Vote Nominally!

Despite the speculation (but of course we were all dying to know what Hizzoner thought about Intelligent Design anyway), Mayor Bloomberg is not running for President:

For a man who says he is not running for president, Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg has been sounding a lot like a candidate for the White House lately.

He spent last week thrusting himself into national politics, making pointed comments on issues like illegal immigration, stem-cell research and global warming. But then on Friday, he denied any interest in higher office.

“I’m not running for president,” he said while discussing immigration that day on his weekly call-in radio show. “I’ve got a city with 500,000 undocumented, and I want to leave a better world for my kids, and your kids.”

Still, there is substance fueling the sense in some political circles that the mayor, nominally a Republican, could be persuaded to run. Kevin Sheekey, the deputy mayor for government affairs and Mr. Bloomberg’s lead political architect, continues to work behind the scenes, chatting up lobbyists and other operatives to promote the idea of Mr. Bloomberg running as an independent.

In addition, Mr. Bloomberg has been auditioning a new political persona in his public statements, casting himself as the kind of pragmatic, results-oriented problem-solver that Americans tell pollsters they are looking for.

As Democrats and Republicans argue over the future of their parties and the national debate remains polarized, there are signs that voters are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with President Bush and the Republican leaders of Congress, and that they aren’t necessarily energized by the Democrats, either.

“Most people are not satisfied with their politics and would very much like to see more politicians who just got things done,” said Al From, founder and chief executive officer of the Democratic Leadership Council, a centrist policy group. “Most people really aren’t about ideology. Most people really are about, ‘Let’s get something done that’s going to make my life better.'”

Forget the “third way” — how about a “Nominal” ticket?