Bloomberg’s path to the nomination involves coming in at #2 or #3, getting past the first ballot and then buying everyone else’s delegates out. So his strategy is to be as inoffensive as possible to his rivals, with a single exception. That exception is Sanders, whom he can and must burn to the ground, in order to hold Sanders’s delegate count down, and make his own path to a majority easier.
The best shot for Bloomberg’s path to the nomination consists of him getting the #2 spot, delegate-wise, after Sanders, buying off all the Dem also-rans, and prevailing on the second ballot. If he doesn’t get the #2 slot, things become a lot harder, because whomever is #2 is going to think of himself not merely as a kingmaker but a potential nominee, and therefore less likely to give up his delegates to Bloomberg.
In 2020, there will be 4,750 delegates: 3,979 pledged delegates and 771 automatic delegates—more commonly known as superdelegates.[1]
To win the Democratic nomination, a presidential candidate must receive support from a majority of the pledged delegates on the first ballot: 1,991 pledged delegates.[2][3] If the convention is contested and goes to a second ballot or more, automatic delegates will be able to vote and a candidate must receive majority support from all delegates: more than 2,375 votes.[4] Roughly two-thirds of the delegates will have been allocated by the end of March 2020. ]
The other flaw in Bloomberg’s logic is that Bernie only needs 50% of the delegates—so he can combine forces with another candidate to get to that number before the convention.
If he offers Warren the VP slot and gets her delegates that is game, set, match.
Hopefully Bloomberg becomes Doomberg, goes third party, and destroys the Democrats.
One advantage cinservatives have is that Bloomberg is so ild (and visibly frail now) is that he will not be credible as a candidate in 2024. Binden, Sanders, Hillary as well.
This year is her last shot.