In a piece that analyzes New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg's chances for a successful presidential run, CNN contributor Roland Martin doesn't think that the country is clamoring for him in the way Ross Perot was in demand back in 1992. In particular, Martin doesn't think the Republican base would back him in part because he's Jewish:
Who is Bloomberg's constituency? Is it Republicans who are desperate for a standard-bearer in the mold of Ronald Reagan? Bloomberg doesn't appeal to the GOP base -- he's liberal, from New York and is Jewish. (Be honest, if he was a hard-core conservative and a Baptist, they would be falling over him.)
Emphasis mine. His reasoning doesn't explain Rudy Giuliani's popularity. While he isn't Jewish, Giuliani is from New York, he is not a hard-core conservative with regard to social issues, and he is Catholic, not Baptist.
Could it be that Bloomberg's policies on their own are enough to turn off Republicans? Or that they don't believe he has what it takes to be president? Why bring his religion into it?
