Aside from Clint Eastwood or Sean Connery’s 007 James Bond character, Michael Bloomberg may very well be the only democratic presidential candidate who can beat the incumbent republican president Donald ‘Goldfinger’ Trump.
FYI, here is the Wikipedia bio on Bloomberg. It’s worth reading, he may be the next American president https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Bloomberg
Looking around the democratic field right now as the candidates compete for their party’s nomination, they are doing exactly what everyone, including President Obama, has advised them not to do. Over-proselytizing their rigid ideological dogma on truth, justice and the American way. It’s just leading to the “circular firing squad” we are witnessing. And their publicists, communications directors and campaign managers are doing them no favors. While they swap their tedious barbs on issues like health care, education, economy, climate change, drugs, crime, etc., Trump is dancing on the bar across the street making jokes and calling them names.
Bloomberg, on the other hand, is paddling his own stream, playing his cards close to the vest, and spectacularly rising in the polls. What does that tell you? It tells you that American voters, even some Trump supporters, are desperately looking for an alternative to President Goldfinger.
Bloomberg, of course, has his own set of controversial issues. Even if he doesn’t, many will be predictably manufactured, overstated, and brought to the media’s glass bottom surface. He has apologized for his “stop and frisk” policy when he was the Mayor of New York City, a speculative law that was criticized for its tactical racial profiling. Bloomberg’s proposed ban of “Big Gulp” 32 oz. sodas was declared unconstitutional by a New York State court. He was hoping that, in the name of common sense, his NYC residents would drink less of the large-size, sugar-sweetened, unhealthy beverages. But like my own sister said, “He can’t tell me what to drink!”
As much as we may hate to admit it, America has become the Circus Circus of the world in these waning days of our democracy. We may never again be who and what we were, or stand for whatever it was we stood for ...I sometimes forget. I’m distracted by Donald Trump dancing to loud music on the bar across the street shouting obscenities at his opponents while his minions line up to kiss his ring. Crazy.
Reflecting on Michael Bloomberg’s king-size soda ban, I am appreciating that there once was a sensible America out there, an America in control of itself. A fit and smart America. An America that cherished its freedoms and understood the responsibility to protect and promote, and not abuse those freedoms forecasting our own downfall. There are many more Americans coming along behind us for whom we must pave the best way forward.
The coming months will be a decisive, soul-searching time for We the People. Or at least they should be. We will end up defining just who we are and what we stand for. Will Donald Trump remain our king? Do any of the democratic candidates have what it takes to defeat him, to come down on him like a ton of gold bricks and bury him?
Do any of them have what it takes to stand toe-to-toe and look President Goldfinger in the eye mano a mano and say, “Make my day” and mean it?
John Kushma is a communication consultant and lives in Logan, Utah
https://www.linkedin.com/in/john-george-kushma-379a5762
Some past articles and op-eds
https://muckrack.com/john-kushma/articles
