When will Mayor Bloomberg run for President?

[Lurks Often]

Am I the only person who thinks that Mayor Bloomberg is planning on running for President soon?


On edit: Haven't fully thought it out yet, but right now I don't think I would want him getting elected.

[KharmaTrain]

1. As An Independent?

Even with all his money, he'd be fighting upstream...no real party organization or "under ticket" to bring people to the polls. Most people don't know who Bloomberg is and other than being rich and Mayor of New York, what bona fides does he have? What are his positions on key issues? They're pretty much unknown and so is he.

He may want to be President or King, but he can't do it without the backing of a major political party.

[Lurks Often]

12. Hope So

"but he can't do it without the backing of a major political party."

We may think that, but does he? He is certainly rich enough to fund a campaign all by himself

[KharmaTrain]

17. The Same Was Said Of Perot...

...and we saw two things about that money. It could buy airtime but not votes. Or at least not enough to win but to tip the balance in favor of one of the existing parties.

Next thing is people with lots of money tend to be quirky on what they do with it. Some buy big mansions and lots of cars. They also are leery of those who want to leech onto the money...which soon becomes the focus of the candidacy vs. real issues. Surely he can fund a national campaign, but I'm sure he has to wonder why he has to pay all the bills while the others ride free. In the end, it was the money that did in Perot as he distrusted almost all around him.

[mdmc]

14. He would run as an independent

plus he would court the two parties.
But a billion into grassroots activism within the DNC..
But a billion into grassroots activism within the GOP..

With the Dems, all he would need to do is support gay rights, ending the drug war, and single payer health care to get support.
With the GOP, all he would need to do is disarm the teabaggers, which he could do with some beer, guns, and sponsoring a NASCAR franchise.

Who could stand against him?

[twhite1]

2. IMO, he's unelectable on a national level...unless he

becomes the next Dennis Kucinich or Ralph Nader, and how likely is it that a billionaire would do that?

[mdmc]

16. I think the only thing holding him back is that he is jewish

and smart..

But if he can get past the teabaggers, I think he could make a case for himself.

Especially if he comes down super hard on wall street. And he could do that.

[Tejas]

3. Could hinge on the current ATF investigation of his possible felonies.

BATFE doesn't have much of a sense of humor when it comes to purposely faulsifying Federal Gun Forms.

[ProgressiveProfessor]

8. I am still waiting for the AG to squash that

Its bloody obvious...and the states may have some claim on him as well.

[Tejas]

19. The powers-that-be at ATF will be

more than happy to help Holder with that. The agency might have it's share of trash, what group doesn't, but the dedicated agents on the ground that thought they were going to serve in the citizen's interest are quick to tell you their hands are tied. House cleaning is long overdue but Bloomberg's case will slip into the mist before then.

[Lurks Often]

11. Couldn't find a link

Do you happen to have a link?

I did a quick search and it looks like the ATF is going to try to sweep under the rug, looks like no one wants to risk the political fallout of going after Mayor Bloomberg. That or somebody had a quiet word with them to drop the investigation.

[Tejas]

20. Depends on where you

want your info from. Thousands of references are easily found, google bloomberg guns 4473 for starters.


I don't know anything about the site linked below, but it pretty much puts things in a nut shell.

----------------------------------------------------
http://www.humanevents.com/article.php?id=19063

“It is well known,” reads the letter, “that Mayor Bloomberg has organized a multi-state vigilante-style campaign against federal gun dealers. Bloomberg’s gambit is simple—without any federal or state law enforcement authorization, he sends people to federal firearms dealers to break federal law by providing false information on the federal ATF Form 4473 firearm transfer form, and then purchasing guns for persons prohibited by law from taking possession of guns (a so called ‘straw sale’). Bloomberg then files a civil lawsuit against the dealer in a New York court while using a covertly made video tape of the transaction to blackmail the dealer into ‘settling’ on terms where the City of New York’s ‘Special Master’ will supplant ATF supervision of the dealer and peruse Americans’ confidential federal gun transfer records at will.”
----------------------------------------------------

[Lurks Often]

21. Thanks! nt

[LiberalFighter]

4. When he finds enough phonebooks to make him tall enough?

After they find his replacement for Groundhog Day?

After he buys enough fire protection to put out his 88 birthday candles in 2012?

[brooklynite]

5. um, never?

There was certainly interest on Bloomberg's part, and a potential window in 2008 with no Incumbent, but he's not stupid enough to try to run against Obama in 2012, and by 2016, he'll be a retired Mayor with limited links to either party.

[Raineyb]

9. Retired? What makes you think he won't try to buy another term?

It's worked so well for him the first three time's he's tried it.

[brooklynite]

24. Because money only goes so far...

After three terms, it'll be a lot harder to convince voters he's indispensible, and there'll be a lot of strong talent gunning for him on the Democratic side

[Johonny]

22. I agree never

He's can't win the Republican nomination.

[UTUSN]

6. 1) Why?!1 2) Changing law to stay DICTATOR?! anything else?!1 n/t

[Historic NY]

7. Nope too many assets & many liabilities.

[proteus_lives]

10. Hopefully never.

He's a punk.

[mdmc]

13. Hopefully 2016

I think that the smart money is on Obama in 2012.
After that, unless something new comes along, we have Hillary in 2016.
I think Bloomie will take the shot in 2016, if he wants to be President. I don't know if he wants it at all.

[Tejas]

23. He'll be 74. nt

[salguine]

15. By "run for President", do you mean "buy the Presidency"?

[mdmc]

18. yes, isn't that how it is done?

Only those that raise and spend millions of dollars can really have a shot at being president.
I would prefer Bloomie funding himself over a candidate that could only run with the permission of the corporations.

[nomaco-10]

25. He's gearing up for 2012....

he's just gathering up some rightwing think tank focus group bullshit to spur him on. They'll take some of his millions and talk him into choosing sarah palin as a running mate.

perfekt.