Whether the FBI’s ongoing investigation of Hillary Clinton’s alleged breach of national security produces charges against her or not, Bloomberg may be Clinton’s Ross Perot.
Perot entered the race against George HW Bush Sr. and siphoned enough votes from Bush in 1992 to throw the race to Hillary’s husband, Bill Clinton. Bloomberg, 73, a liberal voice from New York City, has reportedly taken the first steps toward forming his campaign for the 2016 presidential elections as an independent. The former New York mayor has flirted with presidential politics in the past without following through, but with the Democrats in disarray it seems he’s preparing a late run for the White House.
A New York Times report published today says that according to anonymous sources, Bloomberg has indicated to friends and allies “that he would be willing to spend at least $1 billion of his fortune on it.” According to sources close to his fledgling campaign, he has hired a consultant to aggressively determine the best path for getting his name on presidential ballots. In December Bloomberg commissioned a poll in order to ascertain how he might fare against Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton. However, Bloomberg has practiced liberal politics for many years and analysts believe he would split the vote with Hillary Clinton and to a lesser degree Bernie Sanders for the nomination. As for running against Trump, there is much doubt among political analysts as to whether he could carry enough Republican votes to make a significant difference.
Like Trump, Bloomberg is a multi-billionaire, however he has championed mostly liberal causes and would be subject to clichéd references like limousine liberal, sugar taxman or a party flip flopper. Bloomberg served as Mayor of New York City from January 1, 2002 to December 31, 2013. He first won election in 2001, and won re-election in 2005 and 2009. His Independent political party affiliation is a new brand for him as he was a lifelong Democrat before deciding to run for mayorship of New York City. After Rudy Giuliani’s eight-year stint as New York City’s mayor Michael Bloomberg decided he should also run as a Republican. Even so, Bloomberg governed as a liberal Democrat. Some say his latest change in party affiliation is out of convenience since he would not have to run against Hillary Clinton in the Democratic Party or Donald Trump in the Republican Party.
The problem for Democrats is that he will decidedly take votes from their embattled candidates. Mrs. Clinton has been under investigation by the FBI almost from the official start of her campaign. On the other hand, most political analysts say that socialist independent Bernie Sanders cannot win in the general election. If Bloomberg splits the vote between either one in the general election it could spell doom for the Democratic Party’s chances for 12 more years in the White House as surely as Ross Perot defeated Mr. Bush in 1992.
