WHAT'S NEXT FOR BLOOMBERG?

Mayor Michael Bloomberg  has done a lot for New York City, and a lot for many, many charities, and causes. I summed him up last year in a blog, "Bloomberrg--Why Do I Like Him?

Skim-read it -- he is a do-everything mayor, who has created an efficient, reliable, knowledgeable team with whom he runs the city. He runs it well. And the causes he supports -- especially Gun Control, Immigration, more and better jobs in our city, are important to me.

What touches me is his thereness -- he magically appears when things happen.  His connection with the large and small but all important areas of life in my city, the biggest of big cities, is astounding.

Hearing him explain what will happen next, how long it will take to fix or change whatever crisis that local TV channels call "breaking news," makes me feel as if I'm being watched over, protected by a strong, fatherly man. I'm calmed down, and reassured.  

For me, liking (or disliking) someone in politics, is instinctive. The person's bearing, the way the person speaks -- the phrasing, pauses, focus -- I sense whether or not this person is communicating with me, and wants ME to understand the reasons for his/her actions.

The stop-and-frisk New York City Police policy bothers me. Nevertheless, though I don't agree with every single thing Bloomberg supports, I trust his judgment -- trust the reasons he stacked up that are the basis for him supporting something that others say is bad or wrong. 

So where is Michael Bloomberg heading next? I wondered if he'd run for President in 2012, and now I'm wondering about 2016? 

I  say NO, he won't run -- his Jewish background, his age -- he'll be 74 in 2016, 78 in 2020.  President Reagan was 74 when he started his second term.

In the "Ticker"-- Mayor Bloomberg's online news magazine in which his views on economics, policy, and politics are expressed -- there are references to Hillary "looking less good." Her fall and that blood clot have been mentioned a few times. These things suggest that he is not supporting her emergence as a presidential candidate.

Okay -- Bloomberg has proved himself to me. But if I had to choose between him and Hillary, I'd chose her. I don't think he will run and compete with her. He's a realistic, practical man. He has a very large organization that keeps him armed with the facts.

Here is Bloomberg talking with CBS commentator, Scott Pelly, about what's next for him, and Bloomberg's cagey answer to the will you run for president question.

As you listen to this video, remember --  Bloomberg has ignored traditions. He has done things that no one else ever tried to do, like running for a third term as mayor, and winning it. What do YOU feel, what do you sense as you hear him avoid a yes or no?