Is Bill Clinton buttering up Bloomberg for a presidential run?

While we’re on the subject of 2008, it’s certainly interesting that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is, according to an exclusive story in the Washington Times, setting aside $1 billion in his own money for a possible run as an independent presidential candidate. But surely someone as smart as Bloomberg—who made his fortune running an ...

601854_070516_bloomberg_05.jpg
601854_070516_bloomberg_05.jpg

While we're on the subject of 2008, it's certainly interesting that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is, according to an exclusive story in the Washington Times, setting aside $1 billion in his own money for a possible run as an independent presidential candidate. But surely someone as smart as Bloomberg—who made his fortune running an eponymous financial information business—can do the math. You win a presidential election by winning individual states, not via a nationwide popular vote. Which states can Bloomberg conceivably win? I can't think of any.

While we’re on the subject of 2008, it’s certainly interesting that New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is, according to an exclusive story in the Washington Times, setting aside $1 billion in his own money for a possible run as an independent presidential candidate. But surely someone as smart as Bloomberg—who made his fortune running an eponymous financial information business—can do the math. You win a presidential election by winning individual states, not via a nationwide popular vote. Which states can Bloomberg conceivably win? I can’t think of any.

So what’s going on? Close readers of Passport may recall that Bloomberg shared the stage with former U.S. President Bill Clinton on Monday at a conference on climate change. Clinton is a notorious leaker. The Washington Times’ story ran on Tuesday. Mayhaps Bill wanted to create a little confusion in Republican ranks, hmmm? Or better yet: Convince Bloomberg that he really should run, and hope he siphons away Republican votes, clearing the way for … President Hillary, of course.

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