Money, Power, Politics, by Joyce Purnick: on Principles & Values

Anthony Weiner: 2009: Withdrew from mayoral race rather than face Bloomberg

Soon, one of them, Congressman Anthony Weiner, dropped out, citing the mayor's fortune. "As a native of Brooklyn, I'd be lying if I said I didn't savor a good scrap," Weiner said. "But I'm disappointed because I'm increasingly convinced a substantive debate simply isn't likely right now." Weiner's decision left William Thompson, the city comptroller, as Bloomberg's likely opponent.

Bill Clinton: OpEd: MonicaGate sin was self-indulgence, not immorality

When Bill Clinton's dalliance with Monica Lewinsky was entertaining America, Bloomberg was indignant. Casual acquaintances were amazed to hear him vent angrily about the president. Clinton's behavior was not only outrageous, he would say, it was unacceptable; he should resign. Mike Bloomberg suddenly a prig? No way. He saw Clinton's offense not as immoral; it was self-indulgent, lacking self-control. Not the Bloomberg way.

Mike Bloomberg: Childhood home included kosher kitchen, but mom bent rules

Life in the Bloomberg home was Norman Rockwell with a Jewish twist: Mrs. Bloomberg kept a kosher kitchen. Every spring the family took the blue glass dishes out of basement storage for Passover. Every night the family ate together and the kids would clean up. Mrs. Bloomberg bent the rules now and again. She kept one knife, one fork and one glass plate separate, for her rebellious son to use with the takeout Chinese food he craved when he got a little older.

Mike Bloomberg: Bill Clinton's sin was self-indulgence, not immorality

When Bill Clinton's dalliance with Monica Lewinsky was entertaining America, Bloomberg was indignant. Casual acquaintances were amazed to hear him vent angrily about the president. Clinton's behavior was not only outrageous, he would say, it was unacceptable; he should resign. Mike Bloomberg suddenly a prig? No way. He saw Clinton's offense not as immoral; it was self-indulgent, lacking self-control. Not the Bloomberg way.

Mike Bloomberg: Impatient with government; executive ok; not legislative

He made political contributions--modest ones given his wealth--to mostly Democratic candidates. But participatory politics was never his thing. In fact, he wrote in his self-admiring memoir, fittingly titled "Bloomberg by Bloomberg," that when he was pondering a career change in his late 30s, "My impatience with government kept me away from politics. All elected officials could stop worrying."

In what could have been a broad hint, however, he also wrote that thought being a legislator would bore him, "If I ever ran it would be for a job in the executive branch of government--mayor, governor or president. I think I would be great in any of those 3 executive jobs that mirror my experience."

Mike Bloomberg: Outsider to both Republican and Democratic establishment

And winning did not look easy. Bloomberg's chances of getting the Democratic nomination were nil; too many better known Democrats were itching to retake the city from Giuliani. The Republicans, always hungry for attention and money and a plausible candidate, would welcome a wealthy turncoat, but their label represented a serious handicap with voters who registered 5 to 1 Democratic. Only 3 non-Democrats--LaGuardia as a "Fusion" candidate and Republicans Lindsay and Giuliani--had succeeded in the last 75 years. Betting against the odds, Bloomberg quietly switched his affiliation to Republican.

He was a stranger to NY's Republican establishment, though, the professional politicians who could talk up a candidate, give him credibility at least on the inside, with the party's power brokers.

Mike Bloomberg: Self-made billionaire from financial information company

I'd seen mayors come and go and Bloomberg did not fit the mold any which way. The slight, self-made billionaire was the opposite of the boisterous characters New Yorkers enjoy. He had created an improbably successful company, a financial information giant that grew from a sophisticated computer terminal he developed. Few beyond Wall Street and the City of London understood much about that or knew that Bloomberg was a generous philanthropist, but the elaborate ad campaigns he could bankroll would fill in the blanks. Recognition wasn't the problem.

Mike Bloomberg: 1940s: Raised in Medford, reached Eagle Scout at early age

He was not a great athlete. He was not a great student. But he was willful, serious and competitive in his own way, reaching the lofty rank of Eagle Scout even before he was old enough to qualify, planning his escape from his drab suburban town as soon as possible, confident in his self- assigned role as a contrarian who followed his own agenda.

If there was one trait that stood out in Mike's childhood foreshadowing the adult he would become, it was his stubborn insistence on taking charge.

Mike Bloomberg: OpEd: Stiff in public; impatient with retail handshaking

Could the rigidly private Bloomberg turn himself into a public figure? Retail campaigning was no longer central to a campaign. Television ads, radio ads and direct mailings counted for more than kissing babies or eating hot dogs. With his money, Bloomberg could build a heavily manipulated offstage identity and his minders worked hard to limit and control his public appearance.

Mike Bloomberg: Candidates' religious beliefs should be kept private

One can only speculate how that message, delivered by an unapologetically secular Jew, would have played out in a campaign that featured the melodrama of Barack Obama's flamboyant minister.

Rudy Giuliani: After 9/11, sought term-limit extension of three months

Giuliani rose from his lame-duck torpor to become "America's Mayor." Despite his sudden stardom, Rudy was on his way out of City Hall, the first mayoral victim of the term-limits law. Or was he? One day after the inconclusive primary, Giuliani threw the 3 remaining candidates a curve. He thought he should remain mayor longer than the law allowed, to manage the tragedy and guide the city toward recovery.

Giuliani pondered a number of scenarios, finally coming up with a plan to stay in office an extra 3 months. The governor and state legislature would have to agree, and so would the candidates. The election could be held as scheduled, but a successor would not take the oath until April 1, 2002. Giuliani's gambit to extend his reign eventually died. State legislators balked.

Rudy Giuliani: OpEd: actually governed the supposedly ungovernable city

Giuliani gave NY a needed slap in the face, actually governing the supposedly ungovernable city. He went after crime, improved the quality of life, ruthlessly reduced the welfare rolls. But he had no patience for civil liberties or the First Amendment, damaged race relations with his unrelenting ferocity, was constantly attacking someone or something and governed with strict top-down discipline that discourages creativity. He played with patronage appointments and repelled the public with his messy personal life.

By September 10, 2001, just 42% of the people said they would give him a 3rd term if the 2-term limit law did not prevent it. Only his grit in the weeks after the attacks on the World Trade Center salvaged his reputation.