Main | Friday, March 28, 2008

Or Obama-Bloomberg?

Some are speculating that Obama would do well to choose a Jewish running mate in the hopes of defusing the Rev. Wright debacle. But according to the NY Times, the two weren't exactly BFFs at yesterday's meeting in NYC.
It was only hours after Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg finally made it clear he was not running for president that his chief political guru, Kevin Sheekey, publicly floated the notion that he would be the perfect running mate for Senator Barack Obama.

So Mr. Bloomberg’s highly orchestrated introduction of Mr. Obama at a speech at the Cooper Union this morning quickly resuscitated speculation that the billionaire mayor could end up in the White House after all. (The Caucus has a roundup of the blog commentary.) But despite a few jokes and a stiff embrace, the men seemed nothing like two peas in the same political pod, destined to share a ticket.

In presenting Mr. Obama, Mr. Bloomberg pointedly noted that he has not endorsed a candidate, saying that now was the time for people to listen to the candidates’ ideas. Referring to the ostensibly private breakfast the two men shared at a Midtown coffee shop in November with a throng of news media pressed against the window, Mr. Bloomberg joked that it was his pleasure to introduce him, “and not just because he picked up the check.”
But Marc Ambinder at The Atlantic says:
Obama isn’t much of an administrator or a details guy by his own admission, while Bloomberg is so concerned about Your Health and Welfare that he studies intently the ins and outs of congestion pricing and trans-fats. He’s a prime minister-type — although he brings an outsider’s sense of efficiency to the bureaucracy. Let Obama be the vision guy; Bloomberg could be the brass-tacks administrator.

Labels: , ,

comments powered by Disqus

<<Home