If the reader missed last Sunday’s GPS with Fareed Zakaria (CNN), you missed an excellent broadcast. Fareed interviewed U2 rock group’s Bono and followed that with an extensive interview with Michael Bloomberg, a likely personality in the 2020 Presidential elections.
Bono – Sometimes it takes a poet.
Bono has campaigned around the world in an effort to dispel the ravages of populism and nationalism. As Fareed notes, issues within the European Union are virtually identical to issues in America. Bono, campaigning for unity in a fragmented EU, spoke with Fareed:
“Europe needs to go from being seen as a bore, a bureaucracy, a technical project, to being what it is: a grand, inspiring idea.”
Further, Bono said “Europe is a thought that needs to become a feeling.” He says the EU is a collection of countries that once were at war that now must learn to come together in peace and celebrate the diversity of peoples, languages and ideals. Bono said, “I believe they still leave room for what Churchill called ‘an enlarged patriotism’: plural allegiances, layered identities, to be Irish and European, German and European, not either/or.”
“The word patriotism has been stolen from us by nationalists and extremists who demand uniformity. But real patriots seek unity above homogeneity.”
Michael Bloomberg – A tour de force.
The interview was long and it is difficult to draw meaningful quotes. Mariner will paraphrase briefly: Bloomberg is a billionaire ex-mayor of New York who is unfalteringly pragmatic in the Jewish tradition but is an affirmed social liberal, indeed a humanist of proven quality. His broadcast channel, Bloomberg (BITV) has a balanced but certainly market-oriented coverage of business, investment and government policy. On Saturdays, there are a number of more intellectual programs that are informative about the arts, science and culture.
Michael is outspoken about the travesty of Donald’s Presidency; Michael is openly critical of just about everything Donald is doing – especially the tariff war and isolationism. Michael believes personal income taxes on the wealthy are very much out of line and would provide funds needed for repairing the nation’s many infrastructures.
Donald boasted he would pay for his own campaign because he was rich (he didn’t but has arranged to actually make money for his businesses while President). Michael truly can pay for his campaign many times over; dollar for dollar, Donald will run out of campaign financing early in a campaign against Michael.
The question is open whether Michael will run independently or under the democratic flag; his pragmatism and wealth would counterbalance many liberal, leftist intentions. In any case, he will be a formidable candidate refreshingly unlike retarded Donald and his buffoonery – Michael is completely rational and does not favor emotional values in his decision making.
Keep an eye on Michael Bloomberg; even today he is one of the top contributors to democratic campaigns around the country.
Ancient Mariner