Bloomberg, Leader of the Ban

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg announcing hes leaving the Republican Party is a little like Madonna announcing shes leaving the Catholic Church. Was he ever really a paragon of the GOP? Speculation abounds that hes running for president on the Ross Perot egotistical-billionaire plan, with press reports citing his intention to spend a cool $1 billion of his personal fortune. That will surely create a headwind, but a big part of the wind beneath his wings will be the support he hopes to generate from the national media.

And its happening already. Bloombergs third-party spoiler ambitions were heavily promoted by two news magazines a big promotional cover story in Time with fellow RINO Arnold Schwarzenegger titled The New Action Heroes, and a two-page editorial by U.S. News & World Report owner Mort Zuckerman titled What to Like About Mike.

This is not to say these magazines believe what America really needs is a successful media magnate in the White House. If they did, they would have done the same publicity favors for Steve Forbes. Back in 1996, Time put Forbes on the cover, only to denounce him for being a subversive like Newt Gingrich, who in 1994 did the most to convince people the government had replaced the Soviets as their mortal enemy. Bloomberg is a hero because hes the polar opposite of libertarian Forbes. Hes doing liberal things in New York.

Times Michael Grunwald cheered that Bloomberg the Action Hero was talking about saving the planet...opening a climate summit, highlighting his ambitious plan to slash the Big Apples carbon emissions. In a time of partisanship on crack, he hailed Bloomberg for advocating an $8 congestion fee on commuters to the Big Apple and leading a national crackdown on illegal guns, along with Americas biggest affordable housing program. He also enacted Americas most draconian smoking ban and the first big city trans-fat ban.

If you think autocratic mayors are out of control when they ban things like incandescent light bulbs and trans-fats, just wait until you see what happens when they become president. Bloomberg will probably ban the internal combustion engine.

This isnt the first time that Bloombergs ban-heavy government style was hailed in Times pages. None other than CBS anchor Katie Couric offered the same praise in May in Times Top 100 issue hailing the moral exemplars that are transforming the world: He has cut the murder rate, banned smoking and trans fats in restaurants, centralized the public school system, created a coalition of mayors to keep illegal guns off the streets and developed an extensive plan to make the city more environmentally friendly before the end of his term.

In U.S. News, Zuckerman pretended that the liberal mayor governed in a common-sense, adult, nonideological manner. (Just the way the news magazines like his present the news non-ideologically, I suppose.) Zuckerman hailed Bloomberg because he bumped taxes a new weasel word and boldly raised the issue of gun control, or crime control, as Zuckerman wants us to imagine it. This is leadership of a high order, he proclaimed. Which is to say: liberal leadership of a high-handed order.

Zuckermans brazen lobbying for this alleged moderate Bloomberg to mount a presidential campaign, which included a speechwriting draft, ended with the thought that Bloombergs third-party candidacy would set the 2008 campaign on fire. It would be ideal for a third party bid if the primaries typically squeeze out the moderates.

But ideal for whom? Its hard to imagine that the publishers of Time and U.S. News really think President Bloomberg is a likely historical scenario. Perot drew 19 percent at the apex of his craziness. Committed Republicans and Democrats will stick with their nominees. Among independents and moderates, there is always clear appeal in that nonideological businessman-president model, the no-nonsense deal-maker who will supposedly foil all partisanship and run Washington cleanly like a corporation.

But Bloomberg wont be that man. America is not going to embrace his socialist agenda. Worse news still: the White House isnt for sale, and if this man intends to spend a billion trying to buy it, the electorate will revolt.

So why are liberals cheering for Bloomberg? Hillary Clintons negatives are sky-high. A recent Gallup poll put them at 50 percent, meaning she doesnt look like shes going to draw more than 50 percent in a general election. To win, a 1992 repeat would be in order: an independent businessman-billionaire helps a Clinton with high scandal-induced negatives win with just a plurality of the vote.

Ultimately it is Hillary who is the action hero the media really want to send into the skies to save the planet with powerful doses of liberalism.