The Hollywood brute and the Wall Street mogul may look like the oddest couple since Twins, but there's a reason Schwarzenegger calls Bloomberg his soul mate. They're both self-confident, self-made men who rose to stardom from middle-class obscurity — Bloomberg in Medford, Mass., Schwarzenegger in Thal, Austria — through Tiger Woods-level determination and Donald Trump-level salesmanship. They're both socially liberal Republicans who have flourished in Democratic political cultures; Schwarzenegger is even a member of the Kennedy clan, through his marriage to Maria Shriver. (Time 6/14/07)
By the by, that article was written by Michael Grunwald, the same guy that wrote the WaPo article on Tauscher. He loves him some moderate politician story-lovin'. He can make a whole career out of following politicians without a moral core. Sweet!
And the cover story of Time Magazine isn't the end of it. Yeah, Arnold wants to make Bloomberg his proxy candidate for the presidency. From the wire yesterday:
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he has no plans to run for president, but that didn't stop Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger Tuesday from predicting his fellow Republican would be "an excellent candidate."
Schwarzenegger's gentle encouragement came at a joint appearance, where Bloomberg again said he has no plans to enter the 2008 race. But Schwarzenegger said the mayor - who shares the governor's maverick brand of politics - would be a worthy addition to the large field.
"I think he would make an excellent candidate," the governor said, with Bloomberg at his side. He's "all about fixing problems and creating a great vision for the future."
Bloomberg later joked about forming a presidential ticket with Schwarzenegger and dickering over who would lead it. (AP/Fresno Bee 6/18/07)
And of course, the two got some not-so-mild encouragement from Warren Buffet in the Time article. At the end of the article, Buffet points out that there is apparently no rule on American birth for VP candidates. and suggests that a Bloomberg/Arnold ticket would be his dream come true.
Well, right about now we need a bit of a wet blannket here. Arnold isn't likely to run for VP. That's really not his style. But a closer look shows these two are actually a bit further apart than some would have us believe. Bloomberg used to be a Democrat, and then decided it'd be easier to win as a Republican, so he switched. Ok, but Bloomberg has really governed as a Democrat. Arnold has pretended to govern like a Democrat.
Bloomberg participates in the Kyoto treat. Arnold signs AB 32, the landmark global warming gas reduction act, and then guts it with one stroke of the pen. Sure, Bloomberg is no progressive hero, just look at the comments here for what seems just like what is happening in SF right now: progressives in search of a candidate.
That being said, Bloomberg is a lot more progressive than Arnold. And as a bonus, he has about a $1Billion stash for his election. That money should vault him just high enough to make sure that the Republican nominee couldn't win. In New York and New Jersey, where they are quite familiar with his act, Bloomberg does quite well, but, in the end, he helps any Dem nominee to a victory. Nationwide, he seems like quite a nice spoiler candidate for the GOP. Of course, Rasmussen asks some crazy-ass questions, like would you join a Bloomberg national party and would you vote for a Bloomberg Party Congressional Candidate. All that crazy data here. Because, you know, Bloomberg is going to spend some of that $1B/year income on just building up some sort of 3rd party. Whatever.
So, by all means, run for president Mayor Mike, and take Arnold with you. WIth Arnold out on the stump with you, we'll have an administration led by a quasi-Democrat Susan Kennedy and Democratic Lt. Governor John Garamendi. And, if, perchance the Mayor Mike/Governator Arnold ticket wins, well, can you think of a better place for Arnold Schwarzenegger than a meaningless Vice Presidency? |
