Why are California's mayors lining up to endorse Mike Bloomberg?

[left-of-center2012]

Bloomberg announced on Thursday that London Breed, San Francisco’s first black female mayor, would serve as his campaign’s chair of African Americans. Breed, who previously supported the California Senator Kamala Harris in the Democratic race for the presidential nomination, said on Facebook that she is backing Bloomberg because he “is the only candidate for president with a real plan for African Americans”, touting his Greenwood Initiative to increase black home ownership and the number of black-owned businesses.

Bloomberg, one of the richest people in the United States, has for years invested in developing political and support network for local leaders, providing them access to both money and expertise. All three California mayors who recently announced endorsements went through Bloomberg’s Harvard City Leadership Initiative, a training program for city mayors – Stockton mayor Michael Tubbs and San Jose mayor Sam Liccardo in 2018, and Breed in 2019. Tubbs attended the CityLab Summit in Paris in 2017, another Bloomberg-sponsored conference.

“Mike has made significant investments in San Francisco, in cities throughout California, and indeed across the nation,” Breed said on Facebook. It’s significant that Bloomberg has been able to win the endorsements of black trailblazing mayors like Tubbs and Breed.

Breed acknowledged his harmful legacy of stop-and-frisk, the policing strategy that led to widescale racial profiling in New York City when Bloomberg was mayor, saying Bloomberg “owned up” to his “mistake” when he apologized ...

https://www.theguardian.com/us-news/2020/jan/24/california-mayors-endorse-mike-bloomberg-us-election-2020-london-breed

[still_one]

1. To increase the odds of a brokered convention?

[left-of-center2012]

5. "a brokered convention"

It's been 68 years since there was a brokered convention.
Not happening.

[still_one]

10. 68 years ago there weren't open primaries, and candidates who finance their own campaigns

[left-of-center2012]

11. How does that factor into there being a brokered convention this year?

[still_one]

12. Because we have so many candidates, and the fact that open primaries allow

non-Democrats to vote in the Democratic primary, along with the fact that there are at least 3 candidates who are financing their own campaigns, where two of those candidates have have currently anywhere from 5 to 10%, and may very well increase that to the mminimum 15%, along with at least 5 other candidates who will exceed that 15%

The odds increase that not one candidate will meet the minimum delegates for nomination on the first round

[left-of-center2012]

13. Fuzzy math

[still_one]

14. We'll see. Incidentally, i hope i am wrong

[underthematrix]

2. It's either gonna be Biden or Bloomberg.

I'm supporting Biden but I would also support Bloomberg if necessary.

[stopbush]

3. Dems better be prepared for Mike being the nominee.

[liskddksil]

7. Your username is stopbush but you're supporting a guy who not only voted for George W. Bush

but endorsed him and spoke on his behalf in front of millions at the 2004 RNC? Very confused?

[stopbush]

18. Times change. That was 16 years ago. Bloomberg is a big reason Ds did so well in 2018.

He put millions into those races. He has proven his D credentials.

Sorry you’re confused. Not my fault.

[liskddksil]

20. Except he continued to give money to Republicans even in 2018

“The path to win the House ran through New York: There were seven flippable seats in the state, and he supported Republicans in two of them,” said Monica Klein, a former consultant for Liuba Grechen Shirley, King’s 2018 Democratic opponent. “To come down and say he wants to be the head of the Democratic Party — the hubris is unbelievable.”

https://www.politico.com/news/2019/11/26/bloomberg-republican-endorsement-2020-073807

Not helpful Mike.

[George II]

4. Bloomberg was a very popular, effective mayor of the biggest city in the country....

As mayors, they identify with him.

[Tom Rinaldo]

6. I grant that.

But I wouldn't blame them if they hoped by being on Bloomberg's team it might increase the chances of receiving some financial benefits for their cities from Bloomberg's largess is the future.

I think Bloomberg is a very honorable individual. But it just points out another way that big money can potentially corrupt our political process. Trump, who by no means is an honorable individual, gladly uses his fund raising ability to enforce political loyalty.

[redqueen]

8. Because money. Of course. nt

[Devil Child]

9. Because Bloomberg donated heavily towards their campaigns?

That's my first guess.

[Recursion]

15. Because he has policies that are very city-focused, given his background

Plus he's spent a lot of time networking and building support with mayors and city executives.

[dustyscamp]

16. Bloomy is a weird guy

Link to tweet

[left-of-center2012]

17. I've done that with my dogs

Nothing weird if you like dogs.

[sarisataka]

19. Why?

It's really not difficult to figure out.

[Vivienne235729]

21. Wow. Say what you will, but Bloomberg is a juggernaut. He is a force to be reckoned with.

Comes in and jumps out to 12%. Holy cow. He sure knows what he's doing courting the AA vote like that. So smart.
To be honest, I was not a fan but I recently read somewhere that he just wants to get in Trump's face. And with their history, I almost want to root for Bloomberg just it comes true.