Posted on 05/11/2007 8:09:22 PM PDT by 1066AD
Bloomberg readying for a run at White House By Toby Harnden in Washington Last Updated: 2:26am BST 12/05/2007
Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire businessman and mayor of New York, is building the foundations for an audacious third-party presidential candidacy that would transform the 2008 race for the White House.
The Daily Telegraph has established that a senior aide to Mr Bloomberg has held three lunch meetings with officials from the Independence Party, during which detailed discussions took place as to how a third-party bid could be launched.
Kevin Sheekey, Mr Bloomberg's special adviser and chief political strategist, first met Frank MacKay, the New York chairman of the Independence Party, for talks in November at Manhattan's Four Seasons hotel.
Two further lunch meetings took place in quick succession early last month over steak and seafood at the city's well-known Bobby Van's restaurant.
Mr MacKay declined to confirm or deny whether the meetings had happened but said that he thought Mr Bloomberg would make an "excellent candidate".
Meanwhile, a source closely connected to the New York mayor's inner circle said: "He thinks he could be a great president. Mike Bloomberg has got $500 million to spend and he is supremely confident."
Mr Bloomberg, 65, would be likely to run as a social liberal and fiscal conservative with signature issues such as environmentalism and gun control.
advertisementA centrist Bloomberg candidacy would certainly stir up next year's presidential race. Ross Perot, the wealthy businessman who secured 19 per cent of the vote as an independent candidate in 1992, is widely credited with enabling Bill Clinton to defeat George Bush Snr.
While publicly denying he is seeking the presidency, Mr Bloomberg is clearly enjoying the speculation.
A recent poll gave him a 73 per cent approval rating among New Yorkers. Bloomberg's eponymous financial information company is believed to be worth about $20 billion, giving him the launchpad to compete easily in what is certain to be the most expensive election in US history.
Mr Bloomberg is understood to be waiting until February to see who will emerge as the Republican and Democratic nominees before making a final decision. However, this week he relaunched the website mikebloomberg.com that he used during his runs for mayor in 2001 and 2005.
A Bloomberg company source said Mr Bloomberg had made preparations to borrow enough money against his stake in the firm to fund a presidential campaign.
"When the mayoral race was being considered, people said he would be crazy to do it and he had no chance. Then he won. He's got a financial plan for 2008 and he's ready to pull the trigger."
Stu Loeser, Mr Bloomberg's spokesman, confirmed that meetings with the Independence Party took place but said that they were about the general issue of how a third-party presidential candidate could compete.
"The meetings are recent but it's not the first time we've spoken about supporting independent candidacies," he said.
"The mayor thinks the speculation is very flattering but he's not running for president. His next career will be as a full-time philanthropist."
But a political operative who has spoken to senior Bloomberg aides said: "This is as dead serious as a heart attack. If they are not serious, then these people are the greatest actors, the best showmen I've ever seen. They are talking minutiae. They've done tons of research and looked into this very deeply."
He is a liberal nut,the dems would be hurt bad.
will he divest himself of his media empire or use it to his own benefit?
he’s just another TWirP, a “centrist” aka Progre$$ive,, let him run and pay the consequences along with the rest of us.. jerk!
Yeah, we don’t have enough liberal RINO psycho pro-abort, pro-gun control, pro-control freak candidates in the mix already.
Hillary and Rudy’s.
Another liberal who won’t get my vote.
Trying to play Perot to put another Clinton in the White House. What a clymer.
“signature issues such as environmentalism and gun control.”
Judging but tidbits such as this and his record, I would think that he will siphon more Demo votes that RINO votes.
Both of his signature issues are leftists' darling, so I'd say he will hurt Dims more. I expect, though, Hillary will run as a 'fiscal conservative' candidate, by touting her economic records during the first terms (at the time, they were known as Bill-Hill. Now, Hill-Bill.)
Why didn't Bloomberg run for NY Governor? This guy is delusional if he really believes he could win the presidency.
He must be very full of himself to think he can excite enough people to give him a serious candidicy. Maybe he’s just a legend in his own mind.
rich women/men and their toys
He'll be lucky to get more than 10 Republican votes in most states -- and his support would be strongest in states where the GOP doesn't have a prayer of winning anyway.
Sure sounds like another former NYC mayor we know.
The one candidate we could choose who would be torpedoed by Bloomberg would be Rudy Giuliani. Even new yorkers like Bloomberg better than Rudy. Every liberal republican would like him better than Rudy.
The more conservative our candidate, the less we are hurt by Bloomberg. Bloomberg gives “disaffected” liberals a place to vote rather than democrat.
Well put.
fwiw a Third Wayvian Movement exists and is eager to succeed, no matter how much it costs the rest of us.
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A Centrist’s point of view
Posted By pjsilver on October 28, 2006 3:52 PM
http://www.mypartytoo.com/blog/?storyId=1611
I gave money to Chafee in the primarily but then to Whitehouse in the General; also to 20 other candidates and organizations.
The issue for me is “checks and balance”. I do not trust the Republican leadership to discipline the President.
I invite IMP to consider that an opportunity is opening up to reposition itself to represent the rapidly growing ranks of Centrists and moderates OF BOTH PARTIES. Moderate Republicans have far more in common with Centrist Democrats than they do with the wings of their party. Consider collaborating with the RMSP, Dems for Joe, and even the DLC.
A Centrist movement is imminent.
While the idea of a third Party doesn’t seemt gain much traction, a Centrist Movement aimed at promoting Centrists of either party seems to be a path of far less resistance.
The definition of “Centrist” is becoming more clear: Trans-ideological, pragmatic, semi-secular,
So many prominent personalities are talking like Centrists: Barack Obama, Colin Powell, John Danforth, John Kerrey, Joe Lieberman, Mark Warner, Rudy Guiliani, Michael Bloomberg, Lincoln Chaffee, Michael Dewine, Arnold Schwarenegger, occasionally John McCain, Hillary Clinton,
Michael Bloomberg is spending a small fortune developing a professional organization to promote his Centrist Politics.
You can get ahead of this wave and benefit from it or continue an increasingly disreputable partisanship.
That’s my take on it. How friendly is Hillary with him? I know it turned out Perot was actually good friends with Bill pre-1991.
Maybe they should run on the same ticket and let the Republicans nominate a real conservative.
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