A Texas Trail Run?

January 20, 2008

If Michael Bloomberg is going to make a third party run in ’08, his immediate attention will have to be upon the State of Texas. You know, the home of third party candidate (1992 and 1996), Ross Perot. But, unless you are from Texas, or happen to like cigars or people who smoke them, you’ve probably not heard about Kinky! Kinky made a third party run for governor last year and his experience will be sought.

Another Texas name that might be of benefit to Bloomberg should he decide to run would be Lance Armstrong. So, if there any wonder that Bloomberg appeared at an Austin hospital to talk health care with Lance Armstrong, a cancer survivor and seven-time Tour de France champion cyclist? Purely coincidental? Or is it that Armstrong is an emerging political power in Texas, and any hint that he’s supporting Bloomberg would lend credence to the mayor’s prospective campaign and signature-gathering efforts?

Don’t you just love the intrigue and the denials of a draft Bloomberg effort?

The event at Brackenridge Hospital focused on a national plan to deal with cancer. Also attending was former surgeon general Richard Carmona, who leads a coalition of health groups trying to get presidential candidates to talk about chronic health issues. Just another coincidence of course!

Carmona, who served from 2002 to 2006 under President Bush, also leads the Surgeons General Collective, an independent body composed of previous U.S. surgeons general. On Friday, he said the group, at Armstrong’s request, will develop a call to action focused on preventing and surviving cancer. “The need and urgency to make cancer prevention and survivorship a national priority should be clear to all of us, but the level of action and progress is not nearly what it should be,” Carmona said.

Carmona has not said which candidate he favors in the 2008 presidential race. He has said the coalition, The Partnership to Fight Chronic Disease, also will not make an endorsement. He did say that Bloomberg is “setting an example, really, for the rest of the nation.” But, of course!

Bloomberg, a billionaire philanthropist who has donated hundreds of millions of dollars to public health causes, said health issues are sadly lacking national leadership. His City Hall administration has focused more on personal behavior as its approach to public health policy; during his first term he banned smoking citywide, and recently, the city outlawed trans-fats and created the official New York City condom to promote safer sexual behavior.

Kinky Friedman’s campaign spent six months organizing for their petition drive, so there’s an urgency here the belies the casual nature of what’s being publicly peddled. The “Draft Bloomberg” movement is already underway!

Written by Ernie · Filed Under A Third Party?