Here's something that came up researching yesterday's piece—Michael Bloomberg has given an insane amount of money to politicians. Almost $700,000 for federal races (House, Senate, President) over three decades, and a lot of it before he actually entered politics. And until he maxed out for Joe Lieberman in 2006, he never donated to an independent. The hit lists:Democrats: Daniel Patrick Moynihan ($200, 1979), Jimmy Carter ($1000 in 1979, long before the primary), Bill Bradley ($1000, twice, in 1983 and 1999), Bob Torricelli (pre-resignation in disgrace), Al Gore, Bill Clinton.
Republicans: Bob Dole (when he was riding high for the 1988 presidential nomination), Pete Du Pont (!), Steve Forbes (in the 1996 campaign) and both George Bushes.
Bloomberg has also donated to four of his prospective 2008 opponents: John McCain (in 2003), Chris Dodd (multiple times), Fred Thompson ($1000 in 1994) and Mitt Romney ($1000 for his 1994 Senate race against Ted Kennedy). He probably donated to Giuliani in 1989, 1993 or 1997, but those weren't federal filings and they don't show up here.
What does this mean? Well, map out the connections between Pete "Tax cuts for all!" Du Pont and Elizabeth "Impeach Bush yesterday!" Holtzman and report back to me. At the very least it gives him some credibility when he lectures about his independence.