I&I Editorial

With former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg possibly entering the presidential race, some Never Trumpers nervous about the Democrats’ leftward shift might feel like they have a candidate they can now support. They shouldn’t. Bloomberg was a Republican-in-name-only mayor who governed as a freedom-suppressing authoritarian.

Bloomberg has done nothing more than file for the Alabama Democratic primary election and he’s already six points ahead of President Donald Trump, 43-37, in a hypothetical general election matchup, according to Morning Consult/Politico poll. But some Democratic candidates have expressed their opposition to his candidacy. He’s too rich. He’s too late. He will let the party down.

We’re also have problems with him. But not the same ones.

Bloomberg governed the five boroughs for a dozen years as if he were making household rules for his pre-teen children. There would be no Big Gulp-sized sugary soft drinks, no trans fats, and every calorie had to be counted. A “Complete List of Everything Banned by Mayor Michael Bloomberg” compiled by Gizmodo includes: cars in Times Square, high sodium levels in processed foods, Styrofoam for single-use food packaging, cabs that aren’t fuel efficient, loud headphones, and cell phones in schools.

Some of the bans were proposed or merely suggested. But they still indicate a prohibitionist mind-set.

The “Republican” mayor is also an enemy of Second Amendment rights. Under his watch, a Manhattan store was even fined $60,000 by the city’s Department of Consumer Affairs for selling lighters that looked like small pistols.

Writing for the Reason Foundation, which declared Bloomberg one of its 45 Enemies of Freedom, Scott Shackford says the potential White House occupant “Is No Defender of the Constitution.“

“Bloomberg is the archetype of the ‘Nanny knows best’ authoritarian who will happily deprive you of your rights and your freedoms in the name of protecting you,” Shackford said a little more than a year ago, after Bloomberg changed his party affiliation to Democrat.

Bloomberg’s resume is also darkened by his full-on belief in the global warming narrative. His dedication to it has placed him in good standing with the United Nations, which named him its special envoy for climate action last year, after four years as its U.S. special envoy for cities and climate change. With no concern about the practical impacts of his proposals, the climate warrior wants to close every coal plant in the country, believes he has a better idea than the New Green Deal though he agrees with its concept, and said last year that “any candidate for federal office better darn well have a plan to deal with the problem that the Trump science advisers say could basically end this world.”

Yes, it does sound like he’s setting up a justification for the use political power to implement whatever climate policies he believes are for the good of all, doesn’t it?

Whatever moderate positions Bloomberg held as mayor will quickly vanish should he decide to join the presidential race. If they don’t, then his candidacy will be disappeared by a party that is now listing so far to port that it’s surely nearing a tipping point.

— Written by J. Frank Bullitt

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