December 15, 2007
Unique and trusted U.S. politician, Bloomberg, speaks out
A sparsely filled conference room at the Ayodya Hotel in Nusa Dua was the location for the most interesting happening at the climate change summit on Thursday.
Away from the heated negotiations where ministers appeared to be in deadlock, there was a very unusual American politician sharing his vision for combating global warming.
It’s the arrival of Nobel peace prize winner, Al Gore that has attracted much of the attention, while the lesser known Michael R Bloomberg received a far more muted reception.
But it is Bloomberg, who is the mayor of New York City, who should win an award for political bravery and conviction.
Speaking at a forum arranged by the leading non-governmental organization, Environmental Defense, Bloomberg laid out a rich array of exciting green initiatives that he’s introducing in his city.
Michael Bloomberg is a conviction politician. He has gained a reputation for pushing policies in which he believes, regardless of their popularity. He was responsible for banning smoking in all public places in the city.
He has come to Bali on behalf of 700 cities which are part of an organization called Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI).
This group represents over three billion city dwellers which amount to roughly half of the world’s population.
“The voice of the world’s cities needs to be heard here in Bali, and at all future forums where climate change policy is debated and developed,” he said.
He talked about the success of congestion pricing for cars during business hours in the cities of London, Stockholm and Singapore.
Bloomberg explained his plans to introduce a fee for driving into the busiest business districts in New York, initially as a pilot project. And he provided highlights of some 127 innovative environmental initiatives which are being implemented in the Big Apple.
“You can’t think about air quality without thinking about energy and you certainly can’t think about energy without addressing the central topic of this week in Bali: Global warming,” he added.
While not entirely alone, Mayor Bloomberg is one of only few US politicians to speak out on environmental issues.
“People everywhere recognize that time for discussion about whether global warming exists has passed. The science is clear. Now it’s time for action,” boldly proclaimed the Mayor.
But he conceded that climate change is not high on the American political agenda, and is unlikely to be much debated during next year’s presidential election campaign.
Bloomberg speaks a very different language from most elected politician in the US today.
In spite of his long term interest in environmental issues and a concern for climate change which started much before he became Vice President, Al Gore never dared speak out is such a way when he was running for the White House.
It was during his administration that the US failed to ratify the Kyoto Protocol. And he never mentioned the issue of global warming during his election campaign.
Unlike Mayor Bloomberg, Al Gore believed that it would be far too big a political risk to raise the topic.
There is little doubt that Gore has contributed far more in the fight against climate change since he hang up his political hat. Having disposed of his political muzzle, Gore has become the world’s most powerful spokesman on this crucial issue.
At today’s meeting, Environmental Defense’s climate change head, Peter Goldmark, introduced Bloomberg as “a unique and trusted figure on the US political landscape”.
As the mayor departed, I heard rumblings in the room from people lamenting his decision not to run for the White House.
Perhaps next year’s presidential hopefuls will learn a lesson from Mayor Bloomberg – that voters admire honest visionaries who are prepared to do the right thing.
Americans are like everyone else in the world. They worry about their future. Concern about the threat of climate change is growing in the US.
Even the current president appears to have accepted that global warming is happening. And there are exciting signs of innovation from the private sector.
If Bloomberg isn’t prepared to stand, maybe there will be a presidential candidate with the courage to speak out on climate change.
I hope it’s not wishful thinking to believe that such audacity will be rewarded by the American people at the ballot box.
(Jonathan Wootliff, Nusa Dua, Bali. The writer is an independent sustainable development consultant, specializing in the building of productive relationships between companies and NGOs. He can be contacted at jonathan@wootliff.com)
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From Newsweek article...
November 12, 2007 -- Pressed once more, [Mayor Bloomberg] says he is not running, but then offers a lucid, if indirect, case for a man like him at a time like this. "I think that the candidates are not addressing, in a way at least I can understand, what they would do if they got elected. Unfortunately in the process that we go through—all of these, quote, 'debates'—you've got 30 seconds to tell us what you're going to do about the Iraq War, 30 seconds to tell us how to solve health care, 30 seconds on how to repair our relations around the world, 30 seconds on solving Social Security—there's no way to do that.
"The job of being president is to lead the country and the legislature, and it is pulling those together. And because America is the only remaining superpower, you are the leader of the free world, it is having the credibility and working with other countries to get them all to work together to stop genocide, to stop nuclear proliferation, to make sure we have fair trade among countries … Trade, immigration, terrorism, fighting disease—all of those things require cooperation. And one of the sad things is that at the moment America is not liked around the world. We are closing our eyes. We have this view that we can do it alone, as we are getting more into a world where you can't. You couldn't do it before, and you certainly can't do it now, and it's inconceivable that you could do it tomorrow. And I don't hear from the candidates how they would go about pulling the world together, getting people to respect us. How do you get people to respect you? Show them recognition, respect, that you are listening to them. I don't care how smart we are, other people have good ideas, and what works here isn't perfect for them."
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Bloomberg says no, but his stump speech says maybe
By Sam Youngman
August 28, 2007
New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg (I) said Tuesday he is not running for president. But he did not stop there.
After offering advice to Washington and New York reporters as to how they should best cover the 2008 presidential campaigns, the mayor went on to offer a laundry list of issues — from Iraq to Social Security to immigration — that presidential candidates should address.
And after all that, Bloomberg took the time to pose for pictures outside the National Press Building with supporters holding signs that read: “Bloomberg ’08: DraftMichael.com.”
His political alter-ego Kevin Sheekey was then seen taking business cards from the would-be draft leaders.
Bloomberg was in Washington Tuesday to address the Brookings Institution’s Center on Children and Families after the release of the census poverty report.
And despite the news he made with his speech, in which he said he wanted to see a dramatic expansion of the earned income tax credit, it seems the mayor can’t step foot inside the Beltway without being hounded by questions about a possible candidacy.
On other issues, Bloomberg, who sent interest soaring when he changed his political affiliation from Republican to Independent earlier this year, said everyone, including both major political parties and both sides of Pennsylvania Avenue, are to blame for not keeping the U.S. competitive.
Read whole article here.
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These Ten People Want to Make Bloomberg President
New York Magazine
August 1, 2007 -- If it's Tuesday night at seven, then it's time for a weekly organizational meeting of the New York City Chapter of the Committee to Draft Michael Bloomberg. And last night, Karin Gallet, the New York chapter's mastermind and newsletter writer, sipped an Amstel Light as she ran the group's fourth meeting at the Old Town Bar. A grand total of nine people joined her, and she set a stark goal: to collect 15,000 signatures on a "Draft Mike" petition by Christmas. (Only 1,500 per person!) Cue the jaunty, let's-get-to-work montage.
Gallet sees Bloomberg as someone "socially liberal, economically responsible, who really transcends the two-party system," and she sees herself as a typical Bloomberg voter. Others attendees, who'd traveled from the right and left sides of the political spectrum, and from the right and left sides of town, agreed. Dr. Simpson Gray was talking about his forthcoming book on — what else? — why Bloomberg should be president. "I work at the Department of Education, and I've seen the changes, especially regarding the treatment of minorities," Gray said. "It was Bloomberg who changed it." ("He holds himself and everyone who works for him accountable," Gallet gushed.)
The elephant in the room — the donkey in the room? — was the small issue that Bloomberg might well refuse to be drafted. Gallet suggested the group act as if they won't know for sure until February. At that point, the theory goes, the electorate will look at the two major parties' nominees and decide they need a third choice, even if it is yet another New Yorker. Maybe Bloomberg won't run, or maybe he'll start running next week, effectively killing a committee whose very success would render it useless. For now, though, there are petition drives, cold beer, and good conversation. Plus spiffy buttons, which Gallet was distributing. "They're gonna be a hot commodity one day," she said. To which came the inevitable, wishful response: "Especially if he runs." —Marc Tracy
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A Political Force With Many Philosophies
Survey of Independents, Who Could Be Key in 2008, Finds Attitudes From Partisan to Apathetic
By Dan Balz and Jon Cohen, Washington Post Sunday, July 1, 2007; A01
The power of independents could also be felt in other ways next year. The survey found frustration with political combat in Washington and widespread skepticism toward the major parties -- perhaps enough to provide the spark for an independent candidacy by New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg.
Seventy-seven percent of independents said they would seriously consider an independent presidential candidate, and a majority said they would consider supporting Bloomberg, whose recent shift in party registration from Republican to unaffiliated stoked speculation about a possible run in 2008.
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Campaigns Cost Millions. Can You Spare a Dime?
By Matthew Mosk
Sunday Washington Post, July 1, 2007
In a blasé age in which pundits talk airily about whether New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg might drop $500 million on a White House bid, it's easy to forget the staggering weight of the transactions that undergird the U.S. political system. All those campaign lawn signs, get-out-the-vote drives, Web sites and (above all) 30-second television ads exist only because of the endless phone solicitations, e-mail blasts, direct-mail drops, cocktail parties and banquets through which courses the lifeblood of the modern-day campaign.
