February 28, 2008
Wooing Bloomberg
NY Mayor Michael Bloomberg's announcement last night that he wouldn't seek the presidency produced this varied react today from Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton.
"I had the opportunity to have breakfast with Mayor Bloomberg a few months ago, had a wonderful conversation, there are some areas where he and I agreed very strongly, there are some areas where we've got some differences, but I have always been confident in my ability to get votes from independents," Obama said, per NBC/NJ's Aswini Anburajan. "And, you know, I hope that Mayor Bloomberg will look at my track record of trying to reduce special interest influence in Washington, have common sense energy plans that can put us on a more a stable economic footing and conclude that I'd be in the best position to put forward the kinds of the pragmatic, common sense solutions that he's championed in New York. And I will definitely be reaching out to him."
Clinton called Bloomberg's decision not to run for president a very personal one, reports NBC/NJ's Athena Jones.
"I have the highest regard for Mayor Bloomberg," she said. "I have worked with him on many issues affecting New York and, you know, this is such a personal decision, as I can attest to. There are lots of reasons why people decide either to run or not to run, and I respect his reaching his own decision, and I look forward to continuing to work with him as the mayor for the next couple of years."
And here's a snippet from Bloomberg's op-ed piece in the New York Times today:
"In the weeks and months ahead, I will continue to work to steer the national conversation away from partisanship and toward unity; away from ideology and toward common sense; away from sound bites and toward substance. And while I have always said I am not running for president, the race is too important to sit on the sidelines, and so I have changed my mind in one area. If a candidate takes an independent, nonpartisan approach — and embraces practical solutions that challenge party orthodoxy — I’ll join others in helping that candidate win the White House."
Posted at 05:19 PM
Comments
Can someone please tell me why everyone gives a fig about Bloomberg? How many times is the man going to announce his non-candidacy? Does anyone out there think that an endorsement by Bloomberg will move any undecided voters to a candidate? I am serious. Outside the punditocracy, WHO CARES?
Double J | 02.28.08 11:03 PM
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Because he has billions of dollars to spend and he is perhaps the most prominent centrist in American politics.
Paul Silver | 02.29.08 09:00 AM
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