New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who became a Republican back in 2001 in order to avoid a crowded primary field on the Democrat side in his run for mayor, yesterday announced that he was quitting the GOP.

This really isn't big news in and of itself -- everyone realized why he joined the party in the first place -- but many political prognosticators see the move as a first step in an independent run for president. This is bad news for the Democrats. Like Ralph Nader, Bloomberg's appeal is to Democrats, not Republicans. If either Bloomberg or Nader runs, look for a difficult election year for whomever the Democrats nominate.