In a new article released by the New York Times, sources confirm that Michael Bloomberg didn’t want his reign over New York City to end with ushering in some regular schmoe politician. Oh, no siree. On the contrary, since being mayor of New York is akin to being an Egyptian Pharaoh, he wanted to find a successor worthy of the magnanimous role of presiding over the entire world of New York — and by extension apparently the boroughs of Atlantis, Valhalla, and Narnia — and that person would be soon to be retired Secretary of State, Hillary Clinton.
Bloomberg, who’s had a good relationship with Clinton, placed a call to the Secretary of State to encourage her entry into the 2013 mayor’s race.
Yes, the person who as of late rumors have been swirling about a potential second bid for the presidency in 2016, Michael Bloomberg thinks she’d be better suited after being First Lady, a senator, a presidential candidate, and most recently, Secretary of State, to be mayor of a city. In his view, she would be the perfect fit, bringing a “combination of star power, experience and grit” to the job.
Democrats seem to find this more than a bit amusing.
Democratic operatives and fund-raisers said the prospect of Mrs. Clinton’s seeking citywide office struck them as improbable, whether or not she ever mounts a second run for the White House.
As much as anything, they said, Mr. Bloomberg’s encouragement seemed to reflect his lofty view of the office – and himself.
“If in fact he did say that to Hillary Clinton, it’s only because he holds the position and therefore regards it as a step up from being president,” said Robert Zimmerman, a Democratic National Committee member from New York and a longtime fund-raiser for the party.
Oh, ho. Well, that’s not surprising is it? We get the notion that Michael Bloomberg has grown to believe that governing New York City is a somewhat more nuanced and involved job than say governing an entire country and making decisions that impact citizens nationally. But possibly more than that, he maybe believes his influence and sway is as far reaching and undeniable as any top tier government official, his viewpoint having crept away from Main Street years ago once his initiatives for New York City hit the national news media. That may be a dangerous proposition; one that seems a little bit “Donald Trumpian” if we were to examine it closely. Even The New York Times states that Bloomberg sees himself as a sort of “Kingmaker” in the political arena and that whomever he deems fit to rise to the level of NYC mayor will become the choice, but that’s just the tip of the ice berg. We’re thinking he takes his endorsements incredibly seriously, just look at the wording and timing of his endorsement of president Obama which came at nearly the end of the 2012 presidential race in hopes of making a large impact of possibly game changing proportions, at least in his mind.
Yet, the next queen will not be Hillary Clinton. Apparently she left little room for doubt during their conversation, much of which is still shrouded in secrecy, which to us means after she asked Mike if she were being Punk’d, she told him that she was not interested in the “mayoralty” of New York. We wonder if it was at all sobering to possibly hear that the mayor’s sandbox is probably a bit too small for such a significant player the likes of Hillary Clinton.
Some speculate that it may not be so much the desire to have such a huge political player like Clinton take over the reins in New York City that is at the core of Bloomberg’s motivations, but this move may be shedding more light on some confusion he feels about what his next move should be either politically or as a private citizen after being mayor for twelve years. What will be his legacy? Could his successor say as much about who he is, and what the office of Mayor of New York is, as much as who he was as mayor? Can he leave his legacy to someone he doesn’t feel is of the same stature or caliber as himself, especially if he doesn’t really see the need to go further in the political arena if he believes his current job, at least in his own mind, eclipses that of the presidency? Where then is there to go? Ostensibly, as far as we all know, the United States of America does not have a true monarchy. It’s not as if Bloomberg can just appoint himself the Duke of Rhode Island in his retirement.
Say, Bloomberg? We hear there’s a really great gas station in La Jolla where rich guys without jobs can go and pump their own gas. We’re just sayin. It’s an option until you figure the rest out.
