NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a possible independent presidential candidate in 2008, attempts to grapple with a bald eagle, the well-known national symbol of America.
Photo: AP
|
 |
Democrats and Republicans Face New Challenge
// NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg May Enter Presidential Race
Yesterday the American press reported that media magnate and NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg may throw his hat into the 2008 presidential race as an independent candidate. Mr. Bloomberg's inner circle has revealed that the mayor, one of America's richest men and the owner of the Bloomberg agency, has already set aside $1 billion dollars for a campaign. The mayor himself has yet to confirm his intention to run, but already the appearance of alternatives to the Republicans and the Democrats in the fight for the White House is being touted as a development that may introduce radical changes in the US presidential race.
"Ross Perot on Steroids"
The most detailed account of 65-year-old American multibillionaire and New York mayor Michael Bloomberg's presidential aspirations appeared yesterday in the Washington Times, in an article that cited sources in Mr. Bloomberg's inner circle. In quoting an anonymous Bloomberg advisor on an issue of business, the newspaper slipped in a revelation about the steps that Mr. Bloomberg is taking to gear up for participation in the 2008 presidential election. According to the source, Michael Bloomberg has already set aside $1 billion of his personal fortune, which is estimated at $5.8 billion (Mr. Bloomberg holds 44th place on the Forbes list of the 400 richest Americans), for his own election campaign. The advisor also mentioned that Mr. Bloomberg has met several times recently on his own initiative with former managers of the election campaign for Texas billionaire Ross Perot, who ran for president in 1992 as an independent candidate.
According to the American media, Mr. Bloomberg has repeatedly told his closest confidents that he will participate in the upcoming elections as a third-party candidate if he comes to the conclusion that his participation will have an effect on American politics and if he can convince himself that he has a real shot at victory. To listen to his circle of advisors and friends, his team is already attracting the private interest of some potential turncoats – supporters of other, officially registered, presidential candidates who are ready to desert to the camp of Mr. Bloomberg, who will not face the same financial difficulties in financing his campaign as other contenders and who could have a strong draw for voters as an alternative to the strongly two-party American political system.
Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE), who is also positioning himself as an independent candidate, threw fuel on the fire on Sunday in an appearance on the popular CBS political talkshow Face the Nation. According to Senator Hagel, he recently had a conversation over dinner with Michael Bloomberg that convinced him that the mayor of New York is another likely independent participant in the 2008 elections.
The discussion of the "Bloomberg factor" in the upcoming American elections has attracted commentators such as former Federal Election Commission head Michael Toner, who is already calling Mr. Bloomberg "Ross Perot on steroids." In setting off down the same road traveled 15 years ago by Mr. Perot, Mr. Bloomberg commands far greater political and financial resources than Mr. Perot and is considered much more of a potential heavyweight fighter in a battle for the presidency. According to Mr. Toner, "Michael Bloomberg can change the political landscape of these elections."
A Mayor Who Doesn't Want to Become President
While Michael Bloomberg himself appears to have sanctioned the leaks of his presidential ambitions, he has yet to make an official statement of his entrance into the race. Moreover, in a press conference in New York on Monday dedicated to the problems of the development of municipal infrastructure and the implementation of environmental protection measures, he again attempted to douse the flames of speculation that he intends to run for president, saying that he is already up to his ears in work as the mayor of America's largest city. "I think he was kidding," said Mr. Bloomberg, referring to Senator Hagel's comments.
Mr. Bloomberg, who enjoys high approval ratings as New York's mayor, clearly values his post highly: he win the position from current Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani in 2001 and was reelected in 2005, two campaigns on which he spent a total of $160 million. Analysts also note that effective work as the mayor of New York is likely to be the Mr. Bloomberg's best means of winning over the voters and preparing the ground for his possible participation in the presidential race.
One example of such work is Mayor Bloomberg's submission on Monday to New York state lawmakers of a program to solve the critical problem of traffic congestion in the city center and access points to Manhattan, a plan that the mayor also hopes will reduce damage to the environment and to the health of the city's millions of residents. The mayor's plan calls for a commuter tax, also known as "congestion pricing," in the city's center, the proceeds from which would be funneled back into environmental protection measures. The plan is similar to one already in place in London.
In staying on the sidelines of the discussion over Iraq, the main topic in the ongoing election campaign and one that has split Democrats and Republicans into two apparently irreconcilable camps, observers note that Michael Bloomberg is focussing his energy on energy and the environment, critical issues for America that consistently take a backseat to the situation in Iraq. Mr. Bloomberg recently visited Houston, the capital of the US oil business, to unveil his national plan for increasing America's reliance on clean alternative energy sources. If Mr. Bloomberg decides to run for president, the topics of energy and the environment, which affect Americans regardless of their party affiliation, could serve as a powerful base for energizing supporters for his platform as an independent third-party candidate.
An Independent Working in Favor of the Democrats
Although the question of Mr. Bloomberg's candidacy is far from being decided, pundits in both camps are already realizing that the possible appearance of a third-party candidate could have a serious effect on the presidential race as it moves into its advanced stages ahead of November 2008. The "Bloomberg factor" is particularly worrying for the Republicans, the party that is arguably closest to him ideologically. As if to underscore the threat felt by the American Right to a possible Bloomberg candidacy, the conservative standard-bearer The Weekly Standard recently ran a piece with the cutting headline, "The Mystery of Michael Bloomberg: Why does a popular but mediocre mayor think he should run for president?"
The Right's unease is easy to understand. The regard in New York at the moment for the so-called "mediocre" Bloomberg is higher than that previously enjoyed by former NY mayor Rudy Giuliani, who is currently one of the Republican Party's best hopes in the presidential race. Regardless of whether Mr. Bloomberg actually ends up outstripping Mr. Giuliani in popularity nationwide, he could divert a large number of the votes that the Republican Party is counting on in the 2008 elections.
Sergei Strokan
All the Article in Russian as of May 16, 2007
|
|
|
