Welcome Mayor Bloomberg

Zealots cling to impeachment; but unless something new develops, there is no “high crime or misdemeanor.” Disagree if you will, but I wouldn’t bet against the president remaining on the 2020 ballot.  Having said that, it is possible he may not win re-election, and considering the current list of democrat candidates, that should terrify Americans who believe in the Constitution as the Founders wrote it.  We’ve heard the nonsense about the strength of the 2020 democrat presidential field.  Give me a break!  This is the weakest field of presidential candidates in memory.

To begin, there are only four candidates with a realistic chance of getting the nomination—Senators Warren & Sanders, South Bend Mayor, Pete Butigeig and the former vice president, Joe Biden.  Kamela and the rest have no chance.  And of the four “contenders,” Biden’s record of flip-flopping and making the wrong calls will be exposed during a general election. He’s tethered himself to former President Obama and will live with the legacy of a weakened military, Benghazi; the Iran deal, how the Obama administration unwittingly facilitated the creation of ISIS, and of course his son’s relationship with the Chinese and Ukrainians.

Meanwhile splitting the ideological difference among the other three is nigh on impossible, which means the choice will come down to personality not credentials or policy.  Voters will be asked who among the two socialists senators and the small town mayor do they want sitting across from Kim Jon-un trying to persuade him to de-nuclearize the Korean Peninsula.  And can’t you just see a President Warren in her schoolmarm sweater lecturing Chairman Kim or President Putin about human rights violations.

The democrats are in panic mode because not a one of their candidates is ready for the international stage.  That’s why we had the Russia hoax and now the impeachment charade.  Many years ago I read the classic, “How to Win Friends and Influence People,” a book ranked among the most influential ever written.   And perhaps the greatest lesson I took from it was, “to never criticize, condemn or complain.”  Now, I’m human and far too often fail to follow that sage advice, but that doesn’t diminish its message.

I mention this because negativity is all we seem to hear from both democrats and the media, and I don’t believe that’s going to resonate with the American people for the next 12 months.  The haters may revel, but people want to hear messages with a hopeful vision for the future.  And while the media spews its bile and invective, I look at results.  So what has this administration accomplished regarding the economy, the military, immigration, trade, foreign policy and terrorism?

Let’s start with the easy one–the economy.  Have you checked the unemployment numbers or your 401K lately?  The military?  After the 2016 election former Defense Secretary, General James Mattis was asked if the United States’ military could successfully deter Russian or Chinese aggression.  He replied with one word. “No!”  President Trump took that to heart and began rebuilding the military at a rate not seen since the Reagan years because he understood American influence is in direct proportion to its combined economic and military might.

Immigration–Mexico may not be paying for the wall, but we know exactly where the president stands on the issue—he wants legal and controlled immigration because he understands one simple fact–that coming to America is a privilege and not a right!  With regard to trade—no one wants a tariff war; but has a single democrat told us how his or her “China policy” would redress the $500 billion trade imbalance without adverse side effects?  Foreign policy?  The president has put NATO on notice to pay their fair share, and he’s addressing the nuclear issue on the Korean Peninsula.  Has he succeeded?  Not yet, but he’s the first president in more than 50 years to actually tackle this issue.  Meanwhile he’s directed our armed forces to decimate ISIS and successfully dispose of its leadership.

But he’s nowhere on healthcare you say.  Well, looking for consensus on healthcare is tantamount to putting 10 new mothers in a room and asking them to reach consensus on whose baby is the prettiest–it ain’t gonna happen!  But then that’s why we have a Congress; a body that in theory should spend its time addressing everyday issues such as healthcare and infrastructure instead of trying to overturn the previous election.

Enter Michael Bloomberg.  Most Americans west of the Hudson aren’t all that familiar with former New York Mayor.  They know he’s socially liberal, that he turned a budget deficit into a surplus in New York City; that he supports abortion rights, same-sex marriage, stricter gun control and thinks Big Gulps are bad for people.

Would Mike Bloomberg make a good president?  I don’t know; by all accounts he was a good mayor and the republic has certainly survived worse.  And while I disagree with Bloomberg on most issues, he appears reasonable and, unlike the four front-runners, he actually has a list of accomplishments to his name.  Would I vote for Mayor Bloomberg?   No, he’s too much of a ‘nanny-state’ liberal for me, however, I’d feel less apprehensive about a President Bloomberg than I would about a President Warren, Biden, Sanders or Buttigeig.