Bloomberg poised for third-party campaign

[sabra]

Source: WashTimes

New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is prepared to spend an unprecedented $1 billion of his own $5.5 billion personal fortune for a third-party presidential campaign, personal friends of the mayor tell The Washington Times.

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

Another personal friend and fellow Republican said in recent days that Mr. Bloomberg, who is a social liberal and fiscal conservative, has "lowered the bar" and upped the ante for a final decision on making a run.

The mayor has told close associates he will make a third-party run if he thinks he can influence the national debate and has said he will spend up to $1 billion. Earlier, he told friends he would make a run only if he thought he could win a plurality in a three-way race and would spend $500 million -- or less than 10 percent of his personal fortune.

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

[Skidmore]

1. Barf!

[natrat]

2. what's his deal? a crook like the rest of the thugs

[Adelante]

7. A long time Dem who switched parties

to run for Mayor.

[dmallind]

3. Great!

Split the GOP vote! About time they got Nadered for a change. If by any chance he wins, I'd rather have him than a Ron Paul or even McCain. But pulling centrist Reps away and making it even MORE likely that they will nominate some theocratic loon who will turn off the vast majority of undecideds is hardly a bad thing is it?

[rurallib]

4. To me the beauty of this is Bloomberg blatantly trying to buy

the presidency. Maybe that will wake a few people up the the presidency has for the most part a prize for the highest bidder. And the winner now gets to impose his or her ideas of utopia on a an undesirous public.
If this doesn't spur some action, maybe someday it will gain a spot as evidence that any pretense at real Democracy was over forever.

[Smarmie Doofus]

6. It won't.

>>>To me the beauty of this is Bloomberg blatantly trying to buy

the presidency. Maybe that will wake a few people up the the presidency has for the most part a prize for the highest bidder.>>>

He blatantly bought the NYC media... the source of much of this moronic 'White House' buzz, BTW... and then the mayoralty. No reason he can't buy the WH other than..... it might cost more?

In any case, if you can capture the media, the peeps will never wake-up.

His mayoralty is sub-mediocre. Used to be there was no place to live. Now there's no place to live AND no schools to send your kids to.

[zbdent]

5. That should secure it for the Dems in 08

(not joking)

Edited to add:

Of course, you'll get decades of "Well, fill-in-the-blank-Democrat didn't 'win' in 2008 ... he didn't get the clear majority ..."

like they did all through Clinton's, because of Perot ... but we have to "get over" Gore "losing" ...