January 23, 2016
By Maggie Haberman
“I would love to see Michael run — I would love the competition,” Mr. Trump said in a brief interview before a rally of several hundred people who lined up for hours to see him here.
He was responding to a New York Times report that Mr. Bloomberg had asked his advisers to draw up plans for a potential run as an independent candidate under specific circumstances, particularly if Senator Bernie Sanders wins the Democratic primary and the Republicans choose Mr. Trump or Senator Ted Cruz....
I hate to have Michael Bloomberg throw his money away. He is sincerely a good guy.
This is America. We have an open election system where people decide to serve in office. A lot of people are upset, but, once again this is America. And it could be far, far worse than Donald Trump when one analyzes the moral content of campaign financing and how it has deteriorated. I think Donald Trump is offering people a very real option. He is primarily self-funded while still allowing enthusiastic people to claim a campaign fund and all the merchandising that goes along with it. Donald Trump is not allowing a SuperPAC to mar his self-respect in running for office. I sincerely believe Donald Trump is an interesting candidate.
Donald Trump is a very popular person. He is a celebrity and celebrity has run for office before and won. A celebrity that was not a businessman but an actor. Having an actor in the presidency did not bring good programs or policies. The rich got richer and the poor got poorer. The homeless rate went off the scale when Reagan was in office. I heard an estimate to the minimum wage and when it should have been $15.00 per hour when all other wages in the USA were rising. The equity of minimum wage compared to others would have been in 1970s. Literally, since the mid 70s the poor kept getting poorer and we wonder why in 2016 they are now the working poor.
The immorality of Wall Street is rampant in the USA with corporate welfare provided as food stamps and Medicaid to their employees. Walmart's work force has been subsidized billions because the federal government said raising the minimum wage is bad for business. No kidding. Those billions could have gone to schools and higher education of Americans. But, they didn't, they went to private, global companies that specialize in impoverished employees.
Michael Bloomberg should have announced at the beginning of the process, not at the point where balloting begins in primaries.
How long did either the DNC or RNC think they could get along with exploitation of Americans to benefit the wealth of Wall Street? It became really obvious where Americans stood within their own country when the global economic collapse of 2008 occurred. Americans were abandoned. They lost everything. Their TRUST of government and Wall Street was very misplaced and they lost substantial amounts of 401Ks, real estate, homes they lived in for generations of their family, land gone to who, no one can actually say. Americans died at their own hand and they were never in military combat.
I don't mind Mr. Trump at all as a candidate because I understand what this is about. Realizing what this is about what makes Michael Bloomberg think he has a better opportunity to win the presidency, especially at this late stage of the game.
I also trust Senator Bernie Sanders. He is a good man. He cares enormously about the country. I have no problem with him.
I appreciate Michael Bloomberg's love of his country, but, those currently running do as well.
I think we have enough candidates.
