Of course. That is (and here comes the really big caveat) if he gets the match-up he needs in the election, the right Democratic and Republican candidates who leave a big enough hole in the middle for him to drive his personal fortune through.
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg yesterday severed his membership in the GOP (stop laughing, my Republican friends who insist Bloomberg was never a real Republican anyway) and declared himself a free agent, an Independent. As he met Tuesday with another politically confused creature (the Govinator), the billionaire swore he wasn’t running for president. But speculation ran rampant.
Bloomberg is clearly positioning himself for an independent run if the right situation occurs, and if polling next year shows there is an opportunity. I don’t see either of those scenarios coming to pass, however. The most likely nominees — Hillary Clinton and Fred Thompson — don’t seem to leave a lot of room in the middle, even thought Hillary is very liberal and the Rear Admiral is very conservative. Their personalities (and acting career, in Thompson’s case) transcend the polarization that you would normally find with their political resumes. And even though people are unhappy with Congress, President Bush, politics and the system in general, Bloomberg doesn’t seem to be the answer to those dissatisfactions. When was the last time you heard anyone say to you, “Ya know, I really wish the munchkin mayor of New York would throw his hat in the ring”? Or “God I wish we had a centrist problem-solver and not just some egotist career politician running things in Washington”?
As this assessment points out, what would his platform be? I got things done in NYC? Rudy is playing that card to the hilt and is about to be passed by Fred Thompson anyway.
What’s more likely at play here is a very smart politician (with beaucoups bucks) who now can either run for president or become a player outside and above the system, much like Arnold Schwarzenegger has done in California. Bloomberg can work outside the existing confines on issues he cares about (immigration) just as Ah-nold has with his issues (the environment).
Jimmy Buffett to Headline Last Chance for Change Rally & Concert for Barack Obama
