Sunday, February 16, 2020

Could a Michael Bloomberg and Hillary Clinton joint ticket actually happen? Here's what we know


In news that could only seem at home in the bizarre​ ye​ar that is 2020, former New York mayor Mike Bloomberg is reportedly considering Hillary Clinton as a possible vice presidential running mate.

A report said the 78-year-old thinks a ticket of him and the 2016 Democratic nominee would be a “formidable force”.

The Drudge Report, which was the first news organisation to reveal Bill Clinton’s affair with Monica Lewinsky more than two decades ago, said sources within the Bloomberg campaign reported he was even considering changing his official address from New York to Colorado or Florida, because the constitution said a candidate and their running mate ought not to live in the same state.
At the moment, the Democratic Party is in a bit of a mess. It’s not quite clear whether, after three years of Trump, it has a candidate who can beat him in November. The lack of clear frontrunner – as Pete Buttigieg and Bernie Sanders jostle for first place – is making people nervous.

So how likely is a Bloomberg-Clinton ticket?

Bloomberg isn’t polling hugely well right now, so the idea of him winning the Democratic nomination is a long shot. He’s come under fire for defending the “stop and frisk” policing policy which is widely considered to be racist.
Though as a billionaire he’d be rich enough to run as an independent, but it’s unlikely that Clinton – who has been a Democrat for decades – would abandon the party as it could split the vote and hand Trump an easy win. He’s gone on the record to say that he wouldn’t do this because it would split the anti-Trump vote.
Clinton and Bloomberg have been very complimentary about each other in the past, with the businessman endorsing her in 2016 and Clinton saying she “loves” him.

But Bloomberg’s camp has downplayed the reports.

Bloomberg communication director Jason Schechter said in a statement:
We are focused on the primary and the debate, not VP speculation.
So if you’re a Clinton fan, maybe don’t get your hopes up for a political return just yet.
Still, we hope Trump at least tweets about it...

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