by GLEN FORD
If Sanders wins the nomination, Michael Bloomberg and his filthy rich brethren are already preparing to fund and erect an alternative structure of dependable corporate governance.
While the other Democratic presidential hopefuls slog it out on the ground, shaking hands and begging money, Michael Bloomberg, the world’s 8th richest man, is deploying his $61.9 billion fortune to methodically buy his way to ownership of the Democratic Party. Bloomberg’s $800,000 donation to the Democratic National Committee (DNC) and state party organizations back in November bore fruit last week when the DNC dropped its rules requiring candidates to raise money from a minimum number of individual donors, plus reach a threshold in polling numbers, to qualify for the next televised debate, in Las Vegas. The decision was tailor-made for Bloomberg, the only candidate that does not accept outside donations. Instead, Bloomberg turns the golden spigot in the other direction, converting opponents and critics into boosters and allies — a cash-cooptation strategy that made New York City a global Mecca for his fellow oligarchs, and for hyper-gentrification, during his three terms as mayor (two of them as a Republican).
Having saturated the airwaves of targeted states with advertising, the nation’s most electorally-oriented oligarch should have no problem polling high enough to qualify for the next debate. With Biden stumbling into the basement in Iowa’s app-struck (more likely, DNC/spook-struck) primary caucuses, Bloomberg is now the Great White Hope to beat back Bernie Sanders’ and Elizabeth Warren’s soak-the-rich hordes – a task unfit for the Black-averse small town mayor, Pete Buttigieg.
Bloomberg has authorized his 2,000-strong field staff — the best that money can buy — to double their spending in post-Iowa arenas. He has spent almost twice that much – around $200 million – on advertising, and tens of millions more in building a campaign infrastructure and buying endorsements from a host of Black political prostitutes, including Chicago Rep. Bobby Rush, Washington DC mayor Muriel Bowser and San Francisco mayor London Breed. Indeed, Bloomberg’s billions have bought him more mayoral endorsements in top 100 cities than any other candidate.
This is how you buy the Democrats, who are actually much more of a brand name than a political party. Bloomberg had already made a down payment on the Democratic franchise, having lavished $100 million in subsidizing Democrats during the 2018 congressional races. He says he’s ready to throw $1 billion into the pot to “defeat Trump” in 2020, no matter who wins the Democratic nomination. But that’s a bunch of crap. Bloomberg is flashing his billions, building his own infrastructure, and suborning the DNC in order to insure that his oligarchic class does not loose control of the only reliable half of the duopoly that remained after takeover by the hopelessly unreliable Trump.
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