All the Way to the Bank

It seems fashionable now in some quarters to shame billionaires. The not-so-subtle suggestions are that they don’t deserve their wealth, that they game the tax system, or even that they acquired their lucre by questionable means. And, of course, they only care about their houses, yachts, the art on their walls, and the advantage their money gives them over the rest of us. But hey, they are people too.

It might just be possible to be rich and a good human being at the same time, as Bill Gates and Warren Buffett have shown us. Many wealthy people and families have created foundations to support charitable causes. After all, they can only spend so much money on themselves, then what?

Some are wealthy by inheritance, others thanks to a talent, and still others because an idea came to them and they brought it to market. Then there are those who just won the lotto. But there is no automatic virtue in just being less well-off.

It is true that some wealthy people do not pay their fair share of taxes. Personally, I think all income should be taxed the same, whether it’s from work or capital gains. The wealthy should pay a much higher percentage in tax. I’m for a tax code printed on a single 8 ½-by-11 sheet of paper, that everyone could understand. This may not be making me many friends here, so I’ll stop now.

Anyway, we can’t talk about wealth without talking about Michael Bloomberg, who is accused of trying to buy the Democratic nomination for President. I don’t much like what he’s doing either -- but it’s almost working. Thanks to relentless advertising, he has statements almost instant national name recognition and ranking. What we know about the current occupant of the White House is that the one thing that can intimidate him is someone who can buy and sell him 50 or 100 times over.

I’m not endorsing Mr. Bloomberg here. He has controversial behaviors and policies in his history that he has to explain and even apologize for. He entered the Nevada debate unprepared to take on five other candidates who are seasoned veterans of that genre. But could he run the country? Certainly. Could he inspire and lead? We will find out as the campaign goes on.

Bloomberg has pledged that if another Democratic candidate becomes the nominee, he will use his wealth to support that individual’s campaign. He has also pledged to help Democrats in down-ballot races. Maybe Democrats should think twice about overly dissing this particular billionaire while their bacon is being saved.

The "We" in "Team"

It’s that time of year, and the right year. We’re hearing a lot about teams. First, there was the Super Bowl. Later, it will be the Olympic team. The impeachment trial had prosecution and defense teams. Why can’t candidates for office do it?

Take the Democratic presidential candidates. As individuals, they are far from perfect. Warren and Sanders are too radical; Klobuchar is too forceful; Bloomberg and Steyer are too rich; Buttigieg is too…uh…white; Yang is too geeky; and Biden is too Joe.

I am oversimplifying for a little fun here, but each of these folks also has great qualities. Too bad we just can’t take a little DNA from all of them and create the perfect specimen. Somebody who thinks and speaks as clearly as Buttigieg, is as experienced as Biden; as committed to big ideas as Sanders, Warren, or Steyer; as forward-thinking as Yang, or who knows how to craft legislation as well as Klobuchar.

At some point, it will be clear who the Democratic presidential nominee will be. Thanks to Super Tuesday, it could be sooner rather than later. That individual will be selecting a running mate. Can he or she go beyond that and start lining up Cabinet prospects and going public on the shape of the potential new administration?

I thought there was a law against that. There isn’t, and there is so much talent in the Democratic field. Elizabeth Warren would make a perfect Secretary of the Treasury if she isn’t a presidential or vice-presidential candidate, assuming she would accept a Cabinet post. Andrew Yang could be Secretary of Commerce and Tom Steyer would be a natural at Energy. Joe Biden is a known quantity around the world and would be a great Secretary of State. Even those who have dropped out of the presidential race could be factors. Kamala Harris would be impressive as Attorney General. How about Bernie at HHS? Julian Castro has previous Cabinet experience. Every time I’ve seen Cory Booker, I think there has to be a role for him. All of these folks have, or did have, followings, and if the whole group ran as a kind of team, couldn’t this pull the party, and perhaps the electorate, together?

I am not really a sports fan, but have learned from watching football that while a great quarterback is the star, he needs receivers. Then there is the defense and the kicker.

For the Democrats to win the Presidential race this year, the keyword is  “overwhelming.” They need to massively get out the vote to overwhelm the limitations of the Electoral College and any artificial barriers to voting created at the state or local levels. If the current occupant of the White House is to be defeated, it will take a lot more than just that one person scoring points on an October debate stage to do it.