New York, New York
The recent announcement by New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg that he is leaving the GOP to become an independent raises the possibility that the 2008 Presidential ballot could be Clinton (D-NY) vs. Giuliani (R-NY) vs. Bloomberg (I-NY), the ultimate subway series and not exactly the choice that the readers of Western Democrat would prefer.
Recent polling shows that Mayor Bloomberg could flip a number of states without carrying any. Obama would be hurt since he and Bloomberg would split the independent vote. Romney would be hurt he and Bloomberg would split the business vote.
But what if Mayor Bloomberg, at one time a life-long Democrat, is angling for a vice-presidential spot on the Democratic ticket? The Vice Presidency is a better stepping stone to the Presidency than a third-party candidacy.
There are constitutional problems (though not technically a prohibition) with a Clinton-Bloomberg ticket. Electors cannot vote for both a President and a Vice President from the same state. Richardson-Bloomberg would be an interesting pairing: Southwest and Northeast, Catholic and Jewish, governor and mayor, a candidate struggling to raise first-tier cash and a candidate with no such worries. Edwards-Bloomberg would highlight the three Americas: the poor, the rich, and the super-rich. But it is Obama-Bloomberg that could be the most interesting because it would reinforce Obama’s appeal to independents. Obama is a Westerner if you count his birth in Hawaii, but more to the point, there is a definite spirit of independence in the West that should not be underestimated.
At this point, this is all speculation, but it is speculation that reminds us that a lot can happen between now and Election Day 2008 to upset the best laid plans of any candidate.
Leo Brown | July 11, 2007 | Comment on This Post (3 so far) |
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Comments
Beyond the Udall race for the CO Senate seat, I wonder where our other Senate pick-up opportunities are in the Southwest? The hot Sen pick-up opporutnities that get great attention are essentially midwest and east (NH, ME, MN, KY, and maybe VA) And what Southwest House seats could be in play in '08?
Posted by: Frederick | Jul 11, 2007 5:52:17 AM
Leo, a legal question: While a presidential candidate can spend unlimited amounts of their own money on the election - can a vice presidential candidate?
Posted by: Kari Chisholm | Jul 14, 2007 3:23:17 AM
I am not a lawyer, but that would seem logical. Moreover, I think public opinion and the current Supreme Court would both allow that.
Posted by: Leo Brown | Jul 14, 2007 6:46:31 AM
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(and yes, we know that sometimes they're very, very wrong. Other times, they're right on.)
