Bloomberg's Website Sends Press Into Tizzy

Can't a guy change his website without people suddenly asking questions about it? Well, if you're the billionaire mayor of the country's largest city who may or may not have presidential/gubernatorial leanings, then no. And not when he announces to to the press, either.

Mayor Bloomberg's mikebloomberg.com website, which had most recently been his mayoral election and re-election site, underwent a makeover that emphasizes all of his initiatives. The mayor told the press, "This new Web site is the single place where people can go to find out what I’ve done not only in government, but in business and philanthropy as well." You can visit the site yourself, but this NY Times description is on the nose: Visitors "will find celebratory images of the mayor holding children and smiling amid a receptive public." Not to mention links to coverage about it in major national publications, like Time, Fortune, and Newsweek.

The Mayor still denies he's running for higher office, and his people say that he simply wanted to have a site to show "all parts of his life," it's funny that the Mayor needs PR firm Rubenstein Communications to let people know. And everyone else thinks the site smells of 2008:

From the Daily News:
Hank Sheinkopf, a political consultant, said the Web site is a clear sign that Bloomberg is "seriously testing" the waters for a potential 2008 White House bid.

"The purpose is without question to keep people guessing and to see how the public reacts," Sheinkopf said. "In politics, when people are serious, they don't do things by accident."

Lee Miringoff, director of the Marist Institute for Public Opinion, said there's no question Bloomberg is "keeping his options open."

"He's saying he's going to go into philanthropy, but some of his words and actions belie that," Miringoff said. "Speculation will only continue to grow."

From the AP:
"It's clearly a campaign Web site. All that's missing is the office [he's seeking]," said Baruch College political science professor Doug Muzzio. "The question is, is he running for office or is he just pushing an agenda? I think for now, he's just pushing an agenda, but certainly the intent is to keep the presidential discussion alive."

"He's been very good at saying, 'No, no, no' while continuing to tweak us about the possibility," Muzzio said. "The Web site doesn't say 'Mike Bloomberg for President,' but whatever this is, it's the start of something."

From the NY Times:
“It looks to me like the precursor of an independent bid for the presidency,” said George Arzt, a consultant and veteran of city politics. “He hits all the hot-button domestic issues: housing, economy, poverty, education.”

From the NY Sun:
"The only thing missing is a sign up sheet!" the campaign manager of Vice President Gore's 2000 presidential bid, Donna Brazile, said via e-mail after looking at Mr. Bloomberg's new site.