Mayor Bloomberg has one more option on the table for what to do with his life after he leaves office.
Appearing on ABC’s “The View” after a rousing discussion between the hosts on the recent
controversy over Santa Claus’s race
, Bloomberg was asked what he planned to do next.
“I’ve always thought that Santa Claus is a short, Jewish, balding 72-year-old guy, so I’ll give it a go,” he quipped.
Taking a more serious tone, Bloomberg weighed in on what he sees as his greatest accomplishments – low crime, rising life expectancy, and improving schools – and his biggest disappointment, failing to push through his ban on over-sized sodas.
“Greatest accomplishments – low crime, because it all starts with that. If you don’t feel safe, you’re not going to come here, and then we don’t have a tax base to do other things. This past week, with 8.4 million people, we had one murder in the city. It’s one too many, but one murder, that’s very very low,” Bloomberg said.
“Life expectancy is two and a half years greater than it is across the country. So if any of you don’t live here and you want to live longer, move here,” he said. “The school system’s dramatically better. The economy’s good.”
As for his biggest failures, Bloomberg singled out the effort to ban sugary drinks over 16 ounces, which was struck down by a court.
“Greatest disappointments – a lot of things that didn’t work. But if you start things, then people think about it, and down the road somebody else will get it done,” he said.
“I wanted to find some ways to remind people that full sugar drinks are not good for you, and that obesity is an enormous problem. We got tied up in the courts, but that might very well work out. And at least people started to talk about obesity.”
One thing Bloomberg won’t consider for his future is making a run for president.
“I think it’s probably fair to say that my views would not get you a lot of votes,” he said. “I’m very pro-choice, very pro-gay rights, against guns, I’m pro-immigration. And those things, you just don’t win a lot.”
Bloomberg, who is close friends with View host Barbara Walters, got an unusual proposition from her on the way out the door.
“I would like to point out that you and I got married, supposedly, on this program,” she said, referring to an episode where Bloomberg appeared on the show because Walters had named him the man she’d most like to marry. “It was never consummated, and now maybe you will have the chance.”
The pair have
before about running off together to consummate their TV marriage.
IMAGE: SMITH FOR NEWS
