President Mike
Bloomberg for Prez? Gimmie a break. First, I admit I left the city before he entered City Hall, so I have no first-hand experience of his mayoralty. I’ve followed events in my former home as closely as the on-line New York Times and various other sources, like Gothamist allow, however, although, as a second point, I’ll concede some measure of bias in the coverage thereby afforded. But no government executive at any level is immune from criticism when they do something wrong, and praise for their right actions often comes off as muted. So balance Mayor Mike’s performance during the GOP convention or the police harassment of bicyclists since against the 311 information system. Sure, he rides the subway and lives in his own home like a regular person. He did those things before he was mayor, too. What else has he done? How else is he qualified as a potential President. And please leave aside the fact that he’s got the dough to run on his own hook, no public financing or campaign contributions needed.
Actually, his wealth may be the one qualification no one can match: he’s beholden to no one.
No, no, it’s not enough. Ross Perot and Stephen Forbes were beholden to no one, either. Neither one was a viable candidate, and thank God for that.
Well, he’s not running yet, so there’s time to find out after, if, he announces, what President Bloomberg would be all about. I’ll admit I’m intrigued, but I’m also suffering from campaign fatigue already, what with all those Republicans and all those Democrats already running, not to mention all those Democrats who aren’t. Yet.
20 June 2007
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Yeah, Bloomberg got up the nose of a lot of people with the smoking ban, but even the site you direct to in your comment acknowledges Pershing Square has been closed to traffic since 1997, long before Mike got into office. Frankly, anything that makes NYC more pedestrian-friendly is fine with me, and traffic have a number of bypasses at this point, not to mention that the hours Park Avenue South is closed - for the space of a block - are well outside peak hour, and, because it's only happening on weekdays, also outside any period inconvenient to recreational travel through that area. Congestion tax has done remarkable things in London, by many accounts, and Amsterday long ago shut its entire downtown to traffic. So while I think you're probably right about the effect of a Bloomberg candidacy on vote-siphoning - and there are additional, valid objections to be made, I also think your problems with Bloomberg are a little hysterical.
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