I wonder what would happen if Michael Bloomberg decided to seriously contend for the Republican nomination in 2016. I doubt he would consider taking on Hillary Clinton, but bear with me. If Bloomberg put his billions to work on a serious presidential campaign as a Republican, he could probably grab a lot of delegates to the convention. Remember how successful Ron Paul was in grabbing delegates and even taking over the party leadership in some states. You can be unorthodox, lose badly, and still gain some real influence.
The idea would be multifaceted. Obviously, there are some ideas, like gun control and health (anti-smoking, anti-sugary drinks, anti-trans fats) that motivate Bloomberg. I think he’d like to push back against the homophobia, sexism, racism, and xenophobia that are so ascendant in the Republican Party. I think he wants to do something about climate change. Bloomberg is certainly not a down-the-line progressive by any means, but that’s precisely why it makes sense for him to try to reinvigorate a Rockefeller Republican wing of the GOP that can compete in the Northeast and on the left coast.
It would probably make sense for Bloomberg to recruit candidates to run in California’s jungle primaries, too. The GOP, as a conservative party, is pretty much dead. Why leave it to the libertarians to pick over the bones?
La Palin and her teabagger buddies have already stained him with their scorn. Why would they have reason to vote for him?
They wouldn’t. But in a state like New Hampshire where you can vote in any primary you want, plenty of people would vote for Bloomberg rather than in an uncompetitive Democratic primary.
The idea wouldn’t be to win states but to win delegates and take over state parties. Ron Paul was quite successful at that on a small budget. Bloomberg has a lot more resources, and some regional appeal in states where the primaries are not closed.
Which state parties outside the Northeast do you see him taking over? Could he, for example, have influence in Left Coast Republican parties? I find Blommberg not doing so well in California, Oregon, Washington, or Hawaii.
I suspect the cost of such an operation is proportional to the size and sophistication of the state party.
No.
SATSQ.
These people have lost their minds.
Mike has got to marry his girl friend if he wants to run as a republican. The current GOP base will not be able to deal with sleep overs.
I could see it happening. He’s certainly got the motivation. He’s left the mayoralty in something approaching disgrace, which he clearly resents, and he wants to be seen as a great man again. He’s got his own media platform – plus the Beltway media would flip out with joy if he ran, and he’d get infinite press.
He’d know he couldn’t actually win the nomination too, so he’d enjoy playing the truthteller and voice of reason. I wonder how many of the Pluto crafts would go with him, though – maybe some of the west coast, Hollywood types, but the old East Coast noblesse oblige seems to have been murdered by Wall Street in the 80’s.
Also, there’s real danger that he’d run as independent candidate – how many votes would he siphon off Hillary Clinton? I hope he smart enough to not do that. We don’t need another Nader.
Still, if he did it the right way, it might help something shift.
Pluto crafts? Oy, autocorrect, I meant plutocrats.
Spellcheck is the spawn of Satin.
I thought you were being clever – it is clever, take credit for it!!, but yes, Spawn of Satin
I thought he’d run as a third-party candidate in 2012. Sort of the anti-Perot: neoliberal paternalism in place of populist anger. I can still see it: Bloomberg-Manchin or something like that.
I wonder how many of the Pluto crafts would go with him, though – maybe some of the west coast, Hollywood types, but the old East Coast noblesse oblige seems to have been murdered by Wall Street in the 80’s.I can still see it: Bloomberg-Manchin or something like that. K.J. Wright Super Bowl Jersey
Bloomberg would fit right into the mainstream of the Democratic Party – Left wing social policy and Right wing economic policy.
Maybe Bloomberg could double Giuliani’s delegate count at about the same cost per delegate.
While Bloomberg has money to burn, it’s hard to see him getting up on stage to debate the other cRAzY GOP candidates. Well, okay, it could happen once, but would be such a debacle (for all concerned) that steps would be taken to prevent any repetition.
Booman, I just don’t get your tender concern for the fate of the twitching carcass of the GOP…or is this a “reduce, reuse, recycle” kind of thing?
Because the natural course of things is for the current GOP to follow the path of the Whigs and Know-Nothings, then the Dems to split into centrist/progressive factions.
You don’t get it? Let me explain.
No Republican Party, no easy fix. Every fix needs a tomato can and it appears that the RatPubs are currently up for that role again. However, said RatPublican/Tomato Can Party has to at least be able to present the image of a competent fighter during the runup to the fight. (Also known as “The Primaries” when it’s a preznidential fix.) Their most recent image leader looks like he’s blown a bunch of good branding work with his nasty little NJ feuds and scams, so the Rats need a makeover. Huckabee? Fuggedaboudit. He has about the same amount of possible mass image appeal as Mr. Whipple the toilet paper man.
The rest? Just about the same level. They either look like refuse from the Joe McCarthy makeover book or chicken embryos. Not a “hero” among them. Not really. Remember…this is a popularity contest now, this preznidential thing. Been one since Clinton, although JFK was the first to use it really well.
Enter the richest man in politics. Instant heroism.
Put a couple of billion dollars behind that message and he’s an instant contender.
Now…why is Booman so worried about the RatPublican Party’s apparently imminent demise? He’s a professional political media asset. No fix, no gig.
Sorry, but there it is.
Deal wid it.
AG
I’d watch a debate with Paul, Bloomberg & Cruz. Wouldn’t even need popcorn.
I, uh, don’t think so. Bloomberg is basically Satan to the GOP base. It’s not like he’s got a long history of dabbling in lunacy the way that Ron Paul does, allowing him to pick up support from the Birchers, the neo-Confederates and the Dominionists. He’d make a few columnists swoon, get trounced in IA, come in second or third in NH, and then give up.
Right, he really doesn’t have a niche to appeal to. The base hate him, the Baggers can’t abide him, and the establishment GOP can still come up with far more amenable (if not electable) options. The non-bagger grassroots of the party is Bush-Denying Libertarianism, and never mind the gun issue, the soft drink restriction burned any bridges with that crowd for good.
Wasn’t Bloomberg mixed up in some David Boren plan to concern-troll the 2008 election with a third party run? I’m afraid he’s much more likely to pull something like that than anything involving a GOP delegate run.
I’m sorry – I have tremendous respect for you – but this is the dumbest thing you have written.
Jon Huntsman was too liberal to win a delegate. How the hell would Bloomberg win anything?
thank you. plus he’s like 75 years old, and he left the republican party. i have a better chance of getting the nomination.
Heh, maybe he could throw the drowning Gop/baggers an anchor instead…or do nothing…I really didn’t like it when he stuck his nose and money into Colorado politics…the same goes for the Koch’s, Waltons’s, and the rest of the dark moneybags…the last thing we need is a Ken Buck with money…