Bloomberg = Mr Fix It

first they want him to run for president, now just buy the NY Times:

NEW YORK (Reuters) - People close to New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg are encouraging him to buy the New York Times Co and save the company from shareholder assaults, while members of its controlling family are interested in a rescuer, according to media reports.

Bloomberg could take the company private and "help protect the brand" with his estimated $11.6 billion personal fortune, Newsweek magazine said in its April 28 edition, quoting an unnamed source.

Shares of the New York Times, publisher of the newspaper of the same name and the Boston Globe, rose as much as 3 percent.

The New York Post reported on Monday that some members of the Ochs-Sulzberger family want to find a protector, according to unnamed sources.

But a Times spokeswoman, repeating a position frequently attributed to the Ochs-Sulzbergers, said the family believes the company's current capital structure is the best way to protect its editorial independence.

Moishe: Is an Obama/ Bloomberg Ticket Your Wet Dream?

From Marc Ambinder.

Obama: Bloomberg Is "Extraordinary"

27 Mar 2008 09:44 am

Here's the first paragraph from Barack Obama's speech this a.m. in New York:

I want to thank Mayor Bloomberg for his extraordinary leadership. At a time when Washington is divided in old ideological battles, he shows us what can be achieved when we bring people together to seek pragmatic solutions. Not only has he been a remarkable leader for New York –he has established himself as a major voice in our national debate on issues like renewing our economy, educating our children, and seeking energy independence. Mr. Mayor, I share your determination to bring this country together to finally make progress for the American people.

The First Read gang is all a-buzz at the Obama-Needs-A-Jew-On-The-Ticket-Angle, but I think the best way to look at an Obama-Bloomberg ticket is by noticing their complimentary traits. Obama isn't much of an administrator or a details guy by his own admission, while Bloomberg is so concerned about Your Health and Welfare that he studies intently the ins and outs of congestion pricing and trans-fats. He's a prime minister-type -- although he brings an outsider's sense of efficiency to the bureaucracy. Let Obama be the vision guy; Bloomberg could be the brass-tacts administrator.