In a surprising move Thursday, New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, a Republican turned Independent, endorsed Barack Obama for President. Romney had sought the endorsement from the Mayor who did not endorse anyone in 2008.
The Mayor said he made the endorsement because President Obama saying the incumbent Democrat will bring critically needed leadership to fight climate change after the East Coast devastation wrought by Hurricane Sandy. Bloomberg said the possibility that climate change made Hurricane Sandy worse raised the stakes for this election.
In an Op-Ed published Thursday, Mayor Bloomberg said this about why he is breaking with tradition and endorsing the president:
"The devastation that Hurricane Sandy brought to New York City and much of the Northeast -- in lost lives, lost homes and lost business -- brought the stakes of Tuesday’s presidential election into sharp relief.
The floods and fires that swept through our city left a path of destruction that will require years of recovery and rebuilding work. And in the short term, our subway system remains partially shut down, and many city residents and businesses still have no power. In just 14 months, two hurricanes have forced us to evacuate neighborhoods -- something our city government had never done before. If this is a trend, it is simply not sustainable.
Our climate is changing. And while the increase in extreme weather we have experienced in New York City and around the world may or may not be the result of it, the risk that it might be — given this week's devastation — should compel all elected leaders to take immediate action...
We can’t do it alone. We need leadership from the White House, and over the past four years, President Barack Obama has taken major steps to reduce our carbon consumption including setting higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks. His administration also has adopted tighter controls on mercury emissions, which will help to close the dirtiest coal power plants (an effort I have supported through my philanthropy), which are estimated to kill 13,000 Americans a year.”
The endorsement from the nationally known mayor was a major boost for Obama, who is spending the campaign's final days trying to win over independent voters whose voices will be critical in determining the winner of Tuesday's election.
Bloomberg said Romney was an honorable man who once believed in cutting carbon emissions. “But since then,” Bloomberg said, “he has reversed course, abandoning the very cap-and-trade program he once supported. This issue is too important. We need determined leadership at the national level to move the nation and the world forward.”
The mayor also criticized Romney for flip-flopping on healthcare and other issues. “In the past he has also taken sensible positions on immigration, illegal guns, abortion rights and health care, Bloomberg wrote. “But he has reversed course on all of them, and is even running against the health-care model he signed into law in Massachusetts.
If the 1994 or 2003 version of Mitt Romney were running for president, I may well have voted for him because, like so many other independents, I have found the past four years to be, in a word, disappointing.”
At last, Romney is paying a price for his incessant flip-flopping.
Mayor Bloomberg was no for Obama just because of climate change and Obamacare. He also cited other issues such as education. He praised the president for his Race to the Top education program which he says is driving reform around the country. He also praised Obama for his stand on marriage equality. He also mentioned a woman’s right to choose and said future Supreme Court vacancies “weighs heavily on my mind.”
Since it is no longer October, this must be a November surprise. This follows on the praise Governor Christie heaped on the president for his handling of Hurricane Sandy. This may not help Obama this close to the election, but it certainly won’t hurt. Perhaps other leaders concerned about climate change and the Supreme Court will come out as well.
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