Asleep at the switch

Boson MASS (AP) In a political upset the conservative Trump supporting Republican mayor of the city has switched parties and come out with an endorsement of Democratic Party candidate for president Michael Bloomberg."I went into city hall's election department and changed my party affiliation this morning at 8:00 o'clock as soon as the office opened," Mayor Welsh declared at an impromptu press conference in a hallway next to city's records area. "I am also announcing my support for Mike Bloomberg for the nomination to be the presidential nominee of the Democratic Party."While Mayor Welsh is up for re-election in the fall changing parties does not make any difference in the election because the city has an open non-party mayoral election. The top two winners of the primary election in September face off against each other in the non-partisan race in November.Standing nearby the other top candidate for the mayoral spot was visibly angry. City Council President Democrat Ema Strickland is hoping to replace bitter foe Mayor Welsh in the November 2020 election. Previously she had been the top Democrat in the city of Boson.A month ago Mayor Welsh stole what Councilor Strickland saw as her top campaign appeal. When Mayor Welsh banned free plastic bags at stores he eliminated Ema Strickland's appeal to the 'green voters.' Strickland had spent thousands on campaign signs calling for a plastic bag ban and was blindsided by Mayor Welsh prohibiting plastic bags by executive order.Councilor Strickland, who is openly gay, was shaking in anger as microphones turned to her. "I believe that Mayor Welsh has just gotten a large campaign donation from Mike Bloomberg and that essentially he is following Bloomberg's money when he change parties. I am sticking with Senator Elizabeth Warren for the presidential nomination. Bloomberg was a Republican and then he switched to Democrat when it was convenient. We need to elect real Democrats, not chameleons.""Wasn't Elizabeth Warren a Republican until she was 47?" a reporter from the conservative Boson Herold asked."That's a Republican talking point," Strickland snapped back, "and, frankly, racist against Native American Indians."By lunch time Friday, 21 February 2020, Mayor Welsh was out in front of the North Wollaston Red Line T Station handing out flyers while city hall aides stood nearby with 'Bloomber for President' signs. Teens from the mayor's Youth Empowerment Foundation were also present. Mike Bloomberg has given several hundred thousand dollars to Mayor Welsh's private foundation, raising eyebrows.When asked about Bloomberg's chances of winning in the Massachusetts presidential primary on 4 March 2020 Mayor Welsh was optimistic. "We simply hope to stop Socialist Sanders momentum enough to deny him a win on the first round at the convention. Then a brokered deal with party insiders can pick a more conservative candidate who does not believe in socialized medicine. Can you imagine? Sanders thinks a person should simply go to the doctor or clinic and not worry about how much it costs. Where did he get that idea? Denmark? Sweden? Absolutely insane."When asked about Bloomberg's wooden performance as a target for all the other Democrat candidates in the Las Vegas debate on Wednesday, 19 February 2020, the mayor shrugged. "We are looking for a political force to stop Sanders and socialist ideas. We don't have to win debates, we just have to win elections."Councilor Ema Strickland has now lost her place as the main Democrat running for mayor; she is worried that Mayor Welsh will ban plastic straws. Councilor Strickland has made the top promise of her campaign the banning of plastic straws.- is a Green Party documentary that features City Councilor Ema Strickland as a fighter for Climate Justice. Activist are afraid that the wily mayor may ban plastic straws before the feature documentary video can be shown at a campaign rally for Ema Strickland.While in the election department records area this reported noticed that the mayor's party change form had been backed dated to 4 February 2020 allowing him to vote in the Democratic primary one month later in March. The form had also been filled out entirely in pencil, including the mayor signature. Others noted that Mayor Welsh also left Boson City Hall at the end of the day wearing his MAGA hat.