Waiting In The Green Room?

May 15, 2007

Remember that song wherein you find the phrase, “What’s going on behind the green door?” The big news is not that neaerly a dozen Republican candidates will debate (is that what you call these evetns?) tonight in South Carolina, but who is NOT there that very well may be before the dust settles on our choices for president in November 2008. There are three that are getting as much attention, if not more, than those who will show up tonight.

Rudy Giuliani, John McCain, and Mitt Romney are the three front runners so far in the field of “declared candidates“. But, the whispers are growing about three “undeclared candidates”. Fred Thompson and Newt Gingrich have people second-guessing; however, the 800 pound gorilla on the potential political stump box is Michael Bloomberg, and here is why.

New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is prepared to spend an unprecedented $1 billion of his own $5.5 billion personal fortune for a third-party presidential campaign, personal friends of the mayor tell The Washington Times. “He has set aside $1 billion to go for it,” confided a long-time business adviser to the Republican mayor. “The thinking about where it will come from and do we have it is over, and the answer is yes, we can do it.”

ONE BILLION!

“Bloomberg is H. Ross Perot on steroids,” said former Federal Election Commission Chairman Michael Toner. “He could turn the political landscape of this election upside down, spend as much money as he wanted and proceed directly to the general election. He would have resources to hire an army of petition-gatherers in those states where thousands of petitions are required to qualify a third-party presidential candidate to be on the ballot.”

The Bloomberg team is studying the strategies of Mr. Perot, the Texas billionaire whose 1992 presidential campaign helped President Clinton to win the White House with 43 percent of the popular vote.

“Mike has been meeting with Ross Perot’s most senior people about how they did an independent run in 1992,” the Bloomberg business adviser said on condition of anonymity so as to avoid appearing to speak for Mr. Bloomberg.

So, how important is this debate tonight? Not much at all!

Written by Ernie · Filed Under Election News