Bloomberg won't run for President

[Hawaii Hiker]

Source: NYT

"Michael R. Bloomberg, who for months quietly laid the groundwork to run for president as an independent, will not enter the 2016 campaign, he said Monday, citing his fear that a three-way race could lead to the election of a candidate who would imperil the security and stability of the United States: Donald J. Trump".

Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2016/03/08/us/politics/michael-bloomberg-not-running-for-president.html?action=Click&contentCollection=BreakingNews&contentID=60376650&pgtype=Homepage

[Smarmie Doofus]

1. I've just lost all interest in living. nt

[merrily]

3. Kettle cooked potato chips with sea salt.

Ice cream.

Peet's coffee beans.

Let me know if you need more reasons. I've got a million of 'em, folks!

Great post, btw!

[forest444]

11. Jazz...Chopin...Steely Dan...DU...

Amirite?

[merrily]

17. For me, posting is nore of an addiction I'd love a cure for than something to live for, but

I'll certainly go with music in general and so many other things to see, smell, touch, taste and/or hear.

[forest444]

18. Whatever works.

Try posting standing up, merrily - with your laptop on the counter, and perhaps with a nice jazz or classical station in the background.

It'll probably your DU time a little less captivating, although I know what you mean. It's so much fun sometimes.

All the more so with Mr. Bernie running!

[silvershadow]

9. ROTFLOL. nt

[merrily]

2. That did not occur to him during the months he was quietly laying the groundwork? Or in 2000?

No flies on Michael, wot?

[rurallib]

4. Well I hope that works out well for Dems.

I don't even know what to think anymore.

[Gothmog]

5. Bloomberg was only going to run if Sanders was the nominee

There is only a 5% chance that Sanders will be the nominee and so it does not make sense for Bloomberg to make a run

[William769]

6. That high?

WOW!

[Smarmie Doofus]

12. So.... a Republican billionaire is frightened by the prospect of a Sanders presidency.

And comfortable with the prospect of a Clinton presidency.

Baby... that's all you need to know.

[Renew Deal]

20. Sanders and Trump

We might get one out of the two and it's not Sanders.

[lark]

7. At last, a shred of sanity is seen!!

Whew!!

[livetohike]

8. He probably realized the likelihood of Congress approving a

third term as President was zero 😊.

[left-of-center2012]

10. Another Wall Street billionaire for Hillary !

[PoliticAverse]

24. Well as she said "He's a good friend of mine"...

http://www.realclearpolitics.com/video/2016/01/24/hillary_clinton_im_going_to_win_the_democratic_nomination_so_my_friend_mike_bloomberg_wont_have_to_run.html#!

[mcar]

13. Love the reasoning!

[chapdrum]

14. Another reasonable Republican, just like

Kasich.

Sorry that the other genteel GOP'er won't run.

[thesquanderer]

15. I'm surprised he didn't wait one more week.

He had originally said he would consider a run if Sanders got the Dem nomination, but not if Hillary did. So I guess he has either decided that Sanders has even less chance now than he did when he first floated the balloon, or he's decided that, even on the off-chance Sanders can somehow manage the nomination, he no longer believes that Sanders and Trump (or Cruz) would be equally undesirable.

I'm a little surprised he didn't wait until March 15, when another big batch of primaries might further solidify where things are heading, but I guess he decided it didn't matter. (I had read elsewhere that he had until "mid March" until windows of opportunity for getting on all the necessary state ballots would start to close.)

[chapdrum]

16. Spare us the handwringing

over Trump, o fraudulent party of scumbags (genteel or otherwise).

[greymouse]

19. how many states would Bloomberg have won?

I'm going with 0 or maybe New York.

[Smarmie Doofus]

21. Zero. No "maybe." nt

[Eric J in MN]

22. Bloomberg's team thought Bernie Sanders would win NY

...in a three-way race against Michael Bloomberg and Donald Trump.

They thought Bloomberg would win Wisconsin, Illinois, Tennessee, Georgia, and other states.

https://twitter.com/nytimes/status/706974468997038080

[RKP5637]

27. My hunch is not many. I also think there's more to this. Last time he was going to run in another

election, basically, his financial analysts or someone said it was not worth the risk and investment, that he would likely not win. I don't think he likes to waste money on something he would probably not win no matter who he was running against.

[PoliticAverse]

23. Direct link to Bloomberg's statement...

http://www.bloombergview.com/articles/2016-03-07/the-2016-election-risk-that-michael-bloomberg-won-t-take

[malthaussen]

25. In other words, they ran the numbers...

... and decided he didn't have a chance. And Mr Bloomberg is not Don Quixote.

-- Mal

[RKP5637]

28. Yep! Exactly!!! It was not worth the investment and likely loss. n/t

[Kip Humphrey]

26. HEADLINE: Oligarchy stands down to DEFCON 3, returns billionaire to hanger.