Mike Bloomberg makes the perfect choice for an Obama running mate.
I think Mike Bloomberg would make the best choice for VP for Obama.
I think he's an exceptionally strong pick on his own, but he also provides a perfect counterpoint to Romney, should McCain choose Romney as his VP.
Frank Rich makes some compelling arguments on the Romney Vs. Bloomberg thing:
But Mr. Romney, while more plausible than Ms. Fiorina, is hardly what America wants at this desperate time. His leveraged buyout dealings as co-founder of Bain Capital induced plant closings, mass layoffs and outsourcing.
Romney vs. Bloomberg is not a close contest. Bloomberg L.P. has roughly three times the revenues and employees of Bain & Company, where Mr. Romney ultimately served as chief executive. Mr. Romney rescued the Salt Lake City Olympics while running it in 2002, but Mayor Bloomberg revitalized New York, the nation’s largest metropolis, after the most devastating attack in our history. The city he manages has more than twice the budget of Mr. Romney’s state.
I also think he represents a reassuring, reliable hand, for those who are a bit concerned about Obama. He has good name recognition, and he also helps reassure some Jewish voters, which could be crucial in Florida.
Which reminds me, I absolutely think Florida can be in play. I know it goes against conventional wisdom, but I actually think Florida could be even more in play than Ohio. They just seem like a slightly more open-minded group of people. I think if Obama really camped out there and reached out in the right way, it could be ours. Bloomberg could certainly help. Also, aside from it being an old state, don't the other demographics there suit us a bit better than Ohio? For instance, isn't it a more educated state? Anyway, Bloomberg would certainly help there.
I also think Bloomberg has an appeal to a certain segment of the Hillary population. I can't really explain it, but I remember Chris Matthews saying he thinks most of the executives at MSNBC were Hillary people. He said something like "you could just tell. I think it's a New York thing." I know some of those people have transferred to McCain. Now obviously Barack doesn't need any help in New York, but I do think some of those people may be in Pennsylvania, for example. Some of those hard-nosed people, you know? Maybe someone else can better articulate it.
Also, for those who are unaware, Bloomberg is far more liberal on social issues than most Democrats.
Lastly, I do not buy the argument that he could cost us some states that Obama would win, because people aren't ready for a black/Jewish ticket. I think anyone who has such a problem with voting for both at the same time, would probably have too much of a problem voting for Obama as it is.
Having said that, I do think that argument does hold true for a black/Latino ticket, just because of all of the recent anti-immigrant retoric, which really has turned into racism against Hispanics. For that reason, I think an Obama/Richardson ticket could be problematic, in ways in which I don't think an Obama/Bloomberg ticket would be.