With apologies to American Samoa, Michael Bloomberg's pitiful performance last night made today's withdrawal from the Democratic presidential race a fait d'accompli. The coup de grace was his endorsement of Joe Biden, an endorsement for which he paid a mere half a billion dollars.
Not for a moment did I believe Bloomberg was going to win the Democratic Party nomination when he entered the race back in November. I also had a feeling Bloomberg's debate debut a fortnight agao would be disastrous although I thought it would be Buttigieg and Klobuchar fighting for the spoils rather than Biden.
As I mentioned nearly three months ago, the Bernie Sanders/AOC axis doesn't believe Bloomberg has a right to exist as a billionaire even if he earned his wealth instead of inheriting like President Trump. For them money is the root of all evil. But like it or not, politics costs money and Biden will have no trouble accepting money from Bloomberg (and perhaps even Tom Steyer).
There were other things that hurt Bloomberg. First, there was his indecision. A year ago, he declined to enter the race only to reverse himself eight months later. Second, he didn't get on the ground and campaign. TV commercials are good, but they only go so far. Which brings me to my third point. If you are going to rely on TV commercials you had better come as advertised when it comes to debating your opponents. Unfortunately for Bloomberg, he shit the bed. As much I don't care for Elizabeth Warren, she ate his lunch and came back for dinner.
Bloomberg can still contribute to American public life through philanthropy. He could also help Biden get over the top against Bernie Sanders and then Donald Trump. If he does that then half a billion dollars spent could be a bargain.
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