Update: LA Times Bloomberg nixes running

[ProSense]

LA Times: Bloomberg Again Nixes Presidential Run

From http://www.prospect.org/csnc/blogs/tapped_archive?month=05&year=2007&base_name=post_3703">The American Prospect:

IN IT TO WIN IT. The Washington Times reports that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has inched closer to a decision about running for president as an independent in 2008, putting together plans to devote one fifth of his very substantial assets to the quest. From the online teaser story:

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg is prepared to spend an unprecedented $1 billion of his own $5.8 billion personal fortune for a third-party presidential campaign, Ralph Z. Hallow will report Tuesday in The Washington Times.

"He has set aside $1 billion to go for it," a long-time business adviser to Mr. Bloomberg tells The Times. "The thinking about where it will come from and do we have it is over, and the answer is yes, we can do it."

The $1 billion would represent about one-fifth of Mr. Bloomberg's personal fortune....

the mayor's associates say they are fielding calls from staffers for Republican Sen. John McCain's 2008 presidential campaign, which the Bloomberg adviser compared to "a biplane on fire and spiraling down."

Polls thus far have shown a third-party Bloomberg bid would draw more Republican votes than Democratic ones. A Bloomberg entry would raise the specter of an unprecedented all New Yorker race, if Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani win their primaries, as well as the effective obliteration of campaign finance laws as we know them.

[GreenPartyVoter]

1. Campaign finance reform, we hardly knew ye. *hat over heart* n/t

.

[nevergiveup]

2. Would someone explain to me

how this would hurt Republicans more than Democrats. Isn't Bloomberg a moderate? If Hagel, the anti-war conservative, runs with him I think the Democratic candidate would be doomed.

[Colobo]

6. Interesting take...

I believe it would hurt both parties.

[madinmaryland]

3. Uhmm.. "Washington Times reports ..."

nuff said.

[Honeycombe8]

4. I wonder why? Third parties never win. So why would he do this? Why would Hagel?

It's a mystery to me. I don't see what they have to gain by it. Sure, it's admirable to launch a third party attempt, esp. if they are sincere in the issues they care about. But why would they do a third party attempt?

A third party has more of a chance now than in recent history, I think. But it's not enough, is it? Unless they think the country might split between the two major parties, with the third party edging out ahead? I just can't figure it out.

[BushOut06]

5. Didn't Ross Perot try this in '92?

Ross Perot ran using his own money, if I'm not mistaken. He also had almost unlimited funds to burn. He ran at a time when people were disgusted with both parties.

If Ross Perot couldn't get a single electoral vote in '92, what makes anyone else think they can get one now?

[Old and In the Way]

7. I dunno...anyone investing a thousand million into a campaign

has to be looking for an ROI. Even if this is not the case, I have real problems with people buying their way into this office.

I suspect that this is the real firewall position for the power elites....they can't have a Democratic President and Congress on the same page with regards to really reforming our government.

[TwilightGardener]

8. Unfortunately, I think it's fair--he has a lot of money, but ultimately,

it's the voters and delegates that will choose the prez, and in that he is equal. He has to give the American people a reason to vote for him, and they either will or they won't. It's not much different than all the other Richie-Riches who run (Romney, anyone?)--Bloomberg just has a bigger budget and doesn't have to hold fundraisers. He is also beholden to no one but himself.

[WCGreen]

9. You know Bloomberg was a democrat....

And ran as an indepedent just so he wouldn't have to run in the primary...

[Cha]

13. Bloomberg ran as a

republican.

[WCGreen]

15. My bad....

I could have sworn he was a democrat who changed affiliation so he wouldn't have to face a primary against Mark Green....

[Cha]

16. It's confusing all right, WCGreen!

My understanding is that Bloomberg was a Dem but ran as a repub so he wouldn't be in the primary against Green or any of the other Dems. It worked!

[WCGreen]

17. That's where I got it from....

I tried to look it up on the NYT sight but they didn't go back that far with on line archives..

[tkmorris]

10. That LA Times article doesn't have a quote

The title of the articles says he "nixes presidential run" but nowhere in the article itself is a quote saying anything of the kind. The closest he gets to nixing anything is when he say Hagel was probably joking about an independent run with he and Bloomberg. That sounds more like a deflection than a denial to me. I am trying to find a direct quote from Bloomberg elsewhere, but for the moment that article (which originated with AP) is all there is.

[democrat2thecore]

11. Not So Fast

He also told The Oklahoman last Friday before the OU commencement, "I'm not running for President." He says it with conviction. But a TV station had the video, when the follow-up was, "WILL you be running for President?" he only turned and smiled. No, he's not "running for president" - NOW. So, he's being honest. Every time he says it (just like that - every time) he's being 100% honest. The telling glance to the OKC TV station told me he was running.

[Cha]

12. So I wonder what Bloomberg

will do after Mayor of NYC? Take a break and go for Senator?

[democrat2thecore]

14. I think it's the Presidency or Philanthropy

His heart is to spend full-time giving his money away his money. He is a philanthropist first and foremost. I don't think any other office interests him at all.

[Bullet1987]

18. If Bloomberg and Hagel both run...

I believe it would hurt both parties.

Yes, it would hurt both parties...but I think Republicans moreso. Hagel is a conservative, and even though he's anti-war...I don't envision all of the anti-war people on the left (a good amount of the party) to swarm to Hagel. Bloomberg would automatically become the elephant in the room, and HE poses the most trouble for Dems. But most people outside of NYC know absolutely nothing about Bloomberg...so.