Mitch Perry
Attending a political convention can get a bit monotonous after awhile. In the case of the DNC in Philadelphia, well, the story being repeated every minute of every hour is, of course, the Democrats are really good, Hillary Clinton is awesome, and Donald Trump is really, really bad.
These conventions are ultimately television programs (no matter how much of it isn’t actually shown to the public), and in the country, the fastest growing political party is those with no party affiliation.
Enter Michael Bloomberg, a former Democrat and Republican who has always been socially liberal and fiscally conservative. A fellow New Yorker to Clinton and Trump, he knows the players, which is why his (not incredibly enthusiastic) endorsement of Clinton and takedown on Trump should, one might think, make those tens of millions of independent voters to consider his arguments seriously.
“I understand the appeal of a businessman president, but Trump’s plan is a disaster in the making,” Bloomberg said. “Now we’ve heard a lot of talk in this campaign about needing a leader who understands business. I couldn’t agree more. I’ve built a business, and I didn’t start it with a million-dollar check from my father.”
The New York City billionaire (that’s Bloomberg) gave Clinton her due on some issues, but his utter contempt for Trump was what ultimately came across in his 10-minute address.
“No matter what you may think about her politics or her record, Hilary Clinton understands that this is not reality television, this is reality,” Bloomberg said. “I say to my fellow independents: Your vote matters now. Your vote will determine the future of your job, your business, and our future together as a country.”
The Trump campaign responded by issuing a statement — not from the candidate or his spokesman, but from gun rights advocate John Lott, who called him a gun-control zealot.
Bloomberg considered running for the presidency this year, just as he did in 2008. He remains a huge funder of gun control advocacy groups, which he helped organize after the Sandy Hook shootings.
Bloomberg did get some jeers when he mentioned deficit reduction, and reporters on the floor said some delegates chanted, “stop and frisk” at one point during his speech.
