Bloomberg.

Terry O'Keefe · Jun 21, 2007

Here's an article from the NYT. In it he says he won't run if he doesn't think he can win, that he doesn't want to be a spoiler (ala' Perot) for the Democratic candidate. Interesting that he's been planning this for a couple of years. If he does run, he will take votes from Hillary.

For 2 Years, Bloomberg Aides Prepared for Bid

By ADAM NAGOURNEY and JIM RUTENBERG
Published: June 21, 2007

WASHINGTON, June 20 — The announcement by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York that he was leaving the Republican Party to become an independent was made after nearly two years in which his aides had laid the groundwork for a potential independent run for president.
Skip to next paragraph
Enlarge This Image
Lenny Ignelzi/Associated Press

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg with Kevin Sheekey, who was the architect behind Mr. Bloomberg’s unlikely mayoral bid in 2001 and who had urged Mr. Bloomberg to run for president after his re-election in 2005.

They collected technical data on the requirements to put Mr. Bloomberg on the ballot in 50 states either as a third party or an independent candidate. Mr. Bloomberg went to Washington for a round of meetings with opinion leaders and traveled the country giving political speeches, including two this week in California.

And Mr. Bloomberg told associates that he was closely studying the 1992 presidential campaign of H. Ross Perot, the wealthy Texan and friend who drew 19 percent of the vote as an independent, to figure out how much a race in 2008 would cost.

For all that, Mr. Bloomberg told a packed news conference on Wednesday that he did not plan to run for president and intended to serve out his second term as mayor.

“My intention is to be mayor for the next 925 days and 10 or 11 hours,” he said. “I’ve got the greatest job in the world, and I’m going to keep doing it.”

Still, Mr. Bloomberg proceeded to use a news conference to give a critique on national politics. It was the fitting end of a week when he appeared on the cover of Time magazine and gave two speeches in California offering a pointed indictment of partisan politics in Washington, contrasting it with how he runs New York City.

Indeed, his aides said that he had not intended for the news of his registration switch, which he initiated last Wednesday by signing a document with the New York City Board of Elections, to become public until he had returned from California, but he was hardly upset at the swell of attention it drew him.

The aides said there was division in his camp about whether he should run for president. Kevin Sheekey, who was the architect behind Mr. Bloomberg’s unlikely mayoral bid in 2001, urged Mr. Bloomberg to run for president over steaks and drinks at a dinner at Dylan Prime to celebrate his re-election in 2005. Others argued that it was an impossible task and a waste of Mr. Bloomberg’s reputation and resources.

Mr. Bloomberg was described as conflicted about a national run, intrigued by the possibility of winning the presidency but telling friends that he would not run unless he was certain that he could win. And he did not want to go down in history as a spoiler who contributed to the defeat of a Democrat like Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York, he has told friends.

“He will not run to be a spoiler,” said Ester Fuchs, a special adviser to Mr. Bloomberg in his first term who remains close to the administration.

Even if Mr. Bloomberg in the end does not run, he is now assured of a platform to speak out on national issues and the country’s political climate, a stage that would fortify him as he enters what is normally the lame-duck portion of his term.

That national platform, coupled with Mr. Bloomberg’s vast wealth, means that he does not have to rush to make a decision. The first deadline for filing petitions to qualify for a state ballot is next May in Texas.
Click to expand...

Link to Full Article

George Krebs · Jun 21, 2007

He's covered all the bases now from democrat to republican to independent.

He's highly regarded as mayor of NYC; in fact some prefer him to Giuliani.

Stu Ryckman · Jun 21, 2007

I am no fan of Mr. Bloomberg.

DodgerDog · Jun 22, 2007

:idea:
He's a Ross Perot waiting to happen...

Log in or Sign up

Bloomberg.

Terry O'Keefe Well-Known Member Administrator

George Krebs Well-Known Member

Stu Ryckman Well-Known Member

DodgerDog New Member

Log in or Sign up

Bloomberg.

Terry O'Keefe Well-Known Member Administrator

George Krebs Well-Known Member

Stu Ryckman Well-Known Member

DodgerDog New Member

Useful Searches