N.Y.C. Mayor Bloomberg: Some Republican Candidate Stances Are Troubling

They've dominated much of the political discourse over the past six months, but one prominent, former Republican isn't that impressed -- in fact he's a little alarmed by selected positions: he being New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg.

Some of these candidates' positions really trouble me, Bloomberg Sunday said on NBC's Meet the Press talk show. To not believe in science is just ridiculous.

Most candiates in the 2012 GOP presidential field have questioned the scientific consensus of man-made climate change. Gov. Rick Perry, R-Texas, also questions evolution.

Bloomberg left the Republican Party in 2007, due to ideological differences, and is now an Independent.

Bloomberg on Health Care Policy and Vaccinations

What's more, the two policy stances Bloomberg commends are the two that have caused their respective authors the most criticism in what is becoming a very conservative, Tea party faction-dominated Republican Party.

Bloomberg said former Gov. Mitt Romney's, R-Mass., health care plan turned out to be the only health care change that really has worked.

Also, Bloomberg said Perry's decision to have young girls receive a vaccine against HPV, a sexually transmitted disease that is the leading cause of cervical cancer was prudent. He probably did what's right, Bloomberg said.

Bloomberg added that President Barack Obama can be re-elected in 2012, adding that he doesn't think a third-party candidate would be viable.

In 1982 Bloomberg founded financial news and information company Bloomberg LLP, including the award-winning Bloomberg News, which competes with Reuters and Dow Jones. In November 2001, Bloomberg was elected mayor of New York City.

Political/Public Policy Analysis: The holder of, arguably, the second most challenging public office in the nation, Bloomberg knows how to govern and understands the demands of a complex community, hence his observations are respected and highly-sought. Further, one doesn't have to enage in too much reading-between-the-lines to glean Bloomberg's point: this is a very conservative Republican Party, far to the right of the mainstream, and a party that holds some truly extreme views.