Bloomberg for President? Today There Was a Telling Tweet
Who is the only person who could nail the Democratic nomination for president if Hillary Rodham Clinton falters? According to USA Today columnist Michael Wolff, it’s not declared candidate Sen. Bernie Sanders of Vermont or about-to-declare former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley or progressive champion Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts.
Nobody has the cash — which Wolff pegs at close to $2 billion — that would be required to mount a competitive race except for one potential candidate who been down the “will he or won’t he?” road before: former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Wolff calls the self-made billionaire the obvious and only alternative because of his money, first and foremost, but also because of his “progressive social conscience with pro-growth-economic views.”
Related: Is America Ready for a Liberal Rock ‘n Roll President?
Of course, there is no reason to take Wolff seriously. Since leaving City Hall, Bloomberg has been busy reestablishing his direct control over Bloomberg L.P., the financial data and media behemoth he founded, and he hasn’t even offered a tease about possibly running.
But this morning, the Wolff column was tweeted out by Kevin Sheekey, who managed Bloomberg’s three winning campaigns for mayor. Sheekey, a former deputy mayor, is currently head of government relations and communications at Bloomberg.
“Next February say, if the sky falls in on Hillary — one or more of the storm-cloud scenarios breaking over her head — would Michael Bloomberg step up?” Wolff asks.
Kevin Sheekey probably knows the answer.
Budget ‘Chaos’ Threatens Army Reset: Retired General
One thing is standing in the way of a major ongoing effort to reset the U.S. Army, writes Carter Ham, a retired four-star general who’s now president and CEO of the Association of the U.S. Army, at Defense One. “The problem is the Washington, D.C., budget quagmire.”
The issue is more than just a matter of funding levels. “What hurts more is the erratic, unreliable and downright harmful federal budget process,” which has forced the Army to plan based on stopgap “continuing resolutions” instead of approved budgets for nine straight fiscal years. “A slowdown in combat-related training, production delays in new weapons, and a postponement of increases in Army troop levels are among the immediate impacts of operating under this ill-named continuing resolution. It’s not continuous and it certainly doesn’t display resolve.”
Pentagon Pushes for Faster F-35 Cost Cuts
The Pentagon has taken over cost-cutting efforts for the F-35 program, which has been plagued by years of cost overruns, production delays and technical problems. The Defense Department rejected a cost-saving plan proposed by contractors including principal manufacturer Lockheed Martin as being too slow to produce substantial savings. Instead, it gave Lockheed a $60 million contract “to pursue further efficiency measures, with more oversight of how the money was spent,” The Wall Street Journal’s Doug Cameron reports. F-35 program leaders “say they want more of the cost-saving effort directed at smaller suppliers that haven’t been pressured enough.” The Pentagon plans to cut the price of the F-35A model used by the Air Force from a recent $94.6 million each to around $80 million by 2020. Overall, the price of developing the F-35 has climbed above $400 billion, with the total program cost now projected at $1.53 trillion. (Wall Street Journal, CNBC)
Chart of the Day - October 6, 2017
Financial performance for insurers in the individual Obamacare markets is improving, driven by higher premiums and slower growth in claims. This suggests that the market is stabilizing. (Kaiser Family Foundation)
Quote of the Day - October 5, 2017
"The train's left the station, and if you're a budget hawk, you were left at the station." -- Rep. Mark Sanford, R-S.C.