Bloomberg’s astroturf media outlet The Trace goes after Ted Cruz, “Expert: Cruz’s Shoutout to Gun Owners of America Marked an ‘Unprecedented’ Turn for Presidential Campaigns“:
“It was one of the Senator from Texas’ few big moments in Wednesday night’s Republican presidential primary debate, and he milked it for all it was worth. Speaking over the moderator as he looked directly into the CNN camera, Ted Cruz boasted about his long history standing up for the “right to keep and bear arms.” He used the phrase three times in under a minute as he ticked off his gun-rights bonafides … Finally, he worked up to his clincher: “I was honored to be endorsed by Gun Owners of America as the strongest supporter of the Second Amendment on this stage today.” …”
The reason he did this is simple: Cruz has to do something to separate himself from the pack. There are way too many candidates on stage right now.
Of course Bloomberg doesn’t like this:
“… Alan Schroeder, a Northeastern University journalism professor and author of Presidential Debates: Fifty Years of High-Risk TV, tells The Trace, “I honestly cannot think of a parallel example from previous presidential primary debates” of a candidate on national television aligning themselves with a group so extreme …”
This attack demonstrates why I don’t believe Bloomberg is going to be very relevant in next year’s presidential election. It’s just lame. The best his money could buy was to get an egghead nobody has heard of before to trot out the old liberal canard of Republicans being “extreme.”
“… GOA’s positions and rhetoric are notably high-proof …”
And still don’t come close to the Laddites calling for SWATting gun owners.
With voters in no mood for more gun control, Bloomberg’s attack is not likely to dissuade other candidates from presenting their pro-gun credentials. If he simply left the issue alone for now, Cruz’s remarks would have faded into the background noise. Instead Bloomberg elevated GOA which might encourage NRA to step up their pressure.