SUBSCRIBE TO OUR FREE NEWSLETTER
Daily news & progressive opinion—funded by the people, not the corporations—delivered straight to your inbox.
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
5
#000000
#FFFFFF
Michael Bloomberg speaks onstage at the 2019 Common Sense Awards at The Shed on October 29, 2019 in New York City. (Photo: Ben Gabbe/Getty Images for Common Sense Media)
Bernie Sanders Says Bloomberg's Moves Toward 2020 Bid Shows 'Billionaire Class Is Scared'
"They should be scared," added Sanders, a 2020 Democratic presidential contender.
Nov 07, 2019
Sen. Bernie Sanders said Thursday night that America's billionaire class is "scared," and rightly so, after numerous outlets reported that former New York City mayor and billionaire businessman Michael Bloomberg is actively planning to make a late entry into the 2020 Democratic presidential race.
"The billionaire class is scared and they should be scared," tweeted Sanders, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, apparently in response to news that Bloomberg is expected to file paperwork for his possible 2020 Democratic candidacy in Alabama before the state's Friday deadline.
"Bloomberg's decision to enter tells us what we already know: Both Sanders and Warren have real paths to victory, and big donors are afraid that Biden increasingly doesn't."
--Jonathan Cohn
According to the New York Times, Bloomberg, a former Republican, "has not yet made a final decision on whether to run."
"But in the first sign that he is seriously moving toward a campaign, Mr. Bloomberg has dispatched staffers to Alabama to gather signatures to qualify for the primary there," the Times reported. "Mr. Bloomberg and his advisers called a number of prominent Democrats on Thursday to tell them he was seriously considering the race, including former Senator Harry Reid of Nevada."
The Sanders campaign quickly seized upon Bloomberg's possible White House bid as evidence that rich Democrats are worried about the prospect of Sanders--who has said he doesn't think billionaires should exist--becoming the Democratic presidential nominee.
"Three simple points," Sanders speechwriter David Sirota wrote Thursday night in the campaign's Bern Notice newsletter. "1. The billionaire class sees the Bernie Surge and is terrified that Bernie is going to win. 2. More billionaires seeking more political power isn't the change America needs. 3. Bernie is going to win."
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the other top progressive contender for the 2020 Democratic nomination, responded to reports of Bloomberg's potential candidacy by tweeting out her campaign's "Calculator for Billionaires," which shows the rich how much they would pay under Warren's proposed wealth tax.
As the Times noted, Bloomberg's "presence in the race would offer fodder to the party's rising populist wing, led by Ms. Warren and Mr. Sanders, who contend that the extremely rich already wield far too much influence in politics."
Some observers suggested Bloomberg is worried about former Vice President Joe Biden's candidacy and could be entering the fray in a last-ditch attempt to stop the Democratic Party from nominating a progressive.
Progressive activist Jonathan Cohn tweeted Thursday night that "Bloomberg's decision to enter tells us what we already know: Both Sanders and Warren have real paths to victory, and big donors are afraid that Biden increasingly doesn't."
An Urgent Message From Our Co-Founder
Dear Common Dreams reader, It’s been nearly 30 years since I co-founded Common Dreams with my late wife, Lina Newhouser. We had the radical notion that journalism should serve the public good, not corporate profits. It was clear to us from the outset what it would take to build such a project. No paid advertisements. No corporate sponsors. No millionaire publisher telling us what to think or do. Many people said we wouldn't last a year, but we proved those doubters wrong. Together with a tremendous team of journalists and dedicated staff, we built an independent media outlet free from the constraints of profits and corporate control. Our mission has always been simple: To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. Building Common Dreams was not easy. Our survival was never guaranteed. When you take on the most powerful forces—Wall Street greed, fossil fuel industry destruction, Big Tech lobbyists, and uber-rich oligarchs who have spent billions upon billions rigging the economy and democracy in their favor—the only bulwark you have is supporters who believe in your work. But here’s the urgent message from me today. It's never been this bad out there. And it's never been this hard to keep us going. At the very moment Common Dreams is most needed, the threats we face are intensifying. We need your support now more than ever. We don't accept corporate advertising and never will. We don't have a paywall because we don't think people should be blocked from critical news based on their ability to pay. Everything we do is funded by the donations of readers like you. When everyone does the little they can afford, we are strong. But if that support retreats or dries up, so do we. Will you donate now to make sure Common Dreams not only survives but thrives? —Craig Brown, Co-founder |
Our work is licensed under Creative Commons (CC BY-NC-ND 3.0). Feel free to republish and share widely.
Sen. Bernie Sanders said Thursday night that America's billionaire class is "scared," and rightly so, after numerous outlets reported that former New York City mayor and billionaire businessman Michael Bloomberg is actively planning to make a late entry into the 2020 Democratic presidential race.
"The billionaire class is scared and they should be scared," tweeted Sanders, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, apparently in response to news that Bloomberg is expected to file paperwork for his possible 2020 Democratic candidacy in Alabama before the state's Friday deadline.
"Bloomberg's decision to enter tells us what we already know: Both Sanders and Warren have real paths to victory, and big donors are afraid that Biden increasingly doesn't."
--Jonathan Cohn
According to the New York Times, Bloomberg, a former Republican, "has not yet made a final decision on whether to run."
"But in the first sign that he is seriously moving toward a campaign, Mr. Bloomberg has dispatched staffers to Alabama to gather signatures to qualify for the primary there," the Times reported. "Mr. Bloomberg and his advisers called a number of prominent Democrats on Thursday to tell them he was seriously considering the race, including former Senator Harry Reid of Nevada."
The Sanders campaign quickly seized upon Bloomberg's possible White House bid as evidence that rich Democrats are worried about the prospect of Sanders--who has said he doesn't think billionaires should exist--becoming the Democratic presidential nominee.
"Three simple points," Sanders speechwriter David Sirota wrote Thursday night in the campaign's Bern Notice newsletter. "1. The billionaire class sees the Bernie Surge and is terrified that Bernie is going to win. 2. More billionaires seeking more political power isn't the change America needs. 3. Bernie is going to win."
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the other top progressive contender for the 2020 Democratic nomination, responded to reports of Bloomberg's potential candidacy by tweeting out her campaign's "Calculator for Billionaires," which shows the rich how much they would pay under Warren's proposed wealth tax.
As the Times noted, Bloomberg's "presence in the race would offer fodder to the party's rising populist wing, led by Ms. Warren and Mr. Sanders, who contend that the extremely rich already wield far too much influence in politics."
Some observers suggested Bloomberg is worried about former Vice President Joe Biden's candidacy and could be entering the fray in a last-ditch attempt to stop the Democratic Party from nominating a progressive.
Progressive activist Jonathan Cohn tweeted Thursday night that "Bloomberg's decision to enter tells us what we already know: Both Sanders and Warren have real paths to victory, and big donors are afraid that Biden increasingly doesn't."
Sen. Bernie Sanders said Thursday night that America's billionaire class is "scared," and rightly so, after numerous outlets reported that former New York City mayor and billionaire businessman Michael Bloomberg is actively planning to make a late entry into the 2020 Democratic presidential race.
"The billionaire class is scared and they should be scared," tweeted Sanders, a 2020 Democratic presidential candidate, apparently in response to news that Bloomberg is expected to file paperwork for his possible 2020 Democratic candidacy in Alabama before the state's Friday deadline.
"Bloomberg's decision to enter tells us what we already know: Both Sanders and Warren have real paths to victory, and big donors are afraid that Biden increasingly doesn't."
--Jonathan Cohn
According to the New York Times, Bloomberg, a former Republican, "has not yet made a final decision on whether to run."
"But in the first sign that he is seriously moving toward a campaign, Mr. Bloomberg has dispatched staffers to Alabama to gather signatures to qualify for the primary there," the Times reported. "Mr. Bloomberg and his advisers called a number of prominent Democrats on Thursday to tell them he was seriously considering the race, including former Senator Harry Reid of Nevada."
The Sanders campaign quickly seized upon Bloomberg's possible White House bid as evidence that rich Democrats are worried about the prospect of Sanders--who has said he doesn't think billionaires should exist--becoming the Democratic presidential nominee.
"Three simple points," Sanders speechwriter David Sirota wrote Thursday night in the campaign's Bern Notice newsletter. "1. The billionaire class sees the Bernie Surge and is terrified that Bernie is going to win. 2. More billionaires seeking more political power isn't the change America needs. 3. Bernie is going to win."
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.), the other top progressive contender for the 2020 Democratic nomination, responded to reports of Bloomberg's potential candidacy by tweeting out her campaign's "Calculator for Billionaires," which shows the rich how much they would pay under Warren's proposed wealth tax.
As the Times noted, Bloomberg's "presence in the race would offer fodder to the party's rising populist wing, led by Ms. Warren and Mr. Sanders, who contend that the extremely rich already wield far too much influence in politics."
Some observers suggested Bloomberg is worried about former Vice President Joe Biden's candidacy and could be entering the fray in a last-ditch attempt to stop the Democratic Party from nominating a progressive.
Progressive activist Jonathan Cohn tweeted Thursday night that "Bloomberg's decision to enter tells us what we already know: Both Sanders and Warren have real paths to victory, and big donors are afraid that Biden increasingly doesn't."
We've had enough. The 1% own and operate the corporate media. They are doing everything they can to defend the status quo, squash dissent and protect the wealthy and the powerful. The Common Dreams media model is different. We cover the news that matters to the 99%. Our mission? To inform. To inspire. To ignite change for the common good. How? Nonprofit. Independent. Reader-supported. Free to read. Free to republish. Free to share. With no advertising. No paywalls. No selling of your data. Thousands of small donations fund our newsroom and allow us to continue publishing. Can you chip in? We can't do it without you. Thank you.