Bloomberg-Hagel, The Order Matters

The Politco looks at the rumored plans discussion between Michael Bloomberg and Chuck Hagel to run on a third party ticket, asking who would top the ticket. They are a few days behind me on this one, as last week, when discussing this issue, I noted rumors that Bloomberg was willing to spend one billion dollars and concluded, “If Bloomberg is paying, it seems safe to assume he plans to top the ticket.”

The Politco quotes people close to Bloomberg who, not surprisingly, indicate he would not run for the VP slot (if he were to consider running at all). This leaves the question of whether Hagel (or anyone of much prominence) would be interested in running for Vice President on a third party ticket. Some believe Hagel might:

People around Hagel are more circumspect, but one prominent Nebraska Republican, who declined to be named, said many in the state think Hagel would consider the second slot on an independent ticket.

“While I think Sen. Hagel would make a strong presidential candidate, I also think he would be a strong vice presidential candidate,” said another who knows Hagel well, former Nebraska Republican Party Chairman David Kramer.

With his opposition to the war and national prominence, Hagel would be worthy of consideration for the second spot on a third party ticket, but he is far too conservative on other issues for me to be enthusiastic about a ticket with him at the top. While I still have a lot of questions about Bloomberg, a Bloomberg-Hagel ticket does remain a consideration.

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