The death of the Bloomberg dream?

February 1, 2008

We may finally be at a point in which we can stop talking about New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and his subtle-but-not-really interest in launching an independent presidential campaign.

There have been several reports of late indicating that California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) had been one of the high-profile figures urging Bloomberg to consider a third-party campaign. Of course, the encouragement looks a little hollow now that Schwarzenegger has given his enthusiastic support to John McCain.

Worse, the Unity08 gang folded their tent to create a Draft Bloomberg campaign, which has an online petition that is yet to generate 5,000 signatures — weeks after its launch. Adding insult to injury, one of the effort’s top organizers conceded this week, “Even his good buddies are backing McCain.”

Worse still, Joe Lieberman, an active Bloomberg supporter during the mayor’s re-election campaign, has said publicly that the mayor no longer has a reason to launch a campaign.

When the New York Observer talked to Bloomberg organizer Karin Gallet about the future, he said:

“He’s not running. He’s convinced me. I’m returning to more obtainable goals like passing my business law class and supporting moderate Republicans! […]

“We have not mustered up any kind of significant groundswell support. I think Bloomberg is just too good for this country.”

Misplaced sycophancy aside, even the mayor seems to realize this isn’t going to happen.

The New York Daily News reported today:

Mayor Bloomberg appears to be backing further away from a presidential run, telling a group of Google employees in the city Thursday “I am not a candidate and I’ll stay that way.”

His comments, the firmest denial to date, came the day his biggest political supporter, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R-Calif.), endorsed Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) for the job.

Although Bloomberg’s aides are meeting with ballot access experts and generating a buzz that their boss will run as a third party candidate, Bloomberg has been coy about his plans.

When asked yesterday if he was running, he flatly said “No,” but then launched a two-minute speech on his disappointment with the current candidates.

When a reporter followed up to find out if he might change his mind, Bloomberg said “I am not a candidate and I’ll stay that way … I plan to finish out my term.”

It sounds like it’s really not going to happen. Sorry, David Broder.

It was his dream and he didn’t make it happen. “Bloomberg is too good for this country”??? I think we dodged a bullet if this was their attitude. Bloomberg might have the been the Ego that Devoured D.C.

  • “I’m returning to more obtainable goals like passing my business law class and supporting moderate Republicans!”

    Please, show us a true moderate Republican on the national stage. Even someone like Christine Todd Whitman has the muzzle slapped on her for dissenting with the party. The problem with the Republican party is that it’s intolerant to moderation or dissent.

  • Bloomberg could have been (be?) the new Nader, only with a ton of money. A Democrat-turned-Republican-turned independent divorced Jewish billionaire from New York City just isn’t going to resonate in the hinterlands of the homeland no matter how much money he spends. Just as another Nader run will be a late-night joke, so Bloomberg would be held up to ridicule, but he might have bought enough votes in a few crucial states to deny a Democrat 271 votes in the Electoral College.

  • ***I’m returning to more obtainable goals like passing my business law class***

    How “obtainable” does something have to be, in order to be “more obtainable” than getting Bloomberg a term as POTUS? Sounds to me as if someone needs to get out of business-law school and climb back into the fast food drive-thru booth.

    “Welcome to Bloomberg’s—would you like fries with that?”

  • I know how they could get their campaign going… Give all of Bloomberg’s money away to a randomly drawn name from the petition.

  • After the grim Bush years we are at last getting some nice comedy out of his succession fight on the non-Democratic side. Rudy, Grandpa Fred, Huck, Bloomberg – they’re like the team of circus clowns that come out and do absurd pratfalls between the acrobat and the elephant acts.

  • Apparantly, with Guiliani out, there is no need for Bloomberg.

    Or is it that the “moderate” Republican is the frontrunner.

    By the way, McCain is anything but moderate.

  • I suppose it would be too much to ask of David Broder to stop letting his personal biases color his reporting. After all, everybody else in the wingosphere is doing it so why shouldn’t he?

    /snark

  • jimBOB said:

    After the grim Bush years we are at last getting some nice comedy out of his succession fight on the non-Democratic side. Rudy, Grandpa Fred, Huck, Bloomberg – they’re like the team of circus clowns that come out and do absurd pratfalls between the acrobat and the elephant acts.

    LOL It gives me the image of a little tiny Straight Talk Express bus with these clowns packing themselves into it and McCain driving it around with the tiny steering wheel between his knees.

    I’ve said it before (because it sounded semi-original) that there’ll be a black or female president before there is a viable third party. I just hope that glass celings will be shattered this November.

  • He said all along he was going to wait to see who the major party nominees are, and they are not helping Bloomberg. While he’s still be a long shot as a third party candidate, his best chance would have been Edwards v. Huckabee but neither is going to get the nomination.

    The worst situation for Bloomberg would be Obama vs. McCain and that might come about. Sure, McCain is no moderate, but as long as he is portrayed that way it makes it harder for Bloomberg to take votes from moderate Republicans.

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