Hi all,
This MLK Day I feel compelled to stand up in support of my two favorite (potential) candidates for POTUS, Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Senator Barak Obama.
Writing as a fiscal conservative and social liberal, I believe both men have done worlds of good to address some of the pressing issues we face as a society. I think the two of them together could be the one/two punch we're looking for to overcome the Democrat/Republican partisan dichotomy specifically, and the neverending deadlock that grips Washington DC in general.
I'm reminded of the recently dedicated African Burial Ground in lower Manhattan, memorializing the deaths of as many as 15,000-20,000 African Americans that had gone unrecognized for centuries. As a New Yorker I am well acquainted with how instrumental Mayor Bloomberg was in making this dream a reality and, I believe, he can and will bring about similar reconciliation if given the opportunity to serve as our nation's president.
In a similar fashion Senator Obama has galvanized an electorate hungry for a new era in which all Americans are invited to join together in pursuit of an American dream that casts aside the usual differences that have divided us for far too long: race, gender, age, sexual orientation and political affiliation. Where some see the melting pot as something foreign and threatening, Obama recognizes it for what it can be at the end of the day: a pot of gold.
Right now most Americans agree that the primary issue facing our nation is the state of its economy. There is no better chief executive to address this particular issue than Michael Bloomberg, a self-made businessman & entrepreneur who turned to politics later in life out of a sense of civic duty -- he loves New York City, and New York City has greatly benefitted from his leadership.
Mayor Bloomberg is a pragmatic manager who steered NYC's post-9/11 economy away from what could have easily been financial ruin. He not only avoided a likely fiscal catastrophe but actually managed to create what is arguably the most favorable economic climate the city has ever experienced.
The first order of business is for our nation to get its fiscal house in order. This requires the experience of a skilled administrator with a proven track record not only as a politician but also as a chief executive in the business world. Then we may all be in a position to better address the more vexing social issues that have plagued our country for hundreds of years, and will likely take longer than one economic cycle to fix.
Economic cycles are temporary and Bloomberg is the best chief executive we can hope for to set our accounts straight over the next four to eight years. After that, let's hope it's Obama's time to step up to the plate, because there may be no other way to reconcile our nation's deep-seated social ills than to have a skilled arbitrator with 16 years under his belt in the executive office (working up from VP).
I hope to revisit this forum in the future to read the posts and perhaps I will jump in again with a message that drills down a bit more into specifics. It would be an interesting personal exercise for me, at least, to start fleshing out the specific ways in which I think Bloomberg is the best candidate not only for our nation's economic well-being, but also for immigration reform, the Iraq War, Israel/Palestine, terrorism, the environment, gun violence, gay rights, healthcare, education, voting reform, campaign finance reform, and our nation's ailing infrastructure. Bloomberg can do so much more for the United States in the Oval Office than as a philanthropist giving away his billions.
Bottom line, I'm on the Bloomberg train but I'll take a back seat on Obama's bus too, if that is an option. A Bloomberg/Obama ticket could be lethal in the best possible way and truly revolutionary. This is just one dude's personal opinion of course; it will be interesting to see how it all works itself out in the end... let's hope it works out for the best.
All the best,
David Fisher
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Addendum
Political affiliations: registered Democrat for most of my life, I've also been unaffiliated/independent as well as Republican (for the sole purpose of a swing vote in MA 2000 for McCain against Bush).
Voting history: '92 (Perot in CA); '96 (abstained in WA if I remember correctly, or possibly Clinton if I did vote); '00 (Nader in MA); '04 (Kerry in NY); '08 (will be for Bloomberg and/or Obama). Yeah, I know, I don't seem to pick winners. :-(
Political activism: NYC march against the Iraq War (pre-war), Downtown for Democracy get-out-the-vote drive Ohio '04 (for Kerry); support Sargent Binkley and end mandatory minimums http://www.supportsarge.org/
... as for Hillary: I'm not against her as a candidate per se, however do you think she can overcome a negative-approval rating higher than any presidential candidate in American history? Deserved or not, those numbers are enough to move me away from her camp. Plus she isn't my first or second pick regardless of how she polls. I'm looking for a winner(s). Just my two cents.
Looking forward to an eventful '08!
-d