Update added on March 4, 2020 at 19:45 German time: Mike Bloomberg took a wise decision, suspended his campaign and endorsed Joe Biden.
Article added on March 4, 2020 at 11:38 German time: On Super Tuesday, Joe Biden was lifted to a close victory over Bernie Sanders thanks to the last minute presidental race exits and endorsements by Pete Buttigieg and Amy Klobuchar. The only man in the race with a substantial executive record, both as CEO and former NYC mayor, Mike Bloomberg, can not hope for more than a very distant third place.
Joe Biden managed to win over moderates as well as the majority of the African-American vote, Bernie Sanders has the support of the majority of “Liberals”, Latinos and many young voters.
Although there are still roughly two-thirds of the delegates up for grabs in the upcoming primaries in the months after Super Tuesday, it looks like the Democratic fight for the presidential nomination has come down to a duel between the moderate former vice-president Joe Biden and the self-declared Socialist Bernie Sanders.
The big question is whether Bloomberg will now support Biden to prevent Sanders and help topple President Trump in the decisive election? Or, with his deep pockets, will the multi-billionaire decide to fight on and therefore continue to divide the “moderate” vote among Democrats? The narrower the victory margin of the Democratic candidate will be in the end, the more divided the party will remain going into the big fight against The Donald.
The Democratic Party needs Bloomberg’s campaign millions and TV ads against Trump as well as his economic centrist views. At the same time, to unite the party, a clear concept to bring down healthcare costs, including the outrageous drug prices, a plan for better and more affordable education in poor areas and a concept to revive deindustrialized and otherwise impoverished areas of “flyover country” are needed. A concept does not mean a “Socialist” plan.
The global economy is slowing down due to the spread of the new coronavirus. A recession or at least an extremely low growth rate, a rising unemployment rate and a stock market crash or at least a notable decline in stock prices would limit President Trump’s reelection chances. If the economy should still be strong in November 2020, only a strong Democratic candidate, supported by a united party, could unseat The Donald.
Suggested reading:
– Jules Witcover: Joe Biden: A Life of Trial and Redemption, 2019, 576 pages. Order the paperback written by political columnist and veteran Washington correspondent Jules Witcover (*1927) from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk. Order the Kindle eBook from Amazon.com.
Bernie Sanders: Where We Go from Here. Two Years in the Resistance. Thomas Dunne Books, November 2018, 284 pages. Order the Kindle eBook from Amazon.com. Order the paperback re-print edition from September 2019 from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk.
Eleanor Randolph: The Many Lives of Michael Bloomberg. Simon & Schuster, September 2019, 480 pages. Order the Kindle eBook from Amazon.com. Order the hardcover edition from Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de, Amazon.fr.
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