I keep wondering why New York’s excellent right of center newspaper — the New York Sun — has run an astonishing number of really big, front page stories touting the presidential chances of Mayor Bloomberg. Like this past weekend’s front pager, none of the stories have even the slightest news hook. The mayor has repeatedly denied interest in this year’s race. Furthermore, the mayor, a former Democrat who turned Republican to get the nomination, and recently left that behind to become a registered Independent, has no natural base, party support or campaign. Were he to “jump in next year” as the Sun rather embarassingly keeps touting, he would end up wasting much of his fortune to discover that most “independents” are that because they are at the extremes of their party’s ideology, not because they are mushy moderates. Being a spoiler would only end any further ambition he might have.
With the exception of Henry Sheinkopf– who is, perhaps, not employed by a major candidate this cycle –even the politcal consultants, “strategists,” and professors quoted in the article sneer at the possibility. Why is the Sun pushing it?