The media reports this morning indicate that Michael Bloomberg has decided to leave the Republican Party.
The more interesting question is why Bloomberg ever was a Republican to begin with.
New York’s mayor loves to use the government to dictate private behavior. He was the first to ban smoking in bars and the first to ban trans fat. That doesn’t sound very Republican to me.
Bloomberg became a Republican because he inherited a good Republican brand in New York City from Rudy Giuliani. That meant he promised to continue Rudy’s tough fiscal and safety agenda. Bloomberg also signaled that he wouldn’t be a David Dinkins Democrat. In other words, his implicit promise was that he wouldn’t give in to the union goons and corruption that bedeviled the Big Apple in the days before Rudy.
That Bloomberg is now becoming an independent isn’t necessarily good news for the Democrats. In fact, if Bloomberg did run for president, he would take votes away from the Democrats. In the last election, independents broke heavily against Republicans and for Democrats. If those independent voters now have a extraordinarily rich standard-bearer who is willing to spend a couple of hundred million dollars in a race for president, they won’t break for the Democrats, they will go for that standard-bearer.
The race for president could become very interesting for the people of New York if Bloomberg decides to run. The former mayor, the senator, and perhaps now the current mayor. Who knew New York was so popular?
With the popularity ratings of both major parties in the tank, it is not surprising that some are making noise about independent bids. Will it be Bloomberg? Chuck Hagel? Joe Lieberman? The disgust with Washington is growing, as more and more Americans believe that this nation is on the wrong track. So a Bloomberg candidacy should not be ruled out as a real possibility. While it is doubtful such a campaign could win, it may shake things up in ways we can’t anticipate today.