Bloomberg's Foreign Policy Briefings

According to Huffington Post, Mayor Bloomberg is asking for foreign policy briefings. This represents some of the best evidence that he is planning a run:

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has been receiving foreign policy briefing sessions on a wide variety of topics, providing the strongest indication yet that he is considering a run for the White House, the Huffington Post has learned.

Reporting for Jury Duty

In an amusing video, Mayor Bloomberg commented on his day in court. That's right, the Mayor was recently called to serve on jury duty. CNN provides the video. While Bloomberg explains why jury duty is important for democracy and a responsibility all citizens should meet, he also provided a bit of humor at the end. No need to spoil it for you, but you should watch!

Houston, Do We Have Liftoff?

Check out this report:

Mike2008.com links directly to Mike Bloomberg's recently relaunched site, MikeBloomberg.com (New York Daily News)

Why would you buy a new website with your name and the year of the next presidential campaign next to each other? Maybe we should ask www.joinrudy2008.com.

Hagel on MTP

Senator Chuck Hagel was on Meet the Press, this morning and discussed his future political ambitions and a recent dinner with Mayor Bloomberg that got a considerable amount of press.

Hagel has recently been discussed as a potential running mate for Bloomberg, and many believe that a Bloomberg/Hagel ticket would be perfect for the Unity08 movement.

On MTP, Hagel said there is a potential for a successful independent candidacy in 2008, and did not rule out switching parties himself.

Bloomberg Exposes Rudy "Blowhard" Giuliani

A new Washington Post article explores the Bloomberg effect on Rudy Giuliani's one-note campaign. While Giuliani cannot speak without invoking 9/11 every few words and fear-mongering over terrorism, Bloomberg is comfortable putting world events and terrorism into perspective:

But the contrast surfaced again last month in the two men's reactions to the foiling of an alleged plot to explode fuel tanks at John F. Kennedy International Airport.

Giuliani seized on it to bolster his campaign's theme, saying, "Today's arrests remind us that we are at war." Bloomberg offered a noticeably milder response: "You can't sit there and worry about everything. You have a much greater danger of being hit by lightning than being struck by a terrorist. Get a life."

Bloomberg also proves that you can be an effective leader without alienating people, like Giuliani and President Bush have:

Giuliani is selling himself as a strong leader who achieved the impossible in bringing an ungovernable New York under control, even if it required some bruising confrontations along the way. But Bloomberg, his admirers say, has shown that the city of 8 million can be run successfully in a far more understated fashion -- that a mayor can reduce crime without cultivating a sheriff's swagger and antagonizing minorities, protect against terrorism without overly fixating on security, and tackle deeply rooted urban problems without getting into public spats with top appointees.

The article also rightly points out that Giuliani was only in office four months after 9/11, and the work of repairing NYC's infrastructure and economy was left in the skillful hands of Bloomberg:

This extends even to the response to the Sept. 11 attacks, the heart of Giuliani's national appeal. Giuliani won acclaim for the resolve he showed on Sept. 11 and the days and weeks following, but having Bloomberg on stage serves to remind voters that Giuliani was out of office within four months of the attacks, that most of the city's resurgence has been presided over by someone else -- and that many New Yorkers were ready to be rid of Giuliani before Sept. 11.

"Giuliani has positioned himself as America's mayor, but Bloomberg has positioned himself as the guy who rebuilt the city . . . and kept it working," said Hank Sheinkopf, a Democratic Party consultant.

We don't need another President like Bush, but we need a leader like Bloomberg who is truly a uniter and not a divider.

Giuliani: Get a life!

Bloomberg on Today

Mayor Bloomberg was on the Today Show this morning, and discussed his recent party change and plans for the future. Again, Bloomberg stated that he had no "intention" of running for President. Though, the words Bloomberg used to describe his future plans are the same words that Gore used on the same broadcast earlier in the morning. And we all know that both men are seriously considering a White House bid.

Mayor Bloomberg will discuss global warming at the Live Earth event in an interview with Ann Curry that will be aired Saturday, on NBC.

Bloomberg Effect

A new CNN poll finds that Mayor Bloomberg could have a great impact in 2008:

...Bloomberg polled around Perot's 19% in three-way matchups -- 17% against Democrat Hillary Clinton and Republican Rudy Giuliani, 21% against Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain.

That's a pretty good piece of the electorate, if you consider that Bloomberg has little name recognition and is just now developing a national profile.

Bloomberg: GOP and Dem Conventions are Boring

Mayor Bloomberg continues his attacks on the two political parties:

At a breakfast forum in Manhattan, Bloomberg fielded a range of questions, including some about his political views and whether he is ideologically more in line with the Democratic party. Before his recent switch from Republican to independent, Bloomberg was a Democrat for much of his life. He left that party a few years ago to avoid a crowded primary for his first mayoral run.

"I don't think that I disagree with what any national party stands for because I don't think that either national party stands for anything," he said.

Mayor Bloomberg is not alone, as many voters continue to leave the two mainstream parties and declare themselves unaffiliated. With approval ratings for Congress and the President going further and further down the drain, and Washington not accomplishing anything of significance, why should we continue to support the status-quo. Bloomberg went on to say that "[the GOP and dems] nominating conventions are a snooze."

While Washington does nothing, Bloomberg is tackling tough issues like taking illegal guns off the streets and education. Bloomberg is a doer, and America needs its leaders to start getting things done.

Bloomberg Dominates Sunday Morning Talk

Mayor Bloomberg's campaign for America dominated the Sunday morning political talk shows. While supporters of the current political establishment and status-quo talked down a Bloomberg or third party candidacy, others expressed a different opinion. On ABC's This Week, Newsweek's Fareed Zakaria had this to say about the mood of the country:

There is a deep sense that Washington is broken and that small minority special interests groups can derail legislation…Bloomberg is probably the most competent elected official in America right now. He does have a very commonsensical view on many of these issues…

While over on Meet the Press, Washington Post columnist, David Broder, expressed this view:

There is such a distaste out there among the people for both these parties…[It’s] wide open.

When asked if a third party candidate could win the presidency, Broder simply responded, "Absolutely."

A new Newsweek poll backs up Broder's thinking on this issue:

A new NEWSWEEK Poll, conducted Wednesday and Thursday nights, suggests a majority of registered voters agree with Bloomberg: 57 percent say the two-party system does not do a good job addressing issues important to Americans, according to the poll. The same percentage of registered voters say the country needs a third political party. That's up from 46 percent in 2003—and virtually identical to the 58 percent who said they favored a third party back in 1996, the year Ross Perot mounted his second independent run for the presidency.

What a great way to start a new week!

NY Times Endorses Independent Move

In an editorial published this morning, the New York Times came out with a glowing review of Bloomberg's recent decision to become an Independent:

And Mr. Bloomberg’s announcement that he is getting out of the G.O.P. but not getting into the race, certainly brought some fresh air into the longest and already most airless presidential campaign in memory. For a couple of days, at least, he changed the subject from who has raised the most money and focused attention on some of the nonwedge but really important issues that he and a few other mayors and governors have been trying to push to the front of the national agenda.

The candidates for both major parties ought to heed Mr. Bloomberg’s comments about how Americans want nonpartisan solutions to nonpartisan problems. Mr. Bloomberg, like his former fellow Republican, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger of California, certainly has done well for himself and his constituents by defying partisan agendas on issues like global warming.

We were glad to hear Mr. Bloomberg say the presidential candidates should be talking about how to move forward in Iraq, which applies to those who take cover behind President Bush’s policies as well as those who believe, as we do, that the focus should be on ending the war. Mr. Bloomberg was right when he said Americans care “about who’s going to pay their Social Security; they care about who’s going to pay their medical care; they care about immigration, about our reputation overseas.” And, unlike politicians in both parties, he talked about America’s out-of-control gun problem.

The Times also reports that Bloomberg has been preparing for a possible presidential run for two years:

The announcement by Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York that he was leaving the Republican Party to become an independent was made after nearly two years in which his aides had laid the groundwork for a potential independent run for
president.

They collected technical data on the requirements to put Mr. Bloombergon the ballot in 50 states either as a third party or an independent candidate. Mr. Bloomberg went to Washington for a round of meetings with opinion leaders and traveled the country giving political speeches, including two this week in California.

And Mr. Bloomberg told associates that he was closely studying the 1992 presidential campaign of H. Ross Perot, the wealthy Texan and friend who drew 19 percent of the vote as an independent, to figure out how much a race in 2008 would cost.

Bloomberg is still getting a lot of big media national press, and it has been two days since he made his initial announcement.

Bloomberg's Media Lovefest!

Well, there is no doubt about it, Bloomberg has had a great day in the press. He certainly did not waste the moment either, as he continued to make the points Americans know all to well:

"The big issues of the time keep getting pushed to the back," Bloomberg said at another moment...

Bloomberg at Google

The conversation that started the recent 2008 chatter:

Hillary Supporter, Koch, Could Support Bloomberg

Former New York City Mayor, Ed Koch, is an ardent Hillary Clinton supporter, but he is not ruling out supporting Mayor Bloomberg in the general election:

Koch, who delivers commentaries on Bloomberg Radio, told the Forward that he is standing firm in his support for Clinton in the Democratic primaries. He would not, however, close the door on backing a Bloomberg candidacy.

“My support for Hillary is in the Democratic primary,” Koch said. “If Bloomberg were to come in, I would consider it at that time as to which of the two I’ll be supporting. I don’t have to make any determination now, because he is not yet a candidate.”

Jumping ship to campaign Bloomberg has already begun...

Unity 08 Issues Words of Support

The co-founders of Unity 08, a bipartisan political movement attracting Americans deeply concerned with the polarization of our political system, issued words of support yesterday regarding Mayor Bloomberg's decision to change his party affiliation:

"The announcement today by Michael Bloomberg reinforces what Unity08 has been saying since our inception, that the current political system is broken and does not address the concerns of the majority of the population. Although we had no prior knowledge of Mayor Bloomberg’s intentions and we have no idea what it may or may not mean to Unity08, it is obvious that he too understands the need for common ground."Doug Bailey, Co-Founder, Unity08

"Michael Bloomberg has always seemed like a perfect independent candidate, and a competent one at that."Jerry Rafshoon, Co-Founder, Unity08

Mayor Bloomberg has also been getting a lot of great press. He essentially got ten minutes of coverage at the start of the Today Show this morning.

This Sums Up The Washington Reality Today

WASHINGTON NEEDS BLOOMBERG!

Mayor Bloomberg Comes Out Swinging

What a great day to start this site! First of all, Mayor Bloomberg has taken the first step towards launching an Independent run at the White House in 2008 and has left the Republican Party:

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg made a bombshell announcement today in a press release issued while he was in Los Angeles: He's leaving the Republican Party and becoming an independent.

Mayor Bloomberg also dropped some other bombshells about what he thinks while in California. In a speech at Google he proclaimed:

“Whoever out of those 20 becomes president I think has to do something about a country that I think is really in trouble,” Mr. Bloomberg said, referring to the current crop of candidates. “There’s the war, there is our relationships around the world.”

“Our reputation has been hurt very badly in the last few years,” he continued, criticizing what he called a “go-it-alone mentality” in an increasingly interconnected world.

The words Mike Bloomberg speaks make sense, are right and...best of all...he is beholden to no special interests!

As President, the American people will be Mayor Bloomberg's special interest.