Column
The Misplaced Confidence of Men Running for President
Michael Bloomberg and Deval Patrick’s late entries into the 2020 race put the male savior complex on full display
So much for whittling down the field of Democratic presidential candidates. The same week that former New York City mayor and billionaire Michael Bloomberg filed paperwork to get on the ballot, former Massachusetts governor Deval Patrick announced his presidential bid, as well. We’re less than three months away from the Iowa caucuses.
If Bloomberg makes a formal announcement, as expected, that will be 19 Democrats running to lead the country, 14 of them men. These late entries can be chalked up to a few things: fear of Elizabeth Warren and her focus on the uber-wealthy (Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos reportedly asked Bloomberg to consider running a few months ago), a belief that only a moderate male can beat Donald Trump (despite a record number of women winning seats in Congress), and good old-fashioned savior complexes.
It takes a pretty healthy ego to believe that, despite a field of well-liked and accomplished candidates, you’re the one who needs to step in and save the day. That’s why it doesn’t surprise me that it’s men who are throwing their hat in this late in the game.
