Politics

CNN’s Van Jones: Democrat Debate Was ‘Disaster’ For ‘Titanic’ Bloomberg

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David Krayden Ottawa Bureau Chief
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CNN host Van Jones unloaded on Democratic presidential candidate Michael Bloomberg Wednesday night, saying the Las Vegas Democratic debate was a “disaster” for the multi-billionaire.

“Look, this was a disaster for Bloomberg. Bloomberg went in as the Titanic: billion dollar machine Titanic. ‘Titanic meet iceberg [Democratic Massachusetts Sen.] Elizabeth Warren.’ She took him to task in a way that I have never seen in a debate. She took it over. She prosecuted him,” Jones said while participating in a CNN post-debate panel analysis.

Jones expressed dismay in his belief that Bloomberg is attracting black Democratic voters who are “placing great hope in” the former New York City mayor. (RELATED: Van Jones Tells Democrats To ‘Wake Up’: Trump Is ‘Causing Us Problems’ With the Black Vote)

“Despite the stop and frisk and all that sort of stuff, you’re seeing people trying to move over there and he just wasn’t ready. He was tone deaf on issue after issue. And the reason why, he’s not been in the living rooms, he hasn’t been doing those town halls,” Jones asserted.

Jones suggested the Democratic Party is being assaulted by “two outsiders” — Bloomberg, who was once a Republican, and Independent Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.

The CNN contributor also picked up on a familiar theme of late: Bloomberg’s tendency to ridicule segments of American society by appearing dismissive or arrogant. Jones cited Bloomberg saying he has “too much money” to use Turbo Tax — a computer aide for completing federal taxes. “A lot of people watching use Turbo Tax.”

The debate intensified an already difficult week for Bloomberg, who saw something of his past statements resurface in archived video. In one segment, the former mayor suggested a minimum of intelligence was required to be a farmer or factory worker. In another, Bloomberg suggested elderly cancer patients should not be provided with medical treatment. (RELATED: Van Jones: No Candidate In Democratic Debate ‘Could Take Donald Trump Out’)

“His answer on women was terrible. He got completely destroyed on the NDA question. His answer on stop and frisk was as bad as it could possibly be,” Jones continued, referencing the New York City police procedure of targeting minority males to search for weapons or drugs. Bloomberg aggressively defended the policy in 2015. On Wednesday night, the presidential candidate said things “got out of control.”

“On every major thing that people who are looking for a champion, just when they see some contrition and some professionalism, he let people down tonight. And he’s got to go back to the woodshed and get it from his team and come back better next time,” Jones asserted.