Reply #7: Very difficult to... [View All]

understand someone complicated enough to build a multibillion dollar business, run for office, and flies his Mooney or his helicopter on weekends for a little relaxation. Most things I've seen written about him are puff or attack pieces that should be generally ignored.

Personally, I suspect there's a lot of the patented New York "limousine liberal" about him and I haven't seen anything too terrible. A few things I might not agree with, but he seems like a reasonably decent and capable guy who runs a very effective organization. His public statements and record as Mayor are out there, and not much to complain about.

The only thing I know for sure is that I have met a few people who work for one of his companies and while they rarely actually run into him, they are very happy in the job-- and were even before he became a politican.

About the party-jumping? Well, that's an old NYC tradition going back at least to John Lindsay. Giuliani, btw, was another one who ran as a Republican because it was easier than dealing with the Democratic primaries and boss system. The Republican Party in NYC is a fragile thing that will pretty much accept any candidate it can find, and one who just might win is all the better.

Ambition vs party loyalty? Willingness to serve vs. party loyalty? Either way, it's almost refreshing to have someone able to give the finger to a corrupt establishment. Rudy's problem was that he gave the finger to all of us after he won. Bloomberg probably doesn't understand the lives of the many people struggling day-by-day in New York, but he doesn't appear to hate or fear them, either. And that's a start.