(5 votes, average: 4.8 out of 5)
Loading ...Campaign Chairman of Democratic Governors Association Accompanies Bloomberg to California!
This weekend, the country is focussed on the Republican South Carolina primary, a contest which has chosen the Republican nomination for the last 20 years. On the Democratic side, many voters will be watching the Nevada caucus, where the Clinton Machine and the Obama camp have been rumbling over last minute changes in the location of the caucuses (The Chicago Tribune has recently published an interesting piece on Obama’s ballot skills). However, to those of us hoping that the Mayor will announce a presidential bid, this weekend promises to be interesting.
To the casual observer, a trip by Mike Bloomberg to California followed by Texas might not be a big deal. Accompanying the Mayor to California, however, is none other than Governor Ed Rendell of Pennsylvania. Governor Rendell, the former general chairman of the DNC, and the current campaign chairman of the Democratic Governors Association. While my knowledge of Rendell is limited, he has a reputation for bucking the political machinery to achieve uncanny results. If that doesn’t sound familiar enough, the New York Times called the Philadelphia renaissance under Rendell “the most stunning turnaround in recent urban history.” (Taken from the Governor’s webpage) Add that to his military and legal experience, and I wonder if he is a possible VP?
So Mike Bloomberg and Ed Rendell are headed to California to meet with Arnold Schwarzenegger to have a discussion regarding the “public infrastructure”. Three of the nations best, centrist executives, one of whom guards the purse-strings for Democratic Governors across the nation- very interesting.
From California, the Mayor of New York will head to Austin, Texas to meet with former Surgeon General Richard Camora and Lance Armstrong to discuss health care. Regardless the Saturday primaries outcome, Mike Bloomberg has increased his pace of meeting highly talented people who have a record of crossing the partisan divide to do what they believe to be right.
Is this the sort of leadership we want in Washington D.C.? We think so, if you do, please sign the petition and JoinTheTeam@uniteformike.com
January 17th, 2008 at 8:56 pm
Fast Eddie for VP eh? I’m all for Rendell, I remember his name was being tossed around as a VP in ‘04 but Newsweek (I think) thought he might be little “too Philadelphia” for the whole country. Intriguing stuff.
January 18th, 2008 at 12:48 am
I can speak a bit on Rendell. I lived in South Philly and West Philly from 1992-1998. Let me just say that the transformation that took place in the city during that time was nothing short of amazing. Crime plummetted, taxes went down, and big business came back to the city. I recall a moment watching the movie “Philadelphia” (some scenes were shot right next to my apt) and when Rendell was shown in a cameo - the whole theatre applauded. Not often do you see a politician get that kind of reception - although I bet Bloomberg gets the same in NYC.
It would be an interesting strategy if Rendell got the VP nod. I kind of figured he’d want a Hagel or Nunn to help in the south or midwest but with Rendell on the ticket - you would basically chalk up PA in the purple column - Philly LOVES Rendell. And you’d probably get NJ as well.
Oh, and Go Phils! (Sorry Mets fans)
January 18th, 2008 at 9:19 am
What if these people (Hagel, Nunn, Rendell, etc.) are to be his cabinet members? What if it’s not merely Mike announcing, but “Team Bloomberg”?
Maybe the approach is to sell the whole team as the independent ticket, instead of the bid just being one person running for president. People that run independently always have to fight the egomaniac claim. What better way to do it than to jump in as a whole team? A team whose members are united by a philosophy of common sense problem solving and bi-partisanship?
Now wouldn’t that be an interesting approach? Would take everyone by surprise.
I had thought Hagel would be VP, but perhaps he’d be Secretary of State? Nunn as Secretary of Defense? Rendell as VP? Interesting possibilities.
What does everyone else think? Will it be a team announcement?
January 18th, 2008 at 9:32 am
That would surely shoot down a whole lot of criticism and build a shield of credibility far superior to even the Democrats or Republicans…
I worry that a Bloomberg/Rendell ticket would be too Yankee, for lack of a better term. The team approach would be quite strategic…
January 18th, 2008 at 9:43 am
It’s interesting that my off-handed VP comment is getting the most attention. In all reality Rendell, with his experience in improving infrastructure, might be a possible Secretary of Transportation. It does seem to me that Mike Bloomberg is meeting alot of very qualified people that would make excellent additions to a Bloomberg cabinet.
In terms of campaign strategy, this would mean that Mike leverages these former Congressmen at the local level. David Boren says, “a vote for Bloomberg is a vote for Boren”. Hagel, Nunn, Rendell, Schwarzenegger and many more follow suite. It would be the perfect bi-partisan, decentralized message that might just sweep the American voters off of their feet.
January 18th, 2008 at 10:24 am
(@Andrew FYI: I just registered teambloomberg.com in case we need that later on. Might be useful as a group bio site.)
I know this is just speculation, but I’m kinda having one of those eureka moments here. Just this morning I was listening to NPR. They were talking about Bloomberg’s NYC address yesterday from the perspective of “is he running for president?”
One of the quotes that came directly from Mike, at the end of the story, was something to the effect that it’s not about the president as much as it’s about the people he surrounds himself with, and the decisions they make. This is not an exact quote, but it was something along these lines. It matches up well with the team announcement approach.
The more I think about that approach, the more I see it as a killer way to jump into the race. It almost turns the tables in that the major party front runners are the lone wolves making promises, whereas Mike would already both a plan and a whole team. While the other candidates only speak of the word change, Team Bloomberg can tell you just how they will enact change!
January 18th, 2008 at 10:28 am
Another reason to get these guys on this site and other sites to comment on the extant issues of the day as Subject Matter Experts (SMEs). We need to build that trust and relationship on the issues with the Team and Blommie as we take it to the Public/Electorate. We need to cast the Independent Bloomie umbrella beyond Bloomie to the SMEs listed above to really start the Conversation on the issues.
January 18th, 2008 at 11:09 am
WSJ article today: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB120062283942299587.html?mod=googlenews_wsj
January 18th, 2008 at 1:30 pm
Good article Sean! Thought the last paragraph was esp pertinent!
“Many business leaders, however, are reluctant to risk alienating the major parties by backing Mr. Bloomberg publicly, especially if they don’t think he can win. “There’s always going to be a number of people who say, ‘Before we stand up and start applauding, let’s see if this has any legs to it,”‘ Mr. Reinsch said.”
We need to have something that people can come to and be comfortable in doing so esp Bloomberg! I think drawing Issue SMEs into a logical rational sober discussion of the major issues (deviod of activist base pandering the other 2parties do in their primaries and platforms) may facilitate that “comfort level” all around and be something Bloomie can build on when he declares.
January 18th, 2008 at 5:12 pm
The current crop of lizards in the presidential race scurry from one rock to another, dodging any serious questioning as to who will serve “at the pleasure”. A query such as, “Who will serve in your cabinet if elected?” draws at best disbelief from the candidates that someone would ask that question.
They also don’t want to admit that it takes those scurrying under the rocks (the pros who run these campaigns) time to come out and re-aline themselves with the newly anointed.
Let’s help name Team Bloomberg’s cabinet. Let’s ask the senior Bush, the ex-presidents Clinton and Carter, and Powell to join Blair in Middle East and create real peace.
Dave
January 19th, 2008 at 11:10 am
Wow. Good to know. Ed Rendell is the superior candidate: He brought Philly out of the currupt Rizzo age - I covered him then in Philly and he was the first politician of any stripe to meet and speak with a gay organization about human rights. He and Kathleen Sebelius, Gov. of Kansas and Mark Warner, previous Gov. of Virginia are probably the three greatest now and compare with all at all times. But the Democrats seem to have no use for managers; preferring ideologues