Editorial
Bloomberg’s bid and moderation
The Democratic presidential primary got a shakeup last week when former Mayor
Michael Bloomberg began taking steps toward formally entering the race.
After the word got out that he fi led paperwork to enter next year’s Alabama Primary,
the news spread quickly, as did the reaction to his potential late entry into the
crowded fi eld of candidates.
Most of the reaction was mixed, to say the least, with some suggesting his late bid
would upset the Democrats’ apple cart in their bid to defeat President Trump. Pundits
also pointed to Bloomberg’s rather moderate position — with some believing it a
strength, and others seeing it as a liability.
The former three-term mayor wouldn’t be the fi rst presidential candidate to jump
into his party’s primary within a year or less from the actual presidential election.
History shows the results have been mixed.
The late Senator Robert F. Kennedy joined the race in March 1968, shortly after the
New Hampshire Primary, and was seemingly on his way to the nomination when tragedy
struck. Retired General Wesley Clark also joined a wide-open Democratic fi eld in
2003 after a public draft movement, but his campaign fi zzled out within weeks.
How will former Mayor Bloomberg perform? That’s up to him — and, more importantly,
the voters.
His three terms as mayor of the nation’s largest city were largely successful, as
he helped lead the rebuilding effort following the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
Bloomberg also spurred further development across the fi ve boroughs and helped
diversify its economy by attracting businesses in a wider variety of fi elds from healthcare
to technology.
Bloomberg’s record certainly qualifi es him to be part of the presidential conversation.
As for moderation and moderate candidates, we don’t believe either should be eschewed
by the voters.
Even before Bloomberg’s entry into the race, candidates like former Vice President
Joe Biden and South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg were getting a raw deal because
they’re not as far to the left as others.
But moderation is a strength; polarization leads to dysfunction, as we have seen
during the current administration. We believe most American voters want someone
who will tilt left or right, but stay grounded toward the center, and put the country —
not the party — ahead of agenda.
We’ll fi nd out in time if that candidate is Bloomberg or someone else from the
Democratic fi eld. Either way, the Democrats need to get it right — as another four
years of Donald Trump would be disastrous for the country.
Publisher of The Villager, Villager Express, Chelsea Now,
Downtown Express and Manhattan Express
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This photo, from the Nov. 13, 1980 issue of The Villager, shows a tenant
rally in Tompkins Square Park. The photo was part of a story
about tenant activists in Loisaida fearful that large-scale real estate
speculation in the area would force rents up and local residents out. Brent
Sharman, an organizer with the group Adopt-A-Building who is on the left
in the photo, told The Villager, “Gentrifi cation is now the strongest trend,
stronger than abandonment, as a destroyer of low-income housing.”
-Gabe Herman
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