Mike. . .and I

Michael, as a fellow Michael, we need to talk...and no, it's not to drop out of the race at all. You believe that you are qualified for guiding this country as President. But the method of which you are going about this is of concern to me. Therefore, if you are willing to indulge my concerns, I'd like to discuss some things that may not look favorably to you as a candidate for President of the United States.

The Money is overtaking the Message

I read a recent opinion editorial in the Fayetteville Observer that the two most common things in elections are both M's, money and message. Let's be honest here; even with campaign support, you wouldn't notice such efforts at all compared to the amount of personal wealth at your disposal/discretion. It's no surprise you don't need campaign contributions when you can spend 1 billion (roughly 1/60) of your own money and still not feel any financial strain. Therein lies the problem. You're doing the same thing Donald did, and by proxy alienate those that may put you in office.

Whether or not you were an actual person growing up in 'Middle America' is debatable, but that is not the case now. You have wealth that will last you 100 of your lifetimes and still left over to support several family generations without much hardship. That's where the unintended message comes into play; that the wealth of the candidate, not the will of the people, is what makes Presidents happen. Money, not leadership and legislation, is the only path forward. And you wonder why there is such a disparity in wealth in our country...

This is going to cause concern with the precedence that this is the new norm of solidifying votes, should you secure the Presidency; no longer will we elect a leader by the content of their character and vision, but by the contents of their wallet. Instead of 'We the People' it would then become 'We the Purchasing Politicians.' The only difference between you and Donald in this regard is that your wallet is bigger.

That's how Donald ended up President. The results are both self-evident and disastrous. That also implies you'll end up doing the same mistakes as him, as a businessman yourself, you're probably going to turn away sound counsel in affairs of the nation and run the White House like your business; assuming you do the same as Donald and not recuse yourself from your business. I don't see that possible, Mike. That's a lot of money to walk away from. Now, this next part is going to get sensitive, but you can handle it; as a true Mike does.

Weaponizing Race, Like Donald

This is of concern as due to the fact of your past transgression of 'Stop-and-Frisk;' yeah, that one. Rather than beat you up with that angle (you'll get plenty of that soon enough), another problem emerges of tone-deafness.

Let's get this out of the way. It's hard to really back you when you know that a majority of Black/Latino voters are in the Democratic Party and most of them are working 9-to-5s, some under your direct employ. It's difficult to trust the words of yet another rich, white man when we are still dealing with an out-of-control, rich, white man in the White House. Yet there's a more serious concern here...even more so than race, despite having a factor in it.

Having recently seen one of your many ads under your overwhelming strategy of social exposure, there was a student from Parkland FL showcasing his belief in your candidacy. Unfortunately, he was used as a means to state that his 'black and brown brothers and sisters' should support you. That's a VERY targeted message; truthful, but extremely targeted. Again, it's tone-deaf to use our suffering and grim reality as a platform for your presidency, yet that's actually a part of the problem.

This disturbed me because you're using this young man's pain as a political prop to your advantage; that puts you on the same moral plane as Donald, just on the liberal spectrum. This young man has to live with the shock of gun violence and death that most trained and able-bodied soldiers can barely cope with, nevermind the potential backfiring this ad could take. This will continue with his life well beyond your campaign, but the approach to have him be an empathetic voice to secure votes is not wise. That approach is dangerous; it is also misleading. Finally, speaking of misleading...

Matters of Black and White

Yeah, yeah, I did mention earlier that I wasn't going to mention 'Stop-and-Frisk' as you will get an earful of that all the way. Doesn't change the fact that this policy, combined with your own skin tone (you have no control over that) and your wealth, along with your position of power as the former New York mayor (a strength I expect to see relied on considering your time in office during a most critical moment in modern US History) is just a powder keg on the verge of exploding.

We already have problems with the current rich guy in the White House mucking up the Justice system, stacking the courts, and the process, to his favor. There's no guarantee you won't do the same, nor any guarantee that you won't create a new policy on the same lines as 'Stop-and-Frisk' or some such.

I've Badgered You Enough

Look, Mike, you've got an uphill battle. Simply strolling in with your cash campaign will end up hurting you in the long run. You also have some odd strategic choices that may not look well for you, such as your campaign blitz and some old policy choices.

Yet much like how Donald's 'supporters' don't see him as a person more so a meme that is used for stress relief, you won't be able to escape the possible outcome of not being seen as Former NY mayor Michael Bloomberg, potential President-Elect of the United States of America, but rather Former MY mayor Money Bags, buyer of Presidential Candidacies, the Democrat's Donald Trump with less/no bronzer.

You've got to really show the rest of our fellow Americans that you can take on the mantle of the President and lead our country, and the world, to a better future. That's not something money can buy.