Photograph of Mayor Bloomberg at a Mayors Against Guns press conference last week by Gail Burton/AP Now that there seems to be a compelling 2008 presidential race, Mayor Bloomberg's White House prospects appear diminished. And associates of the billionaire suggest to the NY Times that post-mayoral life may not be enough for Bloomberg. After being splashed on covers of magazines (New York magazine called him the "sane Perot," Time with Arnold Schwarzenegger, Newsweek as......

Super Tuesday is supposed to be a decisive catalyst in the presidential campaigns. It may wind up raising more questions than ever, especially with Mayor Bloomberg (not officially) entertaining a run towards 1600 Pennsylvania Ave. Today, the New York Sun reports a data analysis firm's claim that it's "empirically possible" for Mayor Bloomberg to become President, even if moderately-positioned John McCain wins the Republican nomination. Symposia Group has been crunching electoral data and thinks Bloomberg......

Photograph of Mayor Bloomberg speaking, with Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Governor Ed Rendell (not pictured), under Los Angeles freeways by Ann Johansson/AP It's Mike and Arnie, together again! The Time magazine co-cover pols, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, made a Los Angeles appearance with Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell to announce the creation of a "nonpartisan organization that will advocate for more, and smarter, federal spending on infrastructure." The Mayor and maybe......

Fred Thompson was never an actual Manhattan District Attorney, he just played one TV. He used the same medium to announce that he was running for President by pursuing the Republican nomination Wednesday night on The Tonight Show with Jay Leno. Unlike California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, who announced his gubernatorial candidacy by appearing on The Tonight Show in person, Thompson made his announcement via a taped message that Leno aired. Speculation about the possibility of......

Our lovable, pragmatic mayor is now officially an independent-- many feel that this is a first step to a third-party run for president. CBS reports: Mayor Michael Bloomberg has left the Republican party and registered as unaffiliated with any political party, a move certain to heighten presidential speculation to a fever pitch, despite his denials that he's running. The billionaire former CEO, who was a lifelong Democrat before he switched to the Republican party......

Mayor Bloomberg made the most recent cover of Time Magazine with California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger as part of an article titled "Who Needs Washington?" It describes how both men have taken the lead on certain issues like the environment and education that the federal government is unwilling or unable to tackle. Time describes both Schwarzenegger and Bloomberg as self-made men who rose from middle class backgrounds to extreme wealth and socially liberal Republicanism. Some fun......

Every so often, when we are tempted to bemoan the state of NY politics, we remember that at least we don't live in California and haven't been afflicted with Donald Trump's influence on matters of state, even though we can claim him as our own. Governor Spitzor may be the "Steamroller", but he hasn't been accused of accepting cash for appearances on "The Apprentice". Some questions are being raised about a $10,000 donation that billionaire......

When NJ Governor Jon Corzine was critically injured in a car accident two weeks ago, a commenter wrote, "Obviously, God wants Codey to be governor," referring to Richard Codey, the NJ Senate majority leader (pictured) who has served as acting governor under the three past NJ governors. And, apparently, so does Corzine himself: The NY Times has an article about how Corzine was often not in NJ before being injured.:In the 450 days between his......

We have some exciting news to share with our readers - Jen Chung, co-founder, editor of Gothamist, and executive editor for all Gothamist sites, has won a Wired Rave Award! The Rave Awards look for people that are "innovators, instigators, and inventors" in their field, with Jen receiving the award for blogs (she's "The Town Crier"). Lest you think Wired hands the award out to anyone, Jen has some pretty good company. Some of......

California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger muscled into town to promote the Golden state's environmental policies, and he made a strange metaphor in the process. amNew York reported that he compared "'tree-hugging' stigma of environmentalism to the reputation for weirdness that once beset bodybuilders": "The gym used to be thought of as a dungeon for weirdoes and fanatics, but that has changed. Now it's changing for environmentalists." The Sun says it was a joke, but that's pretty......

While in California discussing gang violence with sheriffs and Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, Rudy Giuliani answered some questions about his relationship with son Andrew. The former mayor's 21-year-old son made some remarks to the NY Times about being estranged from his father due to a rocky relationship with stepmother Judi Nathan. Today, Giuliani said:"My wife Judith is a very loving and caring ... mother and stepmother. She has done everything she can. The responsibility is......

Everyone keeps waiting for former mayor Rudy Giuliani to announce that he's running for president, but he keeps putting it off. At the California Republican party's state GOP convention, some suspected Giuliani would announce his candidacy but ended up saying everything but! He said, "Presidents have to make decisions and move the country forward. That's the kind of President I would like to be." Oh, and the last lines of his speech: "We need......

If it's October and it's a midterm election year and it's your second (and final) mayoral term and you're very rich and may be considering higher office, what do you do? Well, if you're Mayor Bloomberg, you stump for other candidates! The NY Sun notes that Hizzoner has "intensified" his very helpful fund-raising, even appearing in TV commercials. Who would have thought three years ago that Bloomberg would be helping out Connecticut Representative Christopher Shays,......

If you're the Republican mayor of New York City, who do you have breakfast with? Why, the Democratic candidate for Mayor of DC, of course! DC City Council member Adrian Fenty met up with Hizzoner this morning to discuss the Mayor's overhaul of the NYC public school system. Apparently Fenty may be interested in taking over the DC school system when he's elected (Fenty's the presumptive mayor), although Bloomberg's education record is decidedly mixed. Note......

Mayor Michael Bloomberg met with California Governor Arnold Schwarzengger in the Golden State yesterday, and it was a total love fest. The Governator told reporters:[Republicans and Democrats in Congress] are frozen. They can’t get anything done in Washington because it’s Democrats against Republicans and Republicans against Democrats, rather than, ‘Let us solve the problems of this country.’ And so this is why I admire him — I admire Mayor Bloomberg. He’s my soul mate. He’s......

If you think Mayor Michael Bloomberg is an enigma wrapped in a riddle cloaked in a mystery that happens to have a billion or so dollars, here's another thing to keep you guessing. Our mayor donated $44,600, the maximum allowed, to California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's re-election bid. And Bloomberg explained it by saying, "I think that Schwarzenegger - while I probably don't agree with him on a lot of things - he's trying new things.......

God Bless America, because where else could an immigrant body builder from Austria become governor of California and then use a Saturday Night Live phrase inspired by him in a speech at the Republican National Convention? And was the Hans and Franz skit written by Al Franken, because that would be sweet sweet irony. Arnold Schwarzenegger wowed delegates with his tan skin, blindingly white teeth, and nattily tailored suits. And his speechwriters deserve a round......

The Republican National Convention opened yesterday with two of its more liberal politicians, Rudy Giuliani and Senator John McCain, taking the stage. Senator McCain, whose dalliances with the other side have confused the more right-leaning conservatives, won the affection of delegates by "mauling" Michael Moore, who was at the convention under the auspices of writing for USA Today. On the Today Show Tim Russert called Moore the GOP's favorite pinata; Moore, for his part, seemed......

Humidity can actually cause your Lasik surgery to be performed inaccurately according to a new study done by Dr. Keith A. Walter, an assistant professor of ophthalmology at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, N.C. The New York Times reports that the study found that under corrections were most likely after 2 weeks of high humidity while over corrections were more prevalent in overly dry weather. Great. As if we didn't have reason enough to......

The governor was dressed in neat leather pants, polished leather boots and a scratched leather jacket, black gloves, black sunglasses, black helmet. His handshake was firm and his nails were manicured. - Charlie LeDuff, describing Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger, in "Budget Woes to the Wind as Schwarzenegger Takes to the Road" While Tom Arnold calls Governor Schwarzeneggar a "metrosexual," Gothamist thinks a more appropriate term would be "leather daddy." A documentary in progress about the......

Just another day in Sacramento - except for the whole "Austro-Hyannis Port Powers Unite!" aspect with the swearing in of one of America's favorite semi-imconprehensible action stars who also grope women (yes, that's redundant). And the State of California has its website ready for the new Governor and the new First Lady. Start you emailing, like: Dear Governor Schwarzenegger, Please, no more "I'll be back." You used it up during your campaigning. XO, Gothamist......

Senator Edward Kennedy wonders if his nephew-in-law, the new governor-elect of California, is really just a vision from a bad night of drinking. Times: Arnold Schwarzenegger visits DC. lowculture notes an amazing photograph. It confirms the puppet theory.......

Slate asks various plastic surgeons if they think California's First Couple-Elect, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver, have had plastic surgery. Majority of expects thinks no work. "Under his chin he has two platysma bands that [are] typical of men in their 50s. [That] speaks for not having anything done to his neck, "says Dr. Gerald Imber. But Dr. Daniel Yamini says, "He's probably had something done to reduce the prominence of his chin. It's......

"Ha ha ha, phase 2 of 'Twist the political process so much that Americans will tire of shaking their heads and instead start nodding them' is complete." Apparently President Bush and Governor-elect Schwarzenegger were funny during their first appearance. Gothamist is not saying that these men are not funny; we're just saying that's our leading criteria for comedians, people to date, and pets - but not leaders. Unless Larry David were to run for......

Slate has an excellent drinking game to partake in during tonight's Democratic debate. Drink prompts include mentions of Bill Clinton or Enron, looks into the wrong camera during introductions, or speaks Spanish and mentioning campaign website/URL. (Mmm, we'll venture to say a Schwarzenegger-California reference will make its way into the debate as well.) The Kamikaze version is "Take a drink every time a candidate mentions President Bush by name. " Then there are the specific......

The New York Times calls Maria Shriver the "secret weapon" behind Arnold Schwarzenegger's gubernatorial success, saying Shriver was instrumental in keeping her husband on message as well as deflecting the sexual misconduct allegations. Sure, blame the wife. Seriously speaking, Maria Shriver is a smart, determined lady who also knew what she was doing when she married the body-builder turned Hollywood star. A friend says she's "steel with a soft center," which makes us wonder......

Well, even though it was great for punchlines and idle dinner time conversation, the reality that Arnold Schwarzenegger is in fact the next Governor of California makes us think it's the wrong message to be sending out there, to other countries, to the aliens spying on us: If you have Nazi associations (father, random comment, whatever), a fondness for groping women not your wife, multiple $100+ million grossing movies, no real political skills, and......

Arnold Schwarzenegger breaks his first commercial and surprise surprise, he doesn't really say anything of substance - but he does use his finger accusingly (pointing at bad bad Gray Davis...bad!). The Times' Charlie LeDuff notices that Schwarzenegger is seen on a the walkway of a "Bel Air-style home," with bougainvillea crawling up the walls and a gas lamp flickering, and later in a wood-paneled study - signs of "solidity and prosperity." Arnold says, "I want......

Reasons to support Arnold's run for Governor of California: - Will probably support Austrian pastries. Mmm...pastries. - Terminator, Predator, Kindergarten Cop (he got those kids in line - he can do it with Sacramento bureaucracy) - Only political candidate Gothamist has seen naked. But that doesn't mean we want to see Arianna or Gray naked. Lord no. - Admitted he got a bikini wax. Metrosexual, yes, but then again, he's man enough to own up......

In crazy political news, the effort to recall Gray Davis as Governor of California has been gaining unexpected momentum. Davis was re-elected in 2002, but may be on this November's ballot (he let the state budget deficit go to $38 billion). Possible candidates for governor? Dianne Feinstein for the Democrats, Arnold Schwarzenegger for the Republicans (he'll figure that all out after Terminator 3 opens; if his box office is hot, Gothamist thinks he'll do......