The Washington Post reports today that John McCain’s success in the Republican race for President may be complicating Michael Bloomberg’s plan to run for President:
Veterans of past Bloomberg campaigns said McCain’s unexpected ascendancy — and the likelihood that the senator from Arizona could emerge from Tuesday’s voting as the presumptive GOP nominee — may have severely complicated Bloomberg’s plans. McCain appeals to some moderate Democrats and, more important, to independents — precisely the group Bloomberg would be targeting.
McCain also has a reputation in Washington for working with Democrats on issues such as immigration and campaign finance reform, somewhat undercutting Bloomberg’s main argument for running: that he would offer a pragmatic, post-partisan kind of leadership.
On Thursday, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, a moderate Republican who has formed working coalitions with Democrats in recent years, endorsed McCain. It was during a June visit to see Schwarzenegger in California that Bloomberg dropped his Republican Party affiliation. At the time, Schwarzenegger said Bloomberg “would be a great candidate,” and the two, who have forged a close relationship, have been mentioned as possible running mates.
First, let’s get out of the way some really bad writing by this reporter. Arnold Schwarenegger could never be anyone’s running mate. The Constitution states that only natural born citizens can be President of the United State. The 12th Amendment provides that “no person constitutionally ineligible to the office of President shall be eligible to that of Vice-President of the United States.” Arnold is not a natural born citizen and, since he can’t be President, he can’t be Vice-President either. Someone needs to send The Washington Post a copy of the Constitution.
As far as the main issue goes, even if the Republican nominee were someone other than McCain, it’s hard to see what Bloomberg would bring to the race other than several billion dollars.
