Billion dollar bye-bye

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It’s right there in the headline of the New York Times OpEd page: "I’m Not Running for President, but…" If anybody here at RBR wrote that headline, its importance would be less than negligible. But then, we weren’t considering dumping one billion dollars of our own money into a third-party presidential run, as was New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.


The current incarnation of Bloomberg, who politically appends an (I) after his name to indicate party affiliation (for independent, or none), was true to his own (D) then (R) the (I) progression, saying of the possible resolutions of current issues, "Some of these solutions have traditionally been seen as Republican, while others have been seen as Democratic. As a businessman, I never believed that either party had all the answers and, as mayor, I have seen just how true that is."

He reiterated his oft-state lack of presidential ambition (despite numerous reports that he was researching a run on the QT), but said the issues were too important for him to remain silent on the sidelines. "If a candidate takes an independent, nonpartisan approach — and embraces practical solutions that challenge party orthodoxy — I’ll join others in helping that candidate win the White House."

RBR/TVBR observation: We have read that Bloomberg’s MO involves silent study before action, meaning that Bloomberg observers find about what he intends to do pretty much when he actually does it. But he seems serious in aligning himself against party orthodoxy and special interests when their tenets and desires block meaningful progress on a wide range of important issues. It will be interesting to see how his philosophy and promise of involvement translates into action. However, it will likely not translate into a gigantic infusion of cash into the already gigantic warchests still being assembled. Bloomberg is limited to a four-figure donation cap just like the rest of us.