Bloomberg-Hagel ticket increasingly unlikely

Bloomberg-Hagel ticket increasingly unlikely
By SARA KUGLER

NEW YORK - The possibility of Sen. Chuck Hagel joining Mayor Michael Bloomberg on an independent presidential ticket seems to be dimming, with Bloomberg distancing himself on Monday from the Nebraska Republican.

The New York Times reported Saturday about a conversation one of its reporters had last week with Hagel, during which Hagel confirmed he had spoken with Bloomberg in the past about possibly being the billionaire's running mate.

The story contained no direct quotes but paraphrased Hagel as saying the rise of John McCain as the GOP nominee essentially closes Bloomberg's window of opportunity to jump in the race because of McCain's appeal to independents and moderates.

Asked Monday about Hagel's claim that the two have discussed running together, Bloomberg flatly denied that any conversation about those topics ever took place, and portrayed his relationship with Hagel as a distant one.

"I have met him a couple of times ... and I never talked to him once about being the candidate, and certainly not about who, if I were to run, which I'm not, who you would pick," Bloomberg said. "We just never had that conversation."

Hagel's chief of staff, Mike Buttry, said later Monday that the senator's conversation with Times contributor John Harwood had been "overplayed."

Buttry said Hagel did not tell the Times that he had been asked to run with Bloomberg _ he only said the two had had "general conversations."

Times spokeswoman Diane McNulty said "we stand by what John Harwood reported Chuck Hagel told him."

The Bloomberg-Hagel speculation began last May when Bloomberg and Hagel shared a not-so-secret dinner in Washington. Then, Hagel said in a television interview that it was time for a third-party candidacy to shake things up. He also mused about the idea of him and Bloomberg running together.

"It's a great country to think about _ a New York boy and a Nebraska boy to be teamed up leading this nation," Hagel said last spring.

The pair met up again for dinner last November in Manhattan, have spoken occasionally by phone, and were together for a bipartisan summit last month in Oklahoma.

Unity isn't all it's cracked up to be

Unity isn't all it's cracked up to be

Even a consensus-building, problem-solving president
can't solve political gridlock.

By Ezra Klein
January 27, 2008

It's been a tough-fought campaign, with lots of strong candidates and piles of good ideas. But I think I've made my decision. I'm supporting the candidate of division. Frankly, I've got unity fatigue.

That seems to be one of the chief buzzwords of this election. Unity. Barack Obama invokes it more frequently than John Edwards mentions "mills." My in-box, meanwhile, has only recently recovered from the torrent of messages sent by "Unity '08," a collection of political has-beens and never-weres who kept promising that if I would only click right here, I could use the power of the Internet to create a bipartisan presidential ticket that would solve problems ranging from the healthcare crisis to global warming.

How exactly would they solve them? Single-payer healthcare? A carbon tax? They never said. But they promised that whatever they chose, it would be bipartisan, and I'm not a partisan, am I?

Unity '08 has, thankfully, dissolved. But the dream lives on. Two of its founders have wandered off to create a "Draft Michael Bloomberg" movement because, if you don't count Hillary Clinton and Rudy Giuliani, this presidential cycle suffers from a dearth of rich technocrats from New York. To be fair though, it's not just the ZIP Code that qualifies him for the job. "He's not an ideologue," enthuses Gerald Rafshoon, a former Jimmy Carter aide who's running the We Like Mike movement. "He's a problem solver. He has also run things."

Ah, yes, "a problem solver," the close cousin of the unifier. Mitt Romney's a problem solver too, or so he tells me. Clinton says she's in "the solutions business." Who could be against that? An end to problems. It's a vision we could, dare I say it, unite around.

What accounts for all this talk of unity and bipartisanship and non-ideological problem solving? Speechwriters have no end of hoary terms of uplift to choose from. There's "individualism" and "family," "values" and "faith." So why are unity and competence so crucial to this year's message?

The short answer is that the candidates have no other choice. Washington these days is rived by partisanship, but that's not necessarily anything new or even particularly worrisome. In Washington, partisanship is like the San Francisco fog; it rolls in, hangs out for a while, and everyone goes about their business. The problem is, in this case, it's created total, impenetrable gridlock.

So, though elections are usually about what is to be done, this campaign has been unusually focused on whether it is in fact possible to get anything done. That's why you have Clinton touting her governmental experience and legislative skill, Obama emphasizing his unifying presence and talent for achieving consensus, Romney reminding voters that he once rendered the Olympics profitable, Unity '08 swearing that all we need is a bipartisan ticket, Bloomberg promising to be as good at governing as he was at getting rich, and so on and so on.

The problem is that hearing all these presidential hopefuls pledge to end gridlock is a bit like having a friend promise to fix my toilet by checking under the hood of my car. Analytically, it's misguided. Now, fish have to swim, and candidates have to over-promise, so let's grant that they may not believe all their own hype. But at the same time, we shouldn't ignore the essential incoherence at the heart of these arguments:

Gridlock is not something the president of the United States can solve. Political gridlock begins in the U.S. Senate, but we keep trying to end it in the White House. There is no potential executive in either party who would not like to manifest his or her agenda by sheer force of will. But in reality, President Mike Bloomberg would be as stymied as President Hillary Clinton or President Mitt Romney, because you don't get a doctor's note exempting you from the legislative process just because you ran, or even govern, as an independent. If you don't believe me, ask Arnold Schwarzenegger, the classic post-partisan unifier who couldn't attract a single Republican vote for his centrist health plan when it went before the Assembly.

Gridlock isn't a mystery. It's not some sort of untraceable crime. It happens live on C-SPAN every day of the week. It's a function of the rules of the Senate, where 40 senators can refuse to end debate on legislation and thus doom its chances of passage. Because of the undemocratic nature of the Senate, which gives Montana as many senators as California, those 40 senators can represent as little as 11.2% of the population.

This is the power of the filibuster, and it used to be a rarely invoked power, as the culture of the Senate prized compromise and consensus. In the 1977-78 congressional term, for instance, there were only 13 filibusters. Ten years later, there were 43. Ten years after that, there were 53. The Democrats used the tactic plenty when they were in the opposition a couple of years ago, but now that they're in power, it is the Republicans who are having a filibuster party. If they maintain their current pace, they'll have filibustered a full 134 times this term, more than doubling any other year on record. It's obstructionism on a truly historic scale.

Add to that obstructionist minority a divided government (the White House controlled by one party, Congress by another), the tensions of an ongoing war and a lame-duck president with no chosen successor and thus little concern for his plummeting popularity, and you have a moment that laughs at legislative progress. That's why the presidential campaign has become so focused on "getting things done."

But it's not up to the president. There are a variety of fixes for a filibuster-happy minority. The media, for example, could start accurately reporting the cause of the gridlock, shaming the relevant senators and increasing political pressure to compromise. The voters could eject politicians who refuse to compromise, laying down an electorally enforced preference for a functioning government. The Senate majority could change the rules, essentially eliminating the filibuster. Groups such as Unity '08 could arise and, rather than wasting everyone's time with idle fantasies of ever more dreamy executives, could campaign against Senate rules that are undemocratic and hostile to progress.

But the president can't do this, not on his or her own. Unity means nothing in the face of obstructionism, and problems can't be solved if legislators refuse to solve them.

Ezra Klein is a staff writer at the American Prospect. His blog can be found at EzraKlein.com.

MacKay lays groundwork for Bloomberg bid

Brand: MacKay lays groundwork
for Bloomberg bid

Rick Brand
January 27, 2008

Fueling the presidential fever, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg lately has crisscrossed the country in high-profile stops, among them pitching public works projects with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

While Bloomberg is jetting about, Suffolk and State Independence Party chairman Frank MacKay, complete with his rattail coif and earring, is also on the road, but to far less notice.

Since September, MacKay says he has driven to 35 states and dropped 35 pounds along the way. His mission is to stitch together a patchwork of ragtag reform, independent and enviro-third parties to try to clear the way to the ballot for a potential Bloomberg presidential run.

While Ross Perot's former campaign manager Clay Mulford last week in Texas warned Bloomberg of the "terrible impediments" to getting on the ballot, MacKay has no doubt about the mayor's prospects.

"I guarantee you if he runs, he will be on the ballot in all 50 states," said MacKay. "What we're doing is laying the groundwork and we'll get him three-quarters of the way there with volunteers."

"Bloomberg would be our ideal candidate," said MacKay. "We're about giving the public another major choice who can speak directly with the public."

MacKay added he "doesn't give a damn about social issues" like school prayer and abortion because they have skewed the public debate. "The right wing and left wing have interfered so heavily with the candidates, you don't know where the real person is any more."

Within New York, MacKay has made himself a force by the relentless strategizing that he freely imparts to all sides, from Gov. Eliot Spitzer to Senate Majority Leader Joe Bruno. Statewide, his party has 344,000 registered voters, though party officials admit many have no idea they belong to an organized party.

Locally, MacKay first made a mark helping Thomas Spota win his Suffolk district attorney's job and still exerts influence that far exceeds his party's numbers.

"No one should ever underestimate Frank," said Edward Walsh, Suffolk Conservative chairman. "If you look at his rattail and earring one minute, the next thing you know he's five steps ahead of you."

MacKay has also made missteps - his largest was failing to back Suffolk's Democratic County Executive Steve Levy in 2003. His bid to float Donald Trump's name for president also sunk like a stone.

Undeterred, MacKay last September went national, forming the Independence Party of America and making himself chairman. It's a vehicle he hopes Bloomberg will use in a potential run. MacKay, however, emphasizes that he is working separately from the mayor, though he admits frequent contact with top Bloomberg operative Kevin Sheekey.

MacKay has also become executive director of the Reform Party of America, another remnant of Perot's presidential runs in 1992 and 1996, which will give MacKay's new party instant ballot access in Florida, Louisiana, Mississippi and Kansas.

Just last week, MacKay also drove cross country, holding meetings in seven states on his way to Minnesota, where the state Independence Party elected professional wrestler Jesse Ventura governor in 1999. That party voted at a state convention yesterday to join MacKay's new organization.

At first, Diane Goldman, a Minnesota party vice chairwoman, said she thought MacKay was "a Don Quixote chasing windmills." But now, she has come around: "He's a real go-getter, a salesman and very capable."

While billionaire Bloomberg may still have to finance massive petition-gathering operations in states including California, Texas and North Carolina, MacKay's efforts, backers say, will assure not only far easier ballot access, but better positions on November's ballot.

"In Florida, it's the difference between having the fourth spot on the ballot or the 26th," said Thomas Connolly, the new party's director for ballot access. "If you're that far down, you're only going to be elected mayor of Munchkinland."

Could there be a candidate Bloomberg in the wings ?

Could there be a candidate
Bloomberg in the wings ?

NYC mayor has money, ideas,
and maybe an opening

By JONATHAN CAPEHART

If you thought Sen. Barack Obama's victory in the Iowa caucuses was historic and Sen. Hillary Clinton's outta-nowhere win in the New Hampshire primary extraordinary, then be prepared to gasp once again if New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announces a bid for the White House.

That's because the Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent would announce not only his own candidacy but also that of his running mate. A source close to the impending Bloomberg presidential effort told me, "If Mike Bloomberg were to petition to get on the ballot, it would be easier to do so with a vice presidential candidate."

Let me disclose that I worked on Bloomberg's first campaign for mayor, in 2001. I mention this because, while the campaign didn't officially kick off until June of that year, my informal work on it began in mid-February. So I asked the Bloomberg operative if past is prologue: "Is it safe to assume you guys are already interviewing and vetting a No. 2 for Bloomberg?" He said, "That's a fair assumption on your part."

A Bloomberg presidential run looked much more doubtful just a few days ago, when everyone, including Clinton herself, thought the charismatic senator from Illinois would run off with the New Hampshire primary. That Obama's tidal wave out of Iowa smacked up against the stone walls of the Granite State means the billionaire mayor's White House hunt is back on track. Last week, news broke that Bloomberg has been quietly compiling months of polling and voter data to assess his presidential chances. And Doug Schoen, a key adviser and strategist from the mayor's two campaigns, told the Los Angeles Times last weekend, "Bloomberg is going to spend the next two months doing an assessment of his prospects."

Just whom Team Bloomberg has met with about joining the ticket is not known. But Sen. Chuck Hagel, R-Neb., and former Sen. Sam Nunn, D-Ga., have been mentioned frequently. The vetting is going on because the calendar demands such a bold move.

People around Bloomberg have said that if he were to pull the trigger on an Oval Office run, it would happen sometime around March 5. That's when the petitioning process to get on the ballot in Texas begins. He would need 74,108 signatures by May 12 for an independent run in that state. According to Richard Winger of Ballot Access News, if Bloomberg instead accepted the nomination of the Reform or Texas Independence parties, which have filed their intention to petition with the Texas secretary of state, he would have an additional week to gather only 43,991 signatures.

For the major parties, under normal circumstances, getting on a state's ballot can be difficult. For an independent challenger, the obstacles are even greater. Usually such a candidate is underfunded and out-lawyered. That wouldn't be a worry for Bloomberg, who could spend $1 billion of his own money.

And by having a running mate at the outset, rather than waiting until the late summer, when the Democrats and Republicans will nominate their presidential and vice presidential candidates, Bloomberg would be saved the headache of going back to all those states to amend the ballots to include his No. 2.

The independent mayor has used his own jet to go from one high-profile forum to another to cultivate an image of nonpartisan success. The latest example was last Monday's meeting hosted by University of Oklahoma president and former Sen. David Boren, D-Okla., along with Hagel, Nunn and other possible vice presidential choices. All present decried Washington's partisan gridlock. Bloomberg didn't say much and didn't take questions from the media.

I'll take Bloomberg at his word that he is not running. Those close to him say he truly hasn't made up his mind. But this flurry of activity around him squares with my knowledge of the mayor as a deliberative chief executive who takes in as much information as possible before making a decision — even as subordinates stir the presidential pot.

Capehart is a member of the editorial page staff of The Washington Post.

Bloomberg's Quiet Canvassing of Silicon Valley

Michael Bloomberg's Quiet
Canvassing of Silicon Valley

Peter Burrows on January 23

It turns out Michael Bloomberg has been quietly courting Silicon Valley regarding a possible run at the US presidency—and that Silicon Valley, or at least a few of its moguls, is impressed.

BusinessWeek has learned that New York’s billionaire mayor was guest of honor at a dinner last summer at the home of private equity baron Sandy Robertson, of Francisco Partners. Attendees included Google CEO Sergey Brin, Software.com’s Marc Benioff, venture capitalist Michael Moritz from Sequoia Partners and Bob Fisher, the CEO of the Gap. (This might fill in at least one day on the calendar of New York deputy mayor for government affairs Andrew Sheekey, who helped arrange the event. Sheekey is also considered Bloomberg’s top political advisor, and publications including the New York Times have been seeking his travel records for months to get a better read on the mayor’s intentions.)

For the most part, it was a fact-finding mission by Bloomberg. “He wasn’t asking for anything. He was there to meet people, and understand how people on the West Coast [were] thinking about life,” says my source. But attendees seemed impressed as Bloombeg ticked off his accomplishments in the Big Apple—from the improved bond rating to green initiatives such as a plan to plant a million trees. He also seemed to make points with his argument that the two-party system is unlikely to solve America’s most difficult problems. He said a third party was the best way to “solve pragmatic issues,” recalls my source.

Fisher, in particular, was bullish, and at one point during the meal made “a passionate plea” for Bloomberg to throw his hat into the ring. Fisher, who didn’t return a phone call seeking comment, promised to help drum up support for Bloomberg in the Bay Area. Another tech heavyweight who has heard Bloomberg’s pitch also expressed hopes that he would run. “We need somebody to dig us out of the mess we’re in. It’s about competence,” the source told BusinessWeek last month.

Bloomberg wasn’t done taking the pulse of tech-land. In December, he made a return visit that included a one-on-one session with Apple CEO Steve Jobs.

With the world’s financial markets sputtering—and with the campagin of the most pro-business candidate, Mitt Romney, sputtering as well—I’d guess Bloomberg would find Silicon Valley to be fairly friendly territory were he to join the race.

Expert says hard for Bloomberg to get on ballots

Expert says hard for
Bloomberg to get on ballots

BY KARLA SCHUSTER | karla.schuster@newsday.com
January 23, 2008

Mayor Michael Bloomberg "has what it takes" to wage a credible, competitive bid for the White House, but the billionaire mayor would face "terrible impediments" in getting on the ballot in all 50 states, according to Ross Perot's former campaign manager.

"I think the country is ready ... and he has what it takes - he's socially liberal, economically conservative and financially prepared," said Clay Mulford, an attorney and ballot access expert who met with the mayor in Texas last week. "I think it would be a positive thing if he did run, but the hurdles are incredible."

Mulford, a Dallas attorney who helped run Perot's independent presidential campaigns in 1992 and 1996, is a ballot-access expert who is now chief operating officer of a nonprofit education organization called the National Math and Science Initiative.

The two men initially discussed the work being done by Mulford's education group, but also talked about the byzantine ballot-access laws in many states, which Mulford described "as a mishmash of crazy rules designed to keep people off the ballot.

"We discussed some issues involving the nature of independent candidacies ... and how to overcome the unlevel and unfair playing field, but only in the most general terms," Mulford said yesterday in a phone interview. "He expressed no intention to run for president as an independent."

Mulford and Bloomberg lunched privately in Austin Friday, after the mayor appeared with Lance Armstrong and former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona at a hospital.

"We talked about a lot of things," Bloomberg said yesterday when asked about the meeting. "We talked about the political scene in the country. He has the view of a Texas resident and someone who had been involved with politics. It was actually fascinating to listen to his views of the world."

Asked if he would consider working for a Bloomberg campaign, Mulford said only: "I'm very busy with math and science in public schools."

Bloomberg has insisted he is not a candidate for president, even as his aides conduct national polls to handicap his chances. Key aides have suggested the mayor would spend more than $1 billion if he ran.

"Money alone can't do it," Mulford warned, citing the ballot-access rules in his own state as an example. To get on the ballot in Texas, an independent candidate must collect 75,000 signatures between March 5 and May 12 from residents who didn't vote in a primary.

"Seventy-five thousand signatures in two months is a very difficult task unless there's a groundswell of support," he said.

Una Clarke: Bloomberg Too Late for '08, But Not for 2010

Una Clarke:
Bloomberg Too Late for '08,
But Not for 2010
BY AZI PAYBARAH | JANUARY 21, 2008

Here’s former City Council member and current Brooklyn powerbroker Una Clarke, telling me it’s too late for Michael Bloomberg to jump into the presidential race.

“I think it’s far-fetched. I think he can be a real good player to keep people honest,” she said.

When I asked her about Bloomberg possibly running for governor - which, according to this Siena poll, is feasible - Clarke said, “That’s not a bad thing. That’s not a bad thing.”

Bloomberg, In Texas, Meets With Former Perot Staffer

Bloomberg, In Texas, Meets With Former Perot Staffer
January 18, 2008


Mayor Michael Bloomberg is once again fueling speculation about a possible presidential run after a meeting with Ross Perot's former campaign manager.

The mayor met privately with Clay Mulford during his trip to Texas Friday. Mulford, a ballot access expert, helped Perot throughout his 1992 and 1996 third-party presidential campaigns.

While in the Lone Star state, Bloomberg also toured a hospital for the launch of a nationwide cancer initiative, where he joined cyclist Lance Armstrong and former surgeon general Richard Carmona.

Reporters at the hospital asked him once again about a possible presidential run.

"I don't know why you're asking me this question," Bloomberg replied. "I just said I'm not a candidate and I couldn't be clearer. Which of the words do you not understand? People have urged me to do it, but I am not a candidate, so that's where it is. Let's take some questions that can add to the discourse."

On Saturday the mayor will be in California, where he'll meet with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell.

Bloomberg makes plans to run but waits for outcome of primaries

Bloomberg makes plans to
run but waits for outcome
of primaries

Ewen MacAskill
Saturday January 19, 2008
The Guardian

The multibillionaire businessman and mayor of New York, Michael Bloomberg, is pushing ahead with plans to throw himself into the US presidential contest as an independent candidate this spring.
Bloomberg, who has a personal fortune that would allow him to mount the most expensive campaign in US political history, could seriously damage the chances of the Democratic candidate.

Bloomberg is waiting to see the outcome of the Republican and Democratic races before deciding whether to announce his candidacy in March. But his staff want him to run and there is a blueprint drawn up for contesting the 50 states.

Journalists who cover Bloomberg, a member of the Democratic party before switching to the Republicans - from which he has now also resigned - say that if Barack Obama is the Democratic choice, he will not stand. The same is true if John McCain, the most moderate of the Republican field, wins his party's nomination.
Bloomberg, while denying he intends to run, spent this week raising his political profile. He used the annual state of the city address on Thursday to make the usual city-specific announcements, such as 500 more beds for the homeless, but also to talk about national issues, such as immigration, tax relief and crime.

He is travelling to other states to raise his political profile and to engage in national policy debates. Yesterday he visited Texas to make a health announcement with the Tour de France hero and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong. Today, he will be appearing in California for a meeting with the governor, Arnold Schwarzenegger, to discuss infrastructure.

Although it has been confirmed he is paying out millions to pollsters to test support in the 50 states for a presidential run, he snapped at a reporter who questioned him this week about whether he would be a candidate. "Miss, no matter how many times you ask the question, I'm not a candidate. That's the answer. I can't go into nitpicking. This is ridiculous," he said.

Independents have never won in recent US political history but they have influenced the contests. Ralph Nader, who ran as an independent in 2000, is often blamed for taking votes from Al Gore and allowing victory to George Bush.

Ross Perot, who stood in 1992, spending $65m, had a disastrous campaign but still managed to win 18.9% of the popular vote.

Larry Sabato, professor of politics at the University of Virginia, said a Bloomberg run could have enormous influence.

"Normally, independents do not have much impact but this one is worth between $11bn and $20bn and he would be willing to spend at least $1bn [about £510m] on this. If he spends a billion, he would have outspent the Democratic and Republican candidates combined. It is bound to have an impact."

Stephen Hess, a political analyst at the Brookings Institution who served in the Eisenhower and Nixon administrations and was an adviser to presidents Ford and Carter, said yesterday that he would be surprised if he stood, given the risk that he would prevent a Democrat taking the White House.

"I know he is considering the race. I think he has been a great mayor and philanthropist and I do not know why he would want to go down in history as the Great Spoiler," Hess said.

Bloomberg Meets With Ballot Expert

Bloomberg Meets With Ballot Expert
By SARA KUGLER

AUSTIN, Texas (AP) — New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg met Friday with the ballot access expert and campaign manager for H. Ross Perot's third-party presidential bid, a sign of the multibillionaire's seriousness about a possible independent run.

Bloomberg met privately with Clay Mulford, who is well-versed in third-party ballot access and served as campaign manager for Perot, according to an individual close to the mayor. Perot sought the presidency in 1992 and 1996. The lunch meeting with Mulford comes less than two months before Bloomberg would be able to start gathering signatures to get on the ballot and meet Texas' early deadline.

If Bloomberg wants a chance at winning the state's large slice of electoral votes — 34 — he would need to collect about 74,100 signatures by May 12, and cannot begin circulating petitions here until March 5. Not only does he have a short window to petition, the signatures need to be from Texas residents who did not vote in a party primary.
Earlier Friday, during a news conference, Bloomberg was asked about the significance of being in Texas, with its early ballot deadline. He seemed irritated with the question, having said only a moment earlier that he is "not a candidate" despite all the calls for him to run.

"I just said, I'm not a candidate — it couldn't be clearer," he said. "Which of the words do you not understand? People have urged me to do it but I'm not a candidate."
Despite his public denials, Bloomberg has been consulting with people such as Mulford and is conducting a sophisticated analysis of voter data in all 50 states to better understand his chances as a third-party candidate. Aides have said he would delay a decision until after the major parties produce clear front-runners.

Making a move in Texas is not easy. Ballot access is notoriously difficult in the state, according to independent political strategist Dean Barkley, who managed Kinky Friedman's independent gubernatorial campaign here in 2006.

"Texas is your biggest problem, and it starts on March 5, so if he's going to do it, he's going to have to start fairly soon organizing the effort," Barkley said.
Friedman's campaign spent six months organizing for their petition drive, he said.
Mulford, who was formerly a partner with the law firm Jones Day, was general counsel and campaign manager for Perot's 1992 bid and in 1996 was general counsel to the Reform Party and Perot's campaign.

Earlier in the day, Bloomberg appeared at an Austin hospital to talk health care with Lance Armstrong, a cancer survivor and seven-time Tour de France champion cyclist. Armstrong is an emerging political power in Texas, and any hint that he's supporting Bloomberg would lend credence to the mayor's prospective campaign and signature-gathering efforts.

Armstrong was a key figure in the state getting a large cancer-research bond issue passed and he has dabbled in national politics with his televised cancer forums for presidential candidates. He might even make a good running mate for Bloomberg; the mayor on Friday suggested Armstrong has what it takes to lead.

"He's exactly the kind of person we need," Bloomberg said.

Armstrong spoke just as warmly about the mayor.

"I'm sure there's a lot of questions about whether he's in or not in, but at the end of the day, he's representing an independent agenda and the best interests of the people," Armstrong said.

The event at Brackenridge Hospital focused on a national plan to deal with cancer. Also attending was former surgeon general Richard Carmona, who leads a coalition of health groups trying to get presidential candidates to talk about chronic health issues.

Carmona, who served from 2002 to 2006 under President Bush, also leads the Surgeons General Collective, an independent body composed of previous U.S. surgeons general. On Friday, he said the group — at Armstrong's request — will develop a call to action focused on preventing and surviving cancer.

"The need and urgency to make cancer prevention and survivorship a national priority should be clear to all of us, but the level of action and progress is not nearly what it should be," Carmona said.

Carmona has not said which candidate he favors in the 2008 presidential race. He has said the coalition, The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, also will not make an endorsement.

He did say that Bloomberg is "setting an example, really, for the rest of the nation."
Bloomberg, a billionaire philanthropist who has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to public health causes, said health issues are sadly lacking national leadership.

His City Hall administration has focused more on personal behavior as its approach to public health policy; during his first term he banned smoking citywide, and recently, the city outlawed trans-fats and created the official New York City condom to promote safer sexual behavior.

"If we could get people to stop smoking and exercise and to eat healthy, we would reduce the medical costs in this country quite significantly," he said, "and we could have a more intelligent discussion about how we provide care, which is fast outstripping our ability to pay for it."

Bloomberg's trip was to continue Saturday in California, where he was to appear with Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger at an event on infrastructure.

New Bloomberg Moves Raise Political Eyebrows

New Bloomberg Moves Raise Political Eyebrows
By Keith B. Richburg

NEW YORK -- Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg continues to insist he is not a candidate for president, but these days his every word, his moves and his travel schedule are being dissected and parsed like a Talmudic text.

This week, it was learned that Bloomberg has entrusted the management of his personal fortune -- estimated at $11 billion -- to his friend, the financier Steven Rattner, of the Quadrangle Group. The selection raised eyebrows in New York because Rattner is a strong backer of New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton. Rattner contributed the maximum $4,600 to Clinton's campaign, and has hosted a series of events for her.

But the decision, allowed by the City Conflicts of Interest Board, stirred interest for another reason; having a high-powered financier in charge of his investments allows Bloomberg to expand his wealth, and possibly free up money for a self-financed, independent presidential run.

Also this week, City Hall announced that Bloomberg would be traveling this weekend to Texas and California -- both vote-rich states that the billionaire mayor might be targeting if he is trying to assemble the 270 electoral votes needed to forge a victory in November.

In Texas, Bloomberg will be meeting with former Tour de France cycling champion and cancer survivor Lance Armstrong, and a former U.S. surgeon general, Richard Carmona. From there, Bloomberg heads to California, for an announcement in Los Angeles about infrastructure projects with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

And today was Bloomberg's annual State of the City speech. There was the typical laundry list of local issues -- 500 more beds for the homeless, improving the food quality in city hospitals and senior care facilities, coordinating government computers. But at a time when the city is facing reduced revenues, with the end of the real estate boom and a bear market on Wall Street, what stood out was Bloomberg's pledge to reduce spending and follow through on a promised property tax rebate to all homeowners, steps that solidify his reputation as a sound fiscal manager.

"It's all part of the striptease -- show 'em a little, then take it away," said Douglas Muzzio, a political science professor at Baruch College in New York. "The State of the City address can fit into that pattern. He's promising tax relief and spending cuts. It all seems part of the laying of the groundwork, and keeping his options open."

Despite his repeated denials, Bloomberg has continued to fuel speculation about a possible presidential run, flying to Oklahoma on the eve of the New Hampshire primary to attend a forum on bipartisanship, and then paying pollster Douglas Schoen millions of dollars to assess the feasibility of a presidential run and his chances of winning.

A mayoral aide insists this is all just part of the kind of typical planning Bloomberg likes to do as a businessman -- gathering all the facts and data to have at hand before making a commitment. Once all the data is in, the aide said, the first question would be whether Bloomberg could win, and the second question would be whether he wants the intense scrutiny and loss of privacy that would come with being a candidate for the highest office in the land.

George Arzt, a Democratic political consultant not currently affiliated with any candidate, said Bloomberg is positioning himself for a run only if he sees an opening, with the two parties perhaps in turmoil without a consensus choice at convention time. "Bloomberg is putting everything together in order to be a candidate if everything falls his way," said Arzt, who was press secretary for Mayor Edward I. Koch. "He certainly has ambitions for the presidency -- there's no doubt in my mind."

At the moment, New Yorkers don't seem to mind the speculation. In a Quinnipiac University poll last week, about half of those surveyed, 47 percent, thought the speculation about Bloomberg was good for the city, and 52 percent thought he would be a good president.

Bloomberg Flirtation Sets Executive Hearts Aflutter

Executive Hearts Aflutter
Hope in the Suites For Presidential Bid By New York Mayor

By BEN CASSELMAN
January 18, 2008; Page A4

Michael Bloomberg's prolonged flirtation with the race for the White House is generating interest in executive suites across the country, in a reflection of the business community's growing dissatisfaction with the major political parties.

As the economy has emerged as a dominant issue in the 2008 campaign, candidates have struck populist notes, from Republican Mike Huckabee's boast that he is not a "wholly owned subsidiary of Wall Street" to Democrat Barack Obama's visit to Wall Street to chastise finance executives for failing to protect the middle class.

That is prompting some business leaders to look within their ranks -- and to Mr. Bloomberg, seen by supporters as someone whose entrepreneurial success and management as mayor of New York City suggest he can best represent their interests.

Those who already know the 65-year-old Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent have urged him to run, in telephone calls, dinner meetings, and cocktail party encounters. Others have joined groups promoting his candidacy. Mr. Bloomberg has publicly denied he is a candidate, and friends say he is noncommittal even in private. But aides have reached out to business leaders to gauge whether they would back him.

Anecdotal evidence suggests that many would. Michael Steinhardt, chairman of New York-based WisdomTree Investments and a former hedge-fund manager, said that for the past year he has taken informal polls at dinner parties, asking guests whom they would vote for in a three-way race among Mr. Bloomberg and various Democratic and Republican nominees. "The overwhelming majority, all the time, no exception, chose Bloomberg," said Mr. Steinhardt, a Bloomberg supporter with a long history as a Democrat. The reason, he said: "Everything he has done he has done exceptionally well."

THE THIRD COLUMN

• What's Happening: Some executives and prominent investors are urging Michael Bloomberg to run for president.
• Behind It: Dissatisfaction with the current candidates.
• The Decision: He says he's "not a candidate," but advisers say he's exploring a run.

Even some business leaders who are already committed to other candidates are privately advocating a Bloomberg candidacy. One prominent investor who is publicly supporting and raising money for Democrat Hillary Clinton said he has urged Mr. Bloomberg to run. "I couldn't think of a better candidate," he said. The investor cited Mr. Bloomberg's independence from party politics and his record of accomplishments, adding that the intensified attacks between Mrs. Clinton and Mr. Obama have made them both less attractive.

Howard Lorber, chief executive of tobacco holding company Vector Group, supports Arizona Sen. John McCain. But Mr. Lorber, who also is chairman of New York real-estate brokerage Prudential Douglas Elliman, said he would back Mr. Bloomberg if Mr. McCain doesn't win the Republican nomination -- and possibly even if he does. "The thought of having someone who's a businessman running the country is a very appealing thought," Mr. Lorber said.

Mr. Bloomberg wouldn't be the first businessman in the race. Republican Mitt Romney, a successful venture capitalist before becoming Massachusetts governor, retooled his campaign message before his Michigan primary win this week, playing down his focus on social issues and talking more about how his management skills could help fix an ailing economy. Mr. Romney has received substantial backing from the finance world.

Mr. Bloomberg's deepest well of support is in New York, especially the finance industry, where his company's information terminals have made his name ubiquitous. "He's one of them," said one banker with ties to Mr. Bloomberg. At least one leading bank executive has privately voiced his support, in part because of concerns about the other candidates.

Mr. Lorber recalled being at a recent New York Knicks game in Madison Square Garden, also attended by Mr. Bloomberg. "You could see one after another, after another, business people going up to him and talking to him," Mr. Lorber said.

Mr. Bloomberg's support goes beyond New York. Jon Fisher, a 35-year-old technology entrepreneur in Tiburon, Calif., said Mr. Bloomberg's background appeals to him. "Business experience, and specifically this kind of entrepreneurial business experience, is exactly the skill set we need in a president," said Mr. Fisher, who sold his most recent venture, Bharosa, to technology giant Oracle Corp. last year.

Mr. Fisher, a Democrat, is inviting others who have sold companies to Oracle to a meeting in Tiburon at the end of the month. The goal, Mr. Fisher said, is to recruit people willing to dedicate time and effort to a Bloomberg campaign. (Mr. Bloomberg would presumably fund his campaign himself, making fund-raising unnecessary.)

Supporters also say Mr. Bloomberg has experience many of his would-be opponents lack. He has, for example, negotiated deals with foreign-based companies, dealt with overseas regulatory agencies and seen up-close the impact of trade policy on American companies.

As mayor, Mr. Bloomberg has won plaudits for rebuilding New York's economy after Sept. 11 and for being willing to take on politically thorny issues such as education.

"He knows the players internationally that are involved in economic policy. He has relationships with them," said Kathryn Wylde, president of the Partnership for New York City, a business group.

"The political system isn't willing to do what is needed because most of these things are very tough politically to deal with," said a senior finance figure, "and here's Mike who's demonstrated that he's willing to really take on tough issues and do something."

But some in the business world see warning signs in Mr. Bloomberg's record. He raised taxes in his first term despite a campaign pledge not to do so and has increased city spending. Some of his policies, such as banning smoking in bars and trans fats in restaurant food, have angered some small businesses. Pat Toomey, president of the Club for Growth, a free-market lobbying group, calls Mr. Bloomberg "a big government economic liberal."

But many executives are unenthusiastic about their options in the traditionally business-friendly Republican party. Mr. McCain, who now leads national polls, has tangled with big business, from auto companies over fuel economy standards to communications companies over regulation. In a recent Republican debate, he labeled pharmaceutical makers "bad guys."

Chris Saxman, a New York software entrepreneur, said he usually votes Republican but has been driven away by the party's focus on social issues. "A lot of the positions that the Republican Party has espoused recently are not my own," Mr. Saxman said, citing opposition to same-sex marriage as one example.

Moreover, Mr. Saxman said, budget deficits under Republican leadership have caused him to question the party's commitment to fiscal discipline. Mr. Saxman said he likes Mr. Bloomberg's "pragmatic" approach. "He's been willing to tackle some really big problems, especially the education problem, and do it in a sensible way," Mr. Saxman said.

Leonard Stillman, a health-care industry executive in Boca Raton, Fla., describes himself as a conservative Republican but said he is "disgusted" by the lack of progress on economic issues. "They have the same old solutions," he said. Mr. Stillman, 63 years old, said he might not agree with Mr. Bloomberg on some issues but thinks his business background makes him more likely to consider innovative solutions. "I don't see him coming in and waving a magic wand, but I see him coming in and perhaps starting the ball rolling on a number of issues," Mr. Stillman said.

Dissatisfaction with the Republican field has driven some business leaders into the Democratic camp. Bill Reinsch, president of the National Foreign Trade Council, a lobbying group, said he is "astonished at how many of my members are suddenly Democrats."

Many business leaders, however, are reluctant to risk alienating the major parties by backing Mr. Bloomberg publicly, especially if they don't think he can win. "There's always going to be a number of people who say, 'Before we stand up and start applauding, let's see if this has any legs to it,"' Mr. Reinsch said.

Write to Ben Casselman at ben.casselman@wsj.com

'THE STRIPTEASE' ?

The Trail

Friday, January 18, 2008; Page A08
'THE STRIPTEASE'?

Non-Candidate Bloomberg Keeps Observers Interested

NEW YORK -- Mayor Michael Bloomberg continues to insist he is not a candidate for president, but these days his every word, his moves and his travel schedule are being dissected and parsed like a Talmudic text.

This week, it was reported that Bloomberg entrusted the management of his multibillion-dollar personal fortune to a friend, financier Steven Rattner of the Quadrangle Group. The selection raised eyebrows in New York because Rattner is a strong supporter of Hillary Clinton. Rattner contributed the maximum of $4,600 to Clinton's campaign and has hosted a series of events for the New York senator.

But the decision, allowed by the City Conflicts of Interest Board, stirred interest for another reason: Having a high-powered financier in charge of his investments allows Bloomberg to expand his wealth, and possibly free up money for a self-financed, independent presidential run.

Also this week, City Hall announced that Bloomberg would be traveling this weekend to Texas and California -- both vote-rich states that the mayor might be targeting if he is trying to assemble the 270 electoral votes needed to forge a victory in November.

In Texas, Bloomberg will be meeting with Lance Armstrong, a former Tour de France cycling champion and a cancer survivor, and with Richard Carmona, a former U.S. surgeon general. Bloomberg then heads to California for an announcement in Los Angeles about infrastructure projects with California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.

And Thursday was Bloomberg's annual State of the City speech. There was the typical laundry list of issues -- 500 more beds for the homeless, improving the food quality in city hospitals and senior care facilities, coordinating government computers. But at a time when the city is facing reduced revenues, with the end of the real estate boom and a bear market on Wall Street, what stood out was Bloomberg's pledge to reduce spending and follow through on a promised property tax rebate to all homeowners, steps that solidify his reputation as a sound fiscal manager.

"It's all part of the striptease -- show 'em a little, then take it away," said Douglas Muzzio, a professor of political science at the City University of New York's Baruch College. ". . . He's promising tax relief and spending cuts. It all seems part of the laying of the groundwork and keeping his options open."

Despite his denials, Bloomberg has continued to fuel speculation about a possible presidential run, flying to Oklahoma on the eve of the New Hampshire primary to attend a forum on bipartisanship and then paying pollster Douglas Schoen millions to assess the feasibility of a presidential run and his chances of winning.

"Bloomberg is putting everything together in order to be a candidate if everything falls his way," said George Arzt, a Democratic political consultant not affiliated with any candidate. "He certainly has ambitions for the presidency -- there's no doubt in my mind."

-- Keith B. Richburg

Bloomberg's speech has national focus

Bloomberg's speech
has national focus

BY KARLA SCHUSTER | karla.schuster@newsday.com
4:13 PM EST, January 17, 2008

In a speech that highlighted national issues nearly as prominently as local ones, Mayor Michael Bloomberg Thursday afternoon promised to hold the line on taxes, promoted tough new DNA and gun-tracking technology and announced major new initiatives to revise the city charter.

He also pledged to end social promotion to high school and make information about city government, such as fire response times, available online to the public.

Bloomberg, who has deflected speculation that he is considering a run for president, focused on immigration and gun control at the top of his sixth annual State of the City Address, celebrating the city's diversity and taking a shot at some White House candidates' position on immigration.

"Their presence is a two-way street," Bloomberg said of four Queens families, all of different ethnic and racial backgrounds, who shared the stage with him at the new ice-skating rink and pool at Flushing Meadow Corona Park. "New York gives them unlimited opportunities and these families make New York the nation's economic engine, its financial hub, its fashion center, its media mecca and it's cultural capital. And that's one of the messges I've been speaking out on, to those who are wailing against immigration, to those politicians who, all of a sudden, have embraced xenophobia, I say: Open your eyes. Take a look behind me. This is what makes America great."

The mayor who might want to be president, who is term-limited out of office in 2009, also made an oblique reference to the White Housel buzz with a quip at the start of his speech designed to suggest he would be sticking around after the 2008 presidential election.

"I don't remember if I looked forward to the first one of these," the mayor said, "but I'm particularly looking forward to the next one."

The mayor warned of tough economic times ahead in his hour-long speech, but said he was "more optimistic about our future than ever" and promised to extend a property tax rebate and rate cut when he unveils his preliminary budget proposal for 2009 next week.

Yet, Bloomberg's vow came with a big caveat: "It will depend on a variety of factors unknown today -- from the health of our economy to the continued help we get from our partners in state government to the outlo9ok for furture years after our administration has come to an end."

Among the new initiatives the mayor proposed was a contest with a six-figure prize for the design of a hand-held DNA analysis device that police officers can take to crime scenes, speeding up the identification of suspects. He also called for the state Legislature to allow DNA testing upon arrest, and to require gun manufacturers to use microstamping technology that allow authorities to connect bullets to individual weapons. Right now, the state does DNA testing upon conviction for all felonies and some misdemeanor crimes.

Bloomberg also announced the formation of a new Charter Revision Commission, as well as a task force to develop a new vocational-technical education program that would directly link city high schools with community colleges.

"There weren't huge new projects, but there is a continuation and, if you will, a fine tuning of a lot of things," said City Comptroller William Thompson of the mayor's speech. He said he thought holding the line on property taxes is "still realistic, but I think he was honest in saying we'll have to see before we make that final decision."

The mayor asked all city agencies to come up with 2.5 percent mid year budget cuts and reduce their budgets for next year by another 5 percent.

City Councilman Peter Vallone, Jr., a Democrat from Queens, said it was clear Bloomberg was speaking to the national electorate.

"He opened up with on immigration, which is a national issue so I think it's pretty obvious he intended this speech to play to a nationwide audience," Vallone said, "because he's clearly examining a run for president."

Poll: Bloomberg would lose key states

Poll: Bloomberg would lose key states

Published: Jan. 16, 2008

NEW YORK, Jan. 16 (UPI) -- New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg would lose the U.S. presidential vote in key states if he runs as an independent, a new poll indicates.

The poll by SurveyUSA showed that despite his strong approval ratings in New York, he would lose in the city, The New York Sun reported Wednesday.

In the best scenario for Bloomberg, he would get 28 percent of the vote in a three-way race between Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill, and Republican former Arkansas Gov. Michael Huckabee, losing to Obama.

In another hypothetical match-up, Bloomberg would get 18 percent of the vote in a race against fellow New Yorkers, Sen. Hillary Clinton and former Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

In California, which has more electoral votes than any other state and would likely be critical to a presidential victory, he does no better than 12 percent, the poll indicated.

The survey found that one-in-four national voters do not know who Bloomberg is, and that only 11 percent have a favorable impression of the billionaire mayor.

No more than 13 percent said they would vote for him in a presidential election.

Bloomberg-Rendell Gig Fuels Ticket Talk

Bloomberg-Rendell Gig Fuels Ticket Talk




By PETER JACKSON
Associated Press Writer

In a move sure to rekindle speculation that he has higher political ambitions, Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell has agreed to appear publicly in Los Angeles on Saturday with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Rendell's spokesman confirmed.

Democrat Rendell plans to join Bloomberg, an independent who is weighing a possible third-party bid for the White House, and California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a Republican, to discuss issues involving the public infrastructure. The location had not been made public Wednesday night.

Rendell's spokesman, Chuck Ardo, dismissed as "much ado about nothing" speculation that Rendell's participation signals his interest in becoming Bloomberg's prospective running mate. Rendell, a former two-term Philadelphia mayor, also has rejected that notion in the past.

"This has got to do with two governors' and (a) mayor's' concerns about infrastructure," Ardo said.

Bloomberg, 65, a billionaire who has been both a Republican and a Democrat, says he is "not a candidate." But associates told The Associated Press he is conducting an elaborate state-by-state analysis to gauge his support. On Tuesday, supporters launched a 50-state petition drive to "draft" him into the race.

Rendell, 64, a prodigious fundraiser and former general chairman of the Democratic National Committee, is a political maverick who delivered most of his ambitious first-term agenda by building coalitions in a Legislature controlled by Republicans. He is in his second year of his second four-year term.

On Friday, Bloomberg is scheduled to appear in Austin, Texas, with Lance Armstrong and former surgeon general Richard Carmona, according to a schedule released by Bloomberg's office. Rendell was not scheduled to join them.

"I believe the governor is going to L.A. and then coming right back," Ardo said.

Bloomberg to blossom?

Bloomberg to blossom?
By Donald Lambro
January 17, 2008

Speculation is growing that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has been polling in all 50 states, is preparing to run for president this year as an independent.

Mr. Bloomberg, who can easily bankroll such a venture with his estimated $11 billion fortune, denies he is a candidate, but his polling efforts are vast. And he has been talking with potential runningmates like Sen. Chuck Hagel, Nebraska Republican. He will likely decide in early March, after the 22-state, Super Tuesday primaries on Feb. 5, when we will probably know who the major party nominees are likely to be.

"I understand there is a campaign blueprint already for all 50 states that includes how to get on the ballot in each state and lists of friendly people who are likely to support him," said independent pollster John Zogby who has polled for Mr. Bloomberg in the past.

The mayor appeared to lay out the basis for an independent candidacy at a forum last week in Norman, Okla., attended by a who's who of centrist political leaders, Democrats and Republicans alike — from former Sen. David Boren, Oklahoma Democrat, who organized the meeting, to former Democratic Sens. Sam Nunn of Georgia and Charles Robb of Virginia.

Focusing on the gridlock in the government, Mr. Bloomberg told the meeting: "People have stopped working together. Government is dysfunctional. Nobody is holding themselves accountable to the standards of what they promised when they ran for office."

But even in today's deeply polarized political climate, few analysts think he has any chance of winning an electoral vote, let alone the presidency. "We live in odd times when the normal conventional wisdom may no longer hold. But I would give it a 20 percent possibility of happening at this point in time," said Rhodes Cook, a highly regarded electoral vote analyst.

"Still, there is an opening here. The number of independents in this country is growing. That's where the real growth has been over the last 10 or 20 years. It has not been among Democrats or Republicans, it's been the independents," Mr. Cook told me.

There is a hunger in the electorate for a candidate who can end the gridlock that has paralyzed Washington and get the two parties working together on common goals. This to a large degree is what has propelled Barack Obama's meteoric rise to political prominence and into contention for the presidency.

And therein lies the inherent weakness in an independent candidacy: the strength of the two-party system that draws support from a nationwide, organized structure of shared policy beliefs and interests.

With all of its faults, the two major parties over the course of our history have managed to unite common political interests that no third party or independent candidacy has been able to overcome.

"Political parties, for all the nastiness between them, have proved essential to bridge the regional divisions in the United States," the Boston Globe said last week in an editorial critique of a Bloomberg candidacy. "A narrowly focused third party, or an independent campaign, lacks the breadth of shared interests to govern a nation of 300 million people."

Millionaire gadfly Ross Perot blew $60 million on a third party bid in 1992, but did not win a single electoral vote, and, many believe, helped put Bill Clinton in the White House by drawing votes from the GOP's base.

But what would Mr. Bloomberg, a Democrat who ran as a Republican and then became an independent, have to offer besides his call to end political gridlock in government?

With Hillary Clinton, Mr. Obama and John Edwards in the Democratic race, "Bloomberg's pro-science, anti-gun, pro-green, anti-smoking, pro-choice ... just-left-of-center ideology seems a domestic agenda that is already well-covered," David Remnick writes in the New Yorker. "Bloomberg could siphon votes, mainly from the Democrats, but to what end?"

Some election analysts say his chances depend on whether the two parties choose nominees at the fringes that could drive just enough voters to a centrist candidacy selling competence and bipartisanship.

"It would take a stark contrast, say John Edwards versus Mike Huckabee to give him any room to run. The more likely matchup, John McCain versus Mrs. Clinton or Mr. Obama, would put him in the role of a spoiler," said Tom Mann, veteran presidential elections analyst at the Brookings Institution.

The spoiler role conjures up a bitter memory for Democrats of Ralph Nader's 2000 run on the Green Party ticket. It drew only 2.7 percent of the vote out of more than 105 million popular votes, but it robbed Al Gore of Florida's electoral votes and thus the presidency.

Meantime, Mr. Bloomberg is going over his polling data and waiting to see who the two parties will choose before assessing his chances. Some say don't rule him out.

"In the Republican red states, a Democrat still gets 40 percent of the vote or more," Mr. Zogby told me. "All this guy needs is a plurality of 35 percent in the right number of states and he could win."

Donald Lambro, chief political correspondent of The Washington Times, is a nationally syndicated columnist.

Draft Bloomberg Committee Announced Today

Draft Bloomberg Committee Announced Today

Committee Says 'Washington is Broken' and Bloomberg Can Deliver

WASHINGTON, Jan. 15 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- The Draft Bloomberg Committee was officially announced today encouraging Mayor Michael Bloomberg to run in the 2008 presidential race. Founders Doug Bailey (R), former GOP consultant and Hotline founder, and Gerald Rafshoon (D), former White House Communications Director in the Carter administration, announced today at the National Press Club that the committee sees Bloomberg as the solution to a broken two party political system that no longer serves the American people.

"At a time when Washington desperately needs to find common ground to deal with the terrorist threat, soaring deficits, failing schools, immigration challenge, and unaffordable health care, Mike Bloomberg has the unique experience of governing our largest city with non partisan government," said Bailey. "Right now, a severe economic recession threatens our economy at home and competitiveness abroad. Mike Bloomberg has a unique record of business success in and understanding of the financial markets," he continued. "He is a unique person for a unique moment in our history."

"He is a competent non-ideological leader who can bring the country together," said Rafshoon. "He has had multiple business successes and runs the largest city in the United States."

Draft Bloomberg is launching a 50-state petition (www.draftmichaelbloomberg.com) urging the mayor to run. The bipartisan effort is striving to bring Democrats, Republicans and Independents.

"At a time when our politics seems mostly to be dominated by bickering, attack ads and sound bites, Mike Bloomberg would be a uniquely refreshing, positive, candid, proven leader," said Bailey.

For additional information regarding the Draft Bloomberg Committee, please visit: www.draftmichaelbloomberg.com.