Like the two nights before it, Wednesday night’s Democratic National Convention agenda passed largely without incident.
Although Sanders loyalists had threatened to disrupt Tim Kaine’s speech and derail his nomination, the best they could muster was an acid-green banner that was quickly snatched away by security, despite its vague message.
Banner just unveiled at DNC as Kaine takes the stage. pic.twitter.com/DaL7VHGqpt
— Pete Schroeder (@peteschroeder) July 28, 2016
Tim Kaine himself had few highlights that went beyond the classification of “dad jokes.”
He even did a Donald Trump impression that probably kills at his family brunches, but fell flat on an audience looking for a reason to support Hillary Clinton’s choice for Vice President.
They did find, however, a normal human being running for political office in America: a treasure more valuable than the rarest of rare Pokémon.
And while Barack Obama bookended his run as the head of the Democratic Party with a strong convention speech – he’s clearly been waiting for the opportunity to go out on a positive note – the dirty work of roughing up Donald Trump wasn’t left to the current President.
It fell to fellow New York billionaire businessman, Michael Bloomberg, whose $47 billion net worth eclipses Trump’s.
“I’m a New Yorker, and New Yorkers know a con when we see one,” he told the audience to raucous applause.
Sooner or later, of course, someone at the DNC was going to have to lay bare Trump’s record, lest the DNC be nothing more than four days of weird Clinton-worship, capped with a keynote speech delivered by the idol herself.
Bloomberg was, of course, uniquely placed to deliver the speech. The career businessman has occasionally shared the limelight with Trump, competing to own the nation’s largest city and – as a Republican – competing, at least recently, to helm the more moderate, urban wing of the GOP.
But Bloomberg didn’t just tackle the New York real estate mogul’s business acumen, he also tackled Trump’s general sanity.
“Throughout his career, Trump has left behind a well-documented record of bankruptcies, thousands of lawsuits, angry shareholders and contractors who feel cheated, and disillusioned customers who feel ripped off,” Bloomberg railed.
“Trump says he wants to run the nation like he’s run his business. God help us… Trump is a risky, reckless, and radical choice.”
Bloomberg himself could have run. With the Republican Party struggling to find unity, rumors swirled that Bloomberg, now a declared “independent” despite having held office as a Republican, would enter the race as a third party candidate.
Instead, he chose to endorse Hillary Clinton – a move the Clinton campaign marketed as a defection from GOP ranks.
Now, it’s clear what Bloomberg’s role on the campaign will be: an on-the-ground, insider foil to Trump’s endless claims of success, a “colleague” who has as much respect for Donald Trump as Trump has for the candidate Bloomberg endorsed.
“Most of us who have created a business know that we’re only as good as the way our employees, clients, and partners view us,” he told the Democratic audience.
“Most of us don’t pretend that we’re smart enough to make every big decision by ourselves. And most of us who have our names on the door know that we are only as good as our word, but not Donald Trump.”
The sentiment on social media favored Bloomberg heavily.
Bloomberg destroyed Trump. Destroyed him.
— Armando (@armandodkos) July 28, 2016
Bloomberg essentially was like "You can't sit with us."
— Agent 009 (@Aries_Swag) July 28, 2016
Mike Bloomberg's speech should be played on a loop.
— Lawrence Appell (@lawrenceappell) July 28, 2016
Trump has yet to respond, but it’s unlikely he’ll allow this salvo to go unanswered. Bloomberg has declared war on Trump’s home turf – and Wednesday night was likely just the first battle.
