Is Michael Bloomberg good for Progressives?
After reading Mark Sommer's article in Medium, I say yes. Sommer, a lifelong progressive and climate activist, makes a stand for a moderate, but who still sounds an awful lot like a Progressive. Just look at what Mike Bloomberg has done on gun control with his organizations Mayors Against Illegal Guns and Everytown for Gun Safety. Not only have these groups fought the gun nuts like Wayne LaPierre's NRA, but they are also compiling valuable gun violence data.
Okay, I am very passionate over gun control, but this is only one of Bloomberg's Progressive issues. Sommer exclaims...
"On matters of policy I’m all in with Elizabeth and Bernie. Whatever happens to their candidacies, I will be eternally grateful to them for forcefully delineating agendas foreign and domestic that altogether affirm my own priorities. They’ve set the benchmarks by which we must measure whatever candidate the Democrats end up nominating to confront Donald Trump."Bernie Sanders is the Godfather of Progressivism, but with Democrats fighting to dump his bid for the Primary, and some feeling he may not have the total oomph to beat Donald Trump, you have to have a Plan B. It would appear that Michael Bloomberg could be Plan B. Mark Sommer has his philosophy and it sounds mighty good to me...
"I’m neither a capitalist nor a communist, having witnessed the endemic injustices and irredeemable flaws in both systems. I believe that our tax systems need to be made radically more progressive than they are today. We urgently need to reduce the widening abyss between the richest and poorest in our society, a seismic shift that is undermining the very foundations of our democracy and social stability. I believe all political campaigns should be financed solely by public funds."We might as well get to the one mistake Bloomberg made when it comes to social and economic justice, he...
"pursued a policy of “stop and frisk” that specifically targeted hundreds of thousands of poor young men of color. His policy triggered credible accusations of racial bias from minorities and white progressives alike. He has since apologized for the policy but many feel it has come twenty years too late."But by comparison, Donald Trump has been labeled an outright racist, which doesn't forgive the former New York Mayor, but in the case of the apology, something which T-rump has never done, you have to look on the positive side. Also, Bloomberg is a billionaire, something Bernie rails against constantly, but this billionaire "has also promised to provide ample resources ($1 billion or more) to whomever the Democrats ultimately nominate, even if it turns out not to be him."
And the candidate does have empathy for the black community...
"In a January 19, 2020 speech in a black community church in Tulsa near the site of the notorious 1921 Black Wall Street Massacre (https://www.mikebloomberg.com/news/the-greenwood-initiative-economic-justice-for-black-america), Bloomberg admitted that had he been an African American he wouldn’t have been nearly as successful as he is today."But he still must work a lot harder to gain the trust of the blacks, and I think he will. With his moderate appeal, he can also take back some of those Independents who just sent Donald Trump's approval rating up, the 49ers. And there is no doubt of his commitment to the environment...
"as demonstrated by his philanthropy, marshaling of climate action coalitions, and Bloomberg News coverage and advocacy..."
"Michael Bloomberg has done most not only among all the Democratic candidates but among climate activists worldwide to deploy substantial financial resources, supply reliable information to a corporate sector critical to the green transition, and build worldwide climate action coalitions."Today, climate control may very well be the biggest problem we have in the world, and with this kind of activism from the U.S. President, it could very well begin to solve our problem...if it isn't too late. There's so much more to the man, Bloomberg, and I encourage you to read this article. Warning, it is long, but a second warning, you will be sorry if you don't.
