Judge Judy on Bloomberg endorsement: U.S. “deserves greatness”

(CBS News) – Judge Judy Sheindlin, one of the country’s most popular daytime television figures, told CBS News she endorsed former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg because the U.S. “deserves greatness.” Sheindlin spoke to CBS News’ Tim Perry while she campaigning with Bloomberg in Texas.

“I looked at the rest of the field and I said America is the greatest country in the world and it deserves greatness. And I looked at everybody else and I said, “I don’t see greatness there,” she said.

Sheindlin said she “lived in New York during Mike’s tenure as mayor,” and found him to be “innovative,” “courageous” and “beholden to no one.”

“Everybody else out there is just a lot of noise, I also think that he is the only person — you’re going to have an election in November, and you’re going to need someone who can stand toe-to-toe, who understands the incumbent, and who understands and appreciates how to manage him. I think he’s the only one who can do that,” Sheindlin said.

Sheindlin also took a shot at Senator Bernie Sanders’ campaign, saying the country didn’t need a “revolution.”

“I don’t think we need a revolution in this country, I think it’s the greatest country on Earth. Everybody wants to come here, nobody’s asking for a permanent exit visa out of the United States of America. Everyone wants to come here. That doesn’t sound to me like a country that needs a revolution,” Sheindlin said. “That doesn’t mean that some of its systems don’t need tweaking. They need tweaking. It has to be made fairer and the ability to realize the American dream has to be made available for more people.”

As for former Vice President Joe Biden, Sheindlin referred to him as a “very nice man” but questioned if he should be president.

“This is his third run for president. I think he’s made a lot of friends. I think people feel he’s sort of safe. But my question is, if you had to have a heart valve replaced, would you want a nice guy to do it? Or do you want the best? I don’t see that a nice guy should be the President of the United States. I think that a great guy, by what he’s done, should be the President of the United States,” Sheindlin said.