Summary

TVU 20 MICAHEL BLOOMBERG CHATTANOOGA TN PRESS CONFERENCE ABC UNI 021220 2020 Including the gaggle responses here since World News is soon, will send a separate note to the smaller DL with color from the event etc TVU 20 MICHAEL BLOOMBERG CHATTANOOGA TN PRESS CONFERENCE ABC UNI 021220 2020 POTENTIAL ANSWERS FOR TONIGHT'S WN PIECE: The first question was about Democrats who are arguing that Bloomberg is trying to "buy this election" 152322 BLOOM>> I'm not trying to buy the election. We've been at this for 10 weeks, and the best way is to communicate in 10 weeks is through something like mass media, through television and social media. And the other people that running have been doing it for the last couple years, so maybe they don't need to do it. But it's a ways for me to get out to this whole country. 152345 I was not running, remember, in 4 states. I was running in, let's say 46 states. And I'm a believer that if we're gonna unite this country, we should unite this whole country. So I've been going to small states as well as big states, states that are in Super Tuesday, and states that don't vote for a long time. ABC asked him 'After Iowa and NH, does he think the race is still unsettled and does that play to his advantage?" 152656 BLOOM>>Well, there's only been two states that have voted so far out of 40--50 states. There's 48 left to go, so I think it's a little bit premature to say that the competition is over. But, you know, you say congratulations to those that -- that win and to those that dropped out, my thoughts are with them. I hope that doesn't happen to me, but I'm sympathetic. They gave it the old college try, and that's what's great about America. 152726 That anybody has a chance and, you know, if you're 35 and Amer-- born in the Amer -- in the United States, you can run. And if you want to do it, you should. With Sanders winning NH, there are concerns about a divide in the party and effects his presidency could have on the economy. Bloomberg was asked if he shares those concerns. He deflects 152512 BLOOM>> Look, I'm not a prognosticator so I'm, don't want to comment on who's up and who's down after any particular election. I believe that I have common sense policies that are affordable, practical, and politically viable to take this country forward, to unite it. 152534 To keep the economy growing, but also to spread the benefits of a growing economy across an awful lot more people. It's one of the reasons that I'm running. And he'll have to speak in terms of what he, what he's doing and what his policies are. Yes, miss? Given Joe Biden's Iowa/NH performance, a reporter asked if Super Tuesday is going to be as critical for him as it is going to be for Bloomberg, then asked when he will start taking him on, head-on more forcefully? He deflects here 152613 BLOOM>> Well, I'm trying to make the case that I am a great candidate, that I can do what -- two things that really need to be done. One, to replace the person living in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and the other, to put the word "United" back in the United States. And I'm not here to talk about any other candidates' programs, I'm not an expert on those. And...it'd be inappropriate for me to opine on it. I'm here to be an expert on what I would do, and to try to convince people that if they vote for me, they will get the kind of government they want. And this country will go in the direction that it should go. A reporter also asked about Sanders' supporters. If Bloomberg were the nominee, could he unite the party as a former Wall Street billionaire who once voted for George W Bush? 153428 BLOOM>> Yes. Of course. I mean, yes. Look. There's -- Nobody's gonna be happy -- Not everybody's gonna be happy with any one candidate. But if the alternative is Donald Trump, I think you've got a very good chance of pulling everybody together. This is more unique situation where the alternative is so bad that no matter what the differences are between people in one party, if the other party is there, is abhorrent to it, then yes, I think you can do that. STOP AND FRISK Bloomberg was asked about stop and frisk multiple times, and was first asked why he said what he said in the video: BLOOM>> (long pause) I don't think those words reflect what, how I led the most diverse city in the nation. And I apologized for the practice and the pain that it caused. But -- Q>> But why did you say it? 152429 BLOOM>> It was five years ago. And, you know, it's just not the way that I think, and it's not the way -- does not reflect what I do every day. I led the most populous, largest city in the United States, and got reelected 3 times. The public seemed to like what I do. Yes, sir? He was asked again if he apologizes for the remarks he made (gives a similar answer), and also how he can connect with black voters (he talks about his Greenwood plan) He was also asked if his comments might affect his performance with the African-American vote? 153602 BLOOM>> I do not. I do not think so. I think people look at it and they say that those words doesn't -- don't reflect Michael Bloomberg's, way he governed in New York City, the way he runs his company, the way his philanthropy works. I think we're going to do very well in the African-American community. They need a good economy. They need better schools. They need more health care. They need jobs. OTHER QUESTIONS (He was asked a gun question but the answer wasn't powerful enough to include) He was also asked if anyone from his campaign has ever given any type of financial incentive for an endorsement? 153519 BLOOM>> Of course not. But we have supported elected officials around this country for a long time. I've been doing it for years. I want better government. They need money to run. And I'm pleased to do that. I, if you remember, paid for some ads that flipped the House 21 seats. People who were good on guns and good on the environment. And that gave Nancy Pelosi a majority and that let her take over and start the impeachment process and do what the Constitution says Congress should do, and that is provide some oversight to the executive branch. Energy was palpable at Michael Bloomberg's Chattanooga TN event at the Bessie Smith Cultural Center. Aides were able to pack about 500 in the main room, and 200 into an overflow room, but another 400 had to stand outside in very light rain. (I counted too, and their number are very close to my own) Bloomberg addressed all three areas. This thread will give you an example of some of the energy: https://twitter.com/zohreen/status/1227676490634059776?s=21 He took a veiled jab at Bernie saying: 144000 I promise you, I offer a record of getting things done and common sense plans that are workable. That's what voters want. We don't need a revolution. We want evolution and we need a nominee who can deliver it. At one point before Bloomberg took the stage, a woman rushed the stage, screaming, "this isn't democracy, this is plutocracy!" (around 2:24) Bloomberg pointed out the big crowds. But unlike the current president, his numbers were almost identical to what I counted. 143302 I'll just tell you, we have 500 people in another room out here, and then we have 400 people outside, freezing, but they're all here. I'm sorry, we just never expected a crowd this big. I'm so flattered. I think we must -- we must have some momentum going here. He also made this joke we haven't heard before: 143719 Now, I'm a New Yorker. Surprise, surprise. Well, I came from Boston, so my daughters don't really think I'm a New Yorker. I'm a New Yorker, but I'm not afraid of Trump. And Trump is afraid of me. TVU 20 MICHAEL BLOOMBERG CHATTANOOGA TN PRESS CONFERENCE ABC UNI 021220 2020 152250 BLOOM>> Nice crowds. People seem enthusiastic. Momentum seems there, and I couldn't be happier. We filled up the main room, we filled up the overflow room, and we had 2 or 300 people standing out in the rain. [152308 -- FEED FREEZES] 152315 Q>> .. past several months, more than a million dollars in Facebook ads every day. What do you say to Democrats who argue that you're trying to buy this election? 152322 BLOOM>> I'm not trying to buy the election. We've been at this for 10 weeks, and the best way is to communicate in 10 weeks is through something like mass media, through television and social media. And the other people that running have been doing it for the last couple years, so maybe they don't need to do it. But it's a ways for me to get out to this whole country. 152345 I was not running, remember, in 4 states. I was running in, let's say 46 states. And I'm a believer that if we're gonna unite this country, we should unite this whole country. So I've been going to small states as well as big states, states that are in Super Tuesday, and states that don't vote for a long time. Yes, miss? 152406 Q>> Why did you say what you said in that 2015 speech? BLOOM>> (long pause) I don't think those words reflect what, how I led the most diverse city in the nation. And I apologized for the practice and the pain that it caused. But -- Q>> But why did you say it? 152429 BLOOM>> It was five years ago. And, you know, it's just not the way that I think, and it's not the way -- does not reflect what I do everyday. I led the most populous, largest city in the United States, and got reelected 3 times. The public seemed to like what I do. Yes, sir? Q>> Sanders won NH, now there is a lot of concern about further dividing the party, and the effects that his presidency could have on the economy. Do you share those concerns that he would be a disaster for the economy? 152512 BLOOM>> Look, I'm not a prognosticator so I'm, don't want to comment on who's up and who's down after any particular election. I believe that I have common sense policies that are affordable, practical, and politically viable to take this country forward, to unite it. 152534 To keep the economy growing, but also to spread the benefits of a growing economy across an awful lot more people. It's one of the reasons that I'm running. And he'll have to speak in terms of what he, what he's doing and what his policies are. Yes, miss? 152553 Q: Given Joe Biden's poor performance in both Iowa and NH, Super Tuesday is going to be as critical for him as it is going to be for you. When are you going to start taking him on, head-on more forcefully? 152613 BLOOM>> Well, I'm trying to make the case that I am a great candidate, that I can do what -- two things that really need to be done. One, to replace the person living in 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, and the other, to put the word "United" back in the United States. And I'm not here to talk about any other candidates' programs, I'm not an expert on those. And...it'd be inappropriate for me to opine on it. I'm here to be an expert on what I would do, and to try to convince people that if they vote for me, they will get the kind of government they want. And this country will go in the direction that it should go. Yes, Miss? Q: Do you think this race is still unsettled, and does that play to your advantage? 152656 BLOOM>>Well, there's only been two states that have voted so far out of 40--50 states. There's 48 left to go, so I think it's a little bit premature to say that the competition is over. But, you know, you say congratulations to those that -- that win and to those that dropped out, my thoughts are with them. I hope that doesn't happen to me, but I'm sympathetic. They gave it the old college try, and that's what's great about America. 152726 That anybody has a chance and, you know, if you're 35 and Amer-- born in the Amer -- in the United States, you can run. And if you want to do it, you should. Q: You have apologized for using and promoting stop-and-frisk, but the recent audio conveys derogatory comments about African Americans and the neighborhoods that they live in. So, beyond the policy, do you apologize for those remarks? 152757 BLOOM>> Look, I think I've said it. Those words don't -- Those words don't reflect the way that I've governed or the way that I run my company or the way that I live and I've led the most diverse city in the country, and the public there elected me and reelected me two other times. So I think they're pretty happy with it. Q: But do you apologize for saying those words? [Bloom ignores] Q: [inaud] 152821 BLOOM>> I -- I had the...Miss, you had a question, and I'm trying to be fair to everybody. So this young lady was next. Q: One of your principle platforms is lessening the wealth disparity with African Americans and you're trying to do that through increasing home ownership. What are some other initiatives that you hope to do to achieve that? 152843 BLOOM>> Well, in our green-wood plan, there were really three things. It was to increase homeownership. It was to get better banking services for communities, because if you can't get a mortgage, you can't buy a house. It was to have -- increased the net worth of families. If you take a look, the average black family has a net worth of only 10 percent of the average white family in this country. 152916 That's just not tolerable, and we have to do something about it. And so it is expanding opportunity and giving a better education to people. Those are the things that are going to make this country the egalitarian society that we really want. Yes, sir. Q: With so much of your policy and the campaign about gun laws, how are you going to appeal to Southern voters who really value guns and owning guns? 152943 BLOOM>> I think that if I really valued guns, I would want to fix one problem. And that is that the federal law that requires background checks on gun purchasers that says you can't buy a gun if you're a minor, have a criminal record or you're mentally disturbed. You want those to apply to gun show sales and Internet sales because we just have to keep guns out of the hands of people who are not responsible enough to have a gun. 153015 And if you don't do that, then people will come and maybe try to take away your guns down the road. So gun lovers -- and if you survey NRA members, they do agree with this: they want good background checks cause they understand that when you have teis murder rate that we have in this coutnry, it is intolerable and society is going to do soemthing. Behind you, there's a gentleman -- 153037 Q>> Connecting with balck folks in 2020 is very important. Could you further elaborate on the agreement initiative? And how it relates to HBCUs. 153110 BLOOM>> Well, HBCUs, for those that don't know, they're historically black colleges and universities, and an enormous number of black judges and doctors and dentists and people come out of these schools. They really are a feeder into our society. A number of them aren't very well funded. And we've got to find ways to get them to be able to tap -- tap alumni. But the trouble is, their alumni tend not to be wealthy, so they're depending on other sources. 153140 For those of you that don't know, Greenwood is a little town outside of Tulsa, Oklahoma. Back in 19 -- it was -- there was a community called Black Wall Street, although it really had nothing to do with Wall Street. It was a wealthy black community. Nice houses and people that were doing very well. And in 1921, late at night, a group of white thugs came in, burnt the town to the ground and killed 200 people. And that's the -- and the significance of that when I first heard about it, and we wanted to announce a program to reduce the inequality in this country, I thought that would be a great place symbolically to announce it. 153224 And that's where the Greenwood came from. The Greenwood Initiative is from that. Let's see I want to -- Yes, sir. Q: [continues to press him about comments re: African American] BLOOM>> Miss. You didn't understand. I'm sorry. Everybody is gonna get one question. So, yes, sir. Q: Sanders now won two contests by the popular vote. And there are several people in your lane, this centre-Left lane who were going to be running, it looks like, into Super Tuesday. Do you feel that candidates who do not perform well have a responsibility to get out of the race? And if they don't get out, if it remains crowded, it will decrease your chance? 153258 BLOOM>> It's not for me to tell anybody else what to do. I mean, I think they can see that if they are there, they're going to take away from others, but they may come -- make a comeback. And, you know, the fact that they haven't got to the finish line yet doesn't mean they don't have the opportunity to do so. But everybody's got to make a decision. And I think you have to balance between what you think is right for the country slash party to get a candidate that can beat Donald Trump. 153325 And on the other hand, your personal aspiration, and I'm sympathetic to somebody if they've put years of their lives into getting ready and they've lost the first two elections, which are just two out of 48. If they want to stay in, they should stay in. I'm not here to tell anybody what to do. Yes. Q: Do you think you could become the nominee without winning a state? 153346 BLOOM>> I don't know the math. I think it's conceivable that -- the question is, if you've got lots of delegates, but you had one less than the person that's ahead in every single one of the 50 states, you'd probably have more than the person that was ahead in some of the states and not others. It's an interesting speculation, but I don't know what the difference is or why it matters to you. Yes sir. Q: Thanks. Obviously, Bernie Sanders had done well in the first two primaries and has a lot of supporters, do you think, were you to become the nominee, that you'll be able to unite the Democratic Party as a Wall Street billionaire who once voted for George W. Bush? Do you think you'd be able to unite the Democratic Party sufficiently behind you? 153428 BLOOM>> Yes. Of course. I mean, yes. Look. There's -- Nobody's gonna be happy -- Not everybody's gonna be happy with any one candidate. But if the alternative is Donald Trump, I think you've got a very good chance of pulling everybody together. This is more unique situation where the alternative is so bad that no matter what the differences are between people in one party, if the other party is there, is abhorrent to it, then yes, I think you can do that. 153458 Q>> Are you concerned that your comments from that tape might affect your performance with African-American voters? That's the first part of the question? Secondly, you've unveiled a lot of different endorsements: Three members of the Congressional Black Caucus just today. Have you or anyone from your campaign ever given any type of financial incentive for an endorsement? 153519 BLOOM>> Of course not. But we have supported elected officials around this country for a long time. I've been doing it for years. I want better government. They need money to run. And I'm pleased to do that. I, if you remember, paid for some ads that flipped the House 21 seats. People who were good on guns and good on the environment. And that gave Nancy Pelosi a majority and that let her take over and start the impeachment process and do what the Constitution says Congress should do, and that is provide some oversight to the executive branch. 153557 Q>> And the first part of the question? Your comments might affect your performance with the African-American vote? 153602 BLOOM>> I do not. I do not think so. I think people look at it and they say that those words doesn't -- don't reflect Michael Bloomberg's, way he governed in New York City, the way he runs his company, the way his philanthropy works. I think we're going to do very well in the African-American community. They need a good economy. They need better schools. They need more health care. They need jobs. 153629 And those are the kinds of things that I can bring them. We'll take the last question from you back there, miss. Q>> You've invested resources in a lot of communities as far as advertising and even opened an office here in Chattanooga. The question -- 153643 BLOOM>>We have a number of offices. How many offices do we have in Tennessee? Does anybody know? Seven different offices in Tennessee alone. Q>> What do you think Chattanooga's impact is going to be on your success? 153654 BLOOM>> All I can tell you is the room that we had the speech in was packed, the overflow room was packed, and there were a few hundred people standing outside in the rain when I went out to address them before I came onstage. If that's any indication, we have momentum. And what we've got to do is build on that. And every day you've got to go out and make your case and expand the number of people that you can talk to and address the issues as they change. 153725 And if you do that, then I think you've got a very good chance of replacing the person in Pennsylvania -- sixteen hundred Pennsylvania Avenue. But then the great challenge you should ask about is: how do we do the job? And how do we make this country better? And what I would say is take a look at what we did in New York City. And a awful lot of the issues that we dealt with in New York City are the same issues that cities around this country face. And I do know how to put together teams. 153755 I know how to attract the best and the brightest. And I don't have this ego where I've got to make every decision. The ways you operate in a big organization is you get great people and you empower them, you give them authority to go along with responsibility. That is the way I've always run my company, New York City, the foundation. And that's what I would do if I'm lucky enough to be president of the states. Thank you all. And thank you, Chattanooga. ###