Bloomberg Endorses Joe Biden (Obama and Romney Can Wait)

AP
Connor Simpson 15,038 Views Oct 20, 2012

If you are one of those pesky undecided voters and you were waiting to decide between Obama and Romney based off the word of Mayor Bloomberg himself, stop. You're turning blue in the face. Get a soda and make up your own mind. Bloomberg's probably not going to endorse anyone.

With two weeks and change remaining before we finally go to the polls, a high-profile interview with the New York Times' Jim Rutenberg sure seems like the ideal setting for Bloomberg to drop an endorsement of either candidate. Instead, he had testy (and possibly jealous?) words for both men: 

For Mr. Romney: “I do think that Romney’s business experience would be valuable, but I don’t know that running Bain Capital gives you the experience to run the country.”

For Mr. Obama: “This business of ‘Well, they can afford it; they should pay their fair share?’ Who are you to say ‘Somebody else’s fair share?’ ”

This will (potentially) be the second election in a row that Bloomberg declined to endorse either candidate. He does tell Rutenberg an endorsement may still come. After all, it is not November 6. He criticized both candidates on social and fiscal issues, especially ones that don't line up with the views of his new super PAC. He's throwing economic support behind candidates who support gay marriage, who are tough on gun laws, and who want education reform. 

But Bloomberg reserved his biggest compliments for Vice President Joe Biden. When Rutenberg asked how Bloomberg could criticize the President's stance on gay marriage, the Mayor retorts that was Biden's doing. "It was Joe Biden that forced that issue," Bloomberg says. Biden told a reporter the President supported gay marriage a few days before the President officially announced his position. "Some people say he just goes off; I would say he’s a principled guy."

Want to add to this story? Let us know in comments or send an email to the author at connorbsimpson at gmail dot com. You can share ideas for stories on the Open Wire.

Related Articles   More by Connor Simpson

A Few Reasons Why Bloomberg Might Actually Endorse Romney

Imagining Mitt Romney's First 100 Days

State Polls vs. National Polls: Who Should We Believe?

 

Tesla Is First Green Tech Company to Pay Back Its Department of Energy Loan

The Gruesome Details of London's Horrifying Machete Attack

Elsewhere on the Web

User Comments

Please type your comment and click Post. If you’re not already logged in you will be prompted to log in or register

  • The Atlantic Wire on Twitter
  • The Atlantic Wire RSS Feed
  • The Atlantic Wire iPhone App