FASCINATING – AT 10:41 A.M. ET:  It is reported that some New York Democrats are approaching former Mayor Mike Bloomberg to gauge his interest in entering the race for the Democratic presidential nomination.  The move makes sense because Hillary is growing more and more vulnerable, and the alternatives seem bleak indeed.

Bloomberg's great advantage is that he could literally finance his own campaign.  That is also his great disadvantage, as it emphasizes his ties to the "capitalists."  That's a no-no on the Democratic left.

He had a decent record as mayor of New York, especially in comparison to his successor, the current mayor, who holds Karl Marx in high regard.

There also is no whiff of scandal around Bloomberg.  From ace journalist Michael Goodwin, at the New York Post: 

A dirty secret behind Hillary Clinton’s lead in the Democratic presidential race is the lack of a credible challenger. Despite rising voter disgust over sordid revelations about the Clinton Foundation, there is no appealing alternative.

The situation led some disgruntled Democrats to push Sen. Elizabeth Warren to run, an effort that folded yesterday. But now comes word of a bid to entice another big-name challenger, and this one is far more intriguing.

It aims to get former Mayor Michael Bloomberg into the race.

New York Dems friendly to Bloomberg have approached him to gauge his interest. Their argument is that Clinton’s vulnerability with general- election voters, especially independents, could result in a Republican president. They also believed Bloomberg could be interested because, as one of them told me,“Mike can’t stand Hillary.”

One visitor to the former mayor came away cautiously optimistic after a 30-minute meeting, noting that Bloomberg didn’t throw him out of the office or start fiddling with his smartphone.

“That means he wasn’t bored and was listening,” said another man who talked to the three-term mayor. They were also encouraged that Bloomberg said something to the effect that it would be “no problem” for him to drop his unaffiliated registration and become a Democrat again.

It’s far from certain that Bloomberg will run, but I can envision a scenario where he floats a trial balloon to see how people react. I’m saving him the trouble because I hope he gives the idea serious consideration.

COMMENT:  A trial balloon is necessary.  Frankly, he's not a national figure, has no experience in foreign policy, and is far from a dynamic speaker.  He is basically a clean alternative to Hillary.

Also, he has never been an active Democrat, and was a Republican at one time.

But for a party in search of an alternative to the princess of corruption, he might look awfully good.

June 3, 2015