Bloomberg Starts ‘Super PAC,’ Seeking National Influence
Seeking to reshape a national political debate he finds frustratingly superficial, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg of New York is plunging into the 2012 campaign in its final weeks, creating his own “super PAC” to direct millions of dollars in donations to elect candidates from both parties who he believes will focus on problem solving.
Mr. Bloomberg, a billionaire and a registered independent, expects to spend from $10 million to $15 million of his money in highly competitive state, local and Congressional races. The money would be used to pay for a flurry of advertising on behalf of Republican, Democratic and independent candidates who support three of his biggest policy initiatives: legalizing same-sex marriage, enacting tougher gun laws and overhauling schools.
Phi Beta Iota: Bloomberg could have been president in 2012, but his “tribe” may have made clear to him that the cost to him and his family would be very high. His existing three-ring circus (IndependentVoting.org, NO LABELS, and Americans Elect) has consumed vast amounts of money with nothing tangible to show for it EXCEPT (and perhaps the whole point) a severe dilution of small party effectiveness. This fourth ring is absurd–nothing more than a means of cherry-picking a critical mass that can be brought together for a handful of “favors” in the future. There appears to be a real lack of integrity and coherence in this latest move by Bloomberg. Opportunity lost. Again.
