decided they would merge several weeks ago was to crush Bloomberg, their chief rival. Know this about Bloomberg: He is the smartest guy you're likely to meet. He is profoundly goal-oriented and has a habit of thinking ahead of everyone else.
Even if Bloomberg couldn't win the 2008 election, he'd have a reason for entering the race. Maybe he would want to advance a political issue or put his name out there for the future, or otherwise enhance the value of his company, already worth many billions of dollars. Mike Bloomberg himself is a billionaire many times over.
If he decided to auction his business, he's probably wind up with a net worth in the neighborhood of $15 billion to 20 billion. I imagine that Bloomberg will bide his time and announce he's running for president later this year. He'll count on a "rope-a-dope" strategy letting the other candidates burn themselves out on the stump and wear out their welcome with the media and voters.
When everyone gets tired with the roster of contenders, Bloomberg will make his move. Timing is everything with him. So here's my Bloomberg 101: Why will Bloomberg run?
He loves beating other folks at their game. I can imagine how much satisfaction Mike must be getting from receiving more publicity lately than his predecessor, Rudy Giuliani. The former mayor couldn't have been happy when Bloomberg recently left the Republican Party, because Mike's standing as an independent candidate could eventually threaten Giuliani's chances.
Why is Bloomberg in politics? Conspiracy theorist that I am, I always figured Mike was influenced by "City Hall," the 1996 movie with Al Pacino as a short, brilliant, brassy, ethnic mayor. (Hello, Mike!
) Check out the movie sometime. It may not be easy for reporters to get a lot of "dirt" on Bloomberg. He has a knack for building a superloyal staff.
Sure, Bloomberg paid above-average salaries, but people rallied around him because he created a winning atmosphere and he cared about his employees. Bloomberg has a short fuse but really means no harm. He will, on occasion, call out a reporter for asking a less than intelligent question.
If you're lucky, Bloomberg will favor you with a raunchy joke now and then. When he ran his company, he got a kick out of saying stuff you'd hear in a locker room or on a Wall Street trading desk. The endearing joke about Bloomberg at one time was that he'd "think Yiddish and dress British.
" He was regarded as such an Anglophile that people thought his chief goal was someday to be named U.S. ambassador to the United Kingdom (or the Court of St.
James, as it was once known). At the recent Time 100 dinner, Medford, Mass., native Bloomberg cited Arnold "Red" Auerbach, the legendary visionary behind the Boston Celtics' championships, as one of his heroes.
I've heard that his favorite actresses include, Cybill Shepherd and Sharon Stone. Word also is that he had great affection for "Blazing Saddles." Perhaps the most helpful piece of information I can impart is Bloomberg's favorite pet expression.
It may just be the key to his success, too. It's something he tells colleagues to make sure they don't let him down. It's a four-word statement, or warning: "Don't f*** it up!
" MEDIA WEB QUESTION OF THE DAY: What do you need to know about Mike Bloomberg? It may be fine to use information to make a point, but why not tell the whole story? THE READERS RESPOND about my item on CNN: "D'ya think there's any possibility of getting Soledad [O'Brien[ back on AM?
John Roberts is fine, but cutie Kiran [Chetry] would be better in a midday slot if there was one open." Susan M. (Media Web usually appears on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays.
Feel free to send an email to jfriedman@marketwatch.com.) Jon Friedman is a senior columnist for MarketWatch in New York.
decided they would merge several weeks ago was to crush Bloomberg, their chief rival.
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