Spoiling For A Victory

by digby

Glenn Greenwald has a nice rundown today on the policies of our lastest post partisan saviour, Michael Bloomberg, of the Wet Bloomer party. Let’s just say it all sounds familiar — a thrice married, pro-choice, New York mayor with distinct authoritarian tendencies and a bunch of jackass supporters and advisors. The only thing truly distinct about him is that he is a big money boy instead of a full-on fascist, a distinction that doesn’t matter much when it comes to what he would do as president.

In reading Glenn’s rundown I realized, however, just what a problem this could be for the Democrats. It’s becoming clear now (and to my surprise, actually) that once Republicans got a look at their own mayor of Sodom, they just couldn’t stomach him, even though he explicitly promised to mow down as many dark people as he possibly could. He’s just too ethnic, too urban, too culturally removed.

Unfortunately, Bloomberg’s the man an awful lot of Dem leaning independents have been yearning to vote for (particularly if the rhymes-with-witch wins the nomination.) There aren’t enough of them to win an election, of course. Just enough to screw the Dems.

Here’s a man who has been in both parties and has now rejected both of them. What could be more wonderful that that! He is richer than God, and there is nothing that makes some American hearts go pitty-pat more than a fabulously wealthy billionaire who might pay a little lip service to poor people, but clearly isn’t going to do anything radical about it. Means he’s a winner. He doesn’t care about religion, and is pro-choice, so there’s little danger that he’ll make them uncomfortable around their friends. He doesn’t have any of the cultural signifiers of Perot, and while he’s not a complete neophyte (which really thrills swing voters) he hasn’t sullied his hands with too much politics, which means he isn’t tainted by that horrible epithet “politician.” Praise be.

Let’s everyone be clear about what’s really happening and go from there. Bloomberg’s candidacy, if it happens, is designed to deny the Democrats a victory in a year when the Republicans are so wounded and tired they probably can’t win it for themselves, even if they cheat. The big money boys aren’t taking any chances.

Update: David Sirota has more at The Big Con today on the hysteria overtaking the villagers at the prospect of some sort of left populist uprising.

This is especially rich:

Klein’s silliness is eclipsed only by Stu Rothenberg – who reliably hands us the old adage that any candidates challenging the status quo will destroy America. Here’s his take today:

“[John Edwards] is also portraying himself as fighting for the middle class and able to appeal to swing voters and even Republicans in a general election…His approach to problems is likely to frighten many voters, including most middle class Americans and virtually all Republicans…Given the North Carolina Democrat’s rhetoric and agenda, an Edwards Presidency would likely rip the nation apart – even further apart than Bush has torn it.”

Rothenberg’s entire career is predicated on his supposed ability to analyze polling data – which is stunning in juxtaposition to his statements today. After all, polls show Edwards performing the best of any Democrat against any Republican presidential candidate. More importantly, polls also show the vast majority of the country – including Republicans – behind his populist economic positions.

Evidently, impeachments, stolen elections, wars based on lies, torture and now immigrant bashing aren’t nearly as “frightening” to the nation as providing universal health care and rejecting the corrupt lobbying culture of Washington are.

And, by the way, where exactly was Rothenberg when Bush was tearing the nation apart?

The last I heard, he felt that everyone was just making too big a deal out of it:

Wednesday, January 24, 2007
Dog Bites Man. Sun Rises Again. Bush’s Numbers Still Stink.

By Stuart Rothenberg

A new Newsweek poll says George W. Bush is unpopular. Very unpopular. The new Washington Post and ABC News survey says that George W. Bush is really, really unpopular. An even newer NBC and the Wall Street Journal poll says that the President is, well, truly, really, very unpopular. And not to be outdone, a hot-off-the-presses CNN poll says that the President is — you guessed it — quite, very, truly, without a doubt unpopular.

I’m all for polls, and with the President giving his State of the Union address this week, I certainly understand the rash of network polls to mark the occasion and the beginning of the end of the Bush administration.

But, the reality is that a poll isn’t particularly newsworthy just because it exits. Is there somebody out there who doesn’t know that the President is unpopular? And if there is, why would I want to meet that person?

I’m not sure that every media outlet and every college and university needs to conduct a poll. But even if they do, I don’t think we need to treat them as “breaking news.” If polls started showing a dramatic change in opinion (in either direction, of course), now that would be news, and therefore worth reporting. But another poll showing the same thing isn’t worth a lot of time, except of course, by the media outlet paying for it.

Why should he have to worry his beautiful mind with the fact that Bush has been tremendously unpopular for years now and yet refuses to compromise, holds his party together against the clear will of the people and basically governs as if he’s a dictator? We know that, ok?

Update II: Booman has more on Rothenberg.

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