1. Billionaire New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg says he thinks Mitt Romney would make a better president than Barack Obama, but he hates Romney's stance on social issues:

During the event, Mr. Bloomberg said that he believed Mr. Romney would probably be better at running the country than Mr. Obama, according to two guests.

But Mr. Bloomberg said he could not support Mr. Romney because he disagreed with him on so many social issues, these two people said. The mayor mentioned two such issues: abortion rights and gun control.

I happen to think that Bloomberg is wrong about Romney—there's going to be a lot of discussion this fall about whether the country should be run like a business—but I wonder how many independents feel the same way as him. Despite all his money, Bloomberg does seem to have an eerie ability to tap into exactly what ordinary independents are thinking.

2. The Obama campaign has chosen millionaire John Kerry to stand in for Mitt Romney in their practice presidential debates:

Kerry was a key surrogate on behalf of the late Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.) when he defeated Romney in 1994. And Kerry closely observed Romney’s successful 2002 gubernatorial campaign, where his performance in debates against Democrat Shannon O’Brien were believed to have helped him win.

This is a very smart move, but it's also a funny one, because that whole "Mitt Romney 2012 is John Kerry 2004" meme will never die, and this is only more fuel for that particular fire, which must drive Romney nuts.