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The billionaire former mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg (left) has introduced the necessary documentation for the Democratic primary, where candidates such as Elizabeth Warren (right) have become popular for their plans to break economic inequality in the country.
The billionaire former mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg (left) has introduced the necessary documentation for the Democratic primary, where candidates such as Elizabeth Warren (right) have become popular for their plans to break economic inequality…

Is Michael Bloomberg's candidacy a desperate response to Warren and Sanders' proposals?

The billionaire and former mayor of New York announced last week that he is considering entering the race for the Democratic nomination.

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Not everything is blue and red in American politics.

While President Donald Trump has managed to fracture public opinion between Democrats and Republicans, there is a portion of the population that are worried their interests might be compromised.

They are the billionaires Democrats.

A handful of men headed by Amazon owner Jeff Bezos who, despite not supporting Trump's government policies, do not favor the progressive positions of candidates such as Senators Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.

This discontent seems to have become apparent with the announcement of billionaire former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg of exploring a late candidacy for the Democratic primary.

Despite having denied any intention to run earlier this year, Bloomberg seems to have changed his mind.

According to the New York Times, the former mayor took his first steps towards the contest last Friday when he introduced the necessary documentation to qualify for the Alabama primary, the state with a deadline to join the ballot.

Apparently, his decision was fueled by the concern of many Democrats that the leading candidate, former Vice President Joe Biden, is not strong enough to defeat Donald Trump in the presidential elections of 2020.

"While polls show that most Democratic voters are content with their current array of candidates, there are important sources of concern," explains the NYT, "most of all among politically moderate donors and leaders of the party establishment who are concerned about Mr. Biden's prospects in the primary and fear that Ms. Warren and Mr. Sanders are too liberal for general election.”

This seems to be precisely the niche in which Bloomberg sees an opportunity.

The billionaire has made clear from his tenure as mayor his positions and political plans, especially when it comes to gun control and climate change, but he has also been recognized for his opposition to the increase in wealth taxes – which he described as “unconstitutional” – and for his famous stop-and-frisk policy.

For commentator Charles M. Blow, this last aspect should eliminate Bloomberg from the list of possibilities for any person of color.

"No black person – or Hispanic person or ally of people of color – should ever even consider voting for Michael Bloomberg in the primary," Blow wrote in his column for the NYT. "His expansion of the notoriously racist stop-and-frisk program in New York, which swept up millions of innocent New Yorkers, primarily young black and Hispanic men, is a complete and non-negotiable deal killer."

The columnist refers to the policy established by Bloomberg to fight armed violence and smuggling in New York while serving as mayor, where more than 600,000 people of color were persecuted between 2002 and 2011 for arbitrary detentions and more than 80% were innocent.

And as for his economic policies, a new report seems to clarify part of Bloomberg's decision to join the Democratic primary.

According to Vox, Jeff Bezos would have called Bloomberg by phone earlier this year to ask if he would consider running for the Democratic nomination.

It is not surprising that the richest man in the world sees with good eyes a billionaire ally sitting in the White House, especially after the economic and social restructuring proposals led by the two favorites on the ballot after Biden: Elizabeth Warren and Bernie Sanders.

Warren, for example, unveiled her Ultra-Millionaire Tax, where she raises an annual tax of 2% on each dollar of net worth exceeding $ 50 million and a tax of 3% on each dollar of net worth exceeding one billion.

Sanders, meanwhile, has simply said that "billionaires should not exist" and has unveiled a similar program to break economic inequality in the country.

According to the Washington Post, since these programs were put on paper, the "ultra-rich" began to take the candidates seriously, especially when they seem to run close centrist Joe Biden.

The media columnist, Jeff Stein, doesn’t hesitate to confirm that Bloomberg's decision to join the race is directly linked to the public acceptance of Warren and Sanders' plans.

Apparently, the billionaires behind Facebook, Amazon, and Microsoft are just some of those who have panicked at the possibility that the country will finally be everyone's.

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