Bloomberg: Political system 'dysfunctional

Bloomberg: Political system 'dysfunctional
His remarks at a "bipartisan forum" fueled
new talk of a possible independent presidential bid.
By Jay Root
McClatchy Newspapers
Posted on Tue, Jan. 8, 2008

NORMAN, Okla. - On the eve of the New Hampshire primary, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg stirred some presidential talk of his own yesterday, calling the political system "dysfunctional."

While he declared again that he was "not a candidate," his appearance as the star guest at a "bipartisan forum" at the University of Oklahoma fueled new speculation that he soon would mount an independent bid for the White House.

Bloomberg's wealth, his flashy departure from the two-party system last summer, and his appearance here have made him the biggest wild card of the 2008 campaign.

"People have stopped working together," Bloomberg said at the gathering. "Government is dysfunctional. I think there's no accountability today. Nobody is holding themselves accountable to the standards of what they promised when they ran for office."

Bloomberg said voters wanted results, not ideological catering to special interests.

"What we want is people to be selected for government based on competency," he said.

Listening in the audience was Dean Barkley, the architect of Jesse Ventura's successful third-party run for governor in Minnesota. Barkley said Bloomberg "sounded more like a candidate than not," and he noted that the billionaire mayor's advisers were researching the possibility of an independent race.

"He's weighing his options," Barkley said. "I think Bloomberg is the kind of guy who will decide to run if he thinks he can win. He doesn't do anything to lose."

Whether there's a national appetite for an independent candidate this year is unclear.

Democratic candidate Barack Obama, an Illinois senator, has rocketed to the top of opinion polls in New Hampshire since his win last week in Iowa, where he preached an end to the type of partisan meltdown that inspired yesterday's meeting in Oklahoma.

Likewise, former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, who pulled off a stunning win in Iowa's Republican caucuses, has run as a Washington outsider willing to take unorthodox stands on taxes and social spending.

Bloomberg and other participants at the meeting acknowledged that there had been a call for national unity in the recent contests but expressed fears that it could evaporate.

"Maybe you are seeing that," Bloomberg said. "And if it was true of a few of the candidates, maybe . . . going forward during the months of January and February and March, each of them will do exactly the same thing."

Former Oklahoma Sen. David Boren, now president of the University of Oklahoma, was the chief organizer of the event. Boren, a Democrat, suggested that some of the candidates had been inspired to preach unity after hearing of the bipartisan call for it.

Also at the meeting were former Defense Secretary William Cohen and former New Jersey Gov. Christie Whitman, both Republicans, and former Sens. Chuck Robb (D., Va.) and Gary Hart (D., Colo.).

Election laws are geared toward a two-party system, so any independent candidate would have an uphill organizational climb to get on the ballot in all 50 states.

But Bloomberg has not hesitated to use his vast wealth to advance his political career. He spent $74 million on his 2001 campaign for mayor, and an additional $85 million in his run for reelection, according to published reports.