buzzfeed--2020-02-14--Instagram Influencer Marketing Is Already A Nightmare. Political Ads Will Make It A Shitshow.

This week , Instagram meme accounts like @ fuckjerry and @ tank.sinatra posted sponsored ads for former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg ’ s presidential campaign – the first campaign to use this sort of paid influencer marketing strategy .
On Friday , Facebook told the Verge and BuzzFeed News that it would not be regulating these ads the same way it does political ads on Facebook and Instagram .
For example , the ads won ’ t be added to the Facebook Ad Library — the transparency tool that allows anyone to see how much money a politician , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Facebook ads — unless the candidate or influencer were to pay Facebook to boost the post .
Facebook ’ s political advertising policies , which fall into a gray area of federal regulations , have already come under intense scrutiny ( they have decided not to fact-check political ads ) , and after foreign manipulation and inauthentic behavior in the 2016 US presidential election , it is still trying to convince the public that it ’ s not going to fuck this up this time .
But allowing political candidates to use influencer @ @ @ @ @ @ @ trust in the way that influencer marketing works — and that system has always been completely broken .
Influencer marketing relies on confusing the average user — that ’ s what makes it effective .
The clearest version is when an influencer puts # ad or # sponsored in the caption , which is very easy to miss , but there are a billion less obvious variations .
Sometimes an influencer will simply tag a brand in the photo ( does this mean they were paid to post ?
Or given a free @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ? )
.
Sometimes they ’ ll write flowery language about “ partnering ” with a brand or give out a discount code with their name on it .
Or maybe they ’ ll just say “ thanks @ BRAND.
” Or maybe nothing at all !
!
!
In theory , there ARE rules .
The Federal Trade Commission , the government agency that regulates advertising , has guidelines for disclosing social media ads .
The rules say that any material relationship to a brand must be disclosed .
This means an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ been given a big wad of cash to do a post , but also if a makeup company sent them a free lipstick and they posted about it — even if the gift was unsolicited .
It also needs to be disclosed if an influencer has a financial stake in a brand ( DJ Khaled and Cîroc , for example ) , or even if they have a spouse or family member who does .
And there are very specific rules for how to disclose that relationship in an ad .
It must @ @ @ @ @ @ @ # sp doesn ’ t cut it ) , and that disclosure must appear in the first three lines of an Instagram caption , before the caption text gets cut off in the feed .
But enforcement has been pretty hands-off .
Over the years , the FTC has taken action against brands and advertising agencies , but never individuals putting up posts .
The closest any influencer has gotten to being punished came in 2017 when , prompted by the advocacy group Truth in Advertising , the FTC sent polite “ educational @ @ @ @ @ @ @ celebrities and influencers how to properly disclose an ad .
When several of those celebrities like Amber Rose and Lindsay Lohan continued to do undisclosed Instagram ads , they got second , slightly more chastising letters asking them to tell the FTC whether or not the posts were ads .
No influencer , not even a Kardashian , has ever faced official action or penalty by the FTC .

This week, Instagram meme accounts like @fuckjerry and @tank.sinatra posted sponsored ads for former New York mayor Michael Bloomberg’s presidential campaign – the first campaign to use this sort of paid influencer marketing strategy. On Friday, Facebook told the Verge and BuzzFeed News that it would not be regulating these ads the same way it does political ads on Facebook and Instagram. For example, the ads won’t be added to the Facebook Ad Library — the transparency tool that allows anyone to see how much money a politician, business, or group is spending on Facebook ads — unless the candidate or influencer were to pay Facebook to boost the post.
Facebook’s political advertising policies, which fall into a gray area of federal regulations, have already come under intense scrutiny (they have decided not to fact-check political ads), and after foreign manipulation and inauthentic behavior in the 2016 US presidential election, it is still trying to convince the public that it’s not going to fuck this up this time. But allowing political candidates to use influencer marketing on Instagram requires a lot of trust in the way that influencer marketing works — and that system has always been completely broken.
Influencer marketing relies on confusing the average user — that’s what makes it effective. The clearest version is when an influencer puts #ad or #sponsored in the caption, which is very easy to miss, but there are a billion less obvious variations.
Sometimes an influencer will simply tag a brand in the photo (does this mean they were paid to post? Or given a free gift? Or just like the brand?). Sometimes they’ll write flowery language about “partnering” with a brand or give out a discount code with their name on it. Or maybe they’ll just say “thanks @BRAND.” Or maybe nothing at all!!!
In theory, there ARE rules. The Federal Trade Commission, the government agency that regulates advertising, has guidelines for disclosing social media ads. The rules say that any material relationship to a brand must be disclosed. This means an influencer needs to say if they have been given a big wad of cash to do a post, but also if a makeup company sent them a free lipstick and they posted about it — even if the gift was unsolicited. It also needs to be disclosed if an influencer has a financial stake in a brand (DJ Khaled and Cîroc, for example), or even if they have a spouse or family member who does.
And there are very specific rules for how to disclose that relationship in an ad. It must say #ad or #sponsored (#sp doesn’t cut it), and that disclosure must appear in the first three lines of an Instagram caption, before the caption text gets cut off in the feed.
But enforcement has been pretty hands-off. Over the years, the FTC has taken action against brands and advertising agencies, but never individuals putting up posts. The closest any influencer has gotten to being punished came in 2017 when, prompted by the advocacy group Truth in Advertising, the FTC sent polite “educational letters” to remind a handful of celebrities and influencers how to properly disclose an ad. When several of those celebrities like Amber Rose and Lindsay Lohan continued to do undisclosed Instagram ads, they got second, slightly more chastising letters asking them to tell the FTC whether or not the posts were ads. No influencer, not even a Kardashian, has ever faced official action or penalty by the FTC.


buzzfeed--2020-02-14--Mike Bloomberg’s Sponcon Memelords Won’t Be Subject To Facebook’s Political Ad Regulations

Facebook said Friday that it would not add posts that politicians commission from influencers to its public ad library , a tool that saves information about advertisements that companies and individuals pay the social network to broadcast .
The ad library , which captures all ads in which Facebook makes money across properties like Instagram and Messenger , also has more stringent requirements for the disclosure of political ads .
Given the platform ’ s policy of not fact-checking political ads , the platform plans to advise its third-party fact-checkers on when to fact-check speech contained in the sponsored posts @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sponsored political content comes two days after a group of Instagram meme accounts , including @ FuckJerry and @ Tank.Sinatra , posted sponcon for Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg , the former mayor of New York .
Since April 2012 , Facebook has owned Instagram .
Sponsored influencer posts created for politicians will be added to Facebook ’ s Ad Library if the influencer pays money to boost them as ads .
“ After hearing from multiple campaigns , we agree that there ’ s a place for branded content in political discussion @ @ @ @ @ @ @ spokesperson told BuzzFeed News .
Facebook plans to give guidance to third-party fact-checkers about when to fact-check political speech contained in sponsored influencer posts .
If the speech is clearly that of the politician paying for the content , it wo n't be fact-checked .
If it ’ s in the voice of the creator , it will be eligible .
Facebook currently exempts politicians from third-party fact-checking and allows them to post content that would otherwise be against community guidelines .

Facebook said Friday that it would not add posts that politicians commission from influencers to its public ad library, a tool that saves information about advertisements that companies and individuals pay the social network to broadcast. The ad library, which captures all ads in which Facebook makes money across properties like Instagram and Messenger, also has more stringent requirements for the disclosure of political ads.
Given the platform’s policy of not fact-checking political ads, the platform plans to advise its third-party fact-checkers on when to fact-check speech contained in the sponsored posts.
The platform’s announcement about sponsored political content comes two days after a group of Instagram meme accounts, including @FuckJerry and @Tank.Sinatra, posted sponcon for Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York. Since April 2012, Facebook has owned Instagram.
Sponsored influencer posts created for politicians will be added to Facebook’s Ad Library if the influencer pays money to boost them as ads.
“After hearing from multiple campaigns, we agree that there’s a place for branded content in political discussion on our platforms,” a Facebook spokesperson told BuzzFeed News.
Facebook plans to give guidance to third-party fact-checkers about when to fact-check political speech contained in sponsored influencer posts. If the speech is clearly that of the politician paying for the content, it won't be fact-checked. If it’s in the voice of the creator, it will be eligible.
Facebook currently exempts politicians from third-party fact-checking and allows them to post content that would otherwise be against community guidelines.


buzzfeed--2020-02-17--A Nigerian Man Is Actually Behind That Pro-Pete Buttigieg Twitter Account

Tweets falsely implying the account was actually Buttigieg campaign communications advisor Lis Smith garnered thousands of retweets and likes on Sunday despite Smith ’ s tongue-in-cheek denial .
The man who runs the @ easychinedu account — widely accused of being a sockpuppet for a Mayor Pete Buttigieg staffer — told BuzzFeed News that he is a genuine supporter and has nothing to do with the South Bend mayor ’ s campaign .
Yea guys I totally have the time to be running a sock puppet account from Nigeria .
Find better conspiracies !
😘 https : //t.co/0qbTF8Oq3m The conspiracy @ @ @ @ @ @ @ tweet , which said “ Team Pete .
Hey .
It ’ s Lis .
It ’ s Phase 4 .
Time to leave it all on the floor .
Phone bankers , we need you.
” But while some saw evidence that Smith was running the account , the truth is much more innocuous : It was a joke .
“ I read the campaign email regarding Phase 4 and Lis introduced herself like that ( I don ’ t receive campaign emails just to clarify , I just read one on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a little fun with that , ” Chinedu , the man who runs the account , told BuzzFeed News via a personal email address .
He ’ s asked for his full name to be withheld because he has been getting harassed and doxxed after the false narrative went viral .
BuzzFeed News has also seen an email from Twitter that further confirmed Chinedu is the owner of the account , and BuzzFeed News independently confirmed his identity through publicly available information .
Chinedu requested some personal information not be disclosed to help @ @ @ @ @ @ @ I am not Lis Smith , that ’ s the whole point , ” Chinedu said .
“ I also want to apologize to Pete ’ s campaign and Lis for contributing unintentionally to this new controversy regarding Pete/Lis.
” Many online latched on to the location of the account as another reason that it could not be genuine .
However , while Chinedu lives overseas , he has previously spent time in the US .
“ My account is run 100 % by me .
I am not affiliated with Pete Buttigieg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ “ I just support Pete passionately .
Many others outside the US support Pete as well.
” He also told BuzzFeed News that he ’ s had to disable the Twitter account because of the harassment he ’ s been receiving .
For her part , Smith has been retweeting jokes about the false conspiracy .
And a campaign spokesperson suggested it ’ s just the latest example of trolls lashing out at Buttigieg .
And , he reiterated , the @ easychinedu Twitter account has no affiliation with Smith or the campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are the new rat emojis .
Sad but not surprising , ” said Matt Corridoni , a spokesperson for the campaign .

The conspiracy was particularly popular because of a key tweet, which said “Team Pete. Hey. It’s Lis. It’s Phase 4. Time to leave it all on the floor. Phone bankers, we need you.”
But while some saw evidence that Smith was running the account, the truth is much more innocuous: It was a joke.
“I read the campaign email regarding Phase 4 and Lis introduced herself like that (I don’t receive campaign emails just to clarify, I just read one on twitter). I was just having a little fun with that,” Chinedu, the man who runs the account, told BuzzFeed News via a personal email address.
He’s asked for his full name to be withheld because he has been getting harassed and doxxed after the false narrative went viral. BuzzFeed News has also seen an email from Twitter that further confirmed Chinedu is the owner of the account, and BuzzFeed News independently confirmed his identity through publicly available information. Chinedu requested some personal information not be disclosed to help protect his privacy.
“Clearly, I am not Lis Smith, that’s the whole point,” Chinedu said. “I also want to apologize to Pete’s campaign and Lis for contributing unintentionally to this new controversy regarding Pete/Lis.”
Many online latched on to the location of the account as another reason that it could not be genuine. However, while Chinedu lives overseas, he has previously spent time in the US.
“My account is run 100% by me. I am not affiliated with Pete Buttigieg's campaign,” he said. “I just support Pete passionately. Many others outside the US support Pete as well.”
He also told BuzzFeed News that he’s had to disable the Twitter account because of the harassment he’s been receiving.
For her part, Smith has been retweeting jokes about the false conspiracy.
And a campaign spokesperson suggested it’s just the latest example of trolls lashing out at Buttigieg. And, he reiterated, the @easychinedu Twitter account has no affiliation with Smith or the campaign.
“Nigerian shadow account conspiracy theories are the new rat emojis. Sad but not surprising,” said Matt Corridoni, a spokesperson for the campaign.


buzzfeed--2020-02-17--Michael Bloomberg’s Campaign Is Huge. That’s The Point

But so far , Bloomberg is exhibiting a Trump-like Teflon ability to brush off the negative stories .
Part of this could be because a lot of what ’ s coming out now has been in the public record for some time ; like Trump , Bloomberg has been a public figure for decades , and much of his history has been litigated before , particularly in his three mayoral campaigns .
Part of it could be due to his ability to buy himself positive media in the form of advertisements ; he isn ’ t dependent on earned media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And part of it could be because , as became clear in the last presidential election , voters with a goal in mind often don ’ t care about the issues with a candidate that the media cares about .
More allegations from Bloomberg ’ s past have come to the fore .
A Washington Post story published over the weekend delved into serious allegations of sexism from Bloomberg employees .
The paper also published “ The Wit And Wisdom Of Michael Bloomberg , ” a collection of sexist quotes attributed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a birthday gift in 1990 .
Bloomberg ’ s debut as a serious candidate has prompted a reckoning with his record , and this past week , as Bloomberg was blitzing Super Tuesday states , was tough going .
Audio of remarks Bloomberg made at the 2015 Aspen Institute conference surfaced in which Bloomberg defended his mayoral administration ’ s policy of heavily policing black neighborhoods using stop-and-frisk , arguing that “ minority neighborhoods ” have more crime and making derogatory comments about young men of color .
There ’ s a few @ @ @ @ @ @ @ former frontrunner Joe Biden is slumping , and voters who want a moderate candidate are searching for alternatives .
For another , more and more polling shows he ’ s competitive nationally .
And Bloomberg has been announcing more and more high-profile endorsements — sometimes , from political figures to whom he had generously donated in the past or supported causes connected to them .
The Bloomberg strategy is to vacuum up delegates from states that offer many of them , instead of scrabbling to win the delegate-poor early states .
The campaign @ @ @ @ @ @ @ states , which vote on March 3rd .
Though Bloomberg ’ s name won ’ t appear on a ballot until that day , he ’ s become an increasing presence in the race .
Everyone is suddenly talking about Bloomberg .
The overwhelming size and scope of Bloomberg ’ s campaign is more than a gimmick : It ’ s a validator for more moderate Democrats looking for a stable home in a tumultuous primary , a signal that while other candidates may stumble in the primary or later against President Trump @ @ @ @ @ @ @ big to fail .
Bloomberg ’ s campaign is like a giant lava cake that has oozed across the plate , the plate in this case being the United States .
While the other Democratic candidates schlepped all over Iowa and New Hampshire , shaking hands in coffee shops and holding town halls in Elks lodges , Bloomberg was jetting around states that vote later and attracting large crowds ; a move that looked particularly smart after the Iowa caucuses fiasco .
Bloomberg ’ s advertising has raised his profile such that , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ and wasn ’ t on its ballot , Bloomberg won thousands of more votes in the state ’ s primary than two candidates who had pinned their entire hopes on the state .
It ’ s probably not a coincidence that Bloomberg has been advertising heavily in neighboring Massachusetts , which votes on Super Tuesday , when more than a third of pledged delegates will be up for grabs across 16 contests .
Bloomberg is simply everywhere .
The sheer hugeness of the former New York City mayor ’ s campaign is its @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Star of presidential campaigns .
Bloomberg employs more — much more — staff than any other candidate , and pays them unusually well .
And not only that , he offers them three meals a day and iPhone 11s .
Bloomberg ’ s campaign events have everything : catered food , more than enough free t-shirts for everyone , highly produced stages with themed backdrops and lecterns .
Bloomberg is carrying out the largest advertising campaign in the history of American presidential politics , with over $ 400 million spent on ads so @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the market on available staff for other campaigns that might need them .
When I arrived at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center in Chattanooga , Tennessee , the day after the New Hampshire primary , a line was already forming to get in to see Bloomberg an hour before his event ’ s 2 p.m. start time .
Outside , a young woman with a septum ring was handing out pro-Bernie Sanders literature .
Her name was Katie Keel and she was a co-chair of the local chapter of Democratic Socialists of America @ @ @ @ @ @ @ substantively worse , in her view , than the other moderate candidates like Biden or Pete Buttigieg .
“ Yeah , he ’ s a billionaire , ” she said .
“ First of all , he shouldn ’ t be a billionaire in the first place .
Bernie Sanders would agree , billionaires shouldn ’ t exist .
So we 're out here to protest that , just saying that you know what , I do n't care if you 're only one person , you ca n't throw unlimited amounts of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ n't buy it , it should n't be allowed.
” DSA members are about as far away as one could get from Bloomberg supporters on the Democratic Party ’ s ideological spectrum , but even they had not been untouched by the campaign ’ s push in their state .
Keel ’ s DSA colleague Jefferson Hodge mentioned that he knew five or six people in local Democratic politics who had been offered gigs by the Bloomberg campaign at around $ 8,000 a month ; Hodge said he would no longer call them @ @ @ @ @ @ @ month , though “ If they 're up at a higher level in the organization [ it ] could be more , ” a Bloomberg aide said .
A few yards away from the young DSA activists stood Mitchell and Robin Beene , 64 and 62 , Chattanooga residents who had come out to see Bloomberg .
“ We really want to defeat Donald Trump , ” Mitchell Beene said .
He said he leans “ very far left , and in a perfect world I might like Bernie and Elizabeth Warren.
” @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that Donald Trump would be extremely afraid of Mike Bloomberg.
” The Beenes said they were still undecided but would probably vote for Bloomberg when Tennessee votes as one of the Super Tuesday states .
They were far from the only voters I spoke with who said some version of this ; nearly everyone I spoke to at Bloomberg events over the past two weeks said their top priority was beating Trump , and they believed Bloomberg could do it .
This directly echoes Bloomberg ’ s own pitch , which is that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ head-on , isn ’ t afraid of him , and will use the full weight of his enormous resources against him .
In Chattanooga , Bloomberg ’ s campaign had chosen a venue that was much too small for the number of people who showed up .
The clever optics resulted in a large overflow crowd outdoors .
Campaign people threw t-shirts to them as they waited .
When Bloomberg arrived , he stepped onto a platform , got on a microphone amplified by large speakers , and said he was “ embarrassed @ @ @ @ @ @ @ enough room for everyone .
He encouraged those waiting to go home if they were cold , the campaign would send them the speech later — he didn ’ t want them to catch the flu .
He then went inside to give his speech .
While Bloomberg ’ s campaign is huge , his stump speech is very short .
It usually clocks in at under 15 minutes .
It usually begins with a joke about how whichever surrogate gave his introductory speech delivered their remarks “ exactly how I wrote them.
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ is likely to describe himself as the “ un-Trump ” more than once .
He doesn ’ t mention his rivals for the nomination beyond oblique references to “ evolution not revolution.
” Apart from remarks like that , Bloomberg ’ s campaign is fiercely non-ideological .
He only really talks about Trump , and how he is running to defeat him .
He warns darkly that four more years of Trump would be “ hard to recover from.
” That said , Bloomberg did take a shot at Sanders on Twitter on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ aggressive tweets by Sanders supporters superimposed over ominous music .
More often than not , there ’ s a protester in the crowd ; in Chattanooga , a woman came onstage at the beginning of the rally , got on the microphone , and said “ this is not democracy , this is plutocracy.
” In Nashville , one protester shouted that Bloomberg “ brags about terrorizing innocent youth , ” and another waved a pair of handcuffs .
Bloomberg greets the protesters with equanimity , often joking that they make him feel @ @ @ @ @ @ @ handcuffs , he said “ we ’ ll get back to you later.
” Bloomberg wraps up his speech , walks offstage , greets the audience for a few minutes , and leaves , to the tune of “ Beautiful Day ” by U2 .
Bloomberg hasn ’ t done a townhall-style event yet , where he ’ d have to take more questions from the audience , and he doesn ’ t do much retail politics .
He sticks to prepared remarks apart from a stray comment here and there , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Judy during the North Carolina swing and the occasional , sometimes strange , ad-lib .
For example , in Greensboro , Bloomberg punched back at Trump ’ s taunts about his height ; Trump has branded him “ Mini Mike.
” “ My answer is Donald , where I come from , we measure height from the neck up , ” Bloomberg said .
Bloomberg seemed to be making a reference to intelligence , but the phrase conjured an unsettling giraffe-like image .
In Chattanooga , Bloomberg was to conduct an interaction with @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a “ gaggle.
” The term normally connotes a casual interaction with the reporters following a campaign , who will gather around a candidate , stick their recorders in his or her face and carry out a relatively freewheeling exchange .
This gaggle was different .
A lectern with microphones and campaign signage had been set up .
Four American flags were displayed behind it .
As staff herded reporters into a specific configuration — print reporters were at first sent behind the TV cameras before being allowed to squat in front of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ was erected off to the side .
We were given two-minute , 90 second , and 30 second warnings before Bloomberg entered .
The press corps following Bloomberg has swelled ; initially he was being trailed by only a couple network embeds , but now every major outlet is sending reporters on his trail .
Reporters pressed Bloomberg multiple times about the Aspen Institute remarks , which he did not take the opportunity to apologize for .
“ It was five years ago , ” Bloomberg said .
“ It ’ s just @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it doesn ’ t reflect what I do every day .
I led the most populous , largest city in the United States and got reelected three times , the public seemed to like what I do . ''
When a reporter asked him if the issue would harm his chances with black voters , Bloomberg said `` I think people look at it and they say those words don ’ t reflect Michael Bloomberg , the way he governed in New York City , the way he runs his company , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has made a concerted effort to court black voters , and there are signs that it ’ s working .
A national poll from Quinnipiac last week had Bloomberg trailing only Biden among black voters .
Particularly among older black voters I spoke with — a key demographic on which the Biden campaign is counting for support — there ’ s a sense that Bloomberg is best equipped to defeat Trump , and several said they found Bloomberg ’ s apology for stop-and-frisk at the start of his campaign sufficient .
No black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said they were troubled enough by the former mayor ’ s record on race to not vote for him .
“ He apologized , ” said Robert Lewis , 73 , of Chattanooga .
“ And we have a man in the White House now who don ’ t apologize for nothing.
” Stop-and-frisk “ was very bad , ” said Butler Benton , 69 , who attended Bloomberg ’ s event on Thursday in Raleigh and said he made up his mind to support Bloomberg three or four weeks ago .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clean hands.
” Benton argued that Bloomberg ’ s record wasn ’ t worse than some of the other candidates ’ .
“ Now , we can talk about stop-and-frisk , ” Benton said .
“ You can talk about Biden eulogizing Strom Thurmond .
You can talk about Biden coalescing with segregationists to defeat cross-district busing .
You can talk about him being an accomplice in the assassination of Anita Hill.
” The dynamic — a media storm over an issue that voters don ’ t find dispositive — reminds those of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a certain other candidate .

When I arrived at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center in Chattanooga, Tennessee, the day after the New Hampshire primary, a line was already forming to get in to see Bloomberg an hour before his event’s 2 p.m. start time. Outside, a young woman with a septum ring was handing out pro-Bernie Sanders literature. Her name was Katie Keel and she was a cochair of the local chapter of Democratic Socialists of America. I asked Keel whether Bloomberg was substantively worse, in her view, than the other moderate candidates like Biden or Pete Buttigieg.
“Yeah, he’s a billionaire,” she said. “First of all, he shouldn’t be a billionaire in the first place. Bernie Sanders would agree, billionaires shouldn’t exist. So we're out here to protest that, just saying that you know what, I don't care if you're only one person, you can't throw unlimited amounts of money at the election, you can't buy it, it shouldn't be allowed.”
DSA members are about as far away as one could get from Bloomberg supporters on the Democratic Party’s ideological spectrum, but even they had not been untouched by the campaign’s push in their state. Keel’s DSA colleague Jefferson Hodge mentioned that he knew five or six people in local Democratic politics who had been offered gigs by the Bloomberg campaign at around $8,000 a month; Hodge said he would no longer call them friends. Organizers earn $6,000 a month, though “If they're up at a higher level in the organization [it] could be more,” a Bloomberg aide said.
A few yards away from the young DSA activists stood Mitchell and Robin Beene, 64 and 62, Chattanooga residents who had come out to see Bloomberg.
“We really want to defeat Donald Trump,” Mitchell Beene said. He said he leans “very far left, and in a perfect world I might like Bernie and Elizabeth Warren.” But “practically, I just think that Donald Trump would be extremely afraid of Mike Bloomberg.” The Beenes said they were still undecided but would probably vote for Bloomberg when Tennessee votes as one of the Super Tuesday states.
They were far from the only voters I spoke with who said some version of this; nearly everyone I spoke to at Bloomberg events over the past two weeks said their top priority was beating Trump, and they believed Bloomberg could do it.
This directly echoes Bloomberg’s own pitch, which is that he alone is prepared to take Trump head-on, isn’t afraid of him, and will use the full weight of his enormous resources against him.
In Chattanooga, Bloomberg’s campaign had chosen a venue that was much too small for the number of people who showed up. The clever optics resulted in a large overflow crowd outdoors. Campaign people threw T-shirts to them as they waited. When Bloomberg arrived, he stepped onto a platform, got on a microphone amplified by large speakers, and said he was “embarrassed” that they didn’t have enough room for everyone. He encouraged those waiting to go home if they were cold, the campaign would send them the speech later — he didn’t want them to catch the flu.
He then went inside to give his speech.
While Bloomberg’s campaign is huge, his stump speech is very short. It usually clocks in at under 15 minutes. It usually begins with a joke about how whichever surrogate gave his introductory speech delivered their remarks “exactly how I wrote them.” During a stump speech, Bloomberg is likely to describe himself as the “un-Trump” more than once. He doesn’t mention his rivals for the nomination beyond oblique references to “evolution not revolution.” Apart from remarks like that, Bloomberg’s campaign is fiercely nonideological. He only really talks about Trump, and how he is running to defeat him. He warns darkly that four more years of Trump would be “hard to recover from.” That said, Bloomberg did take a shot at Sanders on Twitter on Monday, posting a video comprised of aggressive tweets by Sanders supporters superimposed over ominous music.
More often than not, there’s a protester in the crowd; in Chattanooga, a woman came onstage at the beginning of the rally, got on the microphone, and said, “This is not democracy. This is plutocracy.” In Nashville, one protester shouted that Bloomberg “brags about terrorizing innocent youth,” and another waved a pair of handcuffs.
Bloomberg greets the protesters with equanimity, often joking that they make him feel at home. To the man with handcuffs, he said, “We’ll get back to you later.”
Bloomberg wraps up his speech, walks offstage, greets the audience for a few minutes, and leaves, to the tune of “Beautiful Day” by U2. Bloomberg hasn’t done a townhall-style event yet, where he’d have to take more questions from the audience, and he doesn’t do much retail politics. He sticks to prepared remarks apart from a stray comment here and there, including a couple of tangents about his supporter Judge Judy during the North Carolina swing and the occasional, sometimes strange, ad-lib. For example, in Greensboro, Bloomberg punched back at Trump’s taunts about his height; Trump has branded him “Mini Mike.” “My answer is Donald, where I come from, we measure height from the neck up,” Bloomberg said. Bloomberg seemed to be making a reference to intelligence, but the phrase conjured an unsettling giraffe-like image.
In Chattanooga, Bloomberg was to conduct an interaction with the press that his staff described as a “gaggle.” The term normally connotes a casual interaction with the reporters following a campaign, who will gather around a candidate, stick their recorders in his or her face and carry out a relatively freewheeling exchange. This gaggle was different. A lectern with microphones and campaign signage had been set up. Four American flags were displayed behind it. As staff herded reporters into a specific configuration — print reporters were at first sent behind the TV cameras before being allowed to squat in front of them — another, even larger flag was erected off to the side. We were given two-minute, 90-second, and 30-second warnings before Bloomberg entered. The press corps following Bloomberg has swelled; initially he was being trailed by only a couple network embeds, but now every major outlet is sending reporters on his trail.
Reporters pressed Bloomberg multiple times about the Aspen Institute remarks, which he did not take the opportunity to apologize for.
“It was five years ago,” Bloomberg said. “It’s just not the way that I think and it doesn’t reflect what I do every day. I led the most populous, largest city in the United States and got reelected three times, the public seemed to like what I do."
When a reporter asked him if the issue would harm his chances with black voters, Bloomberg said, "I think people look at it and they say those words don’t reflect Michael Bloomberg, the way he governed in New York City, the way he runs his company, the way his philanthropy works."
Bloomberg has made a concerted effort to court black voters, and there are signs that it’s working. A national poll from Quinnipiac last week had Bloomberg trailing only Biden among black voters. Particularly among older black voters I spoke with — a key demographic on which the Biden campaign is counting for support — there’s a sense that Bloomberg is best equipped to defeat Trump, and several said they found Bloomberg’s apology for stop-and-frisk at the start of his campaign sufficient.
No black voters I spoke with at Bloomberg events said they were troubled enough by the former mayor’s record on race to not vote for him.
“He apologized,” said Robert Lewis, 73, of Chattanooga. “And we have a man in the White House now who don’t apologize for nothing.”
Stop-and-frisk “was very bad,” said Butler Benton, 69, who attended Bloomberg’s event on Thursday in Raleigh and said he made up his mind to support Bloomberg three or four weeks ago. “But, you know, nobody has clean hands.” Benton argued that Bloomberg’s record wasn’t worse than some of the other candidates’.
“Now, we can talk about stop-and-frisk,” Benton said. “You can talk about Biden eulogizing Strom Thurmond. You can talk about Biden coalescing with segregationists to defeat cross-district busing. You can talk about him being an accomplice in the assassination of Anita Hill.”
The dynamic — a media storm over an issue that voters don’t find dispositive — reminds those of us who covered the 2016 Republican primary of a certain other candidate.


buzzfeed--2020-02-18--A Nigerian Man Is Actually Behind That Pro-Pete Buttigieg Twitter Account


buzzfeed--2020-02-18--Mike Bloomberg Once Again Called Transgender People “It” And “Some Guy Wearing A Dress”

“ And so you can understand where somebody like Trump comes from , ” Bloomberg said at the forum last year .
“ You can understand when you look at the Democratic Party , they are so far left that two years ago there was nobody on their side who would take these positions , and today virtually all the candidates for president of the Democratic Party are so progressive .
I don ’ t know what progressive means.
” The video was posted to YouTube shortly after the March event , but has received few views .
Bloomberg was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ time , but announced his campaign just eight months after he made the remarks .
Bloomberg made a similar remark about a “ man wearing a dress ” in 2016 , but his comments uncovered Tuesday — remarks he made less than a year ago — came amid the early stages of the 2020 Democratic primary .
“ If your conversation during a presidential election is about some guy wearing a dress and whether he , she , or it can go to the locker room with their daughter , that ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , ” he said .
Bloomberg ’ s sensitivity was far less apparent at a forum hosted by the Bermuda Business Development Agency on March 21 , 2019 , in Manhattan , where Bloomberg derided Democratic candidates for talking about transgender protections .
And yet , Bloomberg ’ s campaign published a new video on Tuesday that pledged the former New York City mayor believed in “ inclusivity ” for “ LGBTQ+ youth , ” featuring fashion designer Isaac Mizrahi declaring , “ Mike is so incredibly sensitive to this issue.
” A @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mike Bloomberg in 2019 describing transgender people as “ he , she , or it ” and “ some guy in a dress ” who enters girls locker rooms — invoking a conservative cliché as he argued that transgender rights are toxic for presidential candidates trying to reach Middle America .
A Bloomberg campaign spokesperson told BuzzFeed News on Tuesday , `` Mike understands that the transgender community has been under attack for decades and the advance of rights has not been equal .
In April 2002 , during his first year as @ @ @ @ @ @ @ civil rights bill into law .
His company provides comprehensive healthcare coverage for his transgender employees .
As president , he has a comprehensive plan to secure rights for transgender Americans , including passing the Equality Act , ensuring transgender people have access to affirming healthcare and working to end the crisis of violence against transgender women .
Mike is running to defeat Donald Trump and reverse the many policies he has implemented that attack the rights of the transgender community . ''
Bloomberg L.P , one of his companies , joined a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to oppose a North Carolina law that banned transgender people from using restrooms that matched their gender identity in government buildings .
The spokesperson did not directly respond to BuzzFeed News ’ questions about whether Bloomberg thinks a transgender woman is “ a guy wearing a dress ” or an “ it , ” if transgender rights are a liability for Democratic presidential candidates , or how his campaign video on LGBTQ+ rights squares with his comments less than a year ago .
When Bloomberg raised a similar talking point in 2016 , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ North Carolina anti–transgender rights law .
According to reports that emerged earlier this month , Bloomberg said , `` If you want to know if somebody is a good salesman , give him the job of going to the Midwest and picking a town and selling to that town the concept that some man wearing a dress should be in a locker room with their daughter . ''
After those first comments were reported , a Bloomberg campaign spokesperson told NBC News that the billionaire signed a gender identity nondiscrimination bill in 2002 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ York City .
`` Mike is running to defeat Donald Trump and reverse the many policies he has implemented that attack the rights of the transgender community , '' the spokesperson told the network .
But the latest video shows that he was still deploying this idea three years later , in 2019 , as the primary started to unfold .
A former Republican , Bloomberg has emerged as contender in the Democratic primary after he doused the nation with a $ 400 million ad buy — enough to boost his poll numbers @ @ @ @ @ @ @ national poll released Tuesday and to qualify for Wednesday ’ s debate in Nevada .
At the same time , he ’ s faced a lash of criticism for his past positions on race and gender .
The Washington Post reported on several lawsuits that allege discrimination against women , including in one case in which he allegedly told a pregnant employee to “ kill ” her fetus .
Bloomberg also defended the New York City Police Department 's stop-and-frisk policy — which targeted people of color for searches — in a 2015 @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , “ We put all the cops in the minority neighborhoods .
Yes , that 's true .
Why 'd we do it ?
Because that 's where all the crime is .
And the way you should get the guns out of the kids ' hands is throw them against the wall and frisk them.
” Bloomberg tried to distance himself from those comments this month , telling NPR , “ I regret that and I have apologized.
” Bloomberg has also tried to reach LGBTQ progressives .
In the campaign video @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Mike Bloomberg 2020 ” emblem in the corner and was retweeted by his campaign , Mizrahi , a designer and entertainer , begins , “ My thing is LGBTQ+ youth.
” “ As a kid you feel completely ostracized , completely on the outside of everything , but then as an adult you see there is a whole bunch of inclusivity , ” Mizrahi continues .
“ Mike is so incredibly sensitive to this issue .
Having lived in New York for a number of years that Mike was mayor and seeing him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ the adult LGBTQ populations but also the kids , the thing I like about Mike is that he ’ s really proactive.
” “ There is no one more perfect than Mike , ” he concludes .
Back at the March 2019 forum , Bloomberg said he ’ d largely ruled out running for president this year due to his political views , saying in a video , “ It ’ s just not going to happen on a national level for somebody like me starting where I am , unless I was @ @ @ @ @ @ @ go on what CNN calls an apology tour.
” This is Bloomberg ’ s full quote from the forum : “ 'Throw the bums out , they have n't delivered , they did n't listen to us . '
If you go to the middle of the country , people would say .
If your conversation during a presidential election is about some guy wearing a dress and whether he , she , or it can go to the locker room with their daughter , that ’ s not a winning formula for @ @ @ @ @ @ @ care , they care about education , they care about safety , and all of those kinds of things .
And some of these social issues — and not just the American government , the EU government does as well — we are focusing on a lot of things that have little relevance to people who are trying to live in a world that is changing because of technology and communications and things like that .
And so you can understand where somebody like Trump comes from ; you can understand when you @ @ @ @ @ @ @ are so far left that two years ago there was nobody on their side who would take these positions , and today virtually all the candidates for president of the Democratic Party are so progressive .
I don ’ t know what progressive means .
They are in a place where some of the American public is , and it remains to be seen if the remainder of the electorate is .
”

A Bloomberg campaign spokesperson told BuzzFeed News on Tuesday, "Mike understands that the transgender community has been under attack for decades and the advance of rights has not been equal. In April 2002, during his first year as mayor, Mike signed a sweeping transgender civil rights bill into law. His company provides comprehensive health care coverage for his transgender employees. As president, he has a comprehensive plan to secure rights for transgender Americans, including passing the Equality Act, ensuring transgender people have access to affirming health care and working to end the crisis of violence against transgender women. Mike is running to defeat Donald Trump and reverse the many policies he has implemented that attack the rights of the transgender community."
His company Bloomberg LP joined a court filing with several dozen other corporations to oppose a North Carolina law that banned transgender people from using restrooms that matched their gender identity in government buildings.
The spokesperson did not directly respond to BuzzFeed News’ questions about whether Bloomberg thinks a transgender woman is “a guy wearing a dress” or an “it,” if transgender rights are a liability for Democratic presidential candidates, or how his campaign video on LGBTQ+ rights squares with his comments less than a year ago.
When Bloomberg raised a similar talking point in 2016, he was discussing the fallout of the North Carolina anti–transgender rights law. According to reports that emerged earlier this month, Bloomberg said, "If you want to know if somebody is a good salesman, give him the job of going to the Midwest and picking a town and selling to that town the concept that some man wearing a dress should be in a locker room with their daughter."
After those first comments were reported, a Bloomberg campaign spokesperson told NBC News that the billionaire signed a gender identity nondiscrimination bill in 2002 when he was the mayor of New York City.
"Mike is running to defeat Donald Trump and reverse the many policies he has implemented that attack the rights of the transgender community," the spokesperson told the network.
But the latest video shows that he was still deploying this idea three years later, in 2019, as the primary started to unfold.
A former Republican, Bloomberg has emerged as contender in the Democratic primary after he doused the nation with a $400 million ad buy — enough to boost his poll numbers to 19% among Democrats in a national poll released Tuesday and to qualify for Wednesday’s debate in Nevada.
At the same time, he’s faced a lash of criticism for his past positions on race and gender. The Washington Post reported on several lawsuits that allege discrimination against women, including in one case in which he allegedly told a pregnant employee to “kill” her fetus.
Bloomberg also defended the New York City Police Department's stop-and-frisk policy — which targeted people of color for searches — in a 2015 speech at the Aspen Institute, saying, “We put all the cops in the minority neighborhoods. Yes, that's true. Why'd we do it? Because that's where all the crime is. And the way you should get the guns out of the kids' hands is throw them against the wall and frisk them.”
Bloomberg tried to distance himself from those comments this month, telling NPR, “I regret that and I have apologized.”
Bloomberg has also tried to reach LGBTQ progressives. In the campaign video released Tuesday, which features a “Mike Bloomberg 2020” emblem in the corner and was retweeted by his campaign, Mizrahi, a designer and entertainer, begins, “My thing is LGBTQ+ youth.”
“As a kid you feel completely ostracized, completely on the outside of everything, but then as an adult you see there is a whole bunch of inclusivity,” Mizrahi continues. “Mike is so incredibly sensitive to this issue. Having lived in New York for a number of years that Mike was mayor and seeing him enact these incredible programs that helped both the adult LGBTQ populations but also the kids, the thing I like about Mike is that he’s really proactive.”
“There is no one more perfect than Mike,” he concludes.
Back at the March 2019 forum, Bloomberg said he’d largely ruled out running for president this year due to his political views, saying in a video, “It’s just not going to happen on a national level for somebody like me starting where I am, unless I was going to change all my views and go on what CNN calls an apology tour.”
This is Bloomberg’s full quote from the forum:
“'Throw the bums out, they haven't delivered, they didn't listen to us.' If you go to the middle of the country, people would say. If your conversation during a presidential election is about some guy wearing a dress and whether he, she, or it can go to the locker room with their daughter, that’s not a winning formula for most people. They care about health care, they care about education, they care about safety, and all of those kinds of things. And some of these social issues — and not just the American government, the EU government does as well — we are focusing on a lot of things that have little relevance to people who are trying to live in a world that is changing because of technology and communications and things like that. And so you can understand where somebody like Trump comes from; you can understand when you look at the Democratic Party, they are so far left that two years ago there was nobody on their side who would take these positions, and today virtually all the candidates for president of the Democratic Party are so progressive. I don’t know what progressive means. They are in a place where some of the American public is, and it remains to be seen if the remainder of the electorate is.”


buzzfeed--2020-02-18--Trump Has Commuted The Sentence Of Former Illinois Governor (And “Apprentice” Contestant) Rod Blagoj

Trump Has Commuted The Sentence Of Former Illinois Governor (And “Apprentice” Contestant) Rod Blagojevich

President Trump issued 11 pardons and grants of clemency Tuesday to people found guilty of corruption , tax fraud , lying to the White House , and financial crimes — including disgraced former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich , whose supporters made personal appeals to Trump in Fox News appearances .
Blagojevich was convicted in 2009 over his efforts to sell off the vacant Senate seat of Barack Obama , and he was recorded in wiretapped phone calls looking for the highest bidder .
“ I ’ ve got this thing and it ’ s fucking golden , ” the then-governor @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as he discussed what he might be able to trade in return for appointing someone to the seat .
“ I 'm just not giving it up for fuckin ' nothing .
I 'm not gon na do it .
And , and I can always use it .
I can parachute me there.
” On Tuesday , Trump also issued full pardons to former New York Police commissioner Bernard Kerik .
He also pardoned financier Michael Milken .
Kerik , who had been nominated to lead the Department of Homeland Security under @ @ @ @ @ @ @ name from consideration when questions arose about the immigration status of one of his household employees .
An ensuing investigation resulted in Kerik pleading guilty to felony charges of tax fraud and lying to White House officials during his vetting for the top job at DHS .
Milken , best known for his involvement in `` junk bonds , '' had pleaded guilty to six felony counts of illegal securities trading .
Trump also signed executive grants of clemency to Edward DeBartolo Jr. , Ariel Friedler , Paul Pogue , David Safavian , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ executive grants of clemency and commuted the sentences for Tynice Nichole Hall , Crystal Munoz , and Judith Negron .
But the most high profile of Tuesday 's pardons and sentence commutations was that of Blagojevich , whose blatant tone in the recordings permanently linked his name to corruption .
Blagojevich has been serving his time at the Englewood Federal Correctional Institution in Colorado since March 15 , 2012 .
Trump ’ s decision on Blagojevich came as little surprise ; The president had spent months signaling that he had his eye on @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 7 , Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he was seriously considering commuting Blagojevich ’ s sentence , believing that he had been “ treated unbelievably unfairly.
” “ He ’ s been in jail for seven years over a phone call where nothing happens — over a phone call , which he shouldn ’ t have said what he said , but it was braggadocio , you would say , ” Trump said .
“ I would think that there have been many politicians — I ’ m not one @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that have said a lot worse over the telephone.
” ( Blagojevich was , in fact , convicted on the basis of multiple pieces of evidence , not a single phone call . )
On Tuesday , Trump called the former governor 's 14-year sentence `` ridiculous . ''

President Trump issued 11 pardons and grants of clemency Tuesday to people found guilty of corruption, tax fraud, lying to the White House, and financial crimes — including disgraced former Illinois governor Rod Blagojevich, whose supporters made personal appeals to Trump in Fox News appearances.
Blagojevich was convicted in 2009 over his efforts to sell off the vacant Senate seat of Barack Obama, and he was recorded in wiretapped phone calls looking for the highest bidder.
“I’ve got this thing and it’s fucking golden,” the then-governor infamously said in a wiretapped phone call as he discussed what he might be able to trade in return for appointing someone to the seat. “I'm just not giving it up for fuckin' nothing. I'm not gonna do it. And, and I can always use it. I can parachute me there.”
On Tuesday, Trump also issued full pardons to former New York Police commissioner Bernard Kerik. He also pardoned financier Michael Milken.
Kerik, who had been nominated to lead the Department of Homeland Security under President George W. Bush, withdrew his name from consideration when questions arose about the immigration status of one of his household employees.
An ensuing investigation resulted in Kerik pleading guilty to felony charges of tax fraud and lying to White House officials during his vetting for the top job at DHS.
Milken, best known for his involvement in "junk bonds," had pleaded guilty to six felony counts of illegal securities trading.
Trump also signed executive grants of clemency to Edward DeBartolo Jr., Ariel Friedler, Paul Pogue, David Safavian, and Angela Stanton. He signed four executive grants of clemency and commuted the sentences for Tynice Nichole Hall, Crystal Munoz, and Judith Negron.
But the most high profile of Tuesday's pardons and sentence commutations was that of Blagojevich, whose blatant tone in the recordings permanently linked his name to corruption.
Blagojevich has been serving his time since March 15, 2012, at the Englewood Federal Correctional Institution in Colorado, where he was released Tuesday evening.
Trump’s decision on Blagojevich came as little surprise; The president had spent months signaling that he had his eye on the case. As recently as Aug. 7, Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he was seriously considering commuting Blagojevich’s sentence, believing that he had been “treated unbelievably unfairly.”
“He’s been in jail for seven years over a phone call where nothing happens — over a phone call, which he shouldn’t have said what he said, but it was braggadocio, you would say,” Trump said. “I would think that there have been many politicians — I’m not one of them, by the way — that have said a lot worse over the telephone.” (Blagojevich was, in fact, convicted on the basis of multiple pieces of evidence, not a single phone call.)
On Tuesday, Trump called the former governor's 14-year sentence "ridiculous."


buzzfeed--2020-02-18--Al Gore’s New Campaign To Save The Planet Is Focused On Getting Donald Trump Out Of Office

Former vice president Al Gore is launching a voter registration campaign this week to increase voter turnout in November , focusing on young people concerned about the rapidly warming planet .
This new effort by Gore , who starred in the 2006 climate documentary An Inconvenient Truth and won a 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his climate activism , comes amid dire scientific warnings about the climate crisis and a new explosion in climate activism , driven mostly by young people skipping school and challenging politicians to take action .
Gore ’ s pitch is simple : a clear way @ @ @ @ @ @ @ get President Donald Trump out of office .
Under Trump , the US has both rolled back climate regulations , including pollution standards for power plants , oil and gas operators , and cars , as well as expanded company access to fossil fuels on public lands .
“ For those of us concerned about the future of the Earth ’ s climate and balance , this election is extremely important , ” Gore told BuzzFeed News .
And while the Democratic presidential candidates are talking about climate change more than ever , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ bolder policy proposals and refuse campaign donations from the fossil fuel industry .
“ Young people in particular have been both more concerned about climate than other age groups and traditionally less likely to vote in large percentages , ” said Gore .
“ I want to do everything I possibly can to contribute to the registration and turnout and voting by those who are concerned about the climate crisis.
” The effort will initially focus on key battleground states .
Gore will kick off with a voter registration rally on Wednesday at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ black public college in Houston , followed by visits to the University of Nevada , Las Vegas , on March 10 and the University of Pittsburgh on March 17 .
Voter registration drives are also being planned at eight additional college and university campuses in Florida , Michigan , Pennsylvania , and Texas over the coming months , and Gore plans to add more sites in the future .
And although he ’ s largely focused on influencing the presidential election , Gore will encourage voters to consider climate across the ballot .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ folks to understand their vote is driving the air they breathe , the water they drink , the chemicals you ingest in your home , ” said Carmen Reed , a doctoral student in urban planning and environmental policy at Texas Southern University .
Reed said she welcomes Gore ’ s new campaign and applauds how he ’ s engaging communities often left out of the climate discussion .
She will be joining a group of students privately meeting with Gore on Wednesday to talk about how to best tackle climate change .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ new campaign through charitable donations , he told BuzzFeed News , but he declined to name specific donors .
His campaign confirmed that none of the donations came from any of the presidential candidates , including the wealthy climate philanthropists Tom Steyer or Michael Bloomberg .
Gore ’ s Climate Reality Action Fund — whose sister group , the Climate Reality Project , trains new climate activists — is running the new campaign .
Many of Gore ’ s upcoming voter drives will be in the same cities where he ’ s also @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s not the only one looking to boost young climate voter participation in November .
Since September , Sunrise Movement members have been soliciting pledges from high school and college students to vote for candidates that support the Green New Deal , a legislative push aiming to simultaneously tackle climate pollution across industries and economic inequality .
In early January , the youth climate group endorsed Bernie Sanders to be the Democratic presidential nominee and did extensive door knocking and phone banks to help boost voter participation in Iowa and New Hampshire @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Green New Deal a centerpiece of his campaign and is not yet sure whether he will endorse a candidate .
He said he ’ s looking to augment the voter outreach efforts led by Sunrise and other groups , not elbow them out .
`` This is a team sport , ” he said .
“ It 's not a branding exercise . ''
The Sunrise Movement declined to comment on Gore ’ s campaign .
Gore has publicly supported the underlying premise of the Green New Deal and has encouraged Democrats to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ in December that he viewed it as a “ broad brushstroke , bold proclamation , the details of which are designed to be filled in later .
”

Former vice president Al Gore is launching a voter registration campaign this week to increase voter turnout in November, focusing on young people concerned about the rapidly warming planet.
This new effort by Gore, who starred in the 2006 climate documentary An Inconvenient Truth and won a 2007 Nobel Peace Prize for his climate activism, comes amid dire scientific warnings about the climate crisis and a new explosion in climate activism, driven mostly by young people skipping school and challenging politicians to take action.
Gore’s pitch is simple: a clear way to help avert climate disaster is to get President Donald Trump out of office.
Under Trump, the US has both rolled back climate regulations, including pollution standards for power plants, oil and gas operators, and cars, as well as expanded company access to fossil fuels on public lands.
“For those of us concerned about the future of the Earth’s climate and balance, this election is extremely important,” Gore told BuzzFeed News.
And while the Democratic presidential candidates are talking about climate change more than ever, youth activists are pushing them to adopt bolder policy proposals and refuse campaign donations from the fossil fuel industry.
“Young people in particular have been both more concerned about climate than other age groups and traditionally less likely to vote in large percentages,” said Gore. “I want to do everything I possibly can to contribute to the registration and turnout and voting by those who are concerned about the climate crisis.”
The effort will initially focus on key battleground states. Gore will kick off with a voter registration rally on Wednesday at the Texas Southern University, a historically black public college in Houston, followed by visits to the University of Nevada, Las Vegas, on March 10 and the University of Pittsburgh on March 17. Voter registration drives are also being planned at eight additional college and university campuses in Florida, Michigan, Pennsylvania, and Texas over the coming months, and Gore plans to add more sites in the future.
And although he’s largely focused on influencing the presidential election, Gore will encourage voters to consider climate across the ballot.
“We’ve got to get folks to understand their vote is driving the air they breathe, the water they drink, the chemicals you ingest in your home,” said Carmen Reed, a doctoral student in urban planning and environmental policy at Texas Southern University. Reed said she welcomes Gore’s new campaign and applauds how he’s engaging communities often left out of the climate discussion. She will be joining a group of students privately meeting with Gore on Wednesday to talk about how to best tackle climate change.
Gore has primarily raised money for this new campaign through charitable donations, he told BuzzFeed News, but he declined to name specific donors. His campaign confirmed that none of the donations came from any of the presidential candidates, including the wealthy climate philanthropists Tom Steyer or Michael Bloomberg.
Gore’s Climate Reality Action Fund — whose sister group, the Climate Reality Project, trains new climate activists — is running the new campaign. Many of Gore’s upcoming voter drives will be in the same cities where he’s also running activist trainings this year.
Gore’s not the only one looking to boost young climate voter participation in November. Since September, Sunrise Movement members have been soliciting pledges from high school and college students to vote for candidates that support the Green New Deal, a legislative push aiming to simultaneously tackle climate pollution across industries and economic inequality. In early January, the youth climate group endorsed Bernie Sanders to be the Democratic presidential nominee and did extensive door knocking and phone banks to help boost voter participation in Iowa and New Hampshire.
Gore isn’t making the Green New Deal a centerpiece of his campaign and is not yet sure whether he will endorse a candidate. He said he’s looking to augment the voter outreach efforts led by Sunrise and other groups, not elbow them out. "This is a team sport,” he said. “It's not a branding exercise."
The Sunrise Movement declined to comment on Gore’s campaign.
Gore has publicly supported the underlying premise of the Green New Deal and has encouraged Democrats to run on the platform, telling Politico in December that he viewed it as a “broad brushstroke, bold proclamation, the details of which are designed to be filled in later.”


buzzfeed--2020-02-18--Michael Bloomberg’s Campaign Is Huge. That’s The Point.

But so far , Bloomberg is exhibiting a Trump-like Teflon ability to brush off the negative stories .
Part of this could be because a lot of what ’ s coming out now has been in the public record for some time ; like Trump , Bloomberg has been a public figure for decades , and much of his history has been litigated before , particularly in his three mayoral campaigns .
Part of it could be due to his ability to buy himself positive media in the form of advertisements ; he isn ’ t dependent on earned media @ @ @ @ @ @ @ .
And part of it could be because , as became clear in the last presidential election , voters with a goal in mind often don ’ t care about the issues with a candidate that the media cares about .
More allegations from Bloomberg ’ s past have come to the fore .
A Washington Post story published over the weekend delved into serious allegations of sexism from Bloomberg employees .
The paper also published “ The Wit and Wisdom of Michael Bloomberg , ” a collection of sexist quotes attributed to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ a birthday gift in 1990 .
Bloomberg ’ s debut as a serious candidate has prompted a reckoning with his record , and this past week , as Bloomberg was blitzing Super Tuesday states , was tough going .
Audio of remarks Bloomberg made at the 2015 Aspen Institute conference surfaced in which Bloomberg defended his mayoral administration ’ s policy of heavily policing black neighborhoods using stop-and-frisk , arguing that “ minority neighborhoods ” have more crime and making derogatory comments about young men of color .
There are a few reasons @ @ @ @ @ @ @ frontrunner Joe Biden is slumping , and voters who want a moderate candidate are searching for alternatives .
For another , more and more polling shows he ’ s competitive nationally .
And Bloomberg has been announcing more and more high-profile endorsements — sometimes , from political figures to whom he had generously donated in the past or supported causes connected to them .
The Bloomberg strategy is to vacuum up delegates from states that offer many of them , instead of scrabbling to win the delegate-poor early states .
The campaign is @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , which vote on March 3 .
Though Bloomberg ’ s name won ’ t appear on a ballot until that day , he ’ s become an increasing presence in the race .
Everyone is suddenly talking about Bloomberg .
The overwhelming size and scope of Bloomberg ’ s campaign is more than a gimmick : It ’ s a validator for more moderate Democrats looking for a stable home in a tumultuous primary , a signal that while other candidates may stumble in the primary or later against President Trump , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to fail .
Bloomberg ’ s campaign is like a giant lava cake that has oozed across the plate , the plate in this case being the United States .
While the other Democratic candidates schlepped all over Iowa and New Hampshire , shaking hands in coffee shops and holding town halls in Elks lodges , Bloomberg was jetting around states that vote later and attracting large crowds ; a move that looked particularly smart after the Iowa caucuses fiasco .
Bloomberg ’ s advertising has raised his profile such that , though @ @ @ @ @ @ @ wasn ’ t on its ballot , Bloomberg won thousands of more votes in the state ’ s primary than two candidates who had pinned their entire hopes on the state .
It ’ s probably not a coincidence that Bloomberg has been advertising heavily in neighboring Massachusetts , which votes on Super Tuesday , when more than a third of pledged delegates will be up for grabs across 16 contests .
Bloomberg is simply everywhere .
The sheer hugeness of the former New York City mayor ’ s campaign is its defining @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of presidential campaigns .
Bloomberg employs more — much more — staff than any other candidate and pays them unusually well .
And not only that , he offers them three meals a day and iPhone 11s .
Bloomberg ’ s campaign events have everything : catered food , more than enough free T-shirts for everyone , highly produced stages with themed backdrops and lecterns .
Bloomberg is carrying out the largest advertising campaign in the history of American presidential politics , with over $ 400 million spent on ads so far and @ @ @ @ @ @ @ on available staff for other campaigns that might need them .
When I arrived at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center in Chattanooga , Tennessee , the day after the New Hampshire primary , a line was already forming to get in to see Bloomberg an hour before his event ’ s 2 p.m. start time .
Outside , a young woman with a septum ring was handing out pro-Bernie Sanders literature .
Her name was Katie Keel and she was a cochair of the local chapter of Democratic Socialists of America .
I @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , in her view , than the other moderate candidates like Biden or Pete Buttigieg .
“ Yeah , he ’ s a billionaire , ” she said .
“ First of all , he shouldn ’ t be a billionaire in the first place .
Bernie Sanders would agree , billionaires shouldn ’ t exist .
So we 're out here to protest that , just saying that you know what , I do n't care if you 're only one person , you ca n't throw unlimited amounts of money at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ it , it should n't be allowed.
” DSA members are about as far away as one could get from Bloomberg supporters on the Democratic Party ’ s ideological spectrum , but even they had not been untouched by the campaign ’ s push in their state .
Keel ’ s DSA colleague Jefferson Hodge mentioned that he knew five or six people in local Democratic politics who had been offered gigs by the Bloomberg campaign at around $ 8,000 a month ; Hodge said he would no longer call them friends .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ though “ If they 're up at a higher level in the organization [ it ] could be more , ” a Bloomberg aide said .
A few yards away from the young DSA activists stood Mitchell and Robin Beene , 64 and 62 , Chattanooga residents who had come out to see Bloomberg .
“ We really want to defeat Donald Trump , ” Mitchell Beene said .
He said he leans “ very far left , and in a perfect world I might like Bernie and Elizabeth Warren.
” But “ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Trump would be extremely afraid of Mike Bloomberg.
” The Beenes said they were still undecided but would probably vote for Bloomberg when Tennessee votes as one of the Super Tuesday states .
They were far from the only voters I spoke with who said some version of this ; nearly everyone I spoke to at Bloomberg events over the past two weeks said their top priority was beating Trump , and they believed Bloomberg could do it .
This directly echoes Bloomberg ’ s own pitch , which is that he alone @ @ @ @ @ @ @ isn ’ t afraid of him , and will use the full weight of his enormous resources against him .
In Chattanooga , Bloomberg ’ s campaign had chosen a venue that was much too small for the number of people who showed up .
The clever optics resulted in a large overflow crowd outdoors .
Campaign people threw T-shirts to them as they waited .
When Bloomberg arrived , he stepped onto a platform , got on a microphone amplified by large speakers , and said he was “ embarrassed ” that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ for everyone .
He encouraged those waiting to go home if they were cold , the campaign would send them the speech later — he didn ’ t want them to catch the flu .
He then went inside to give his speech .
While Bloomberg ’ s campaign is huge , his stump speech is very short .
It usually clocks in at under 15 minutes .
It usually begins with a joke about how whichever surrogate gave his introductory speech delivered their remarks “ exactly how I wrote them.
” During @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to describe himself as the “ un-Trump ” more than once .
He doesn ’ t mention his rivals for the nomination beyond oblique references to “ evolution not revolution.
” Apart from remarks like that , Bloomberg ’ s campaign is fiercely nonideological .
He only really talks about Trump , and how he is running to defeat him .
He warns darkly that four more years of Trump would be “ hard to recover from.
” That said , Bloomberg did take a shot at Sanders on Twitter on Monday , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ by Sanders supporters superimposed over ominous music .
More often than not , there ’ s a protester in the crowd ; in Chattanooga , a woman came onstage at the beginning of the rally , got on the microphone , and said , “ This is not democracy .
This is plutocracy.
” In Nashville , one protester shouted that Bloomberg “ brags about terrorizing innocent youth , ” and another waved a pair of handcuffs .
Bloomberg greets the protesters with equanimity , often joking that they make him feel at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , he said , “ We ’ ll get back to you later.
” Bloomberg wraps up his speech , walks offstage , greets the audience for a few minutes , and leaves , to the tune of “ Beautiful Day ” by U2 .
Bloomberg hasn ’ t done a townhall-style event yet , where he ’ d have to take more questions from the audience , and he doesn ’ t do much retail politics .
He sticks to prepared remarks apart from a stray comment here and there , including @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Judge Judy during the North Carolina swing and the occasional , sometimes strange , ad-lib .
For example , in Greensboro , Bloomberg punched back at Trump ’ s taunts about his height ; Trump has branded him “ Mini Mike.
” “ My answer is Donald , where I come from , we measure height from the neck up , ” Bloomberg said .
Bloomberg seemed to be making a reference to intelligence , but the phrase conjured an unsettling giraffe-like image .
In Chattanooga , Bloomberg was to conduct an interaction @ @ @ @ @ @ @ as a “ gaggle.
” The term normally connotes a casual interaction with the reporters following a campaign , who will gather around a candidate , stick their recorders in his or her face and carry out a relatively freewheeling exchange .
This gaggle was different .
A lectern with microphones and campaign signage had been set up .
Four American flags were displayed behind it .
As staff herded reporters into a specific configuration — print reporters were at first sent behind the TV cameras before being allowed to squat in front @ @ @ @ @ @ @ flag was erected off to the side .
We were given two-minute , 90-second , and 30-second warnings before Bloomberg entered .
The press corps following Bloomberg has swelled ; initially he was being trailed by only a couple network embeds , but now every major outlet is sending reporters on his trail .
Reporters pressed Bloomberg multiple times about the Aspen Institute remarks , which he did not take the opportunity to apologize for .
“ It was five years ago , ” Bloomberg said .
“ It ’ s just not @ @ @ @ @ @ @ doesn ’ t reflect what I do every day .
I led the most populous , largest city in the United States and got reelected three times , the public seemed to like what I do . ''
When a reporter asked him if the issue would harm his chances with black voters , Bloomberg said , `` I think people look at it and they say those words don ’ t reflect Michael Bloomberg , the way he governed in New York City , the way he runs his company , the @ @ @ @ @ @ @ has made a concerted effort to court black voters , and there are signs that it ’ s working .
A national poll from Quinnipiac last week had Bloomberg trailing only Biden among black voters .
Particularly among older black voters I spoke with — a key demographic on which the Biden campaign is counting for support — there ’ s a sense that Bloomberg is best equipped to defeat Trump , and several said they found Bloomberg ’ s apology for stop-and-frisk at the start of his campaign sufficient .
No black @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said they were troubled enough by the former mayor ’ s record on race to not vote for him .
“ He apologized , ” said Robert Lewis , 73 , of Chattanooga .
“ And we have a man in the White House now who don ’ t apologize for nothing.
” Stop-and-frisk “ was very bad , ” said Butler Benton , 69 , who attended Bloomberg ’ s event on Thursday in Raleigh and said he made up his mind to support Bloomberg three or four weeks ago .
“ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ clean hands.
” Benton argued that Bloomberg ’ s record wasn ’ t worse than some of the other candidates ’ .
“ Now , we can talk about stop-and-frisk , ” Benton said .
“ You can talk about Biden eulogizing Strom Thurmond .
You can talk about Biden coalescing with segregationists to defeat cross-district busing .
You can talk about him being an accomplice in the assassination of Anita Hill.
” The dynamic — a media storm over an issue that voters don ’ t find dispositive — reminds those of @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of a certain other candidate .


buzzfeed--2020-02-18--Live Results: New Hampshire Democratic Primary

The New Hampshire primary is here — the first presidential primary of 2020 , which mercifully should be much less complicated than whatever happened last week in Iowa .
A few things to know as results come in : New Hampshire is a semi-open primary , so independents can vote in party primaries ( but a registered Republican can ’ t vote in the Democratic primary , for instance ) .
Polls mostly opened around 6 a.m. and will begin to close at 7 p.m. New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner is predicting a historic turnout with a winner @ @ @ @ @ @ @ know as voting begins about who will win ?
Bernie Sanders has a leg up in polling in the state , which he won convincingly in 2016 .
Pete Buttigieg , the other candidate to come out strong in Iowa , has appeared to gain in the last week .
How important is winning here ?
With just 24 pledged delegates at stake , New Hampshire doesn ’ t have a ton of direct electoral impact , especially relative to states coming up in early March .
But performing well here is an @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to continue their campaigns , and a poor result could make it hard for a candidate to raise enough money to keep going into the next two states : Nevada and South Carolina .

The New Hampshire primary is here — the first presidential primary of 2020, which mercifully should be much less complicated than whatever happened last week in Iowa.
A few things to know as results come in: New Hampshire is a semi-open primary, so independents can vote in party primaries (but a registered Republican can’t vote in the Democratic primary, for instance). Polls mostly opened around 6 a.m. and will begin to close at 7 p.m. New Hampshire Secretary of State Bill Gardner is predicting a historic turnout with a winner declared around 9:30 p.m.
What do we know as voting begins about who will win? Bernie Sanders has a leg up in polling in the state, which he won convincingly in 2016. Pete Buttigieg, the other candidate to come out strong in Iowa, has appeared to gain in the last week.
How important is winning here? With just 24 pledged delegates at stake, New Hampshire doesn’t have a ton of direct electoral impact, especially relative to states coming up in early March. But performing well here is an important signal of strength for candidates hoping to continue their campaigns, and a poor result could make it hard for a candidate to raise enough money to keep going into the next two states: Nevada and South Carolina.


buzzfeed--2020-02-19--Here’s What You Can Expect When Michael Bloomberg Finally Faces Other Candidates On The Debate Stage

It ’ s a shame Mike Bloomberg can buy his way into the debate .
But at least now primary voters curious about how each candidate will take on Donald Trump can get a live demonstration of how we each take on an egomaniac billionaire .
https : //t.co/H02radEZcv “ I don ’ t think you should be able to hide behind airwaves and huge ad buys , ” 2020 candidate @ amyklobuchar says about Michael Bloomberg .
“ I know I ’ m not going to be able to beat him on the airwaves but I can beat him @ @ @ @ @ @ @ https : //t.co/9C1VGGdqCN Bloomberg , the billionaire former New York City mayor who has already spent more on traditional advertising for his presidential campaign than anybody ever , has been blasting up national polls over the last two weeks .
But tonight will be the first time this campaign when he ’ ll actually have to appear somewhat like a normal candidate — show up on a stage carefully groomed by a TV network , in a traditional early campaign state , with other people who would also like to be president but @ @ @ @ @ @ @ that particular moment .
The reason for opposing candidate enthusiasm is obvious : Bloomberg ’ ll have to be One Of Us and can ’ t just keep rising on the back of his infinite TV ads and sprawling campaign ; he ’ ll have to face the traditional questions about health care policy and whatever else from moderators ; he 'll have to stand there and face labored-over attacks from everyone ; he ’ ll have his facial expressions and hand gestures and possible mouth errors broadcast , for memes .
Bloomberg @ @ @ @ @ @ @ amateur .
Debates when you ’ re running for mayor of New York , occasionally wedged between the traffic report and a Yankees playoff game , aren ’ t the high pressure affairs of a presidential debate .
Bloomberg ’ s experience in one-on-one debates with city officials over a decade ago doesn ’ t mean he ’ s all set to defend himself against very prepared people who have been debating each other at least once a month since last summer .
But you can still learn a bit about what to @ @ @ @ @ @ @ old debates , or at least I hope you can , as I spent two hours this week watching Bloomberg ’ s last debate from his first campaign in 2001 and his final debate from his last campaign in 2009 .
The two debates show both how Bloomberg ’ s style and ability shifted as he became more of an established politician , and how eager he can be to defend himself and bring whatever research he has to break down someone else .
They show how his specific brand of awkward translates @ @ @ @ @ @ @ sense of how he could respond to a few specific issues that could come up tonight .
“ Most people assumed I would easily win any debate .
I shared that assumption , in terms of anticipation , '' Mark Green , the former New York City public advocate who lost a close race against Bloomberg in 2001 , said in an interview Tuesday night .
`` The truth is that during the debate , while I felt comfortable , I remember saying to myself , 'wait a second , he ’ s @ @ @ @ @ @ @ '' The last debate of 2001 and the final weeks of the year 's mayoral campaign came at a very specific moment for New York City — the city was still reeling from 9/11 .
The primary had been stopped and rescheduled ; there was an argument over whether to grant Mayor Rudy Giuliani ’ s request and extend out his term as mayor .
And the Democratic frontrunner , Green , was suddenly being pressured by the out-of-nowhere billionaire Bloomberg , who had recently moved to become a Republican after being a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ Giuliani ’ s endorsement days before the debate , which probably helped .
One question that night ( and during the campaign generally ) : Was Bloomberg ’ s party switch just opportunism to avoid a clogged Democratic primary ?
“ Well I was a Democrat up until about a year ago , ” Bloomberg said .
“ It was obvious I could not run for mayor in the Democratic Party.
” “ My rival on page 232 of his book Bloomberg By Bloomberg — and they call me arrogant — said that @ @ @ @ @ @ @ , but that people should stick with the parties that they like , ” Green said .
“ He wrote , ‘ I will give money to any Democrat even if the Republican is more qualified.
’ As Warner Wolf would say , go to the videotape , you can look it up.
” “ Well number one , I ’ m glad that Mark ’ s read the book , ” Bloomberg replied , with a bit of a smirk , before teasing him for knowing the page number .
The rest @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to nonpartisanship .
“ It isn ’ t so important whether you ’ re a Republican or a Democrat , as long as you ’ re a New Yorker , ” he said .
“ If we ’ ve learned anything , it is getting people together here in a nonpartisan way , that ’ s what we ’ ve done since September 11th , that ’ s what we have to do to go forward .
I ’ ve got to have lots of votes in this city regardless of party .
@ @ @ @ @ @ @ fusion coalition , we can make it better . ''
Bloomberg , who won his last term as mayor as an independent , registered as a Democrat in 2018 .
Green — who is now , among other things , the recent author of Fake President and is supporting Sen. Elizabeth Warren for president — felt Bloomberg succeeded in 2001 in part because of low expectations .
“ While he was quite shallow on public affairs and didn ’ t have much of a presence , he was personally poised , spoke well @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
`` In other words , the bar was low because it was not his realm . ''
Bloomberg tonight , he said , `` will exceed low expectations . ''
One thing you can expect to see in tonight ’ s debate is other candidates ( or moderators ) push Bloomberg to answer for recently resurfaced comments he ’ s made about women and about people of color .
A version of this played out in 2001 .
In that debate , Green got a chance to ask Bloomberg a question @ @ @ @ @ @ @ of specific past comments attributed to Bloomberg .
Green cited , among other quotes , incidents where Bloomberg allegedly had said rape “ could be prosecuted only if there was a third-party witness ” and that domestic violence “ is a quality of life crime.
” Bloomberg ’ s defense : “ They were certainly said , but out of context.
” And then reasonable preparation to give the context .
“ When it came time , the issue of saying you needed a third-party witness , it was for a five-year-old case @ @ @ @ @ @ @ said .
“ Two years after an event occurred , you do need some kind of corroborating evidence , and the judge said that .
In terms of quality of life crimes , the issue is not the label , the issue is how do you stop the despicable behavior of domestic violence ?
Don ’ t worry about labels , worry about the substance .
That ’ s what my company has done , that ’ s what I ’ ve done .
We ’ re not talkers , we don ’ @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ re not worried about labels , what we ’ re trying to do is to just go and do something about domestic violence .
Once again , you ’ re taking these things out of context , and it ’ s the typical smear when time gets close.
” How he goes after opponents .
Bloomberg hasn ’ t been in a political debate since late October 2009 .
But that debate , with Democrat Bill Thompson , was particularly contentious .
Thompson , then the city ’ s comptroller , repeatedly @ @ @ @ @ @ @ same things his Democratic 2020 opponents have brought up this month .
The mayor , Thompson said , is engaged in “ pay-to-endorse politics ” and buying political support , out of touch with regular people , responsible for policies that are pricing the middle-class out of New York .
And , Thompson said , Bloomberg ’ s administration was targeting New Yorkers with “ an excessive number ” of parking tickets .
( This one probably won ’ t come up tonight , but . )
Bloomberg made an attempt at a @ @ @ @ @ @ @ ’ s getting money to his campaign , and I ’ m giving money out ” — but mostly kept turning the debate back on Thompson .
The mayor fixated on what he said were Thompson ’ s shortcomings when he was leading the city ’ s board of education , repeatedly bringing the debate onto terms he was more comfortable with .
Thompson , he said , “ failed our future.
” He “ paved the way ” for mayoral control of the city ’ s schools because “ everybody looked at @ @ @ @ @ @ @ 1990s when you ran the board of ed and they said , ‘ no más.
’ ” ( Spanish ! )
And , amid an economic crisis , Bloomberg kept pushing the price of what Thompson wanted to do as mayor .
“ I can ’ t keep straight who he wants to tax , but he ’ s going to tax somebody , ” Bloomberg said .
Bloomberg knew what he was in for in that last debate — most of Thompson ’ s criticisms were widespread among Democrats in the city @ @ @ @ @ @ @ to defend himself on the specifics , and prepared with specific counters to both change the subject and try and weaken his opponent .
Green would n't disclose much particular advise for Democrats facing off with Bloomberg tonight .
“ I have been speaking to a candidate about this , won ’ t say who , but you can guess , '' he said .
But he said Bloomberg has an `` Achilles heel of being kind of Wall Street haughty , with a rich guy ’ s condescension of everybody else , @ @ @ @ @ @ @ s questioned too vigorously or closely . ''
There 's a downside , though , to a Bloomberg pile-on to poke at that Achilles heel , Green said : You typically get more time if you 're attacked .
`` If they all go after him , he could end up with 25 minutes of airtime while the others average 12 .
”

Bloomberg, the billionaire former New York City mayor who has already spent more on traditional advertising for his presidential campaign than anybody ever, has been blasting up national polls over the last two weeks. But tonight will be the first time this campaign when he’ll actually have to appear somewhat like a normal candidate — show up on a stage carefully groomed by a TV network, in a traditional early campaign state, with other people who would also like to be president but would prefer to be somewhere else at that particular moment.
The reason for opposing candidate enthusiasm is obvious: Bloomberg’ll have to be One of Us and can’t just keep rising on the back of his infinite TV ads and sprawling campaign; he’ll have to face the traditional questions about health care policy and whatever else from moderators; he'll have to stand there and face labored-over attacks from everyone; he’ll have his facial expressions and hand gestures and possible mouth errors broadcast, for memes.
Bloomberg, though, is not a total amateur.
Debates when you’re running for mayor of New York, occasionally wedged between the traffic report and a Yankees playoff game, aren’t the high-pressure affairs of a presidential debate. Bloomberg’s experience in one-on-one debates with city officials over a decade ago doesn’t mean he’s all set to defend himself against very prepared people who have been debating each other at least once a month since last summer.
But you can still learn a bit about what to expect from Bloomberg tonight from watching his old debates, or at least I hope you can, as I spent two hours this week watching Bloomberg’s last debate from his first campaign in 2001 and his final debate from his last campaign in 2009. The two debates show both how Bloomberg’s style and ability shifted as he became more of an established politician, and how eager he can be to defend himself and bring whatever research he has to break down someone else. They show how his specific brand of awkward translates to TV. And they give a sense of how he could respond to a few specific issues that could come up tonight.
“Most people assumed I would easily win any debate. I shared that assumption, in terms of anticipation," Mark Green, the former New York City public advocate who lost a close race against Bloomberg in 2001, said in an interview Tuesday night. "The truth is that during the debate, while I felt comfortable, I remember saying to myself, Wait a second, he’s doing better than I thought!"
His party loyalty.
The last debate of 2001 and the final weeks of the year's mayoral campaign came at a very specific moment for New York City — the city was still reeling from 9/11. The primary had been stopped and rescheduled; there was an argument over whether to grant then-mayor Rudy Giuliani’s request and extend out his term as mayor. And the Democratic frontrunner, Green, was suddenly being pressured by the out-of-nowhere billionaire Bloomberg, who had recently moved to become a Republican after being a Democrat his whole life. He got Giuliani’s endorsement days before the debate, which probably helped.
One question that night (and during the campaign generally): Was Bloomberg’s party switch just opportunism to avoid a clogged Democratic primary?
“Well I was a Democrat up until about a year ago,” Bloomberg said. “It was obvious I could not run for mayor in the Democratic Party.”
Green prodded.
“My rival on page 232 of his book Bloomberg by Bloomberg — and they call me arrogant — said that not only is politics a noble profession, but that people should stick with the parties that they like,” Green said. “He wrote, ‘I will give money to any Democrat even if the Republican is more qualified.’ As Warner Wolf would say, go to the videotape, you can look it up.”
“Well, number one, I’m glad that Mark’s read the book,” Bloomberg replied, with a bit of a smirk, before teasing him for knowing the page number.
The rest of the response was a standard appeal to nonpartisanship. “It isn’t so important whether you’re a Republican or a Democrat, as long as you’re a New Yorker,” he said. “If we’ve learned anything, it is getting people together here in a nonpartisan way, that’s what we’ve done since Sept. 11, that’s what we have to do to go forward. I’ve got to have lots of votes in this city regardless of party. And if we can put together that fusion coalition, we can make it better."
Bloomberg, who won his last term as mayor as an independent, registered as a Democrat in 2018.
Green — who is now, among other things, the recent author of Fake President and is supporting Sen. Elizabeth Warren for president — felt Bloomberg succeeded in 2001 in part because of low expectations. “While he was quite shallow on public affairs and didn’t have much of a presence, he was personally poised, spoke well, and got by," Green said. "In other words, the bar was low because it was not his realm."
Bloomberg tonight, he said, "will exceed low expectations."
His past comments.
One thing you can expect to see in tonight’s debate is other candidates (or moderators) push Bloomberg to answer for recently resurfaced comments he’s made about women and about people of color. A version of this played out in 2001.
In that debate, Green got a chance to ask Bloomberg a question and went for it with a series of specific past comments attributed to Bloomberg.
Green cited, among other quotes, incidents where Bloomberg allegedly had said rape “could be prosecuted only if there was a third-party witness” and that domestic violence “is a quality of life crime.”
Bloomberg’s defense: “They were certainly said, but out of context.” And then reasonable preparation to give the context.
“When it came time, the issue of saying you needed a third-party witness, it was for a five-year-old case that the judge dismissed,” Bloomberg said. “Two years after an event occurred, you do need some kind of corroborating evidence, and the judge said that. In terms of quality of life crimes, the issue is not the label, the issue is how do you stop the despicable behavior of domestic violence? Don’t worry about labels, worry about the substance. That’s what my company has done, that’s what I’ve done. We’re not talkers, we don’t have an ideological position, we’re not worried about labels, what we’re trying to do is to just go and do something about domestic violence. Once again, you’re taking these things out of context, and it’s the typical smear when time gets close.”
How he goes after opponents.
Bloomberg hasn’t been in a political debate since late October 2009. But that debate, with Democrat Bill Thompson, was particularly contentious. Thompson, then the city’s comptroller, repeatedly lit into Bloomberg for many of the same things his Democratic 2020 opponents have brought up this month.
The mayor, Thompson said, is engaged in “pay-to-endorse politics” and buying political support, out of touch with regular people, responsible for policies that are pricing the middle class out of New York. And, Thompson said, Bloomberg’s administration was targeting New Yorkers with “an excessive number” of parking tickets. (This one probably won’t come up tonight, but.)
Bloomberg made an attempt at a one-liner about his spending — “He’s getting money to his campaign, and I’m giving money out” — but mostly kept turning the debate back on Thompson.
The mayor fixated on what he said were Thompson’s shortcomings when he was leading the city’s board of education, repeatedly bringing the debate onto terms he was more comfortable with. Thompson, he said, “failed our future.” He “paved the way” for mayoral control of the city’s schools because “everybody looked at this job that was done in the 1990s when you ran the board of ed and they said, ‘no más.’” (Spanish!)
And, amid an economic crisis, Bloomberg kept pushing the price of what Thompson wanted to do as mayor. “I can’t keep straight who he wants to tax, but he’s going to tax somebody,” Bloomberg said.
Bloomberg knew what he was in for in that last debate — most of Thompson’s criticisms were widespread among Democrats in the city by that time. He was prepared to defend himself on the specifics and prepared with specific counters to both change the subject and try and weaken his opponent.
Green wouldn't disclose much particular advice for Democrats facing off with Bloomberg tonight. “I have been speaking to a candidate about this, won’t say who, but you can guess," he said. But he said Bloomberg has an "Achilles heel of being kind of Wall Street haughty, with a rich guy’s condescension of everybody else, and he gets annoyed if he’s questioned too vigorously or closely."
There's a downside, though, to a Bloomberg pile-on to poke at that Achilles' heel, Green said: You typically get more time if you're attacked. "If they all go after him, he could end up with 25 minutes of airtime while the others average 12.”