[Glenn Beck, Host:] Tonight, a Bloomberg bombshell. Mayor Mike says, "See you later" to the
[Gop. Michael Bloomberg, Mayor Of New York:] By not being affiliated with the party, I think I`m going to have a better opportunity.
[Beck:] Mike, don`t let the door hit you where the good lord split you. Plus, the latest on the missing Ohio mom. The only witness, her 2-year-old son. What impact will this have on a 2-year-old? And Hillary spoofs the "The Sopranos".
[Sen. Hillary Clinton , Presidential Candidate:] I`m looking out for you.
[Beck:] but will her latest campaign gimmick actually make her lose votes?
[Bill Clinton, Former President Of The United States:] My money`s on Smashmouth.
[Beck:] All this, and more, tonight. Hello, America. New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg has announced he`s leaving the Republican Party. No! He`s becoming an independent. Is he sincere or is this just a calculated political move to set the stage for a presidential run? Well, here`s the point tonight. Voters beware. Mike Bloomberg is a political wolf in sheep`s clothing. And here`s how I got there. In a press conference today, Mayor Mike sort of explained himself.
[Bloomberg:] It`s my perception that government at all levels is becoming more partisan rather than less. I`m not an expert on the good old days, but everybody that I`ve talked to who was around in the good old days, who I whose judgment I value, who sit back and can look at these things, argue that partisanship every day is becoming more important and people are looking at the issues less.
[Beck:] OK. I agree with what he just said there. He`s saying all the right things. I don`t know the guy, so maybe I`m wrong, but I think he`s saying them for all the wrong reasons. This is not Joe Lieberman, a guy with a track record of being a centrist and bucking his own party for the good of the country. First, Mike Bloomberg was a liberal Democrat. Then he became a Republican, presumably to ride on Rudy Giuliani`s coattails in the mayor`s office here in New York. And now he`s an independent? That`s three parties in the last few years. He changes parties more often than Britney Spears goes into rehab. I`m not sure Bloomberg actually believes in anything that the American people believe in, as well. I do think America, and I agree with him on this, is on the cusp of change. It is not about right and left, it is about right and wrong with most of us. I`ve been saying this on the radio for years. You`ve got to dump your political affiliation, whether you`re a Democrat or a Republican. You want to make these guys listen to you in Washington? Then you need to make them earn your vote. Don`t let them take you for granted. African-Americans have been given the shaft in big cities all across the country, because they continue to give their votes to Democrats who have led them into nothing but misery time and time again. Conservatives, on the other hand, have just woken up and said enough to the Republican Party, when they finally came to the realization that their values weren`t really being reflected by the giant elephant. The best way to send a message is to leave your party. But be warned: there are politicians out there I believe Mike Bloomberg is one of them who is using this for their own personal gain. It`s imperative to know the difference between somebody who is actually like you and somebody who`s trying to make you think they`re like you. So here`s what you need to know tonight. If he runs for president, Mike Bloomberg has no chance of winning. He has every chance of hurting the Democratic Party. And he`ll be exposed as a political opportunist, someone who will try to show you he shares your values. If you`re a traditional red-stater or a blue dog Democrat, believe me, Mike Bloomberg does not share your values or mine. Joining me now, Republican strategist Amy Holmes and Democratic strategist Peter Fenn. Amy, let me start with you. Political opportunism, or do you think he`s actually sincere here?
[Amy Holmes, Republican Strategist:] I think he`s setting the table for a possible, potential run as an independent. There`s no way he could get the Republican nomination and to be able to get on ballots across the country. He needs to be an independent. But Mike Bloomberg, when we look at that look at him in terms of relatability, you know, I have a hard time seeing how a bachelor billionaire who lives on East 79th Street between Madison and Park, who wants to take away your guns, your tobacco and your fast food, is going to be appealing to the regular American who might be looking for a change.
[Beck:] Peter, I think this Bloomberg got in. He`s not going to hurt Republicans. I mean, you want a Republican like this, you`ve got to get Rudy Giuliani. He really will hurt the Democrats, if anybody. Do you agree or disagree?
[Peter Fenn, Democratic Strategist:] I`ll tell you, Glenn, I think that`s up in the air right now. I think it depends, of course, who the nominees are. I mean, heaven forbid you`d have three New Yorkers running for president: Giuliani, Hillary and Bloomberg. That would be quite something. But I think that your point in your commentary, which is the right one, is that people want change right now. You know, 75 percent, three out of four Americans, think we`re seriously off on the wrong track. More people right now are cynical about Congress and the presidency than at any time in recent history. And if someone like Ross Perot can pick up 19 percent of the vote after he self-destructed in 1992, somebody like Bloomberg could do a heck of a lot better than people think.
[Beck:] But you know what, but the message with Ross Perot is not the message that, quite honestly, I`m hearing from many of these candidates. I have yet to hear one of them really truly articulate why America is so disenfranchised with both the Democrats and the Republicans. And it`s this it`s not the war. It`s that you`re not either fighting the war to win or you`re not fighting hard enough to get out, one of the two. It`s about out-of-control spending, and yet you still health care is out of control. But you`re not doing anything real except offering more give-always. They are completely disconnected. And to have a guy step in and say, "Hey, they`re disconnected, and you know what we need to do is take away your guns and regulate your fast food," does anybody think that would be an answer?
[Holmes:] It doesn`t really make sense. And let`s remember when Ross Perot was running, he was running in a completely different political environment. We it was after the fall of the wall. Before, you know, 911. It was just a completely different environment. And he could appeal to that, let`s get back to basics, let`s clean up our own house. But the big issue of the day today is Iraq. And again, you look at Mike Bloomberg and you`re thinking, where is his constituency? I don`t see the groundswell of support there for him.
[Fenn:] And I`ll tell you, here`s the problem. I think we`re missing something here. First of all, it`s going to be a ticket. He`ll most likely, if he does run, he`ll put Chuck Hagel on the ticket, a strong opponent of Iraq. But let`s look at where the American people are. I mean, you know, we have the highest stock market ever. We have basic you know unemployment problems, full employment almost. And still people are cynical. I mean, the key here, guys, is that people want real change.
[Holmes:] But Peter, hold on.
[Beck:] Wait a second.
[Holmes:] Peter, hold on. Is a politician...
[Fenn:] Let me finish my thought, Amy. Let me just finish my thought. He is a and to a lot of people he will be a non-politician. It will be about the Republican and Democratic parties and someone from the outside.
[Beck:] Peter... Go ahead.
[Holmes:] If I can jump in, though. If you`re saying that people are cynical, as a politician who`s gone from Democrat to Republican to independent going to be able to convince the voter that he`s not a cynical opportunist?
[Fenn:] That is a good question. And of course, the only reason that he ran as a Republican was that he could not get the Democratic nomination for mayor of the city of New York.
[Holmes:] Right. And we`re we`re comparing him to Ross Perot, because Ross Perot was the most successful independent candidate.
[Beck:] Let me...
[Holmes:] There`s another rich New Yorker who tried to run, and that was Steve Forbes.
[Beck:] Let me let me take you in a different direction here. Because what I think I think what you`re both missing here is you`re saying that America wants change, and they do. But America does not want change for change sake. What you`re missing is the reason why we want change. We want change because we don`t believe any of these clowns actually mean what they say. We want somebody who means what they say. Say what you mean, mean what you say. You know, I was just talking to somebody recently, who I do business with, and I said, look, you know, we can do all these contracts all you want. We could have a huge contract. It doesn`t mean it doesn`t mean anything to me. I want to look you in the eye and shake your hand. I want you to tell me what you`re going to do for me, and I`m going to tell you what you`re going to do for me, or vice versa. That`s what people want.
[Fenn:] They want it straight up. They want honesty. They want someone who also has the ability to get things done. And the problem right now is they don`t sense that the Congress of the United States or this president for sure is getting very much done. Now, might that change over the course of the next several months? Possible. But I still my problem with this is, and I`m, you know, I argue with the Democratic side like crazy. But I`m telling you, I think that there`s something going on out there that we may not be picking up.
[Beck:] I think it`s loud and clear, Peter. I do. I think it`s loud and clear.
[Holmes:] And getting back to a change candidate, you have to look at who Bloomberg might be up against. And if Republicans nominate either Romney or Giuliani, just speaking of those two, or even Fred Thompson, these are guys who are running as outsiders. These are guys who are running against Washington. So it`s hard to see where Bloomberg fits in.
[Beck:] All right, guys, thanks a lot. Now, if you`re familiar unfamiliar with Bloomberg`s policies, here`s one that you need to know. He spent Monday in San Francisco with Mayor Gavin Newsom talking about gun control. Sorry I don`t think that fits into mainstream America. Gavin Newsom loves him. The mayor`s held a news conference to call attention to their campaign called Mayors Against Illegal Guns, or MAIG, I guess. I`m not really sure. What is the program, and is it in line with most Americans? Joining me now is Jennifer Duffy, the senior editor for the "Cook Political Report". Jennifer, tell me about his his gun control policies.
[Jennifer Duffy, Senior Editor, "cook Political Report":] Well, you know, he really wants to get guns off the streets in New York City and get at the source of those guns. So he`s been investigating illegal gun purchases in other states that are then brought to New York. And that`s very controversial. His position itself, though, is not terribly controversial.
[Beck:] I would disagree with you. Maybe here in New York City, where I now unfortunately reside. And I, you know look, I love this city, always have loved this city, always wanted to live here, until I lived here. It`s insane. When Rudy Giuliani was here, you there were 750 people out of how many live here, 8 million, 10 million, 750 people that could have a concealed weapons permit. Bloomberg has taken that down to 200. He`d like it to be at zero. I don`t think any any policy like that is anywhere near in the mainstream.
[Duffy:] Well, no, you have to understand what I`m saying. You have to parse this position. Do American no, as any politician. That`s what. Do people want the guns off the streets? Absolutely. But you know what? The devil is always in the details. And what voters are going to have to do is listen to these positions and parse them out.
[Beck:] This is exactly the reason why this is what I was talking about with the last guest. People want somebody to look you in the eye. Well, gun control, here it is. I don`t want lunatics to have guns. You`re going to have to jump through some hoops to get guns. If you`ve got, you know, medical issues and you`re crazy, whatever, I`m not going to give you a gun. But if you`re a law-abiding citizen, you have a right to bear arms, period. That`s the way it is. How why do you have to parse everything? Why do these politicians always have to make it into some sort of magic recipe that you have to try to read into? That`s the problem with politics.
[Duffy:] Well, sure. And everybody running for office is doing the same thing. So I`m not sure that you can hold Bloomberg up as the exception to the rule. But the I guess the point is, he`s already met with some resistance on his position. And that will take, if he does run, that will follow him on the trail.
[Beck:] I`ll wait until he meets with Texas. Jennifer, thanks a lot.
[Duffy:] Thank you.
[Beck:] Coming up, my response to Jimmy Carter`s latest outrage. Plus, a newborn baby is found on a doorstep just 45 miles away from the home of a missing pregnant mom in Ohio. Possible connection? We`ll have all the latest details on that. And Hillary Clinton just got made. Her latest "Sopranos" style campaign ad may stroke the pop culture crowd, but will it hurt her chance for the White House? We`ll explain in tonight`s "Real Story".