National Review Editor Exposes Bloomberg’s Aggressive Operation To Buy Presidency
Feb. 10, 2020 (EIRNS)—Mike Bloomberg has “elbowed” himself into the Democratic nomination race solely on the basis of his huge fortune, warned Rich Lowry, the editor of the conservative National Review, in a Feb. 6 syndicated op-ed, which was reprinted from the National Review by the New York Post. “His campaign is high-handed as only a billionaire many times over could be: He skipped the early contests, and has skipped all the debates to date”—though Lowry points out that this may change soon, as the Democratic National Committee “retrofits” its rules to suit Bloomberg.
Bloomberg has always believed that nothing succeeds like excess, says Lowry. For the March 3 Democratic “Super Tuesday” primaries, Bloomberg has spent more than $300 million, “carpet bombing the airwaves every single day.” He spent $10 million on a single “Super Bowl” TV advertisement.
Bloomberg spent $250 million to be elected and remain mayor of New York City for three four-year terms (he was eligible for a third term, because he got the law changed). He is repeating his approach in the Presidential race.
Lowry argues that “grass roots politics” force candidates to meet and take account of “what voters believe and want.” He describes that President Abraham Lincoln devoted a serious amount of time to meeting with random people who showed up to see him, which Lincoln called “public opinion baths.”
In contrast, Bloomberg is a “Wizard of Oz” candidate, who is “shielded and inflated by his TV ads.”
Lowry concludes, “This style of campaigning shouldn’t be the norm. If Bloomberg succeeds, he will enrich many TV stations and consultants, but impoverish American politics.”