© Jemal Countess / Getty Images via AFP
You can have all the money in the world but you'll still have to go through the motions to win public office. Kiss some babies, shake some working-class hands, order some fast food just like all the plebes do. Mike Bloomberg is no exception, so his campaign published video evidence that their candidate is a very relatable guy.
The video drew a lot of snickering and eye-rolling gifs, but also some pretty informed comments. Like one by Guardian tech reporter Julia Carrie Wong, who recently delved into the spending records of Democrat candidates to find out how they feed their staff members. Bloomberg's rank and file get sushi, but the billionaire and his inner circle are apparently fans of the catering service Air Culinaire, which specializes in private jet clientele.
So Bloomberg's campaign trail menu is more along the lines of wagyu steak with foie gras and Petrossian caviar, Wong tweeted. "The filings show $0 in expenditures at Subway," she said.
OK, so maybe Bloomberg pays for his Meatball Marinara subs out of his own pocket? Twitter users detected a wave of comments rushing to correct the record - the only problem is they did so using the exact same words.
Some of the responses, however, are no longer available, and the accounts have been suspended. On Friday, Twitter announced it identified 70 accounts posting pro-Bloomberg content that violated "our rules against platform manipulation and spam," according to a spokesperson's statement.
The rules were updated in 2019 over concerns regarding the activities of 'Russian-backed accounts' ahead of the election. So maybe Bloomberg supporters should do a better job distinguishing themselves from election-meddling bots - otherwise, as one Twitter user said: with candidates like this, who needs Russian bots?
Comment: Bloomberg's campaign strategy has also resorted to using billboards to criticize Trump's choice of how to cook and eat his steak, as though that would endear him to the common voter. The man has zero self-awareness.