Bloomberg for President?

revots33 · #1 12-08-2006, 12:31 PM

Read this article in New York Magazine recently about Bloomberg (maybe) running in 08.

Personally, I'd love to see this for several reasons:

1. Bloomberg is a fiscal conservative but a social liberal, which in my mind is an ideal combination.

2. He would have to run as an independent, and an independent victory is the best hope for fixing the f**ed up 2-party system.

3. He's a great manager and a great mayor who shoots straight, gets things done, and has no tolerance for fake political hysterics (like the hysteria over the Dubai ports deal).

Anyone think Bloomberg, or any independent candidate (or any Jew, for that matter) would have a legit chance to be president?

sam h · #2 12-08-2006, 01:28 PM

A lot of things would have to break right for Bloomberg to win.

(1) Foreign policy would have to be less of a dominant issue than in 2004.

(2) Both parties would have to nominate candidates that were relatively polarizing. I could see him having a shot in a Romney-Hillary race, for instance. I think he would be dead in the water if McCain, Giuliani, or Obama were involved though.

Ricky_Bobby · #3 12-08-2006, 01:37 PM

I don't pay much attention to NYC politics but from what I have heard about Bloomberg most conservatives don't seem to like him. Wasn't he a democrat before he ran for mayor?

I just can't think of anyone ever talking about Bloomberg with any enthusiasm, whether it was conservatives or liberals.

Guliani is socially pretty liberal yet he seems to get a fair amount of support from the right presumably because of the way he turned NYC around and probably because of 9/11.

Plus he has no name recognition outside of NYC. I can't see liberals dropping the democrat candidate or conservatives dropping the republican candidate(especially if its Guliani or McCain) and I doubt swing voters will find him exciting enough to vote for.

4 High · #4 12-08-2006, 02:05 PM

Bloomberg wouldnt even win in NY. He might get some Perot 96 type numbers, but he wouldnt have a real shot.

TomCollins · #5 12-08-2006, 04:58 PM

[ QUOTE ]
social liberal

[/ QUOTE ]

Isn't he behind all the smoking bans? Or am I confused? I don't follow NYC politics very closely because I'd never want to live in a [censored]hole of a city.

mark_foley · #6 12-08-2006, 05:01 PM

I don't much about him but he reminds me alot of Steve Forbes, and he didn't fair so well during his bids for the White House.

revots33 · #7 12-08-2006, 05:23 PM

[ QUOTE ]

Isn't he behind all the smoking bans? Or am I confused? I don't follow NYC politics very closely because I'd never want to live in a [censored]hole of a city.

[/ QUOTE ]

True, the smoking ban was a pet project of his but on other social matters (gay marriage, abortion, gun control) he's liberal. He was actually a democrat who switched over to the Republicans before he ran for mayor.

Many people think New York is a great city to live in but hey it's not for everyone.

AlexM · #8 12-08-2006, 05:26 PM

[ QUOTE ]
A lot of things would have to break right for Bloomberg to win.

(1) Foreign policy would have to be less of a dominant issue than in 2004.

(2) Both parties would have to nominate candidates that were relatively polarizing. I could see him having a shot in a Romney-Hillary race, for instance. I think he would be dead in the water if McCain, Giuliani, or Obama were involved though.

[/ QUOTE ]

3) The world would have to forget that he spearheaded the effort to make trans-fats illegal in New York.

AlexM · #9 12-08-2006, 05:28 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
social liberal

[/ QUOTE ]

Isn't he behind all the smoking bans? Or am I confused? I don't follow NYC politics very closely because I'd never want to live in a [censored]hole of a city.

[/ QUOTE ]
True, the smoking ban was a pet project of his but on other social matters (gay marriage, abortion, gun control) he's liberal.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm very confused by this. You guys to be implying that smoking bans are unliberal, but it's liberals and liberal communities who have mostly been implementing them across the country.

TomCollins · #10 12-08-2006, 05:37 PM

[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
[ QUOTE ]
social liberal

[/ QUOTE ]

Isn't he behind all the smoking bans? Or am I confused? I don't follow NYC politics very closely because I'd never want to live in a [censored]hole of a city.

[/ QUOTE ]
True, the smoking ban was a pet project of his but on other social matters (gay marriage, abortion, gun control) he's liberal.

[/ QUOTE ]

I'm very confused by this. You guys to be implying that smoking bans are unliberal, but it's liberals and liberal communities who have mostly been implementing them across the country.

[/ QUOTE ]

It's not socially liberal in the classical sense of the word. It's more of the patnerialistic liberal from the same type that tries to ban violent video games.