You can't win if you don't run, Mayor Bloomberg

I haven't decided who I want to vote for yet next year.  I don't like Hilary.  Barak is ok, but I'm a registered independent, so if he doesn't win his own primary, I can't support him anyway.  On the Republican side, I always liked Rudy as mayor, but I don't think he's the least bit qualified to be President.  As for the rest...   I dunno, just too many to keep track of at this point. 

And I keep holding out hope that Mike Bloomberg will run... that he'll go all in and spend a billion on making it to the White House...  and make the tough choices that need to be made.  When he was Mayor, he made tough, but smart decisions about closing firehouses and raising property taxes because the city was in a in a tough financial spot after 9/11.  His approval rating sunk to the lowest approval rating any mayor has ever seen since they started taking polls of mayoral approval ratings.  The way he spoke at Cooper Union the other night, he made me believe that he was a guy willing to make tough decisions in Iraq where, as he put it, "there were no good choices."

There's only one problem with Mike Bloomberg... 

...he's not running.

And, until he says he's in, his "campaign" tactic of being an outsider who just talks on the sidelines isn't going to pick up any traction.  Why?

Being the President of this country requires a ton of passion and dedication.  When I hear that the Mayor is "considering" running, that troubles me.  That would be like someone "considering" a marriage proposal.  When I ask someone to marry me, they better say yes right off the bat, because I don't think I really want to marry someone who has to think about it.  More so than anything else, I imagine that the one serious prerequisite of the Presidency is that you absolutely know you want to be President.

I think that's part of the reason people couldn't get behind Al Gore the first time around.  I think for a lot of people, it just didn't really seem like he wanted to be President that badly...  like he was running because he felt like he had to.... like that's what sitting VP's do.

I've heard that there are a lot of things Bloomberg needs to do first before to prepare to run, like selling the major media and business information company he built from the ground up.   Fine, but, at some point, this becomes like that like from Spaceballs:

"What are you preparing. You're always preparing. Just go! "

I've heard that Bloomberg doesn't want to join a race that he doesn't think he can win.  Well, sorry Mike, but that's the minimum risk that is required of you to run--to face the fact that you might lose.  This isn't going to get handed to you... especially not as a third party candidate.  You need to go out and grab it for yourself, and frankly, its surprising to hear that a successful entrepreneur would hesitate to enter a race because he doubts he could win.

You have to give people something to hang their hat on...a parade to get out in front of.  I'm not going to go join a campaign to coax you into the race.  I want you to run, but if you don't want it enough to say it, every day that passes gets me closer and closer to figuring out who else I can support that actually wants this.  Without actionable items, without something specific to ask people to do, its going to be difficult to get people to care at all.  There are plenty of people who want to support you, but even more people who don't know anything about you.  That takes time, not just money, and I'm afraid that if you wait until Super Tuesday, you're not going to have enough time to convince people that you actually want to be President.   A lot of people just aren't going to wait around that long.

So, for now, I'll support the person of Mike Bloomberg, who has done an amazing job for this city, but I can't support the campaign of Mike Bloomberg if it doesn't exist.

Risk is a Function of Perception and Approach

A lot of people think starting your own company is a risky proposition.  Sounds like it, right?  Oooh...  could "blow up".  Sounds dangerous.  Images of shrapnel.

Maybe I'm naive and oblivious... but I'm really not that worried, like, at all.

I'm working on Path 101 fulltime and the only income I get now is from my adjunct teaching at Fordham, which is sort of like my checking account's equivalent of flapping its arms as it falls off a cliff.  Yet, somehow, I know it's all going to work out.  I'm confident we'll get our angel round raised... people are lining up now...  but on the chance we don't get all of it, we'll make do with what we have.  We'll take on some consulting if we have to.  It's not ideal, but there's a fallback plan, and frankly, the fallback plans aren't so bad.

Maybe I'll need to start liquidating to fund this.  I already know...  first it's the 401k, than the apartment, and then the car.  Yes, the car is the last to go.  Not ideal, but at least I've faced the reality of the situation.  I can deal with it.

And if this whole thing doesn't work out... if we can't get something compelling built or can't grow the user base or can't monetize, and we have to close up shop.  Then what?  I'll be upset, no doubt, and disappointed, but...   I'll survive to die another day.  I'll just get a job somewhere.  I believe I'm employable and have no fear that I'll wind up homeless on the street.

So what's really the big risk?  I mean, even in the worst case scenario, I'll learn something...  I'll learn a lot, actually.  It will build character and I'll meet a lot of great people along the way...  and build a great relationship with Alex, too (or kill each other... either way). 

Frankly, if you think about what I could gain or lose by taking this on vs. not taking it on, I think I've got a hell of a lot more to lose by not doing it.

links for 2007-09-26

• InterviewUp Aims to Help You Prep For Job Interviews
  Another point solution that will most likely be a feature of Path 101.
  (tags: path101 careers)

LiveBlogging The Cooper Union Brokaw Talk with Mike Bloomberg

Mario Cuomo is such a likable guy...  He's giving a great intro for Bloomberg.

Ok, Mario, a little over the top intro for Brokaw...   

Brokaw starts off pointing out his change of parties and changing baseball team affiliations.... obviously, this isn't word for word.

Should Lee Bolinger have allowed the President of Iran to speak of Columbia?  Bloomberg gives a supportive free speech answer.   

Should President Bush speak with the President Iran?  We shouldn't be talking to him directly at a high level, but should be talking to every country on the face of the earth at some level.  Inappropriate and incendiary to allow him to leave a wreath at Ground Zero.

Are we safer now than we were in '02 or '03?

Is Rudy Giuliani exploiting his role in 9/11, particularly during the last anniversary ceremonies?
He was invited, as were lots of other political figures.  He was the Mayor at the time and the face of New York at the time... important to have him there.

How are the Democrats shaping up for '08?

I find both parties...  rather... blame ourselves for instant, soundbite answers, allowing candidates to duck tough questions, because the public doesn't demand answers to tough questions.  For both parties, we don't really grill the parties enough.  The press should help us look at qualifications, information.  This country is in big trouble... we've lost relationships.  We've got trade issues.  We're hurting our environment.  We have very few friends in this world.  We have a lot to be proud of and shouldn't be ashamed about what we bring to the party, but we have an arrogance and a go in alone approach.  I don't know what the solution is for Iraq any more than anyone else does, but none of the choices are good... but the real problem is rebuilding relationships around the world and not go in alone.  Why we tried before isn't important, but we can't do it anymore.

We have domestic problems, like healthcare.  Western Europe spends less money than we do and has a higher life expectancy.   What are we getting for our money?  Current plans offered by candidates aren't realistic.  At least they're trying.  Mitt Romney at least instituted a plan.  Socialized medicine doesn't seem to be working so bad in Europe.  If I was a candidate, which I'm not, but you can keep a secret, right...    well, because of the partisanship, there are things that you can't address and if you're running... if you're a democrat you just can't demand troops out fast enough, if you're a Republican, you can't say you want to raise taxes... the result is that we as voters don't get straight answers during the primaries.

Would you order a pullout of troops by April 15, 2008?
If you pull them out quickly, you lead to a massacre and destabilization...  Look we want them out as soon as possible, but picking a date... there are no easy answers here.  We need to find a way to get these people to live together, all the various groups... Jordan is a lynchpin in that region as well.

Does the President have a Plan B for Iraq?
You have to ask the President.  You have to be willing to ask people, try things, but have courage to stick to your instinct.  I wasn't party to the intelligence.  I don't want to talk about how we got there.  I don't know what I would have done.  Congress certainly voted to go to war.   Most congresspeople voted to go to war in the first place. 

Has the President failed to ask this country enough?
One of the worst things we've ever done is treat returning soldiers the way we did in Vietnam.    We have an all volunteer army and they still show up even though they know what they're going to face.  You're right that the rest of us don't really feel the pain of this war, other than the families of those troops.    Bush should find better ways to talk to the public about why we're there, not a partisan thing the way it is now.  We don't trust the military leadership anymore.  In many cases, we're not even supplying our troops with the right weapons systems because even creation of arms is a political activity.   Back in Lexington many years ago, we're now like the British were there...fighting an insurgency... a trained military.

Shift gears...  NYC has the most improved public school system in the country...
Don't thank me... thank the taxpayers, teachers, principals... the public has invested... teachers have gotten a 43% raise.  We have a long ways to go.  For decades, people said black and latino kids can't learn, so we created a two class education system.  I'm very proud of the fact that the gap, even though its intolerable that it exists, is closing.  Its easy to blame the unions for everything.  Generally, the teachers are hardworking, flexible, honest.... I'm glad we have them.  Generally, they're interested in improving the lot of their members.  Truth of the matter is that Randi Weingarten has been able to deliver a lot.  Joel Klein has been able to deliver a lot.  It's been a good balance.  It's an example of the fundamental thing you need to do is having accountability.  We're a lot closer to having accountability than we've ever had.  We're going to deliver report cards on the schools to the parents and sure people are going to scream, but we need to be able to talk honestly about the problems.  Teachers want to work here.  People want to work with an organization that is successful.  We're even giving incentives for the really good people.  Our teachers are working very hard and you can see the results.  The results are there.  Its a big school system. 

Should there be a mix of charter schools and vouchers?
Competition in the public school system is good... even the UFT runs a charter school.  Charter schools are places where you can innovate.  There are things that have worked elsewhere that we're trying... we're trying things, not with public money, where we don't know if they are going to work...  its worth trying.  You take a 2000 person school and break it up into 4 and you get double, triple the graduation rates.  With vouchers, there are just some fights you just can't win.  Plus, I'm not really sure that vouchers really work. 

Why wouldn't you run for President of the United States?
There are lots of candidates out there.  There are other ways to make a contribution.  I've been very lucky and modestly successful in business.  I'd like to able to say that this administration really advanced the ball.  My next career will probably be in philanthropy.  I've got the best job... its a job where you have to deliver results.  If I were to say that I want fifth avenue to run northbound tomorrow, you'd see signs changed and a cop on every corner, it might be a dumb idea, but you'd say it.

Just don't try it on the West Side, please...
Well, you know, we can be a model for everyone else here in this city.  There are only 14 cities in this country with populations of more than 100k that are safer and you've probably never heard of most of them.  We're going to drop the crime rate by a large amount... a record amount.

After Super Tuesday, if you're not happy the choices, are you absolutely ruling it out?
My first priority is a Subway Series...   I'm not a candidate for President.  The right question is what are the qualifications.  We took great pains to have a scorecard of things that I promised... and its never a big story.  People just focus on the things you haven't done.  The public focuses on what does work.  If you want to have a smile on your face, walk out with the belief that things are better than you think and things can get better.  People are coming here and staying here.  Even when countries hate us, people still come here.  Its American freedoms, American science, but people still vote with their feet and they come here.  One year, I closed six firehouses, raised property taxes and put a smoking ban in and if you can do that you can do anything.

links for 2007-09-25

• Advice for Computer Science College Students - Joel on Software
  (tags: careers advice path101 computerscience)
• I just made my own Facebook app in 5 minutes using Widgetbox
  (tags: facebook widgetbox web2.0 cool)

I just made my own Facebook app in 5 minutes using Widgetbox

Widgetbox has just made public their new "roll your own Facebook app" app called Application Accelerator...   I took my blog and made an app out of it in 5 minutes.

It doesn't do much of anything, but it's pretty friggin' cool that I was able to make an application that anyone can download right now.  Go ahead... let's see how many users the "This is going to be BIG" app can get.

So now I guess I'm a Facebook developer, too. 

Go here and create your own Facebook app...

Veronis Suhler Buying Vault.com

SAI says that the deal is worth $65-80 million.  In the wide open web, Vault has struggled to keep up with its paid subscription service and offline job guide sales.

Either way, the valuation certainly bodes well for Indeed...

Um, I'm sorry, you must have the wrong social network. MySpace lives next door.

"The New York attorney general’s office says it has been investigating Facebook, based in Palo Alto, Calif., for the last month. Investigators posing as under-age members of the service said they could gain access to a wide range of pornographic images and videos and were “repeatedly solicited by adult sexual predators on Facebook.”

Have you seen the "pornographic images and videos" application in Facebook?  I must have missed that one.

Here's a question... if someone e-mails you porn through Hotmail, is Microsoft responsible?  What's the difference between that and private communication through Facebook?  Perhaps they ought to look int arresting the sexual predators instead of trying to hold a social network witchhunt.

Chance to see (maybe meet) the most successful tech entrepreneur ever to start a business in NYC

Do you know who it is?

I'll give you a hint... he doesn't live in Gracie Mansion.

But... it is, in fact, our Mayor.

Cooper is holding an event that I think is worth pouring into the streets for, because the tix are free if you get there on time.  This line is going to make the line for Shakespere in the park look like a walk in the... um... park.

Yeah, so anyway... here are the details...  See you there!

Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and journalist Tom Brokaw at The Cooper Union Dialogue Series, Tuesday, September 25th at 6 p.m.
The event is free but seating is limited. The latest in The Cooper Union Dialogue Series, this event features a conversation between Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg and journalist and former NBC News anchor Tom Brokaw on issues of national importance. Tickets will be available on a first-come, first-served basis the day of the event, September 25, 2007 starting at 4:00 p.m. in front of Cooper Union's Foundation Building: 7 E 7th Street, between 3rd and 4th Avenues. The free event begins promptly at 6 p.m. in The Great Hall. The doors will close at 5:45 p.m. Cooper Union's President George Campbell Jr., the host of the event, and former New York State Governor Mario Cuomo will make opening remarks introducing the speakers.

links for 2007-09-23

• 7 reasons I switched back to PHP after 2 years on Rails - O'Reilly Ruby
  (tags: ruby php)
• MyWorkster
  Interesting.... competitor in the profiling area...
  (tags: path101)
• FREE Logo Maker - FREE Logo Creator - FREE Online Logo Design
  (tags: cool design logos path101)