Tag: 2020 election

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Mike Bloomberg Building ‘Parallel, Unofficial Party Structure’

Former NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg (image via campaign)
Axios took a deep dive into how billionaire Mike Bloomberg is putting his money where his mouth is in terms of building a huge campaign operation as he runs for the Democratic nomination for president.

The big picture: Bloomberg’s campaign has repeatedly said it will spend “whatever it takes” to defeat President Trump. There’s nothing stopping Bloomberg from topping $2 billion.

    • With 2,100 paid staff, Bloomberg has three times as many as Trump, five times as many as Joe Biden and more than twice as many as Elizabeth Warren, according to data the campaigns provided to Axios.
    • He pays his staff more than any other 2020 Democrat’s campaign and offers housing if they have to move to New York City, according to a campaign official.

By the numbers: In just over a month, Bloomberg spent more than the top 2020 contenders spent for the whole final quarter of 2019 combined, according to Federal Election Commission data. He also outspent the entire RNC and DNC.

(image via Axios)
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Buttigieg Holds Slim Lead As Iowa Results Continue To Be Released

Former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg holds on to a tiny lead as the remaining results of the Iowa caucuses continue to trickle in. According to CNN, Buttigieg is currently looking to receive 26.2% of state delegates with Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) right behind him with 26.1 percent. Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) has 18.2 percent, former Vice President Joe Biden has 15.8 percent (a result he’s called ‘a gut punch’), and Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN) sits at 12.2 percent. Regarding the popular vote, Sanders leads with 44,753 while Buttigieg lands in second place with 42,235 votes. Warren received 34,312 votes, Biden scored 23,051 and Klobuchar remained in fifth with 20,525. This reflects 97 percent of the votes thus far. Several media outlets have reported the long delay in finalizing the count is due, in part, to results being snail-mailed to the state Democratic party. In light of the counting debacle in Iowa, Democratic National Committee chairman Tom Perez is calling for a recanvass of the Monday night caucuses.

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Pete Buttigieg Endorsed By Equality California And Silver State Equality

Equality California, the nation’s largest statewide LGBTQ civil rights organization, and its Nevada-based affiliate Silver State Equality announced their endorsement of Mayor Pete Buttigieg for President of the United States on Thursday. The decision was reached unanimously by the groups’ joint presidential endorsement committee following a lengthy process that included a detailed questionnaire, thorough evaluation of the candidates’ viability and policy positions, staff engagement and interviews with the candidates.

“From his comprehensive plan to end the HIV epidemic by 2030 to his commitment to make our schools safe and supportive for LGBTQ students to his specific funding and policy priorities to protect and empower the transgender community — especially transgender women of color, who face an epidemic of violence and persecution — Mayor Pete Buttigieg has the boldest, most comprehensive agenda to achieve full, lived equality for all LGBTQ people of any presidential candidate in the nation’s history. “While we did not endorse Mayor Pete simply because he’s gay, the historic nature of his candidacy has already had a transformational impact on the LGBTQ community. Electing the first openly LGBTQ president will send a message to millions of LGBTQ youth across the country that no dreams are too big and no leadership position is too high.

For the first time, California’s primary will be held on Super Tuesday in March, and California voters will begin casting mail-in ballots on Monday, February 3, the same day as the Iowa Caucus. The 2020 Nevada Caucus will be held on Saturday, February 22. (via press release)

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Rising In The Polls, Bloomberg Courts LGBTQ Voters

Former NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg (image via campaign)
Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg took part in a conference call with LGBTQ journalists on Tuesday as he introduced his policy plans to support LGBTQ Americans if elected president. Bloomberg told reporters he usually doesn’t jump on media calls when releasing new policy proposals, but he explained, “This is an issue that really does mean a lot to me, and so I wanted you to hear it directly from me today.”

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As Mayor, Mike launched ambitious affordable housing projects that helped more New Yorkers gain access to housing and build house wealth. As President, he intends to do the same. Today, he proposed two programs to expand and reform affordable housing and economic opportunity by: ✅ Raising the minimum wage to $15 an hour by 2025 ✅ Expanding funding for Low-Income Housing Credit ✅ Launching a competition that awards $10 billion to municipalities that offer the best solutions to restrictive zoning and other obstacles ✅ Reforming the Earned Income Tax Credit ✅ Increasing the Child Tax Credit to make it fully refundable and phase it in faster Mike is determined to wage a war on poverty that is more innovative and effective, not business-as-usual, and engages trailblazing local leaders.

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Bloomberg shared his 10-page LGBTQ platform which broadly covers five points: 1. Ensure equal treatment of LGBTQ+ Americans in the workplace and in their communities. Bloomberg promises, like most of the Democratic White House hopefuls, to support and fight for passage of The Equality Act which would add LGBTQ protections to existing civil rights laws in regard to housing, employment, education, public accommodation, and federally funded programs. He also supports the Do No Harm Act, which would amend the Religious Freedom Restoration Act to clarify that it does not allow religious exemptions from generally applicable anti-discrimination laws. Mike will also end the Trump administration’s practice of granting federally funded organizations a license to discriminate against people based on their religious beliefs, sexual orientation or gender identity. 2.  Address disparities in health care coverage and treatment for LGBTQ+ Americans and end the HIV/AIDS epidemic by 2030. 3.  Protect LGBTQ+ youth and families, and promote safe and inclusive schools via a new federal “Respect for All” initiative to combat bullying, harassment and discrimination in public schools. 4.  Protect LGBTQ+ Americans, especially transgender women of color, from harm in the criminal justice system and in their communities. This would include regular training for federal law enforcement in de-escalation and implicit bias to address high levels of police profiling and misconduct, including against LGBTQ+ people. 5.  Lead by example, protecting the rights of LGBTQ+ people at home and abroad which would include an increased commitment to the president’s Emergency Plan for AIDS (PEPFAR) and rescinding the Trump administration’s ban on trans individuals serving in the U.S. military.

While much of this can be accomplished through executive order, items like The Equality Act require cooperation from Congress. Bloomberg’s policy team feels there’s a strong chance that the U.S. Senate could return to Democratic control this fall, and in doing so, clear much of the path for passage of The Equality Act. In a follow-up question, I asked what path or persuasion the former mayor might use if the Senate did remain in GOP control. The answer was that as long as Donald Trump didn’t remain in the White House, Team Bloomberg feels confident there will be a “different set of political forces at play” and the “challenge would look very different.” The team also reiterated Bloomberg’s promise to continue in funding the fight for the presidency this fall even if he’s not the nominee. For more information about Bloomberg’s policy proposals regarding LGBTQ Americans, head over to MikeBloomberg.com.

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Guest Post: Belonging With Buttigieg

Pete Buttigieg on the campaign trail (all photos – PeteForAmerica)
Guest post by Joshua Grotheer At a time when it’s “us” vs. “them” or left vs. right or red vs blue, I’m tired. I’m tired of the fighting. I’m tired of the hate. I’m tired of the divisiveness of politics. I’m tired of losing friendships over who someone voted for or supports. I’m tired of hurtful conversations while sitting in the church pew or around the family table. As the gay son of a United Methodist preacher and raised with Fox News on the television, I’ve always felt that I didn’t belong. I didn’t belong in my church, in my own home or in my Southern conservative community. Thankfully I attended a performing arts high school that celebrated those of us who were different. In college, I knew that my social and political beliefs were different from my family. I also knew it was okay to be different. Now, at 32 and a self-proclaimed “recovering United Methodist” I am drawn to a candidate for president who has built his entire campaign around inclusion and belonging. You see, Pete Buttigieg knows what it’s like to be different. An out gay man who is also deeply religious isn’t something I ever thought possible, much less presidential. He sees the differences in humanity and is celebrating our differences by uniting us with shared values. If the last three years have taught me anything, it’s that I’m ready for a breath of fresh air in Washington.
Pete and Chasten Buttigieg
I’m ready for something different. I’m ready for an outsider who understands the marginalized. I’m ready for a president that leads with values. I’m ready for a president that acknowledges that God does not belong to a political party. I’m ready for decency to return to the White House and to the Office of the President. I’m ready for someone better. I’m ready to vote for a 38-year old Naval Intelligence officer who is a devout Episcopalian from the Midwest who makes me feel hopeful. I’m ready to vote for someone who is uniquely positioned to bridge the divides tearing this country apart. I’m ready to vote for Pete Buttigieg for President.

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Follow Joshua Grotheer on Twitter @joshuagrotheer

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Pete Buttigieg Calls ‘Bullshit’ On NY Times Journalist

Pete Buttigieg (screen capture via NY Times)
In advance of announcing its endorsement for the Democratic primary this coming Sunday, the editorial board of the New York Times sat down with White House hopefuls Sens. Bernie Sanders, Cory Booker, Elizabeth Warren, Amy Klobuchar, former Vice President Joe Biden, former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, former Mayor Pete Buttigieg, and business executives Tom Steyer and Andrew Yang. In this clip from the roughly 80 minute interview with Buttigieg, he’s asked why he doesn’t seem as emotive or angry as other young people. The question comes from Binyamin Appelbaum, a leading writer for the board on the subject of economics. In framing his question, Appelbaum asserts that Buttigieg has been “on the front lines of corporate price fixing,” prompting Mayor Pete to call ‘bullshit.’

You can read the full transcript of Buttigieg’s 80-minute interview here. But below is the excerpted transcript with the Times’ annotations in italics.

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Binyamin Appelbaum: If I can put this question in a slightly different way, you’ve been on the front lines of corporate downsizing. You’ve been on the front lines of corporate price fixing. Buttigieg: Whoa, whoa whoa, that’s, that’s, I’m sorry, that’s —— Appelbaum: You’ve been on the front of our misadventures in foreign policy. You’ve had direct experience in many of the things that make a lot of young people very angry about the way that this country is operating right now. You don’t seem to embody that anger. In 2003, Mr. Buttigieg — then a junior at Harvard — spoke at an antiwar rally in Cambridge, Mass., protesting the invasion of Iraq. More than a decade later, in 2014, he served seven months in Afghanistan as a lieutenant in the U.S. Navy Reserves. Buttigieg: So the proposition that I’ve been on front lines of corporate price fixing is bullshit. Just to get that out of the way. Appelbaum: You worked for a company that was fixing bread prices. Buttigieg: No, I worked for a consulting company that had a client that may have been involved in fixing or was apparently in a scandal. I was not aware of the Canadian bread pricing scandal until last night. Mr. Buttigieg’s campaign has maintained that he only recently heard of the bread price-fixing scheme and while he was working with Loblaws focused on price cuts more broadly across the grocery store chain.

BA: Do you feel the anger that many young people feel about the state of ——

Yeah, of course, because it destroyed my city. I grew up surrounded by crumbling factories and empty houses.  My city lost 30,000 of its 130,000 people, largely before I was born.

South Bend had an unemployment rate of 13 percent in 2010. Under Mayor Buttigieg, it fell to 3.2 percent, though it rose back to 4.3 percent in 2018.

So I’m under no illusions about the problems that are present in American capitalism generally and were unleashed beginning with the Reagan era specifically. And while I may not be as emotive sometimes about my sense of anger or frustration or injustice — and I would argue that some people are given more room to be emotive than others — I would not be doing any of this if I were not propelled by a level of passion.

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The editorial board’s pick to be the nominee will be revealed on the January 19 episode of “The Weekly,” The Times’s television show on FX and Hulu.

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Out Of The Race, Booker Signals He’d Consider Veep Slot

Sen. Cory Booker signals he’d consider being a vice presidential pick
Sen. Cory Booker may have dropped out of the race for the Democratic nomination but he’s in no rush to endorse another candidate. Booker told “CBS This Morning” on Tuesday that he would probably endorse someone before the party’s nominating convention this summer. But for now, Booker is going to “take a breather” from the campaign trail and turn his attentions to getting reelected to his Senate seat in New Jersey this fall. Booker also shared that he’d had “no conversations” with any of the remaining candidates about being a possible vice presidential candidate. “I’m not taking anything off the table,” he said, “but my focus really is New Jersey and my state and being, with my senior Sen. Bob Menendez, the best dynamic duo America has in the Senate.”

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Sen. Cory Booker, LGBTQ Ally, Suspends Presidential Campaign

Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey (image via Instagram)
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) suspends his campaign in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination. Via email:

Nearly one year ago, I got in the race for president because I believed to my core that the answer to the common pain Americans are feeling right now, the answer to Donald Trump’s hatred and division, is to reignite our spirit of common purpose to take on our biggest challenges and build a more just and fair country for everyone.

I’ve always believed that. I still believe that. I’m proud I never compromised my faith in these principles during this campaign to score political points or tear down others. And maybe I’m stubborn, but I’ll never abandon my faith in what we can accomplish when we join together.