THINGS GET WEIRDER

Breaking news here:

Reporter Rich Lamb just getting word that Mayor Bloomberg has filed papers to change his voter status to unaffiliated. Bloomberg is currently in California where he is talking with Governor Schwarzenegger and making an appearance at Google. Stay with us for the latest on this development.

There's no reason for him to do that unless he's running for president. So he's running.

He's pro-choice, pro-gay rights, and (very much) pro-gun control, yet he lacks the shiny jackboots with which Giuliani has dazzled the GOP base, so I don't think I'm going out on a limb when I predict that he'll pull a far greater percentage of votes from the Democrats than from the Republicans, though opinions vary. Ah, but maybe if there's an all-New York race (Rudy/Hillary/Bloomie), the GOP-base crazies really will stay home. Or maybe secede.

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ALSO: Bloomberg is in for a rude surprise next year -- he not only endorsed Joe Lieberman but sent his own supporters to Connecticut to help Joe out, leading to press speculation that Bloomberg was looking for Lieberman's backing in an '08 race.

Well, guess what? He's not going to get it. Silly Bloomie -- Joe is going to issue his endorsement based on who can do the most damage to the Democratic Party, and that ain't gonna be Bloomberg. Besides, the GOP will almost certainly offer Joe the Zell Miller slot in prime time at the '08 convention, and Joe's not going to pass up that chance to stab his former party in the back.

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UPDATE: Er, Bloomberg-Schwarzenegger* '08? Well, maybe the Constitution doesn't specifically say that the vice president has to be a natural-born citizen, like the president -- but do we really want a running mate who, constitutionally, can't possibly be president? Well, both Bushes have given us vice presidents that most of America couldn't bear the thought of as president, so I guess this is a short step....

*Yeah, I originally had "Giuliani-Schwarzenegger" here. Posting first thing in the morning -- not a good idea.

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UPDATE: MyDD has a chart of poll results from 15 states showing that Bloomberg's impact on those states seems to be mixed, and, if anything, aids a Democrat slightly. Yeah, but that's now -- that's before the GOP paints Bloomberg not as a CEO but as a "nanny state" type (see, e.g., his restaurant trans fat ban, his ban on smoking in restaurants, and the plan to charge drivers $8 for driving in Midtown Manhattan, as a way of reducing greenhouse gas emissions). Watch his numbers plummet among suburban dads who buy bestselling books written by CEOs.