As a megabillionaire, Michael Bloomberg is not accustomed to having to admit that he failed. The life of a billionaire is all about protecting men from that kind of thing. Last week, he failed in public and humiliating fashion at the debate, and now he faces another debate Tuesday night. He’s reportedly going to try to do better this time.
“Wasn’t my best night,” Bloomberg told MSNBC. Gee, you think? “I didn’t have a chance to really say what I wanted to say,” he continued. Except that the problem wasn’t only in “having a chance” to say things, it was also in the things that came out of his mouth when he did talk. He had a chance to talk about economic inequality and his place in an unequal economy. He said “I worked very hard for” his $60 billion, as if teachers and warehouse workers and home health aides don’t work hard.
Bloomberg has stepped back from doing big public events in recent days, The Wall Street Journal reports, and is focusing on debate prep. What does that prep include? Hopefully something about not rolling his eyes and sneering, but also “He is planning to more aggressively target Mr. Sanders, according to a campaign aide,” a move already taking shape in his advertising and campaign statements.
A key problem for Bloomberg’s debate prep team is that he “is known to be inconsistent in his answers to questions, even after heavy preparation, according to people familiar with the campaign, sometimes sticking to his talking points and at other times veering off completely from them.” Perhaps his abject failure last Wednesday will help keep him on message on Tuesday.