Progressives should hope the centrist billionaire runs: he would showcase exactly what Democrats shouldn’t do
The former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg is seriously considering running for president as a Democrat – a prospect that has horrified many progressives. At a time when the Democratic party appears to be moving swiftly to the left, the candidacy of a white, centrist Wall Street billionaire feels like a big step backwards.
But a Bloomberg run should ultimately benefit the left more than hurt it. Between his stale politics, his stiffness as a campaigner, and his identity as a restrained elite in an era of raucous populism, Bloomberg’s bid to secure the Democratic nomination seems destined to fail spectacularly. More importantly, the pushback he’d experience on the campaign trail would help the left form clearer standards for more viable candidates – and indict the Democratic establishment that helped get us into the mess we’re in today.
Continue reading...from The Guardian https://ift.tt/2zBc4Ae
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