Red Mosquito

As the Democratic National Committee establishes procedures for the Democratic presidential nominating process, two members of DNC rules committees simultaneously work on the campaign of former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Having surrogates on the Democratic National Convention’s Rules Committee and the Standing Rules and Bylaws Committee could be a boon for Bloomberg if nominating rules are re-opened for amendment ahead of the July convention. Some DNC members who are concerned about the polling support of Sen. Bernie Sanders (D-Vt.) have discussed reversing rule changes limiting the power of superdelegates that were put in place after the 2016 election, according to a report from Politico. Those discussions have been sharply rebuked by DNC leadership.

The DNC passed intensely-negotiated rule changes in August 2018 that sought to reduce the influence of superdelegates—appointed at-large delegates whose ranks include influential party consultants—primarily by preventing them from casting votes on the first nomination ballot, as they did in 2016. If no candidate receives a majority on the first ballot at the upcoming convention, which will be voted on by 3,979 pledged delegates, then the 771 superdelegates—including some lobbyists for corporate clients—can vote on the second ballot, under the new rules. If the superdelegates were to vote as a block, they could add over 16% to a candidate, potentially pushing their favorite over the top.

Michael Nutter, the former Mayor of Philadelphia who is a member of the Standing Rules and Bylaws Committee, was selected by Bloomberg in December 2019 to serve as his campaign’s national political chair.

“Nutter will advise the campaign on policy development and strategy, and serve as a national surrogate on behalf of the campaign, recruiting key voices to join the campaign and traveling to field offices and events, speaking to constituents and press about why Mike Bloomberg is uniquely qualified to unite and rebuild the country at a time when it is more divided than ever,” the Bloomberg campaign said in a December statement.

Nutter was nominated by former DNC Chair Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.) in 2013 and he has served on the rules committee since 2017.

Nutter co-hosted a kick-off fundraiser for former vice president Joe Biden in April 2019 after Bloomberg announced a month earlier that he would not run for president, but he quickly switched to Bloomberg’s camp after the former New York mayor reversed course and entered the race.

As Mayor of Philadelphia from 2008 to 2016, Nutter dramatically increased the use of the stop-and-frisk tactic, which disproportionately impacts people of color by subjecting them to police searches when they are not suspected of any particular criminal activity. Bloomberg also encouraged the use of the tactic as Mayor of New York, resulting in his police force targeting primarily black and Latino individuals in stops during which 9 of 10 individuals targeted were found to be innocent, according to a report from the New York Civil Liberties Union.

Alexandra Rooker, a rules committee member and superdelegate from California, was hired as a senior adviser to the Bloomberg campaign last month. Rooker, who was previously a lobbyist for the Communications Workers of America, is a vice chair of the California Democratic Party.

96583UP wrote:these polling options are aging well

Joe Biden
Bernie Sanders
Elizabeth Warren
Pete Buttigieg
a different Democrat

cutuphalfdead wrote:can we just merge this thread now?

Bammer wrote:

96583UP wrote:these polling options are aging well

Joe Biden
Bernie Sanders
Elizabeth Warren
Pete Buttigieg
a different Democrat

Bloomberg should be a poll option dammit

cutuphalfdead wrote:can we just merge this thread now?

B wrote:I voted Warren yesterday. My ballot had about 15 names and "No Preference" at the bottom. Why wouldn't I just leave it blank if I had no preference?

Also, I have no idea how you write anyone in on a North Carolina ballot.

LoathedVermin72 wrote:

cutuphalfdead wrote:can we just merge this thread now?

Seconded

Spoiler: show

Add Bloomberg as an option

96583UP wrote:these polling options are aging well

Joe BidenJoe Biden
Bernie Sanders
Elizabeth Warren
Pete Buttigieg
a different Democrat

B wrote:

liebzz wrote:Tonight ought to be interesting.

If Warren drops out before Super Tuesday I will need a new candidate to vote for and fall back into undecided. Don’t even know so much which way I am leaning except that I am pretty sure I am not voting for Biden.

We have to lose 5 candidates before I vote Biden.

Warren
Klobuchar
Buttigieg
Sanders
Yang
Biden
Bloomberg
Steyer