Bloomberg meets with ballot expert

[maddezmom]

Source: AP

AUSTIN, Texas - 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 seriousness in which the multibillionaire is considering his own 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 could only begin petitioning there on 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.



Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080118/ap_on_el_pr/bloomberg2008

[gateley]

1. I haven't been paying much attention to this, but maybe it's time to.

Please explain to me --

WHAT factors would make him decide to run?

WHAT group/groups of voters would he appeal to?

HOW does this affect the Dems?

Thanks.

[ursi]

3. could he be doing it for Obama?

[skipos]

5. Bloomberg's dream is a Clinton Huckabee race, as neither appeal to independents

very well. I highly doubt he would run against Obama. Bloomberg would appeal Rockefeller Repubs, but also people who just don't like Hillary. Do a poll of Hillary vs. Bloomy on DU to see what I mean.

[MADem]

6. In that scenario, here he is meeting with HIS running mate

[skipos]

8. Are you implying Obama would run with Bloomberg

either on the Dem ticket or as an indy? I'd bet a lot of money against that.

[MADem]

9. If Hillary Clinton beats him for the nomination? I wouldn't rule it out. NT

[skipos]

11. Wanna bet?

If Obama loses the nomination and runs as an indy, I will change my avatar and sig to whatever non-offensive thing you want.
If Obama loses and doesn't run as an indy, you will change your avatar and sig to whataver non-offensive thing I want.
What do you think?

[MADem]

20. No, because I really could care less what avatar you sport. And it's not something that I am

DESIROUS of having happen.

I simply wouldn't rule it out. That's all I believe. That's all I think. I have no dog in this Bloomberg speculation. I don't wish for it, hope for it, dread it (well, maybe that, a bit), or anything in-between.

I put it forward as a possibility, while I do not put it forward as an ADVOCATE.

[TwilightGardener]

12. I would rule it out.

[D23MIURG23]

24. Obama is the one always talking about transcending the political spectrum

I wouldn't be at all surprised to see him pick Bloomberg as running mate.

[RUMMYisFROSTED]

37. Lots of open seats not by the window. (Nothing but empty seats)

They're not sitting in those more private seats.

Frightening.

[gdaerin]

45. good observation! nt

[lurky]

14. His giant ego is the main factor.

He is a big Lieberman supporter, and I think they are ideological cousins.

He could do a lot of damage to the Dem nominee, IMO, since he is liberal on social issues, the environment, and other areas. Unfortunately, he never met a corporation he didn't want to give away the farm to. I mean, he practically is a corporation, so it's like a professional courtesy or something.

The real danger is that he has something like $11 Billion dollars just lying around, and he has a history of dumping huge amounts of his own money into campaigns ($75 million in a mayoral race). Recently, one of his aides suggested that he would be willing to spend $500 million of his own money on a presidential bid. (For comparison, Kerry spent $6.4 million of his own money in 2004).

I think the main thing working against him is superficial. He's shorter than Dennis Kucinich (He claims to be 5'7", but some people say he is lying), and he has a nasal, effeminate speaking voice.

[TwilightGardener]

15. Who's running for President that DOESN'T think he or she is God's gift to mankind?

You forgot Jewish--that will hurt him in some places, too.

[lurky]

17. Sorry, I fogot.

Yeah, the paranoid antisemites probably won't vote for a Jewish billionaire from New York City, will they? Of course they will be writing in Ron Paul anyway.

[DemIdeals]

26. Anyone who wouldn't vote for a Jew for president

Is probably voting Republican anyway.

[TwilightGardener]

27. I imagine so.

[DemIdeals]

30. Well okay, but

You said it would hurt him in some places- it won't. I'd imagine that almost anyone wouldn't vote for Bloomberg is doing so because they don't think he'd make a good president, and it has nothing to do with his religion and/or ethnicity. Same for Obama. People who won't vote for a black nominee are almost all right-wingers anyway, and no major Democratic candidate running would win their votes.

[TwilightGardener]

32. It's pretty naive to assume that race, gender, or religion won't matter--

it matters less now than it used to, obviously, but it still matters to some people, even Democrats. Sad, but true.

[DemIdeals]

34. Well I guess unlike you

I just don't think that people who would put great stock in those categories are going to be voting Democratic. We will see, perhaps.

[gateley]

16. Thanks. Jeez - a half a BILLION dollars on a campaign. I don't think that

would sit well with a lot of the citizenry. Sure leaves a bad taste in my mouth.

[lurky]

18. I think it's disgusting.

But some people have a thing for self-made zillionaires. I remember when Perot was running, some people saying that he must be pretty smart since he had made so much money. :shrug:

[gateley]

19. It's obscene. I think that the economic climate wasn't as dire when Perot was

running (or it didn't affect me then like it is now). The fact that someone has a disposable half billion dollars to dabble in politics is disturbing. I don't begrudge him his money, I begrudge him and others of his ilk who have gotten so much of their fortunes at our expense.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. he has deep pockets

he'll have the best ballot access money can buy.

[gdaerin]

44. I don't think Deep accurately describes his coffers, but yeah, what he said! nt

[Deep13]

4. Once a Republican politician, always a Republican politician.

The only thing a Bloomberg candidacy can do is to split the liberal vote.

[MADem]

7. He was a Democrat for DECADES. He was a Republican for a term.

He's an indy now. And he just might give us President McCain if we aren't careful, especially if Obama gets knocked out and runs with him...

[Lone_Star_Dem]

10. He very well could give us President McCain

Which is why I think his little ploy should be taken very, very seriously.

[MADem]

23. Yep, I said that a few months back, and it is a possibility. NT

[TwilightGardener]

13. Not a handsome critter, is he? Especially next to Obama.

[MADem]

22. His ticket could use a little prettying up, really. NT

[DemIdeals]

29. What's that supposed to mean?

He's not an unattractive guy at all for being almost 66 years old. Let's see how good you look when you are that age, okay?

[TwilightGardener]

31. Just my opinion. To me, he ain't a looker, even for his age.

[Deep13]

36. McCain? More likely he will give us President Huckabee.

Whatever you want to call him, his campaign as a 3rd party candidate will be disasterous for us.

[MADem]

42. I'm betting on McCain getting the nom. I think Huckie will be done on Super Tuesday.

We'll see. I just can't see "Flintstones" Huckabee making it to the big show. Romney, maybe--but I think McCain has the 'Big Mo.'

[AlinPA]

21. Guardian article claims he won't run if Obama is nominated or if McCain is nominated.

That's all I've heard. I guess he sees them as the least confrontational in DC.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/uselections08/story/0,,2243255,00.html?gusrc=rss&feed=12

[BrklynLiberal]

25. All Bloomberg can do is siphon votes from a more deserving candidate.

This is such a waste of time, money and energy. I hope Bloomberg comes to his senses soon.

[DemIdeals]

28. RUN MIKE RUN

I used to be a fan of the guy and I think he's done a pretty kickass job as mayor of our city, so maybe I'm biased. He's a lot better than Giuliani. He used to be a Democrat, then he was a Republican, and now an independent. I think his base is the country club Rockefeller Republicans who populate the northeast, so he should hurt the Republican nominee more than anyone else.

[CK_John]

33. IMO, it's only a question of will he run to win or to force the election into the House and Senate

in order to break both parties. I think the latter is his plan. In the House each state gets 1 vote and can elect anybody(age/natural born) to POTUS. The Senate elects anyone to be VP by majority vote(as I recall). Look at this electoral map from the NY Sun that shows the possibilities.



<>



All he would need is six to eight states to deadlock the electoral college.

[depakid]

39. "All he would need is six to eight states to deadlock the electoral college."

I would LOVE to see that happen, as it might lead to proportional voting and instant runoff Amendments to the Constitution.

That in turn would break the two party stranglehold that's become a plague on the US -and the rest of the world.

[IndianaGreen]

41. Progressives have been trying to abolish the Electoral College for years

or at a minimum, to apportion a state's electoral votes according to the popular vote, repealing the undemocratic winner-take-all.

I don't want to hear any whining about the Electoral College from those that have defended the status quo. They wanted to keep that archaic system, not us.

[Krashkopf]

35. I am sick and fuckin' tired of rich SOB's who think they can just . . .

climb on top of a mountain of money and use it to buy an election.

Middle-Class America to Michael Bloomberg, Middle-Class America to Michael Bloomberg . . . stay the fuck out of the Presidential race. Over.

[Toots]

38. Let's assume the worst, that he not only runs, but wins.....

What would be the direct effect? How do you feel he would govern. He claims to be Independent although registered as a Republicans he once was a Democrat. I believe the ONLY reason he switched to Republican was he did not feel a Democrat could be elected in the times we were living in. I believe he still has much of the Democrat inside him. Would he continue the Bush* Doctrine? What would he do economically, would he raise taxes on the upper class and begin a more progressive policy? :shrug: I am sure I would never vote for the man but I would rather have him than any other Republican.

[IndianaGreen]

40. Bloomberg is a moderate Democrat in everything but in name.

He is more progressive on LGBT issues than the 3 top tier Democratic candidates, and he is a proven manager and leader.

Jesusland will never vote for a Jew!

[sleepyhead]

46. Google "Bloomberg Republican convention 2004"

And read about what he did to marginalize the protesters. He authorized surveillance of suspect groups for up to a year before the convention, and allowed arrest and intimidation of hundreds and hundreds of protesters, many of whom suffered injuries serious enough to be hospitalized. He is neither a Democrat nor a progressive. Democrats and progressives respect the first amendment.

[gdaerin]

43. I'll sign that petition if HRC is the dem nom.