Michael Bloomberg’s baptism of fire in Democrat debate debut

This wasn’t just a presidential ­debate for Michael Bloomberg, it was a brutal baptism of fire.

This wasn’t just a presidential ­debate for Michael Bloomberg, it was a brutal baptism of fire.

There might have been five other Democrat contenders on the stage but the eyes of all Americans on Thursday AEDT were on the public debut of the upstart billionaire who has literally purchased his way to the front row of the Democrat presidential race.

From the opening bell in Las Vegas, it was a bloody prize fight to try to discredit the 78-year-old former mayor of New York who has spent an unprecedented $US400-plus million in campaign commercials to rise to second in the polls behind the democratic socialist frontrunner Bernie Sanders.

This was Mr Bloomberg’s first televised debate and they knew he was untested, so they went in early and they went in hard. Senator Sanders let the way in his first comment, saying Mr Bloomberg’s “stop and frisk” policing policy while New York mayor was an “outrageous” targeting of African-American and Latino people.

Elizabeth Warren then went in harder, attacking his alleged sexist comments towards women earlier in his career.

Former New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg, Senator Elizabeth Warren, Senator Bernie Sanders, former Vice President Joe Biden, former South Bend Mayor Pete Buttigieg and Senator Amy Klobuchar gather onstage for the ninth Democratic 2020 US presidential candidates debate at the Paris Theater in Las Vegas. Picture: Reuters

“I’d like to talk about who we’re running against. A billionaire who calls women fat broads and horse-faced lesbians. And no, I’m not talking about Donald Trump, I’m talking about mayor Bloomberg,” Warren said as the audience at the Paris Theatre gasped.

“Democrats are not going to win if we have a nominee who has a history of hiding his tax returns, of harassing women and of supporting racist policies like red lining and stop and frisk … Democrats take a huge risk if we just substitute one arrogant billionaire for another.”

The other candidates lined up also to accuse Mr Bloomberg of everything from not being a true Democrat to being part of the ­out-of-touch “billionaire class” and of trying to buy his way to the White House.

Mr Bloomberg, who is known for a short fuse under pressure, grimaced under the attacks but held his temper and focused instead on criticising Donald Trump. His performance was hardly animated but it was solid and was admirably composed under pressure.

“I think we have two questions to face tonight: One is who can beat Donald Trump and, number two, who can do the job if they get into the White House. I would argue that I am the candidate that can do exactly both of those things,” he said.

“I’m a New Yorker. I know how to take on an arrogant con man like Donald Trump who comes from New York. I’m a mayor, or was a mayor. I know how to run a complicated city — the biggest, most diverse city in this country. I’m a manager. I knew what to do after 9/11 and brought the city back stronger than ever. And I’m a philanthropist who didn’t inherit his money, but made his money.”

Democratic presidential candidate and former Vice President Joe Biden speaks as former Sen. Bernie Sanders listens. Picture: Getty Images

He defended his campaign expenditure, saying he was “spending that money to get rid of Donald Trump, the worst president we have ever had. If I can get that done, it will be a great contribution to America and to my kids”.

The debate, the ninth in the Democratic race, was easily the most fractious so far, with several candidates fighting for their political survival ahead of the Nevada primary on Sunday (AEDT).

Pete Buttigieg, the 38-year-old former mayor of South Bend, Indiana, who came first in the Iowa caucus and second in New Hampshire, took aim at the frontrunners, Senator Sanders and Mr Bloomberg.

“Look, we shouldn’t have to choose between one candidate who wants to burn this party down and another candidate who wants to buy this party out,” Mr Buttigieg said. “We can do better.”

Sanders. Picture: Getty Images

Pete Buttigieg. Picture: Getty Images

“Most Americans don’t see where they fit if they’ve got to choose between a socialist who thinks that capitalism is the root of all evil and a billionaire who thinks that money ought to be the root of all power. Let’s put forward somebody who actually lives and works in a middle-class neighbourhood in an industrial midwestern city. Let’s put forward somebody who’s actually a Democrat.”

At one stage, Mr Bloomberg accused Senator Sanders of effectively advocating communism with his big-spending left-wing agenda, an accusation the Vermont senator described as a “cheap shot”.

Unlike Mr Bloomberg, the other five leading Democrats — Senator Sanders, Mr Buttigieg, Senator Warren, Amy Klobuchar and Joe Biden — have slogged through eight Democrats debates as well as primary campaigns in Iowa and New Hampshire.

By contrast, Mr Bloomberg, who entered the race late, has chosen to skip the first four contests and wave his chequebook to fund a stunningly expensive commercial campaign in large states that have the most delegates. He will enter the race only on March 3, the so-called Super Tuesday when 14 states will choose one-third of all delegates for the Democratic ­National Convention.

Until this debate, Mr Bloomberg was having a one-way conversation with the country — a series of carefully scripted commercials aimed at promoting himself without the rough-and-tough scrutiny that goes with exposing himself to an unscripted debate. Opinion polls in the coming days will show whether his debate performance has justified his massive investment to secure the nomination.

Cameron Stewart is also US contributor for Sky News Australia