Bloomberg wants to be president, but he can't win. Here's why.

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Jonathan Capehart:

Let's say Bloomberg gets the dream scenario that gives him the opening to jump in the race: Palin (or another ultra-conservative) as the Republican nominee and a politically weakened President Obama suffering from a still-sour economy. The problem wouldn't be that the American people wouldn't vote for him. The problem would be securing electors in enough states to put him over the 270 electoral vote threshold.

Remember, presidents aren't elected directly by the people. They are voted in by the electors in each state. It's a complicated legal affair that would require Team Bloomberg to battle the Democratic and Republican parties in every state to get on the ballot and, thus, have electors in place to vote for him. Then the new Congress gets into the act by certifying the votes of the electors that were cast on the Monday after the second Wednesday in December. Objections can be raised at this meeting. And if no presidential candidate wins a majority of the electoral vote, each state delegation in the House would vote for the president. The Senate would vote for the vice president. You think a Republican-controlled House (or Democratic-controlled if they win it back in 2012) is going to let an independent take the presidency without a fight? Hahahaha.