On Saturday, Independent Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont launched a detailed and direct attack on billionaire Michael Bloomberg ‘s record as New York City Mayor.
Per CNN , during a campaign event in Clark County, Nevada, Sanders ripped into Bloomberg for pushing “racist” policies, stating that the billionaire won’t be able to create the “energy” necessary to defeat President Donald Trump in 2020.
“Let me also say a word to you about the current campaign and to say that regardless of how much money a multi-billionaire candidate is willing to spend on his election we will not create the energy and excitement we need to defeat Donald Trump if that candidate pursued advocated for, and enacted racist policies, like stop-and-frisk, which caused communities of color in his city to live in fear.”
Sanders blasted Bloomberg for stating in 2015 that he is not — and never has been — in favor of minimum wage, a policy the Vermont senator has long championed.
Bloomberg, Sanders pointed out, once argued that Wall Street is not to blame for the 2008 financial crisis, and instead “blamed the end of racist policies, such as redlining.”
Sanders also slammed Bloomberg for opposing former President Barack Obama’s “modest” proposals to raise taxes on wealthiest Americans, while advocating for cuts to Medicare and Social Security.
Bloomberg, who entered the presidential race in November, is not even on the ballot in key early states; the billionaire has dedicated the bulk of his vast resources to Super Tuesday states and beyond, apparently hoping to generate support by spending unprecedented amounts of money on advertisement and influence campaigns.
The billionaire has, by and large, managed to avoid scrutiny thus far, but his rise in the polls appears to have alerted many of his Democratic competitors that it is time to thoroughly examine his record as New York City Mayor.
Bloomberg, who was a Republican for decades, defended the controversial stop-and-frisk policy as late as 2015, stating in an interview that the best way to reduce violence is to throw minorities “up against the walls and frisk them.”
As Democratic White House hopefuls and other political figures continue to take aim at Bloomberg, he is receiving praise from the far-right. White nationalist Richard Spencer recently took to social media to praise the former New York City mayor, suggesting that those who believe in “race realism” need to support him.
Bloomberg will likely participate in upcoming Democratic primary debates, given that the Democratic National Committee has decided to change qualification criteria, eliminating the individual donor threshold. The decision to change the rules was criticized and seen as an attempt to appease Bloomberg, who has, over the years, donated a substantial amount of money to the Democratic Party and various organizations in its orbit
