Bolton and Bloomberg
Some Initial Thoughts
John Bolton through his attorney said today he has important information re: the impeachment proceedings, but you’ll have to go to court to get it from me. Essentially he’s saying “the President told me not to testify and you, the Congress are asking me to do so, let’s have the courts make the decision for me”. That would take months or even a year to play out with court appeals, and we’d be well into or past election season before the cloud is lifted.
If he has strong exculpatory evidence for the President, he should come forward and offer it. That would save the nation a lot of time and drama. Really there has been no basis on which to defend the President’s actions and that is why no witnesses are coming forward to do so and Republicans are spending all their time complaining about process. Maybe Bolton will throw everyone but Trump under the bus. If he has incriminating evidence, he should step forward, that would allow Republicans to make their own assessments and decide whether to then anoint Vice President Pence as their leader. He knows very well what happened and the question is whether he has what it takes to say so. His obligations as a citizen are to come forward and not play a silly game of rope a dope with the court system and the vital impeachment process underway. He can certainly testify in private before the Intelligence Committee to begin with, as the material he has to offer might have national security implications.
Michael Bloomberg is considering joining the Democratic primaries. I think the race would benefit from his presence. Democrats need to make a decision between the Warren/Sanders wing and the Biden/Buttigieg wing. I’m concerned that the Warren/Sanders wing is not electable in the November general while the Biden/Buttigieg wing is not going to survive the primaries. Bloomberg adds demonstrated effectiveness as Mayor, businessman, philanthropist and activist. He’s very good on economic development, climate change, gun violence, and education. He’ll have to come out with his positions on tax reforms and growing economic inequality; if they are not good, he won’t stand a chance. If they are good, he’ll be a magnificent counterpoint to Trump’s gilt-edged, self-serving corruption, ill-informed buffoonery, and self-interested greed. He lacks the visceral appeal to Midwestern working class voters that Biden has, and the next generation appeal that Buttigieg does. He may be an easy foil for Warren due to his immense wealth and the instinctual appeal of her proposed wealth tax.
Prepared by: Lucien Wulsin
Dated: 11/8/19