Page 4 - ATODAY

A4
U.S. NEWSFriday 4 March 2016
Bloomberg’s policy crusades could pose obstacles with voters
JONATHAN LEMIRE
Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) — For many
outside New York City, for-
mer Mayor Michael Bloom-
berg’s name is synonymous
with a pair of political cru-
sades: launching a nation-
al anti-gun campaign and
taking on Big Soda.
But the gun and public
health positions his support-
ers have hailed as vision-
ary — and, in some cases,
have been adopted by
municipalities nationwide
— could prove to be hur-
dles for voters, particularly
Republicans, if the business
media mogul launches a
third-party presidential bid.
For some, Bloomberg has
been defined by the multi-
million dollar National Rifle
Association ad campaigns
warning members that their
right to bear arms was in
jeopardy. Others remem-
ber the late night comics’
jokes about his fizzled effort
to ban giant sodas.
Gun control is a hard sell
with many Republicans as
well as some independents
and Democrats, mean-
ing a huge swath of voters
could be out reach for an
independent candidacy
that would need support
across party and ideologi-
cal lines to succeed.
The billionaire’s team has
said he’ll decide this month
whether to run.
“These are major obstacles
for him because they have
come to define his nanny-
state government beliefs,”
said Republican national
strategist Matt Mackowiak.
“In the Republican primary,
he’s as much of a punch
line as any Democrat. His
ideas are non-starters.”
His fight against guns has
humble origins.
Back in 2001, the political
novice only drew one re-
porter to cover his fledgling
mayoral bid during a cam-
paign stop in Queens. One

Former New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg speaks during the C40 cities awards ceremony, in years in office. Restaurants
were assigned letter grades
Paris. For many, Bloomberg’s name is synonymous with a pair of political crusades: an anti-gun for cleanliness. Calorie
counts were required to
campaign and a failed takedown of Big Soda. But positions that his supporters have hailed as be placed on menus. More
than a dozen companies
visionary could be hurdles for voters, particularly Republicans, if the billionaire launches a third- adhered to a request to
reduce salt in their prod-
party presidential bid. ucts. And trans fats were
banned in city restaurants,
(AP Photo/Thibault Camus) a move the Food Drug and
Administration emulated
man barked at the candi- on the streets of New York or’s group for getting com- on a national scale nearly
a decade later.
date: “What do you think of came from out of state,” panies such as Facebook But he was at times ac-
cused of overreach: infa-
the Second Amendment?” said John Feinblatt, a senior to ban online private gun mously, an effort to ban
supersize sodas was de-
Bloomberg turned to the aide during Bloomberg’s ads and for pushing six cried by many as a “nanny
state” step and blocked in
man and replied, “And that mayoralty and now head more states to pass back- court, though it lives on as
a joke for comics and con-
one is?” before his aides of Everytown. “Most may- ground checks. servatives alike.
“Oh, Bloomberg is not
whisked him away. ors would have just focused In an Associated Press-GfK around, our Big Gulp is
safe!” declared Sarah Pal-
Four years later, soon af- on fighting that in New York poll in December, 82 per- in, as she pulled out a giant
soda to cheers in a 2013
ter he was elected to a City. This mayor took the cent of Democrats, 44 per- speech to conservatives.
Others say his policy cam-
second term, Bloomberg fight national.” cent of independents and paigns have made a dif-
ference. “He has been a
found himself in a Brooklyn Bloomberg repeatedly 40 percent of Republicans transformative leader,”
said Dr. Linda Fried, dean
emergency room as doc- chided Congress and the said gun laws should be of Columbia University’s
school of public health.
tors tried in vain to save the White House for inaction, stricter. “He has created a model
for how to improve a city’s
life of a police officer who particularly after the New- Bloomberg sees gun con- health.”
Bloomberg’s social policy,
had been shot. town, Connecticut, school trol and public health mixed with conservative
economic touchstones,
The mayor recalled blood shooting. policy as falling under the seems unlikely to be an in-
stant hit with voters if he
rising to the surface of the He created the Indepen- umbrella of “preventable runs. More than six in 10
Americans surveyed in an
officer’s bulletproof vest as dence USA political action death.” AP-GfK Poll last week said
they wouldn’t consider
detectives examined it. committee and over the His first major health initia- supporting him while nearly
four in 10 knew little about
He used his 2006 inaugura- last four years donated $55 tive was a 2003 ban on him.
“All I know about this guy is
tion speech to decry the million to candidates sup- smoking at the city’s bars that he tried to dictate how
big a man’s soda could
flood of illegal guns on New porting stricter gun laws, and restaurants, a move be,” said Joseph Schreiber,
73, a retired assembly line
York’s streets and to vow to including 27 Democrats, 13 that was initially unpopular. worker from Arlington, Tex-
as. “I thought that was stu-
curb “these instruments of Republicans and six inde- But after it took hold, the pid. People have to make
their choices.” And “if they
death.” pendents, as well as for 25 hospitality industry in the get fat, they get fat.”q
He founded the advocacy gun-control ballot initiatives city surged by 50 percent
group Mayors Against Ille- across the country. and the ban was replicat-
gal Guns, which became His favored candidate or ed in more than 500 cities
Everytown for Gun Safety initiative won 36 times out across the country and sev-
and has 3.5 million support- of 46, and he became one eral other nations.
ers. of the NRA’s favorite tar- Bloomberg’s City Hall rolled
“He learned that 90 per- gets. out one health initiative
cent of guns used in crimes Feinblatt credits the may- after another during his 12