Since the last ballots were counted for the 2006 elections, there were drafting movements for certain candidates. Huge movements started for Barack Obama, Al Gore, Fred Thompson and others (primarily "huge" for Barack and Al). Well now we have another movement for none other than NYC's own Mayor Bloomberg. His party affiliation switch caught the eye of the media, but he continues to deny a run for President while still heading up the city. However, amidst the frenzy the Draft Bloomberg operation started.....only it might be more of a *poof* than a *bang*.
From The New York Times:
A Draft Michael Bloomberg rally on the steps of City Hall this morning drew more journalists than the dozen or so volunteers who are hitting the streets today to collect signatures on unofficial petitions to urge the mayor to run for president. The event started just as Mr. Bloomberg wrapped up his weekly radio call-in program on WABC-AM, in which he told the host, John Gambling, “I’m not going to be president.” (Interestingly, the statewide organizer of the petition drive is a WABC producer, Frank Morano).
Draft Michael Bloomberg organizers are undeterred by the mayor’s protestations. “We have an audience of one,” said Karin B. Gallet, the New York City coordinator of the effort. She grew up in Kansas, where she said the mayor would find support because there voters liked people who could “get stuff done.”
Mr. Morano and Ms. Gallet said they were pleasantly surprised by the mayor’s recent change of party affiliation. They stressed that Mr. Bloomberg had not endorsed their effort.
I'm sure there are more than a dozen supporters of a Bloomberg White House out there, but whenever an event has more journalists than volunteers, it doesn't look good, especially being right here in New York. As of now (10pm EST), their website lists 66 petition signatures since the launch yesterday. I'm not much of a math person, but that seems kinda far from 15,000.
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