Bloomberg: kicks his billions into a 3rd party race for President - help or hurt the DEM ticket?

[RiverStone]

On Bloomberg:

Washington Times
5/15/07

<snip>

"Bloomberg is H. Ross Perot on steroids," said former Federal Election Commission Chairman Michael Toner. "He could turn the political landscape of this election upside down, spend as much money as he wanted and proceed directly to the general election. He would have resources to hire an army of petition-gatherers in those states where thousands of petitions are required to qualify a third-party presidential candidate to be on the ballot."

Senior Republican officials -- including those supporting declared Republican presidential nomination contenders -- and several top Democrats told The Times they take the possibility of a Bloomberg candidacy as a serious threat in November 2008.

link:

http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20070515-123142-3314r.htm

* * * * * *

QUESTION: Would a 3rd party run funded and joined by billionaire Bloomberg help or hurt the DEM ticket for President in 08?

[TahitiNut]

1. The "Dems" will have cooperated in any harm done, imho.

There's a limit to how much support anyone can gain from merely point to how 'bad' the other side is ... without actually taking a few scalps.

In abandoning the "far left" and taking a weak centrist posture, the Dems gain no support from the right and take the air out of the balloons on the left. Bloomberg can gather support from non-partisan centrists and GOP moderates.

When you take impeachment "off the table" and the minimum wage increase has yet to become law, the active and informed left has very little to point at.

[SoCalDem]

2. hard to say..

The bigots in the republican party would never vote for him

the liberals in the dem party remember that he "used" to be a dem, so they might vote for him..or they might bolt and be pissed at him for switching..

the wishy-washy middle could vote for him because he's rich..

no matter..

he's a rich short guy with a ton of money,but ZERO in the charisma dept.

He could be the Nader of the '08 election..
(we have diebold to consider these days.. not so much when Perot ran)

[wakeme2008]

4. The sad fact is he may be more progressive that the Dem candidate

:shrug:

[Just-plain-Kathy]

7. I was thinking the same thing. ..n/t

:(

[Selatius]

3. Unlike in France, a "Bayrou" candidacy could cause unpredictable results

This is a one-round first-past-the-post gig, not a two-round system where the guy who gets the seat truly won a majority of the vote in the 2nd round.

[PATRICK]

5. If Rove is intact

and the last days fraud blitz plus media strangulation continues, it would always be worked AGIANST the Dems unless the GOP blows it- which they are fully capable of doing, alas without incisive Dem brilliance or counter strategy. They learn or at least try to from past mistakes. Perot was a Bush enemy and the wounds showed their almost intimately. Bloomberg is a simpleton, a schmo, clay in the hands. They showed they could use another Bush rival, Buchanan, like a soft stooge, a concealment for Florida fraud even. the "astute" media will smile and count this as clever contest skill.

The GOP will USE this as an advantage to mask the deficiencies of their ticket and Bush factor no matter what the dems choose to do. They would try to successfully pit Bloomberg against the Dems this time using press and traitors and useful idiots. it at least would distract from the Bush factor and give the people the illusion their "wide, new" choices automatically closes that chapter- which could not be possibly further from the truth.

I know this as surely as I know they are still determined to cheat, still determined to seize oil, power, destroy America as good people know it.

When they are in jail you know we have won a battle if not the war. When the vote fraud is openly crushed, instead of revealed without much consequence. When the media does its supposed job. When hell freezes over despite global warming.

[frogcycle]

9. not to nitpick, but the distinction is important

ELECTION fraud, not VOTE fraud

"vote" fraud sounds too much like "voter" fraud, which is NOT the issue

we need to keep this distinction front and center.

just like its not a war but an occupation.

[PATRICK]

13. Haste makes waste

I do know better and typed it anyweigh. Sorry.

[Norquist Nemesis]

6. Hurt, especially if he add (ES&S) Hagel to the ticket

JMNSHO

[AndyTiedye]

8. Any 3rd Party Hurts the Dems -- Makes It Easier for the Repiglicans to Steal

[RaleighNCDUer]

12. Yup. It doesn't matter how many votes candidate 3 may get from

either party - what matters is having somebody, anybody, for the repukes to point to to explain their 'suprise upset, in defiance of the polls'.

[enfield collector]

10. bloomberg is only popular in NYC and other NE Dem strongholds,

he would drain votes from us and would weaken our candidate.

[LSK]

11. helps, theres a lot more disenfranchised GOP voters out there

Many of them are pissed at their party but refuse to vote for a Dem. Thats where Bloomberg would get most of his votes.