MORE BLOOMIE

We discussed the so-so wanting of Mayor Mike Bloomberg of New York for president, in this space yesterday.  The speculation builds.  Some in the New York press are saying that he'll decide by March.  It was reliably reported by the best journalists that he took some New York cheesecake, from a local institution called Junior's, to a conference in Oklahoma.  Everyone knows the clout of the cheesecake vote in Oklahoma.  The signs are there.

But we must raise a very delicate point.  Bloomberg could probably run a credible race as an independent, but conventional wisdom says he'd take more votes from the Democratic candidate than from the Republican.  If Obama wins the Democratic nomination, that places Bloomberg in an extremely awkward position.  Someone is going to come to him privately and ask, "Mike, do you really want it said that a self-financed Jewish guy from New York made it impossible for the first serious black candidate to become president?"  There are historic political tensions in New York between blacks and Jews.  Yes, it's a tough thing to bring up, but that question will be asked, and it may decide whether Bloomberg runs.

Posted on January 8, 2008.