Heilemann: ‘Wouldn’t Mind Mike Bloomberg Running the Country’ if We’re ‘Dealing with a Pandemic’

Thursday, MSNBC contributor John Heilemann touted former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s leadership ability.

Heilemann described Bloomberg on “Morning Joe” as “super-competent” and a “managerial technocrat,” saying after hearing his answer regarding the coronavirus during the South Carolina Democrat debate that he “wouldn’t mind” Bloomberg running the country if the nation is “dealing with a pandemic.”

“The strengths of Mike Bloomberg have never been as a debater or as a public speaker,” Heilemann stated. “He’s super competent. He’s a managerial technocrat. He ran the city very well, we all agree. And when he gave the answer last night on coronavirus, he was impressive in that debate. It was the one time you thought, ‘Man, I wouldn’t mind Mike Bloomberg running the country in a state of if we’re dealing with a pandemic.'”

He continued, “The reality is he’s never been good at the onstage stuff. So I think they tried to prep him, and I think genuinely Mike Bloomberg did not think he was as vulnerable on some of these questions, like the NDAs, for instance, as he turned out to be. And also, I think debating is hard. I think he underestimated how good his opponents would be. I think he learned pretty quick in Vegas how far behind he is and that he’s never going to catch up to Bernie Sanders on the debate stage, so they’ve got to do it some other way.”

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