Isn't Running?

Although Bloomberg has constantly claimed that he will not be a presidential candidate he certainly is acting like one. Last Thursday Bloomberg spoke at the World Bank on several issues the nation faces. A key issue that Bloomberg hit on Thursday was the immigration issue. He noted that both McCain and Huckabee have been the two candidates who are in favor of immigration, as well as the current president, "The ones who have stood out interestingly enough are three Republicans: McCain, Huckabee, and President Bush have all been much pro-immigration than the other candidates." This gives the impression that Bloomberg is pro immigration, however, if he were to run would he be taking votes from the republicans or the democrats? This is a vital question that both the democrats and republicans are concern with since it could be a determining factor. Bloomberg remarked that McCain is a candidate, that unlike others, is in favor of illegal immigrants obtaining their citizenship. It must also be noted that recently McCain has had a change of heart and is talking more about border security rather than citizenship for immigrants. This is due to McCain's will to win over the Conservative vote. It is clear that Bloomberg is in favor of immigration. Bloomberg also discussed other issues he feels haven't been addressed enough by the government. Among them was the issue of the environment and global warming. He feels like candidates should focus more on the issues and less on the people's thoughts, "Candidates are doing polls to find out where they stand, rather than doing polls to find out where the public stands." I know, I know, it really seems as if he is in the race because he is doing so many speeches and presentations, but, he is yet to announce. Will he?

Deadline Approaching

As another President's Day comes and goes, it seems that yet another New Yorker may be shut out of the presidential race. First it was Rudy Giuliani, then Senator Clinton's prospects began to weak, and now Mayor Bloomberg's chances at a presidential bid may soon disappear. There is still time for Bloomberg to enter the race - March 5th will be the date to watch, as it is the earliest opportunity for potential independents to petition to be on the ballot; Texas is the first state in the process. Though he again stated that he is not interested in running for president, Bloomberg displayed his continuing "concern" for national issues by speaking out against the tax rebates which will be part of the economic stimulus package that was passed by congress and signed by the president last week. Nevertheless, the potential for Obama and McCain to pick up independent voters is so strong that Bloomberg might be spurned even if he did enter the race. The longer Bloomberg waits, the dimmer his prospects become.

Bloomberg Seeks to "Influence" the Political Conversation

New York CIty Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who may still be considering a bid for the White House, reflected on the outcome of Super Tuesday last week at a press conference, calling the Republican primary a "horse race" while noting that the Democratic nomination was wide open. Bloomberg, an independent, has been under a great deal of pressure to announce his candidacy for president, but when asked recently, he stated that he was "doing an experiment" to see whether he could truly influence national politics without entering the race. Though he claims that his only interest is influencing the national political conversation, his contant criticisms of both parties' candidates suggest that he is more interested in running for president. Should he enter the race, Bloomberg would hold one advantage over the other candidates - money - although Mitt Romney's less than stellar performance after spending nearly 70 million dollars of his own money suggests that wealth will play a less important role. Bloomberg's delay to announce could be quite intentional, for his chances of picking up disenchanted voters increases the longer the parties remain divided over a nominee.

McCain Makes Bloomberg Weary

McCain's unexpected victories have befuddled many. No one really expected McCain to become the leader of the Republican party. McCain's triumph in several states, including Florida, makes Mayor Bloomberg consider even more in depth if he should run as a third party. It is problematic for Bloomberg that McCain is in the lead because most of the people that would support Bloomberg are now supporting McCain. Bloomberg and McCain have very similar political ideologies, for this reason the people that McCain is attracting currently are the type of people that would support Bloomberg, these are Moderate Democrats. Another complication that has come about as the result of McCain's rise to the top is that Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger recently endorsed McCain. Governor Schwarzenegger gave his support to McCain on Thursday. The reason that Bloomberg and McCain are very much a like is that both have some democratic views and some republican views. Before McCain became the front runner Bloomberg had a purpose to run as an independent. Bloomberg would offer the fresh non-partisan take on things, and would combine both democratic as well as republican ideologies. Bloomberg will for now be looking into the future, particularly to March 5th because this is when the independent candidates may begin collecting signatures in Texas.