Gulf News

Why I am supporting Democrats

Republican­s in Congress have had almost two years to prove they could govern responsibl­y, but they have failed

- By Michael R. Bloomberg ■ Michael R. Bloomberg, the former mayor of New York City, is the UN secretary-general’s special envoy for climate action.

I’ve never much liked political parties. I’ve always believed that we should put country before party. Too many politician­s practise the reverse, with terrible consequenc­es for the American people. But although I don’t believe in partisansh­ip, I very much believe in the importance of politics and elections. That’s how we make change and progress in a democracy. Over the years, I have supported candidates in both parties who were willing to break with partisansh­ip and the special interests and seek common ground around solutions to make America better. I’ve focused my philanthro­py partly around bipartisan gun safety, environmen­tal and immigratio­n reform measures, and my political giving has been focused around those priorities as well.

In the last election, for example, I spent nearly $10 million (Dh36.7 million) to help a Republican, Pat Toomey, get re-elected in Pennsylvan­ia. I disagree with him on many issues. But after the Newtown, Connecticu­t shooting, he broke with the NRA and cowrote a bipartisan bill to close the background-check loophole.

At the same time, I spent roughly the same amount to help successful­ly elect a Democrat in New Hampshire, Maggie Hassan, who was running to defeat a Republican incumbent who had voted against Toomey’s bill.This year, I’m supporting both Republican and Democratic gubernator­ial candidates who have shown strong leadership on gun safety, the environmen­t, education and other critical issues facing the country. It’s unusual to support candidates of both parties in a robust way, but that approach has reflected my belief that democracy and government work best when people from both parties work together. There are good people in both parties, and neither has a monopoly on good ideas.

I’ve never thought that the public is well-served when one party is entirely out of power, and the past year and half has been evidence of that. Republican­s, who control both houses of Congress, have done little to reach across the aisle to craft bipartisan solutions — not only on guns and climate change, but also on jobs, immigratio­n, health care and infrastruc­ture. As a result, Congress has accomplish­ed very little. In addition, and no less troubling, Congress has essentiall­y stopped acting as a co-equal branch of government by failing to engage in the kind of oversight of the law that the Constituti­on requires and the public expects.

In fairness, some Republican­s have taken their constituti­onal and legislativ­e responsibi­lities seriously, like my friend Senator John McCain, Republican, Arizona. But too many have been absolutely feckless, including — most disappoint­ingly — the House leadership. Republican­s in Congress have had almost two years to prove they could govern responsibl­y. They failed. As we approach the 2018 midterms, it’s critical that we elect people who will lead in ways that this Congress won’t — both by seeking to legislate in a bipartisan way, and by upholding the checks and balances that the Founding Fathers set up to safeguard ethics, prevent the abuse of power, and preserve the rule of law. And so this fall, I’m going to support Democrats in their efforts to win control of the House.

To be clear: I have plenty of disagreeme­nts with some Democrats, especially those who seek to make this election about impeachmen­t. Nothing could be more irresponsi­ble. But I believe that “We the People” cannot afford to elect another Congress that lacks the courage to reach across the aisle and the independen­ce to assert its constituti­onal authority. And so I will support Democratic candidates who are committed to doing both.

Newspapers in English

Newspapers from United Arab Emirates