Can Bloomberg (Or Steyer) Buy The Democratic Nomination?

The chart above is from Axios.com. It shows the amount of money each candidate for president has already spent on their campaigns.

The two biggest spenders are billionaires Tom Steyer and Michael Bloomberg -- both of whom are trying to secure the Democratic presidential nomination. Both are self-funding their campaigns.

Steyer, who has been in the race for a while, has spent the most money on advertising so far -- about $54.8 million. He has asked people to send him a dollar, but that was just so he could register enough "donors" to get on the debate stage with other Democratic candidates. 99.99% of the money he has spent is his own.

Bloomberg has only been a candidate for a few days, but has already spent $35 million on TV ads. He is not asking for donations and won't be on the debate stage. He also will not try to compete in the early states (Iowa, New Hampshire, South Carolina, and Nevada). He is hoping his massive advertising can help him compete in the Super Tuesday states (voting on March 3rd) and beyond.

Both of these candidates say their self-funding means they won't be beholding to anyone if nominated. They think that's a selling point. I don't. I think candidates should be beholding to the many thousands of Democrats who send their hard-earned money to their campaigns. I don't want candidates who owe anything to corporations or lobbyists. But they should owe their allegiance to the  base of the party.

Personally, it just looks to me like Bloomberg and Steyer are trying to buy the nomination. They are both super-rich, and they can outspend any other candidate in the field (even those who are doing very well in fundraising among Democrats). There is no real limit to how much they can spend.

Do Democrats really want a candidate who can just spend the most money? I don't think so. Steyer, with all his spending is still in low single-digits in the polls. I doubt Bloomberg will do much better.

Republicans may be happy to sell their nomination and be represented by a billionaire, but I think Democrats are different. They want a candidate with policies that will help most Americans -- especially the poor, the working class, and the middle class (all of whom have been ignored by Republicans).

I could be wrong, but I don't think Bloomberg or Steyer can buy the Democratic nomination. What do you think?