It has happened before, in both political parties. At the beginning of a presidential primary season, with a big field of candidates starting the race, the party faithful say, Isn’t this great? We have so many good candidates — almost an embarrassment of riches! Then, after several months of campaigning, they say, Can’t somebody enter this race and save us?
That is where some Democrats find themselves right now. The party’s top three candidates in national polls are Joe Biden, who is too old to be president; Elizabeth Warren, who is too radical; and Bernie Sanders, who is too old and too radical.
The distant fourth-place runner, although a big favorite in Iowa, is Pete Buttigieg, who at 37 is, some voters believe, too young and inexperienced for the Oval Office. The other candidates are also-rans.
Now, two men who earlier considered and rejected a presidential run are back in the mix. Last December, former Massachusetts Governor Deval Patrick announced he would not run, saying he did not want to subject those he loved to “the cruelty of our elections process.” Last March, former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg said he, too, would not run, opting instead to focus on a new climate change initiative called Beyond Carbon.
Now, it appears Patrick has gotten over the cruelty problem, and Bloomberg has moved beyond Beyond Carbon.
Patrick announced his candidacy in a brief and platitudinous video Thursday morning. “I admire and respect the candidates in the Democratic field; they bring a richness of ideas and experience and a depth of character that makes me proud to be a Democrat,” Patrick said. “But if the character of the candidates is an issue in every election, this time is about the character of the country. This time is about whether the day after the election, America will keep her promises.”
It is not clear precisely what that means, but the short version is that Patrick does not believe the other candidates can win.
“Mr. Patrick hopes to bridge the divisions that have shaped the contest so far, appealing to centrists and liberals, white and nonwhite voters and across generational and economic lines in a way none of the candidates have been able to do,” the New York Times reported. “A close friend of former President Barack Obama, he has told advisers that he envisions a campaign similar to Mr. Obama’s 2008 bid, focusing more on bringing people together and healing the country than making a particular ideological case.”
Really? It seems fair to note that capturing the Obama magic is easier said than done, and that the United States in 2020 will be in a different place than in 2008. Even Patrick says his bid is “a Hail Mary from two stadiums over.”
For his part, Bloomberg has not yet pulled the trigger — he is a serial tease in presidential politics — but he has something that Patrick and other Democratic rivals don’t have: $52 billion. With his money, Bloomberg could self-finance a run from start to finish without ever having to ask a single donor for a penny. While Patrick worries how to raise funds, Bloomberg has the freedom to do what he wants.
Both men, are said to worry about the lack of a centrist alternative in the field. “Mike is increasingly concerned that the current field of candidates is not well positioned to [defeat Trump],” a Bloomberg spokesman told the Times. It’s a legitimate concern, given Democrats’ leftward movement toward Medicare for All, virtually open borders, free college, and wealth taxes.
On the other hand, there is a centrist candidate — at least in Democratic terms — in the field: Biden. What Bloomberg and Patrick both sense is that Biden can’t make it in the long run. Such concerns are usually references to Biden’s age, but Bloomberg, who will be nearly 79 years old on Inauguration Day 2021, is actually older than Biden. If voters want yet another candidate who, if elected, will turn 80 early in his term, Bloomberg could be the ticket. (Patrick, who will be 64 on Inauguration Day, is a relatively youthful alternative to the current Democratic frontrunners.)
Democratic worries are understandable. But late, Hail Mary entrances don’t work. This race has been going on for months. There have been several debates. Voters have been listening. Iowa is fast approaching. The field is what it is. One of the candidates in the race right now will win the nomination, go on to face President Trump, and have a chance to become the next president. There’s no savior waiting to rescue Democrats — and that includes Deval Patrick and Michael Bloomberg.
