My friends, it’s come to this. And why shouldn’t it? The polls are disastrous for Democrats. While Hillary Clinton surely dominates the competition in the invisible primary, her internal polling figures belie her suitability (and dependability) for the job she now seeks. At the same time, now that Elizabeth Warren has told the progressive base in no uncertain terms that ‘no’ means ‘no,’ worried Democrats are roving the country looking for someone—perhaps anyone—to take her on. And whom are they approaching?
The New York Post reports (via WZ):
New York Dems friendly to [Michael] Bloomberg have approached him to gauge his interest. Their argument is that Clinton’s vulnerability with general-election voters, especially independents, could result in a Republican president. They also believed Bloomberg could be interested because, as one of them told me, “Mike can’t stand Hillary.”One visitor to the former mayor came away cautiously optimistic after a 30-minute meeting, noting that Bloomberg didn’t throw him out of the office or start fiddling with his smartphone.
Both promising signs, I suppose. But Bloomberg isn’t even a Democrat. Clearly, however, he has two things going for him: oodles of money and a plethora of executive experience as the popular, longstanding mayor of New York City.
Of course, one would be hard pressed to find Bloomberg's name tested in any recent public opinion surveys, and that's not surprising. This is literally the first whiff of news I've heard that Democrats are seriously (and non-jokingly) entertaining the idea that a former Republican will be their savior in 2016. But with a weak field and billions of dollars at his disposal, perhaps it's not as outlandish a contingency plan as meets the eye.
All the other candidates in the race, after all, seem decidedly weak and unelectable. Maybe Bloomberg's their guy.