Now Bloomberg's REALLY Not Running

In a New York Times op-ed today, Mayor Mike Bloomberg announces definitively that he is not running for president. He's doing the right thing. Bloomberg is an interesting politician, and it's conceivable that he could bring something valuable to a race for the presidency -- just not this one. Bloomberg has made nonpartisanship his cause; he's decided to be about unity. It's not the right war to wage against Obama and McCain. So what would Bloomberg bring to the table? Just however much money it costs to run for president.

His piece in the Times is classy and honorable. I get slightly queasy when the unity crowd lays it on too thick; I agree with a lot of the general criticism of the two-party system, and I agree that partisan warfare is clogging the legislative machinery, but I also think the Republicans are wrong. But he makes his case well, embodying the unity he preaches. He attacks no one. And there's no denying that he's correct when he says that "forces that prevent meaningful progress are powerful, and they exist in both parties."

Bloomberg is the best mayor the ultimate American city has had in a long time. One of his better points -- largely because so few seem to be making it -- has to do with the importance of our cities:

"In every city I have visited — from Baltimore to New Orleans to Seattle — the message of an independent approach has resonated strongly, and so has the need for a new urban agenda. More than 65 percent of Americans now live in urban areas — our nation’s economic engines. But you would never know that listening to the presidential candidates. At a time when our national economy is sputtering, to say the least, what are we doing to fuel job growth in our cities, and to revive cities that have never fully recovered from the manufacturing losses of recent decades?"

Anyway, here's where he says he's not running:

"I believe that an independent approach to these issues is essential to governing our nation — and that an independent can win the presidency. I listened carefully to those who encouraged me to run, but I am not — and will not be — a candidate for president. I have watched this campaign unfold, and I am hopeful that the current campaigns can rise to the challenge by offering truly independent leadership. The most productive role that I can serve is to push them forward, by using the means at my disposal to promote a real and honest debate.

"In the weeks and months ahead, I will continue to work to steer the national conversation away from partisanship and toward unity; away from ideology and toward common sense; away from sound bites and toward substance. And while I have always said I am not running for president, the race is too important to sit on the sidelines, and so I have changed my mind in one area. If a candidate takes an independent, nonpartisan approach — and embraces practical solutions that challenge party orthodoxy — I’ll join others in helping that candidate win the White House."

Noah

3:13 AM

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Thursday, February 28, 2008

Now Bloomberg's REALLY Not Running