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Obama-Bloomberg?

By Philip Klein on 3.27.08 @ 11:21AM

Michael Bloomberg introduced Barack Obama at his economic speech in New York on Thursday, and Obama returned the favor by opening his talk with these kind words for the mayor (from prepared remarks):

I want to thank Mayor Bloomberg for his extraordinary leadership. At a time when Washington is divided in old ideological battles, he shows us what can be achieved when we bring people together to seek pragmatic solutions. Not only has he been a remarkable leader for New York -he has established himself as a major voice in our national debate on issues like renewing our economy, educating our children, and seeking energy independence. Mr. Mayor, I share your determination to bring this country together to finally make progress for the American people.

This will no doubt lead to speculation about an Obama-Bloomberg ticket. At first glance, you could see some logic behind it. It would be consistent with both politicians' talk of breaking the two party logjam and bringing people together. Also, Bloomberg would bring some business expertise and management experience to the table, qualities that would also make him a useful attack dog against McCain on economic issues. However, it would be surprising to me if Bloomberg, who has spent decades as the top dog, both in his financial information company or as mayor, would be willing to serve in a subordinate capacity.

topics:
Barack Obama, Business, Energy