Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced last week that he is exploring placing himself on the Democratic primary ballot in time for Super Tuesday elections in early 2020. His entrée into Democratic presidential politics has signaled the billionaire’s belief that the candidates currently in the race do not have what it takes to defeat the current president. Clearly to the former mayor, nothing captures the political moment and the necessities of the Democratic Party than the entrance of a billionaire from New York City.
It is without question former Mayor Bloomberg has been a financial success. Unlike the current president, Bloomberg started his own media empire which is now worth a cool $52 billion. I have no doubt that Mayor Bloomberg works hard and thinks critically about issues before making most decisions. Unlike the current resident of the White House, Mike Bloomberg has surrounded himself with intellectually capable individuals and does think about policy, even if I do not always agree with his policy proposals. However, Bloomberg’s desire to enter the race is troubling on a few levels.
First, the Democratic Party is currently negotiating several factions within the party. The party must decide if they are going to be the true progressive home for its supporters, if it wishes to go back to the “good old Obama days,” or if it wants to move to the center to capture disaffected Republicans, as well as the several grey areas in between these three main camps. The arrival of Bloomberg does not push the party towards a progressive agenda, which makes many Democrats fearful of a “Republican lite” candidate. Keep in mind, Bloomberg won election as a Republican candidate during the Bush presidential years. He was a card carrying Republican and many of his city policies reflected that.
Second, for many New Yorkers, the Bloomberg era was a mixed bag. The mayor was a leader in gun prevention and protected our water shed and environment in progressive ways. However, when it came to police reform, most specifically stop-and-frisk, the mayor made several policy decisions without thinking clearly about the communities of color affected. In addition, one of my most vivid memories of the new mayor occurred when subway fares were being raised and Bloomberg held a press conference telling financially strapped New Yorkers to “ride a bike” if they didn’t want to pay the newly increased subway fares. He then proceeded to roll out a $5000 Cannondale bicycle. Tone deaf does not even begin to describe several of his press conferences and policy decisions that followed.
The 2020 election is too important for a billionaire’s vanity project. If Bloomberg really thought he was the best candidate, he would have declared much earlier in this process. His entrée has muddied the waters and I fear it will be for the worst.
Christina Greer, Ph.D., is an associate professor at Fordham University, the author of “Black Ethnics: Race, Immigration, and the Pursuit of the American Dream,” the co-host of the podcast FAQ-NYC.
