Obama/Bloomberg: A Can't Miss Ticket?

Michael Bloomberg is carefully evaluating his options, and has indicated that he will enter the presidential race only if he has a very legitimate chance of winning the 270 electoral votes necessary to win the 2008 presidential election.

Kevin Sheekey, Bloomberg's key political advisor, calls for delaying Mayor Bloomberg's decision until after March 5th, the date of the Texas primary. Waiting far into the primary process to commit seriously diminishes Mayor Bloomberg's chances of ever advancing to the Oval Office.

There is a legitimate option requiring immediate action that significantly increases the likelihood of a Bloomberg presidency. Though Mayor Mike is a CEO kind of guy, it is not unreasonable for him to team up with the other non-polarizing candidate in the race, Barack Obama, forming a real bipartisan coalition. Michael Bloomberg as Barack Obama's endorser, supporter, and eventual running mate!

Michael Bloomberg is 65-years-old, and his best and perhaps only shot at becoming president of the United States is by being the VP in a successful administration. Mr. Bloomberg would be a 'most senior advisor' for eight years, adding significant 'gravitas' to the executive branch, providing superior managerial expertise, economic expertise, and a large cadre of intelligent loyalists. He could legally provide enormous campaign funding and prevent the need for President Obama to kowtow to special interests or to waste time fundraising.

Michael Bloomberg is a realist. He knows that a divorced, pro-choice, Jewish billionaire from Manhattan with no national or international political experience, known for strict gun control policies, and for successfully raising property taxes, has no significant chance of winning 270 electoral votes as an independent -- no matter who the primary voters select to oppose him.

Anything short of an outright electoral vote victory sends the vote back to the House, where each state gets one vote, making an independent unelectable.

When he and Mr. Sheekey come to the realization that he cannot win the 270 electoral votes necessary to win the nomination, what is the best we can otherwise expect Mayor Bloomberg's national role to be when his term is up in two years? Senior advisor to the incumbent president? Visionary private philanthropist?

So Mr. Bloomberg, if you even remotely consider that you have enough clout to win 270 electoral votes, your overt support of Obama must be meaningful enough to nudge Mr. Obama into the Democratic victory column, and increase your likelihood of sharing a bipartisan ticket with Mr. Obama.

Mayor Mike, those of us who have seen you in action are convinced that you have what it takes to get the USA back on track. You are a realist, a consensus builder, and a futurist. You owe no one for your political fortunes, and you are not beholden to special interests. You surround yourself with very capable individuals and are a leader, a manager's manager, and a team-builder with a reputation for fairness and honesty.

While it is true that Obama might want someone who could broaden his political base, the ticket of Obama and Bloomberg would have great appeal to the center, the left, the business community, the blue states, the young voters, and the African-American communities. The Republican candidate, either McCain or Romney, regardless of running mates, would have little room left in the political spectrum.

A successful eight year Obama-Bloomberg administration would, at age 74, perfectly position Michael Bloomberg to be the next president of the United States. A viable option for a healthy man with a fully functioning 98-year-old mother.

Wouldn't it be wonderful to have a 16-year period of effective bipartisan government, untied to special interests and unfettered by endless fundraising, under the direction of smart and well-meaning individuals?

Mr. Bloomberg, revise your Sheekey Master Plan before the February 5th primaries and organize your support for Obama.

Intelligent voters depend on the Obama-Bloomberg ticket to build consensus, lead wisely, and manage the difficult issues that lie ahead.

Comments

[EspressoAtNoon]

"the other non-polarizing candidate in the race"

- Bloomberg traveled to Connecticut to campaign for and help Joe Lieberman (war hawk, top money recipient from Israel Lobby, Zionist-Neo-con) to beat anti-war candidate Ned Lamonte.

It that is any indication of Bloomberg's priorities (i.e. Israel) then he's the LAST person I want in the White House.

[lovethesinner]

Obama-Bloomberg! It falls "trippingly on the tongue" but sounds a little like... Bialystock and Bloom!

("God dag par dig")

That's it! We get Lee Meridith to marry Mayor Mike, and that batchelor knock is done with.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulla_%28The_Producers%29

Seriously, I love Michael Bloomberg. If you can sell it to the heartland, I'd say go for it. The guy's a genius.

[theuniversal]

No matter how much you may like it, it's a really bad idea. There is a huge part of the Democratic party would be plain angry about putting Bloomberg on the ticket and angry at Obama for betraying his party. Also, fantasizing into 2016 is silly. You need t try to get out of your own head for a minute.

[ESerafina42]

No one should be able to buy the presidency, not even for someone else. Not Ross Perot. Not Romney. Not Bloomberg.

To say nothing of the fact that something like you suggest would be a gift to the anti-Semitic conspiracy theorists, of whom there seem to be almost as many on the left as on the right these days.

[ProudLiberalDan]

Obama/Bloomberg (or Clinton/Bloomberg) would assure that Cynthia McKinney and Ralph Nader receive more votes than anyone currently thinks possible.

Many people in the base and on the left are already suspicious of Obama's promised outreach to Republicans. Running with someone who endorsed and worked for George Bush's re-..., er, initial actual election in 2004, would be electoral suicide.

[larry278]

This is a nightmare for the DLC, her Hillaryship, Slick Willy & the GOP establishment. It is simply an interesting idea to the disinterested; that makes it a much greater nightmare for Hillary, Willy, the DLC & the GOP establishment. Mike Bloomberg has so much money, loyal supporters & holds debts of honor & otherwise which powerful people would pay to Mike in a NY minute that offering him a post of Ambasabor or a post in the cabinet wouldn't do. That kind of offer or even more clumsy proposals would anger Mike.
A lot of Americans & others would do Mike's bidding in a nanosecond. That could be scary to a power elite-if the USA had a power elite or establishment.

[vbond]

Let's see...

1. Obama just raised $32 million in a MONTH in the PRIMARIES!

2. Kowtowing is the least of his concerns.

For relief from the burdens of fund raising and kowtowing, he get WHAT, exactly, in a Bloomberg VP running mate?

Foreign policy experience? No.

Geographic balance? No.

Gender balance? No.

The billionaire vote? No.

Independents that Obama and whomever wouldn't get anyway? None.

The short, divorced, Jewish guy with a live-in girlfriend vote (that even Sarkozy couldn't make work)? Absolutely.

What a clever idea!

[kroses98]

I really prefer Obama/Webb!!!

[LunaLea]

Well, the Democrats might like that match up, but no one else will. I can't imagine that anyone but Democrats will vote for Obama no matter who his VP choice is. I can't believe the Republicans fooled the democrats again into nominating someone no one but Democrats will vote for.

[Frank Dwyer - Huffpost Blogger]

Not polarizing? Given the absolutely catastrophic results for this country of having re-elected George W. Bush, you are proposing that the Democrats nominate as their Vice-Presidential candidate a man who endorsed and contributed to that re-election? I think it would be better to pull the plug on this feeble non-Opposition Party and start over. I think that may be what we need to do anyway.

[Thorn]

You have to understand something about how the two major political parties work in this country. There's not one chance in a billion that Obama can or would cast his lot with someone who has been a Democrat, a Republican and currently is a putative Independent. Sanctify him as much as you like, but he has debts to fulfill and not one of them is to Mike Bloomberg.

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

Ditto Clinton/Bloomberg

[ReasonIsMyReligion]

If Obama makes the announcement soon, I'll bite.

[BUSHsurvivor]

As a New Yorker, I see that Republican Mayor Bloomie would prefer second banana to no one.

[compelledto]

Not the first time I've heard this one. A long shot, but it would be a SICK ticket!