November 19, 2019 --

Michael R. Bloomberg should not be faulted for his late entry in the 2020 presidential race -- if, that is, he follows through on qualifying in Alabama.   What do the pre-election year "debates
 amount to if not a  a series of cattle calls at which self-anointed candidates raise their hands to answer questions in the manner of schoolchildren in a classroom?  And why should the funds raised in the pre-election year phase not be seen as a boon mainly for tv networks, ad agencies and political consultants.   

True, money is no issue when it comes to the former New York mayor, but by his instruction, perhaps  other prospective candidates for the highest office in the land realize that they might benefit politically by waiting until the advent of the last year of the political cycle before telling  the citizenry that they are pleased to announce their candidacy for president of the United States.