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Mike Bloomberg on Government Reform

Mayor of New York City (Independent)

 


Phase out paperless voting machines

Mike will work with Congress to mandate that all paperless voting machines are phased out and replaced with systems that leave a verified paper trail. He'll require states to conduct statistically significant audits after every election and to publish the results publicly. And he'll increase oversight of voting-system vendors to make sure that all Americans can have confidence their votes will be counted when they cast their ballots.
Source: 2020 Presidential campaign website MikeBloomberg.com , Jan 20, 2020

Ensure equal status for Puerto Ricans; supports statehood

Mike will support statehood for Puerto Rico, subject to approval by Puerto Rican voters. He will ensure that all Puerto Ricans receive the same benefits and rights as other American citizens. Mike's economic plan will provide fair safety net funding to Puerto Rico, including full funding for Medicaid, the Earned Income Tax Credit, and the Child Tax Credit, as well as full Social Security benefits.
Source: 2020 Presidential campaign website MikeBloomberg.com , Jan 20, 2020

Fund voter registration in FL, WI, OH, MI, and PA

Former New York Mayor and billionaire Michael Bloomberg announced last month that rather than seek the presidency as a Democrat, he would fund a voter registration, persuasion and turnout effort in Florida, Wisconsin, Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania.

"Whoever the nominee is likely won't be decided until late into 2020, and whoever that nominee is will face a very large and well-funded campaign in waiting," a Bloomberg adviser, who led Obama's battleground effort in 2012, told POLITICO last month.

"As we looked at the gaps in the current ecosystem, we said, 'Could we set something up right now that could provide the infrastructure, provide the data and technology to whomever the eventually nominee is so they're not at such a disadvantage once the primary is over?'" the adviser said. "We can."

Source: Politico.com, "Florida," on 2020 Democratic primary , Mar 20, 2019

Make getting on the ballot easier, & better people will run

On Election Reform: "If you want to get the best people to run for office, we've got to make the rules easier, and simpler, and more understandable to get on the ballot."

"Government by three men in a room has turned New York State into a national symbol of governmental dysfunction. Enough is enough!"

Source: Quotation cited during 2013 campaign on WikiQuote.org , Apr 1, 2013

Failed to lure Olympics to New York City

In his first term, he led the city out of recession, smoothly managing the city's finances and services, keeping the central promise of his self-financed campaign to steer clear of influence peddlers and favor-seekers. Despite his bland persona, Bloomberg pursued bold projects full of political risk.

More than once, Bloomberg's ambitions outran his political skills and led to highly visible defeats. He failed to lure the Olympics to NY or build a grand stadium in a dilapidated stretch pf Manhattan. He lost a campaign to force private cars out of midtown, and while his overhaul of the city schools is in itself an achievement, whether it will produce a better-educated generation is a matter of protracted debate.

Source: Bloomberg: Money, Power, Politics, by Joyce Purnick, p. 4 , Sep 28, 2010

2005: 8-year term limits; 2009: ran for 3rd term

Influential friends, sensing a lack of impressive mayoral prospects, urged him to run for a 3rd term. As everyone knew, the 2-term mayoral limit law stood in the way. So what? His friends thought he could have it changed.

Bloomberg actually owed his job to that law, which had forced an obviously reluctant Rudy Giuliani to depart from City Hall. Moreover, Bloomberg had consistently and vehemently supported the limits. "This is an outrage!" he exclaimed in 2005, when the city council toyed with a plan to extend the limit on everyone's service from 2 terms to 3. "There's no organization that I know," Bloomberg had said, "that would put somebody in charge for a long period of time. You always want turnover and change. 8 years is great. You learn for 4 years. You can do for 4 years."

On October 2, Bloomberg made it official, announcing his 3rd-term plan, citing a "crisis of confidence" in the economy,

Source: Bloomberg: Money, Power, Politics, by J. Purnick, p.179-186 , Sep 28, 2010

All presidential candidates should declare an issues matrix

Mayor Bloomberg is using his campaign promise record as an excuse to talk about presidential politics, saying yesterday that the press must hold presidential candidates accountable and force them to explain their solutions to tough issues.

By the mayor’s count, his administration is fulfilling 96% of the 100 promises made during the 2005 campaign. More than 91% of the 482 promises made during the 2005 and 2001 campaigns are completed or are being implemented, he said.

“I’m not running for president, but I do think that every presidential candidate should put out a list of every single one of the key issues,” Bloomberg said. “If some of them miss some of them, go and get them to fill those in and create a matrix. This is what I’d do.”

Source: Grace Rauh, New York Sun , May 8, 2007

2001: opposed Giuliani extending NYC term limit

On the eve of Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the year for people of the Jewish faith--a day of fasting, prayer, introspection, and atonement--Bloomberg floated a trial balloon in a clumsy attempt to override the city's term limits legislation and extend his final term in office for at least three months.

Everybody was terrified and nobody knew what was going to happen. And the thought of changing mayors at that time made a lot of people very, very, very scared. When he came up with that idea, Giuliani's advisors wanted to do what was right for the city. Interestingly, Bloomberg didn't think so. The only thing I can think of is that Bloomberg was being very closely advised by Koch, who probably understood the dynamics of politics better than anyone, and might have said to him, "It's a mistake; you can't change constitutional terms."

Source: Giuliani: Flawed or Flawless, by D. & G. Strober, p.285-286 , Jan 16, 2007

Other candidates on Government Reform: Mike Bloomberg on other issues:
2020 Presidential Candidates:
Pres.Donald Trump (R-NY)
V.P.Mike Pence (R-IN)
V.P.Joe Biden (D-DE)
Sen.Kamala Harris (D-CA)
CEO Don Blankenship (Constitution-WV)
CEO Rocky De La Fuente (R-CA)
Howie Hawkins (Green-NY)
Jo Jorgensen (Libertarian-IL)
Gloria La Riva (Socialist-CA)
Kanye West (Birthday-CA)

2020 GOP and Independent primary candidates:
Rep.Justin Amash (Libertarian-MI)
Gov.Lincoln Chafee (Libertarian-RI)
Gov.Larry Hogan (R-MD)
Zoltan Istvan (Libertarian-CA)
Gov.John Kasich (R-OH)
Gov.Mark Sanford (R-SC)
Ian Schlackman (Green-MD)
CEO Howard Schultz (Independent-WA)
Gov.Jesse Ventura (Green-MN)
V.C.Arvin Vohra (Libertarian-MD)
Rep.Joe Walsh (R-IL)
Gov.Bill Weld (Libertarian-NY,R-MA)

2020 Democratic Veepstakes Candidates:
State Rep.Stacey Abrams (D-GA)
Mayor Keisha Lance Bottoms (D-GA)
Rep.Val Demings (D-FL)
Sen.Amy Klobuchar (D-MN)
Sen.Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY)
Sen.Maggie Hassan (D-NH)
Gov.Michelle Lujan-Grisham (D-NM)
Sen.Catherine Masto (D-NV)
Gov.Gina Raimondo (D-RI)
Amb.Susan Rice (D-ME)
Sen.Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH)
Sen.Elizabeth Warren (D-MA)
Gov.Gretchen Whitmer (D-MI)
A.G.Sally Yates (D-GA)
Abortion
Budget/Economy
Civil Rights
Corporations
Crime
Drugs
Education
Energy/Oil
Environment
Families/Children
Foreign Policy
Free Trade
Govt. Reform
Gun Control
Health Care
Homeland Security
Immigration
Infrastructure/Technology
Jobs
Principles/Values
Social Security
Tax Reform
War/Iraq/Mideast
Welfare/Poverty

External Links about Mike Bloomberg:
Wikipedia
Ballotpedia

2020 Withdrawn Democratic Candidates:
Sen.Michael Bennet (D-CO)
Mayor Mike Bloomberg (I-NYC)
Sen.Cory Booker (D-NJ)
Gov.Steve Bullock (D-MT)
Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D-IN)
Secy.Julian Castro (D-TX)
Mayor Bill de Blasio (D-NYC)
Rep.John Delaney (D-MD)
Rep.Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI)
Sen.Mike Gravel (D-AK)
Gov.John Hickenlooper (D-CO)
Gov.Jay Inslee (D-WA)
Mayor Wayne Messam (D-FL)
Rep.Seth Moulton (D-MA)
Rep.Beto O`Rourke (D-TX)
Gov.Deval Patrick (D-MA)
Rep.Tim Ryan (D-CA)
Sen.Bernie Sanders (I-VT)
Adm.Joe Sestak (D-PA)
CEO Tom Steyer (D-CA)
Rep.Eric Swalwell (D-CA)
Marianne Williamson (D-CA)
CEO Andrew Yang (D-NY)





Page last updated: Mar 20, 2021