Aaannnddd.....Bloomberg's gone (politics whatever I guess)

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 03/04/2020 at 10:21 • Filed to: politics

2

95

He got clobbered last night and bailed on the race. He had spent more than $500,000,000 on advertising alone. And Warren couldn’t even win her home state.

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > ttyymmnn 03/04/2020 at 10:28

15

Thank God, I was tired of being bludgeoned with his advertising.

For Sweden > ttyymmnn 03/04/2020 at 10:28

2

Lol New Yorkers

TheRealBicycleBuck > ttyymmnn 03/04/2020 at 10:29

15

I like to imagine what I could do with $500M.

I sure wouldn’t be running for President.

phenotyp > ttyymmnn 03/04/2020 at 10:29

9

Good goddamn riddance. Think about how much good that money could have done... anywhere.

ttyymmnn > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 03/04/2020 at 10:31

4

A Bloomberg rep came by my door last night about about 6:30. I thought, “Aren’t you kind of late?”

WilliamsSW > ttyymmnn 03/04/2020 at 10:35

8

So we are really down to 2 old white men already, battling to face down another old white guy?

Weird that the orange menace will be the kid in the race,  regardless.

MrSnrub > ttyymmnn 03/04/2020 at 10:37

7

Well fuck, guess Biden’s the nominee then . Progressives won’t win with both Sanders and Warren in the race if centrists aren’t split too. Hope me and everyone else on the left is wrong and Biden can actually beat Trump, not that Obama, Pelosi etc give a shit about who wins as long as they keep their connections and sinecures. Society is probably going to collapse because of climate change.

ttyymmnn > WilliamsSW 03/04/2020 at 10:37

10

If/when Biden gets the nod, his choice of running mate is going to be critical. Not just because he’s so damned old, but he has to attract the disaffected Bernie supporters. And not alienate his base. 

My bird IS the word > ttyymmnn 03/04/2020 at 10:39

1

Even more hilarious when you think that some of that ad money trickled down to pro 2a youtubers. It wasnt a very targeted or well thought out campaign.

WilliamsSW > ttyymmnn 03/04/2020 at 10:39

1

It sounds to me like you're suggesting Warren.  I hope not (I'm not a fan).

facw > ttyymmnn 03/04/2020 at 10:41

0

As long as polls are still open...

ttyymmnn > My bird IS the word 03/04/2020 at 10:42

0

pro 2a?

facw > TheRealBicycleBuck 03/04/2020 at 10:43

2

But if you had $60B, why not? Hell that $500M is less than what two years of a Sanders/Warren wealth tax would cost you, so why not?

ttyymmnn > facw 03/04/2020 at 10:43

1

I suppose. Lines were very long yesterday. My local place was in the same hall as my son’s orchestra performance. I went to the show, but the lines were super long and I didn’t feel like waiting. I suppose I should have. 

ttyymmnn > WilliamsSW 03/04/2020 at 10:45

1

Not at all. I’m thinking Klobuchar, Cory Booker, maybe Mayor Pete, but his sexual orientation might not play well, particularly in the South. 

facw > MrSnrub 03/04/2020 at 10:45

0

Biden strikes me as an extremely weak candidate, but honestly I’m happy they are doing it this way rather than just saying that whatever Bernie does, they’ll stop him at the convention. Better to have the party elites have their thumb on the scale than to have them completely ignore what the scale is reading.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > facw 03/04/2020 at 10:46

5

Think of the good he could have done with the money...

How many people he could have fed, how many medical debts he could have forgiven, etc.?

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > ttyymmnn 03/04/2020 at 10:47

1

pro 2nd amendment

JustAnotherG6 > ttyymmnn 03/04/2020 at 10:47

2

My wife and I were talking a few days ago about how a Biden / Klobuchar ticket is looking quite likely.

Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero > ttyymmnn 03/04/2020 at 10:48

0

man i really thought bernie was gonna pull out a victory in texas last night

WilliamsSW > ttyymmnn 03/04/2020 at 10:49

1

Booker would be interesting. I think Pete is a non- starter, but I like him.

I just want a team that can stand up to Cheetos attacks - and Warren has proven that she's incapable of it.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > ttyymmnn 03/04/2020 at 10:49

1

Sometimes, truth is stranger than fiction.

“ Realizing that he is making no headway, Brewster decides to run for Mayor of New York City and throws most of his money at a protest campaign urging a vote for “ None of the Above .”

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > ttyymmnn 03/04/2020 at 10:51

6

I don’t think you’ve been following politics closely if you think Klobuchar or Pete are going to attract Bernie’s followers.

facw > WilliamsSW 03/04/2020 at 10:53

2

I voted Warren, but I doubt it will be her. The nominee will want someone who will give them an edge in at least one swing state, and Warren is n’ t that. And hearing them talk about 2016, it’s clear that establishment Democrats clearly feel like it was Bernie’s job to convince his supporters to vote for Hillary rather than Hillary’s job to reach out to Bernie’s supports, I don’t think there will be much push for progressive outreach under a Biden campaign either.

I’m expecting a younger, female, and probably minority candidate. Stacy Abrams is of course the name mentioned most often, but the fact she couldn’t win Georgia for herself means she probably can’t win it for Biden either, which is a mark against her.

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > ttyymmnn 03/04/2020 at 10:53

12

Watching a debate between 2 geriatric early onset dementia stuck in the past goobers would be comedy gold if it weren’t a debate for the god damn presidency.

Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap > ttyymmnn 03/04/2020 at 10:55

1

I’m not a giant fan of Biden by any means (he kinda creeps me out) but I’ll be interested to see his choice of running mate. I feel like that’s make or break for him.

And also, no more 24/7 advertising from Bloomberg (finally)

ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) > MrSnrub 03/04/2020 at 10:55

4

Doubtful Biden can overcome the planned investigations into everything his family has ever done for their entire history. They’ve showed their hand and will just keep doing what they planned on to smear him. And the low-info electorate of this country will react the same way when they only ever hear about Biden being investigated; either vote for the other guy or stay home because he must be dirty.

We are so absolutely fucked. Can I just wind up in a coma for the next 8 years? 

facw > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 03/04/2020 at 10:55

3

Which, you know, is a good argument for a wealth tax...

TheRealBicycleBuck > facw 03/04/2020 at 10:58

1

I was really just thinking of the $500M....

$60B is unfathomable. Maybe I’d go to space or something.

ttyymmnn > Sampsonite24-Earth's Least Likeliest Hero 03/04/2020 at 10:58

0

When I got to the rehearsal hall last night, he was up 27% to 20%. I thought it was over. 

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > facw 03/04/2020 at 10:58

0

Yes, but...

https://www.npr.org/sections/money/2019/02/26/698057356/if-a-wealth-tax-is-such-a-good-idea-why-did-europe-kill-theirs

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > WilliamsSW 03/04/2020 at 10:58

1

Not only that, but did you read about what he said at his last rally about putting Biden in a home?

ttyymmnn > MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s 03/04/2020 at 10:58

1

You are right there. I have been assiduously ignoring politics. 

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > TheRealBicycleBuck 03/04/2020 at 10:59

2

I’d buy 555,555.55 running Paseo convertibles instead.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 03/04/2020 at 11:00

0

This is a think that I do not understand. All this talk of gazillion-dollar ad buys and I’m like, “Where?” I don’t watch cable TV or listen to commercial radio, so I see zero of it. I did happen to be in a restaurant a week ago and there was a TV on the wall and I think there was a politician’s advertisement that came up. But I don’t remember whose.  

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 03/04/2020 at 11:01

1

Democracy is not always convenient blah blah blah.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > TheRealBicycleBuck 03/04/2020 at 11:01

0

What would I do with 1/1000th of that amount?

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/04/2020 at 11:03

0

I listen to the radio and watch red -- I mean -- YOUtube videos. It was fairly relentless a week or so ago. On Bonneville-owned radio stations, he would have had playing twice during commercial breaks. I was just trying to listen to Dr. Dre...

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Daily Drives a Dragon - One Last Lap 03/04/2020 at 11:03

0

Amy Klubuchar.

For Sweden > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 03/04/2020 at 11:06

4

He fed many campaign workers, consultants, and ad salesmen.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 03/04/2020 at 11:08

0

Many years ago some inlaws and I framed an addition on a home owned by my father-in-law. La Mesa, California, south San Diego County. Near the Mexican border. We listened to a Spanish language AM radio station all day long, La Poderosa . Some redneck contractors came on site and kept changing the radio station to some goathead station that played Van Halen all day and I finally told them to stop changing the station because we only liked stations where we could not understand the commercials.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > For Sweden 03/04/2020 at 11:09

0

Ain’t that the truth...

WilliamsSW > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/04/2020 at 11:10

0

No, I have a standing policy in place not to read things he says. 

TheRealBicycleBuck > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/04/2020 at 11:10

1

I don’t know, what would you do with $60M?

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > WilliamsSW 03/04/2020 at 11:11

1

Given that they sound particularly bad once committed to print.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > facw 03/04/2020 at 11:11

0

Amy Klubuchar

Mid Engine > ttyymmnn 03/04/2020 at 11:12

1

He just announced he’s dropping out, he’s going to support Biden

WilliamsSW > facw 03/04/2020 at 11:13

1

Hillary ran a terrible campaign, I would hope to god that any nominee will learn what NOT to do from that, but this is the Democratic Party we’re talking about here.

I don’t think it will be Warren either. No real clue who it will be, but hopefully someone energetic who can motivate the base to get out and vote.  

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > TheRealBicycleBuck 03/04/2020 at 11:13

0

Is that 1/1000 th? Did I miscount my zeros? I was aiming for $50,000. I’d buy a used car and pay off some debt and if the money was a complete windfall, I’d donate a little bit to humanitarian relief.

ZHP Sparky, the 5th > ttyymmnn 03/04/2020 at 11:19

1

So friggin disappointed with Warren’s performance. Was pretty much expecting it, but being (quite far) left of Biden on the scale was hoping for a miracle on her results. I get that Bernie has built an excellent grassroots operation behind him and is getting the credit due to him as a result – personally I feel that Warren would be far more successful at achieving the agenda he’s putting forward without grinding everything to a standstill (note I’m not factoring in, and am likely underestimating the level of sexism that would be at play).

I think the youth vote is a huge factor in this election – it’s one of the few ways the Ds have a chance to bring in people who weren’t part of the math before that could tip the scale in a meaningful way across the landscape. And it is undeniable that Bernie has the strength there. Feels like an absolute crapshoot expecting all the old folks who’ve had “Biden = Ukraine corruption” stuffed in to their heads for the last year , and who are generally all aboard the Trump train (even if they don’t like his personality as a group the moderates are pretty damn OK with his economic policies and don’t have much appetite to risk that) to be a better strategy for the win.

To be clear, I’d absolutely vote for either of them – they are both significantly better than Trump and it will not be a decision based on policy at that point, but simply on getting the current administration out.

Bman76 (hates WS6 hoods, is on his phone and has 4 burners now) > ttyymmnn 03/04/2020 at 11:20

2

He might get us with a Warren or Booker, fuck   Pete tho.

MrSnrub > facw 03/04/2020 at 11:23

0

I never he ld out a great hope that Bernie would actually be president. I wanted to believe it was possible , but I don’t think I ever really did - even right after Nevada when all the polling surged in his favor I thought the likeli hood was like 40% at best . I expected the nomination to be stolen at the convention, and while that would suck, it would also expose the Democratic leadership for the venal, out of touch scum that they are . It could have opened the door to a complete shakeup of the party, creating an organization actually capable of opposing the Republicans, stopping or ameliorating the decline in living standards , and willing to do something, anything , about the massive, world-ending climate crisis.

Chuckles > ttyymmnn 03/04/2020 at 11:27

13

MasterMario - Keeper of the V8s > facw 03/04/2020 at 11:30

1

I don’t think there will be much push for progressive outreach under a Biden campaign either

I think you’re right unfortunately. The problem isn’t appealling to moderates, it’s energizing people to get out and vote. It’s why Biden is a terrible candidate, he energizes no one. Hell, Trump won Wisconsin with less votes than Romney lost it to Obama with.

I hope I am wrong and Biden selects a progressive VP, but with how the DNC works it’ll inevitably be some bland moderate nobody cares about.

ttyymmnn > Chuckles 03/04/2020 at 11:30

1

LOL

facw > For Sweden 03/04/2020 at 11:31

2

And if Twitter is to be believed, will continue doing so in some cases:

!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!

facw > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/04/2020 at 11:33

0

Yes, billions divied by 1000 are millions. So yeah, Bloomberg is as rich as 1000 extremely rich people...

facw > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 03/04/2020 at 11:34

0

Counterpoint:  Wealth taxes often failed in Europe. They wouldn’t here.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > facw 03/04/2020 at 11:35

1

Okay, so 1/1,000,000th of that money...

Oh: I was talking 1/1000th of the $500 million he spent on the race, not of his overall wealth.

Anyhoo, I might shop for a used CTS-V. And send a thousand or two to Shelterbox.

facw > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/04/2020 at 11:38

0

It’s possible. She obviously doesn’t bring much minority support, but if Biden is comfortable with his large support among African-Americans, a Midwesterner who might appeal in Wisconsin and Michigan  could be tempting.

CompactLuxuryFan > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 03/04/2020 at 11:41

1

That very article goes into why Warren’s plan sidesteps the European mistakes. In any case it’s a moot point with Warren out of the race and any democrat president bound to be severely hamstrung in the Senate. You’re more likely to die of coronavirus than see a US wealth tax. 

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > facw 03/04/2020 at 11:41

0

Yes, that would be my argument.

MrSnrub > ADabOfOppo; Gone Plaid (Instructables Can Be Confusable) 03/04/2020 at 11:41

0

Biden does almost as well against Trump in head-to-head polling as Bernie does, which is different from what I remember being the case in 2016 with Clinton. That’s the only reason I think he might be able to beat Trump. Turnout among Dems is up this year, but that is also the case among Republicans, so I don’t know if that is a positive indicator worth noting.

On the other hand, everyone on the left, including many people whose takes I’ve agreed with in the past, are screaming that Biden will be annihilated by Trump, and their reasoning looks solid to me. Trump will attack Biden on every shitty thing he has ever done, and he will be right about it , just like he was right about Clinton. While I don’t think Biden has quite the negative baggage with the general public that Clinton had going into 2016, not yet anyway, he is pretty obviously in mental decline and the public scrutiny of a 1-on-1 race will make that clear for everyone to see.

The only thing I see saving Biden is if they keep him out of the spotlight as much as possible, like his campaign has been doing during the primary, and basically have people vote on their memory of him from the Obama years. I will be somewhat surprised if there are any debates this fall.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > CompactLuxuryFan 03/04/2020 at 11:45

1

Similar odds to the Electoral College going away.

WilliamsSW > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/04/2020 at 11:52

1

Like they’re any better when he says them out loud?

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > facw 03/04/2020 at 11:57

0

Paywalled...

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > WilliamsSW 03/04/2020 at 11:57

1

“Better” is not how I’d put it.

Is Bloomberg going to be Biden’s Giuliani?

Snuze: Needs another Swede > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 03/04/2020 at 12:00

1

I’d buy 1,249,999.9875 Volvo 850s.  

Mid Engine > ttyymmnn 03/04/2020 at 12:03

0

Yang is my pick

facw > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 03/04/2020 at 12:32

1

Well basic points: Wealth taxes in Europe failed for three main reasons:

Tax competition: People can relocate easily and avoid paying taxes

Financial transparency: It’s been easy for people in Europe to hide their wealth

Lack of political will: Wealthy parties have been effective at getting politicians to revoke these taxes instead of improve them.

So for the US, the first two are really not anywhere near as much of an issue.

US citizens pay the same federal tax regardless of state, and even country of residence. You can’t simply move to avoid a federal wealth tax. You could renounce your citizenship, but both Warren and Sanders propose an extremely large tax associated with that action to discourage it (in addition to any other benefits being lost).

Similarly the US has very strong laws requiring foreign banks to disclose information about about accounts, which makes it much harder for the wealthy to hide money from the tax.

The third issue isn’t an issue inherent  wealth taxes, it’s just an issue in dealing with the rich in general, and unless you want the ultra-wealthy to just be above the law, the solution is to build popular support for measures instead of simply abandoning something the wealthy don’t like.

facw > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/04/2020 at 12:39

0

Hmm, yeah $500M/1000= $500,000

So yeah, even with 1000th of the amount, you could be buying a whole lot of CTS-V’s.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/04/2020 at 12:40

0

You miscounted by three orders of magnitude.

A $50k windfall would go toward my kids’ college funds. I’d like them to graduate debt-free. That’s looking like a pipe dream these days. Even with significant scholarships and as much as we can afford to put toward her education, my daughter will still graduate at least $50k in debt. Then she wants to go to med school....

LastFirstMI is my name > TheRealBicycleBuck 03/04/2020 at 12:44

2

If I had 60B, I’d pay 500m to NOT be involved in politics

LastFirstMI is my name > ttyymmnn 03/04/2020 at 12:48

1

I wondered if his entering the Dem primary was just to set up a 3rd party-independent run after Biden or Sanders won,  but I guess not....

fintail > ttyymmnn 03/04/2020 at 12:58

1

His commercials are still airing here.  Make it stop.  Can’t wait for another 5 flyers in the mail today.

fintail > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/04/2020 at 13:00

1

Do you get mail? Tons of flyers here.

At least he was a real billionaire and not a glorified carnival barker, that’s the most I can say.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > facw 03/04/2020 at 13:02

2

With that much money, scientific notation becomes a necessity.

ttyymmnn > fintail 03/04/2020 at 13:26

3

Tom Steyer’s ads kept running for a couple of days after he dropped out. Bought and paid for, I guess.

fintail > ttyymmnn 03/04/2020 at 13:34

1

Maybe it’s all automated.

I swear one day I received 5 Bloomberg flyers in the mail.

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > facw 03/04/2020 at 13:45

0

Thanks. Just seems to me that very high taxes on the rich just end up making a lot of very rich lawyers and accountants (not saying we shouldn’t try).

Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo > fintail 03/04/2020 at 14:27

1

I read that as carnival baker , in which case I am now hungry.

My bird IS the word > ttyymmnn 03/04/2020 at 15:00

0

Second amendment

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > TheRealBicycleBuck 03/04/2020 at 15:05

0

Doesn’t Bernie -- or was it Elizabeth? -- want to forgive school debts? So you’ll be money ahead if you borrow, right? Likewise, the Trump administration is talking about paying folks’ medical bills for Coronavirus treatments. I want help paying my freaking deductible!

For Sweden > facw 03/04/2020 at 15:52

1

Bloomberg: builds a data and information empire that revolutionizes world markets and makes billions

People on the tweets: wow that guy is the big dumb

fintail > Dr. Zoidberg - RIP Oppo 03/04/2020 at 15:59

0

Definitely sounds more appealing than what we’ve got, eh.

Manwich - now Keto-Friendly > fintail 03/04/2020 at 16:01

0

Did you know there are 185 Bloomberg commercials ?

You should want them all...

WilliamsSW > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/04/2020 at 16:08

0

You mean, “will Bloomberg tell crazy lies on all the cable news channels to try to get the heat off of the Biden investigation?”

I’d say no.  Bloomberg is weird but he’s not Giuliani weird.  I think...

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > WilliamsSW 03/04/2020 at 16:47

1

I was thinking more along the lines of volunteer billionaire former mayor bag man.

WilliamsSW > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/04/2020 at 16:54

0

Poh-tay-to, po-tah-to.

But... “billionaire”?  I don’t think so for Rudy. 

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > WilliamsSW 03/04/2020 at 16:58

1

I hope there’s more difference between those two men than that.

But you’re right about billionaire: Rudy’s just a wannabe. A grift groupy.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/04/2020 at 17:00

0

Part of Bernie’s platform is making public college free and cancelling school debt. As a former professor, I can’t see how making college free is really going to help anything and I’m not sure cancelling debt is fair. Let me refinance it at the current loan interest rates and I’d be happy. Mine and my wife’s was consolidated back in the day and they won’t allow us to refinance it again. That’s B.S. of the highest order.

I’m not sure how he would pay for cancelling the debt and I don’t know that our country can afford it along with all the other socialist programs he is promoting.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > TheRealBicycleBuck 03/04/2020 at 17:08

0

The whole debt canceling thing, I got to thinking about that after an encounter I read about between Elizabeth Warren and a person at a rally who, like you, managed to pay for his kids’ college with cash all the way and he was like, “What about me ?” She had no answer for him because making things free devalues them and does nothing for personal accountability. Some kind of sliding scale based upon income? I don’t know, just tossing that out there. But big government giveaways are a slap in the face of responsible, accountable people. Self reliance is what I wish more people were after.

So you and Missus consolidated your college debt and you’re stuck at a high interest rate?

WilliamsSW > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/04/2020 at 17:23

0

There is more difference, but neither one lives on the same planet you and I do.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > WilliamsSW 03/04/2020 at 17:27

1

Maybe I should have spelled “groupie.” None of these people are from the same planet, and maybe that’s some of what Mayor Pete’s appeal to me was about, that he might have at least been  on my planet at some point . And, believe it or not, Liz Warren at least sounds like someone who might be on my planet, which has New England educators and educated on it.

TheRealBicycleBuck > Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo 03/04/2020 at 19:59

0

You nailed it. And yes, we did consolidate and now we’re stuck with high interest rates. The thing that sucks about government-backed loans is that no matter what happens - bankruptcy, disability, or death - the bank is stil guaranteed to get their money from the government. So, there’s no reason for the loans to have high interest rates. Other than the bailouts, this is the biggest ripoff  that the banking system has come up with. My home loan has more risk but the interest rate is less than half my student loans.