TL, DR: The Technocrats’ Dream Candidate convened an in-depth exploratory survey of his chances, and he got the media to do it for nothing.
In his own words, at his own site, “The Risk I Will Not Take”:
… Over the last several months, many Americans have urged me to run for president as an independent, and some who don’t like the current candidates have said it is my patriotic duty to do so. I appreciate their appeals, and I have given the question serious consideration. The deadline to answer it is now, because of ballot access requirements…
But when I look at the data, it’s clear to me that if I entered the race, I could not win. I believe I could win a number of diverse states — but not enough to win the 270 Electoral College votes necessary to win the presidency.
In a three-way race, it’s unlikely any candidate would win a majority of electoral votes, and then the power to choose the president would be taken out of the hands of the American people and thrown to Congress. The fact is, even if I were to receive the most popular votes and the most electoral votes, victory would be highly unlikely, because most members of Congress would vote for their party’s nominee. Party loyalists in Congress — not the American people or the Electoral College — would determine the next president.
As the race stands now, with Republicans in charge of both Houses, there is a good chance that my candidacy could lead to the election of Donald Trump or Senator Ted Cruz. That is not a risk I can take in good conscience…
All else is commentary, as the saying goes.
Over the past many weeks, as Media Village Idiot excitement about Bloomberg could still jump in! waxed and waned, I’ve started and discarded many drafts of my argument against that happening. If you look at his background, Mike Bloomberg really is the anti-Trump:
Late Night Open Thread: Mike Bloomberg RegretsPost + Comments (110)