Bloomberg Picks up 3 New Congressional Endorsements After Debate

‘Unhealthy Partisanship’: Move Afoot to Improve the Workings of Parliament

Canada’s Parliament is increasingly moving away from forming decisions based on debates, with decisions instead largely dictated by parties or party leaders, says a veteran MP. A recent report backs up this view, showing the majority of MPs believe that “unhealthy partisanship” has become more prevalent in Parliament, with democratic practices declining, particularly in the areas of MP independence and debates. In the current minority Parliament, some MPs are working toward modernizing the House in order to increase efficiency and eliminate parliamentary dysfunction, among other issues that have long plagued the legislative body. Engaged in the discussions is Conservative MP Michael Chong, who has been committed to democratic reform ever since he was elected in 2004. In his view, Parliament has increasingly gravitated toward conformity to the point that new…

Three members of the House of Representatives announced their support for former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg the morning after a fiery primary debate in Nevada.

Rep. Nita Lowey (D-N.Y.), the chairwoman of the House Appropriations Committee, said she’s endorsing Bloomberg, 78, for the Democratic presidential nomination.

“Mike and I have worked together for years in New York, and whether it’s homeland security or gun safety, there’s no one you can depend on more to get important initiatives over the finish line,” Lowey said in a statement released by Bloomberg’s campaign.

“We need someone in the White House who will help secure a bright future for our children and families, free of gun violence, with opportunity for educational success and good jobs, and with access to affordable health care and prescription drugs. That person is Mike Bloomberg, and there’s no doubt about it, no matter how big the challenge, Mike will get it done.”

Bloomberg Picks up 3 New Congressional Endorsements After Debate

Reps. Pete Aguilar (D-Calif.) and Josh Gottheimer (D-N.J.) also announced endorsements for the billionaire.

Aguilar, who Bloomberg said would serve as a co-chair for his campaign, cited Bloomberg’s efforts to restrict gun ownership and combat climate change in his statement of support. Gottheimer, co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, called the former mayor “an experienced, proven leader who has big ideas, will fight to get things done, and knows how to work with—and get votes from—Democrats, Republicans, and Independents.”

The last member of Congress to announce an endorsement before Thursday was Rep. Sylvia Garcia (D-Texas), who said she was endorsing former Vice President Joe Biden, 77. Biden has 42 congressional endorsements, the most in the field, but Bloomberg is in second with 16.

The new endorsements came after Bloomberg appeared on the debate stage for the first time. The appearance was made possible by the Democratic National Committee, which axed half of the debate qualification requirements. Bloomberg faced attacks by all five rivals on stage, primarily over his massive fortune and past comments he’s made to and about women.

Tom Steyer, a presidential candidate who didn’t qualify for the debate, said during an appearance on CNN’s “New Day” on Thursday that Bloomberg “sounded like he was running in the wrong primary last night.”

Steyer, 62, targeted Bloomberg’s criticism of Medicare for All, socialism, and a wealth tax. “I think that people who’ve been as successful as Mike Bloomberg or me should understand that the Democratic Party stands for the idea that the inequality in this country is unacceptable,” Steyer argued.

While others also panned the former mayor’s performance, Bloomberg’s campaign said he did well.

“You know you are a winner when you are drawing attacks from all the candidates. Everyone came to destroy Mike tonight. It didn’t happen. Everyone wanted him to lose his cool. He didn’t do it. He was the grownup in the room,” campaign manager Kevin Sheekey said in a statement.

Bloomberg, he said, “presented himself as the leading alternative to Bernie Sanders.”

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Shaking Hands With Bad State Actors Not Smart ‘Chess’

News Analysis Diplomatic relations is a chess game, one that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau didn’t play very well when he had a friendly handshake with Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif, says former cabinet minister and longtime MP David Kilgour. “You need to know how to move your pieces in a way that you’re going to serve your country and its interests, and not serve the interests of the other country, which is trying to hurt you in every way it can,” Kilgour says. Images of Trudeau greeting Zarif with a friendly handshake and bowing his head on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Feb. 14 was shared widely by Iranian state media, with critics raising concerns that the prime minister is being used as a propaganda prop by…