BLOOMBERG AND HUNTSMAN CHANGE COURSE

11/19/11

So I’m having dinner at my local Italian restaurant last night and who do I see having dinner together a couple of tables over?  Yep, you guessed it:  Mike Bloomberg, Mayor of New York City; and Jon Huntsman, former Governor of Utah and Ambassador to China, and current candidate for the Republican presidential nomination.

They were engaged in rather animated conversation much of the evening and as they wrapped up, it was clear that one of them was running for something; and I don’t mean to catch a train out of Grand Central.  Huntsman took the opportunity to engage other patrons in some casual conversation and of course, the honorable mayor couldn’t resist doing the same (even though the only thing he was running for was his black suv waiting outside).

Anyhow, as they were glad-handing their way out of the establishment, they shook my hand, and I couldn’t resist giving each of them a piece of advice that I thought they both desperately needed:

Mike.  You’re really not looking so good handling these Occupy Wall Streeters.  You’re in “no man’s land”.  For those who think OWS is made up of a bunch of ne’er do well lazy bastards, well, you’re just plain not doing enough to get rid of them.  For those who support them or have some sympathy for them, you’re being way too heavy handed.  Pick a side my friend.  I, for one, don’t think this is going away anytime soon.  Mike.  I’m told you have some organizational skills and a reasonable intellect.  Help them.  Get them to establish some leadership structure; help them self-filter to eliminate the criminal element and those ne’er do wells that are present; help them refine their message; help them with targeting (Wall Street is just off the bulls-eye, but hint, it does start with a “W”).  You can do this.  You’ll be a hero.

Jon.  Admittedly I don’t know you as well as I know the honorable Mayor, but you seem like a smart person who has done a lot.  You’ve run a company, been a Governor, a diplomat, and a presidential staffer.  In the party’s current state, a successful nominee is almost unelectable.  The “far right, holy-er than thou, punish the poor and let me tell you how to live your life” party members are ensuring that any nominee acceptable to them (and therefore the successful nominee for the party overall), will not be acceptable to the American public at large.  And, all of the other normal and smart potential nominees have deduced that, and opted-out.  Chris Christie figured that out and evidence the fact that there are more mixed nuts on the GOP nominee slate than there are in a can of Planter’s.  So come on, you don't belong in that group, either run as an independent or start a new party.  But no matter what: dump the GOP.

Of course, they each thanked me for my advice, mumbled something about security, and moved along.  So here I sit, anxiously waiting to read their respective Monday morning press releases.  By the way Mike, Jon, no need for any public acknowledgement.

 (see “A Million and One Ways to be One-in-a-Million”; Chapter 2 – The Gift,  Chapter 3 – Luke….Use the Force)