The PR machinations of potential Presidential candidates continued in earnest yesterday when New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg announced he is hopping of the GOP train (wreck?) and proclaiming himself an Independent - seven years after he executed a similar exit from the Democratic Party.
Despite specifying the exact amount of time remaining for his mayoral tenure, visiting Presidential campaign states like New Hampshire (technically for a reunion) and making some other moves that some might infer as a pre-cursor to a Presidential run, Bloomberg is once again playing the PR game of "I'm not running for President, wink wink."
Once again, pundits are forecasting what his candidacy would mean for the race, proclaiming him as another disruptor as they did Fred Thompson just a few weeks ago. For what appeared to be a lightweight fight several months ago, one wonders if there is room in the ring for anymore heavyweights. Either way, marginalized candidates such as Sam Brownback and Joe Biden might soon find the debate stage so crowded that they will be relegated to a podium located right next the SOUS chef in the convention hall kitchen.
Voters like freshness. They like unexpected candidates. But the PR challenge for candidates and the staff that manages them is maintaining that freshness over what will be a historically lengthy campaign season. Early favorites like Guiliani and Obama have lost steam already, and the jury is still out on Thomson and Bloomberg.
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