Michael Bloomberg: King Maker or Spoiler?

Is Michael Bloomberg (here-in-after known as Bloomy) the Big Bad Wolf with his billion dollar treasure chest? And, if he is, who's afraid of the Big Bad Wolf? Not me, and I'm pretty sure not any of the Republican candidates. Here's why. First, Bloomy was never a Republican in any sense of the word except for running under that banner to get elected. Bloomy figured, rightly as it turned out, that he could fool a lot of republicans by "turning in" his Democratic loyalty and becoming a Republican. Now, Bloomy had been a liberal Democrat all his adult life, so why the sudden switch? Well, pretty simple, he thought (rightly again) that he would have a difficult time getting the Democrat nomination for the Mayor's job with the fairly large field running. So, in 2001 he turned in his liberal Democrat credentials and ran as a Republican winning some 50% of the vote to Mark Green's 48%.

As you will recall, the Primary's were set for September 11, 2001 but because of the jihadist attack killing some 3000 people and bringing down the Twin Towers, the primary was re scheduled. Bloomy had Giuliani's endorsement against Giuliani's foe Mark Green. Bloomy was elected again in 2005 and is prohibited from running for a third term.

Because he had no compunctions about running as a Republican when he had been a life-long Democrat, he likewise figured that since he can't run for Mayor again, he no longer needs the Republican party in New York as a backer and so once again he switches this time to being an "Independent." This of course allows him to finance his own presidential run should he decide to run.

What kind of Mayor he has been may indicate what kind of President he would be should he win an election. Mr. Bloomgerg is pro-abortion, anti-gun, anti-smoking and willing to tell restraunts what kinds of fat they can use in their various recipes. He has angered the US Federal Attorney for running sting operations looking for gun dealers who "don't follow the law" all the while breaking the law in doing so. He has police officers issue citations to citizens smoking; the activity being legal, the place where you do the activity being tightly scrutinized by police officers whose time might be better spent in pursuit of other, say higher profile criminals. In short, Mr. Bloomberg just might issue in the nanny state in spades. Oh, and he is pro gay marriage as well.

I have a hard time believing that Bloomy, in spite of his wealth (he is the 142^nd wealthiest billionaire according to Forbes) will be able to attract enough right, center right and center votes to win any election in a three way race. He may however be a spoiler for the Democrat running much as is Ralph Nader if you believe that Nader took sufficient votes from Al Gore in 2000 or that Ross Perot took sufficient votes from George H.W. Bush in 1992.

Doubtless, Bloomy will be perceived to run well to the left regardless of how he attempts to run if the Republicans have anything to say about it. And, if Hillary gets the Democrat Nomination for President, Bloomy will be up against the fearsome Clinton machine, not something to sneeze at despite his wealth.

And, since we are on the topic of his wealth, note that spending his own money won't have the same constraints on him that the Democrats and Republicans will have. Bloomy can afford a massive, effective and widespread media buy and have his name on every two bit journalist's notebook as they pursue the story of the rich maverick. And, the MSM do indeed love a maverick; look at the ink that flowed when John McCain ran in 2000 with his "Straight Talk Express."

In fact, being liberal, and a proponent of the nanny state (and he really doesn't care if you have to pay for it with your taxes, after all, he's already made his. I can see it now, the Federal Department of Fats, The Food, Drug and Cigarettes Administration and even perhaps the United States Gun Confiscation Commission. I know, I'm being a little facetious but there may be some hidden truths here in that Bloomy has already tested those waters in New York and the slavish population has gone along without serious revolt.

All kidding aside, a Bloomberg candidacy may well throw the presidential race into the house of representatives if he gets enough states to deny 270 electoral votes to the leading candidate. Then you also have the factor of how many candidates there are at present. Both the Republicans and the Democrats are running a lot of people in the primaries. Those that lose, and that will be all of them save one from each party, may be stiffed and angry, much as McCain supporters were in 2000. Should enough stay home or vote for Bloomy out of spite, that could possibly change the complexion of the election. A fractured party is not unusual for Democrats ("I don't belong to any organized political party, I'm a Democrat" said Will Rogers - and things haven't changed that much) and sometimes, not that unusual for the Republicans (remember the tiff between Goldwater and Rockefeller in 1964 and between Reagan and Ford in 1976, let alone Bush and McCain in 2000). And, in each case concerning both Democrats and Republicans, the tiffs hurt their focused campaigns.

Currently, the Democrats are all running to the left as fast as they can to satisfy the netroots, that mishmash of hard leftists who are nothing if not anti-war and that seems to be all that drives them (where oh where are the classical liberals in the Democrat party besides Zell Miller and Joe Lieberman?) Then, when the race is decided and the winning Democrat moves back to the center as they will no doubt do because that's where the winning votes are the radical left will be without a champion. Now, all of this is of course speculation, but the possibility is definitely there and Bloomy could conceivably take votes from the Democrat nominee more so than from the Republican nominee. And that would drive the Democrats totally bonkers. Truth be told, enough leftish folk voted for Ralph Nader in 2000 that it probably, nay, likely cost Gore the election. It is very doubtful that anyone voting for Nader would have voted for Bush, though I could be wrong about that. But the fact remains that Nader took 97,488 votes in Florida and had Nader not run, the vast majority of those votes would have gone to Gore and thus Florida's 25 electoral votes and the election. This could happen again with a Bloomberg candidacy.

So, will Michael Bloomberg be a Kingmaker for the Republicans, A Spoiler for the Democrats or vice versa? You decide.

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