Mike Bloomberg

Netroots Economic Stimulus Plan: Draft Bloomberg!

Bob Fertik — Wed, 16 Jan 2008 11:13:56 -0500

As the economy falls into recession, the Presidential candidates are leaping forward with economic stimulus plans.

But why should the candidates have all the fun? Why can't the Netroots "crash the gates" with an economic stimulus plan of our own?

We demonstrated the power of the Netroots yesterday in Michigan when we helped Mitt Romney crush John McCain. As CNN reports (h/t Kagro X),

In a January 10 post titled "Let's Have Some Fun in Michigan," Markos Moulitsas wrote on his popular liberal site, The Daily Kos, that Michigan Democrats should help Romney.

"We want Romney in, because the more Republican candidates we have fighting it out, trashing each other with negative ads and spending tons of money, the better it is for us," he said. "We want Mitt to stay in the race, and to do that, we need him to win in Michigan."

So the Netroots have already enacted an economic stimulus by forcing Mitt Romney to spend a few more of his millions, which will stimulate further stimulus by forcing all the other candidates to hit up their rich friends.

But why stop with Mitt's millions when we can spend Bloomberg's billions! All we need to do is get behind the ~~explosive~~ inert Draft Mike Bloomberg movement :)

We know Bloomberg desperately wants to run and is willing to spend at least one of his billions, but he just isn't getting any love from the voters. Sadly for Mike, the Beatles were right: Money can't buy you love.

But we in the Netroots are full of love. So let's shower it on Mike and persuade him to "invest" a few of his billions in a third-party ~~ego-trip~~ candidacy that is guaranteed to elect a Democratic president by taking millions of votes from sane Republicans who refuse to follow Mike Huckabee up to the Rapture.

Better yet, let's draft all of America's billionaires - Bill Gates, Warren Buffett, and all the rest! We can call it EgoFest 2008 and let them break completely new ground in political campaign spending. Think Mount Rushmore is impressive? Wait until you see Trump Rushmore!

Ah, the possibilities are endless. Netroots, fire up your imaginations and let's get to work!

Bloomberg Run? Why?

douglassmyth — Fri, 11 Jan 2008 15:14:23 -0500

It would be the best thing that could happen for Republicans, given their lackluster candidates, but that's not why, that's only, to Bloomie's way of thinking, an alternative outcome that would be better than the alternative.

Suckers08

Bob Fertik — Thu, 10 Jan 2008 13:22:19 -0500

I haven't wasted my breath on Unity08 because I couldn't figure out who it would appeal to.

Sure we all want "unity" in the abstract, but U.S. politics are about real people (candidates), not abstractions. So the key question was: who would they run?

If there is a broadly unifying person in American politics, I haven't met him or her. Just because a candidate talks about unity doesn't make him or her a unifier. After all, George Bush insisted he was a "uniter, not a divider." Did anyone outside David Broder's alternative universe actually believe him?

So without an obvious "unity" candidate, Unity08 really looked like a stalking horse for Mike Bloomberg. Mike who? I'm a New Yorker so I know who he is, but who outside New York does?

Bloomberg is best known for being a short billionaire. Which makes him Ross Perot without the floppy ears and Texas twang. But Perot has one thing Bloomberg lacks - a personality as big as his wallet. By contrast, Bloomberg makes the Microsoft guy in the TV ads look exciting.

So today we learn that Unity08 really was a stalking horse for Bloomberg.

the bipartisan Unity08 effort is poised to shut down its Web site, reconstitute as a Draft Bloomberg site and launch its own 50-state signature-gathering operation on behalf of the supposedly reluctant would-be independent presidential candidate.

Surprise, surprise!

Apparently 124,000 suckers fell for the Unity08 bait-and-switch. Will they get fooled again?

But the biggest sucker is Bloomberg himself, if he thinks he has a prayer of getting half of the votes Ross Perot got in his two losing campaigns.

Actually I'm grateful to Perot because Bill Clinton would never have defeated incumbent George H.W. Bush in 1992 without Perot, and Perot made it easier for Clinton to beat Dole in 1996.

Bloomberg could play the same spoiler role in 2008, especially if Republicans choose Mike Huckabee. The Wall Street wing of the GOP will never support Tax Hike Mike, so wasting their votes on Bloomberg would guarantee a Democratic victory.

Go Bloomberg Go!