New York Mayor: Please Don’t Take My Former Party’s Criticism Of Obama Seriously
One person who’s not biting on the Republican National Committee’s attacks President Obama for using taxpayer-funded transport to go to New York with Michelle Obama for dinner and a play: New York’s Mayor.
The RNC issued a statement chastising Obama for winging into Manhattan “on Air Force One to take in a Broadway show” while “families across America continue to struggle to pay their bills.”
But Michael Bloomberg, who ran for Mayor as a Republican and only recently left the party, heaped disdain on the attack at a presser today, saying that it is “so off-base, I wouldn’t even mention it, even take it seriously.” Bloomberg continued:
“We’re ecstatic to have the Obamas come here. I can’t think of anything that is better as an advertisement for our tourism industry, for Broadway, for our restaurants, for saying that this is a safe city and an affordable city. The President doesn’t get paid that much. He’s on a budget, too.”
But here’s the interesting part. Bloomberg then apparently seemed to rethink his decision to contradict the GOP message so aggressively. So he added:
“But the President has got to set an example for the rest of the country and yes there are people who have lost their jobs, there are people who are missing mortgage payments, there are people who are worried about how they’re going to have healthcare and we have to do something about that.”
Apparently aware that he should say something vaguely in line with his former party’s criticism of Obama’s New York visit, this was the strongest endorsement of it he could muster.
****************************************
Update: I’d forgotten Bloomberg left the GOP. Edited for accuracy. Apologies. Still funny, though.
The homepage of this blog is here. RSS feed here. Twitter feed here. Email me here.
I thought Bloomberg left the GOP years ago.
.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/06/19/AR2007061901769.html
Yep. He’s an ex-GOOPer.
okay, okay. my bad. it’s still funny, though.
His ex-party. Bloomberg is an independent now. Though I think the Republican party in NYC will give him their ballot line.
I believe they call him Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-Independent.
And yep, it’s all funny. They’re not really thinking stuff through at Republican Headquarters, it seems to me.
Greg I actually think he is running as a GOP candidate in the next mayoral election. I live in nyc and he is on the independent line and republican line on the ballot if IIRC.
lfo — I thought that was the case. Thanks much.
He’s waiting for the Manhattan GOP chair. Right now he has two boroughs opposed and two boroughs for letting him run as a Republican.
Al D’Amato is rumored to have tried to strong-arm her into agreeing as a way of getting a foot in the door with the lavishly-spending Mayor (his lobbying business isn’t doing as well as it did when he owned the Governor), but the usual sources who talk to the papers every time one of his thug friends embarrass him say he thought that was distasteful.
GOP is talking something really childish and silly. I am glad that Mayor Bloomberg has left the Republican Party. If persons who have money spend their money in our country, we will be out of this economic recession sooner! Thank you.