A bipartisan group of senior Democrats, Republicans and Independents, hosted by David Boren, former Senator and now President of the University of Oklahoma, will meet January 7th with New York’s Mayor Michael Bloomberg to help him decide whether to launch a 2008 independent presidential campaign.
Among the invited Republicans are former GOP Chairman and Senator Bill Brock; former New Jersey Governor and environmental overseer Christie Todd Whitman; former Reagan adviser and Ambassador David Abshire and retiring Senator Chuck Hagel of Nebraska (mentioned as a possible Bloomberg running mate.)
Among the invited Democrats, besides longtime party insider Boren, are former Senator Sam Nunn of Georgia; former Senator Chuck Robb of Virginia; and former Senator and 1988 presidential candidate Gary Hart of Colorado.
In a December 13th memo to Senator Nunn, David M. Abshire, founder and Director of the Center for the Study of the Presidency, wrote that America had become “a house divided…. polarized and often lacking unity of effort. Had we been this divided in World War II or the Cold War, we would have lost both.”
“He’s itching to do it,” Steve Forbes told CNN. Forbes, a national co-chairman of the Rudy Giuliani presidential campaign, said he expected Bloomberg to run. Like Bloomberg, Forbes had reached into his own fortune to finance his presidential campaign. Giuliani has said he doubts his successor would run. “I think Mike would only do it to win,” said Giuliani in an interview, sounding hopeful.
The New York Post reported that Bloomberg’s press secretary Stu Loeser said the Mayor is going to Oklahoma because he has seen again and again how hyper-partisanship in Washington isn’t just getting in the way of big reforms, it’s getting in the way of any meaningful progress on a whole host of issues.”
Bloomberg, the richest man in New York as well as one of the smartest, has a personal fortune estimated at $10 billion. Should the economy sputter and the financial credit crisis deepen this winter, his experience would be sought across the country by anxious homeowners, small businessmen and workers fearful of losing their jobs.
David Boren, who headed the Senate Intelligence Committee for years, is a serious, thoughtful man, and he’s invited busy national political leaders to come together for a purpose. After talking privately to some of the participants, I expect Bloomberg to listen carefully, seek support from those willing to give it and announce his candidacy in early March or possibly earlier.
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Comments
An independent run for the Presidency can only take off after both major parties have defacto winners for the nomination. This year, both parties have a number of contenders. The Super Tuesday (Feb 5) is so early and so delegate heavy, that either or both parties will not have a clear winner going into their conventions.
Such a cliff hanger would kill an independent run for the Presidency since Independents are seen as alternatives to the major parties. But with one or both major parties not having a nominee picked, an independent, an alternative, can make no headway since one or both major parties still contains an alternative.
If Bloomberg wants to run and win, he needs time to woo voters, and that clock will not start early enough this cycle.
Posted by: Greg | January 4, 2008 12:06 PM
It is practically impossible that the Democratic nominee would be decided at the convention. It has become basically a three person race. Unless Edwards pulls off a surprise win in New Hampshire, he is pretty much out of it. At which point, it would be Obama and Clinton slugging it out. A two person race cannot reasonably lead to a brokered convention.
If by some miracle Edwards is able to stay in, he would strike a deal with Obama, with whichever one had the more delegates as the nominee.
As for the Republicans, a brokered convention is only possible if (a) Huckabee continues to do well and (b) the party apparatus refuses to accept him. But, the winner-take-all nature of the Republican primaries means that it is a lot more difficult for someone else to come back if Huckabee starts winning left and right. If it is several candidates against Huckabee, expect the party to solidify behind the non-Huckabee with the largest number of delegates. Again, no brokered convention.
The bigger question, though, is whether there is really a need for Bloomberg in the race if Obama is the Democratic nominee. Since he is largely post-partisan, it takes the wind out of Bloomberg's non-partisan sails.
Posted by: Charles | January 4, 2008 2:05 PM
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