really not sure. But I am more convinced today than yesterday that we will have the opportunity to discover it.
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