Friday

US Election: Michael Bloomberg endorses Barack Obama's re-election

Michael Bloomberg, the fiercely independent Mayor of New York, has endorsed President Barack Obama's re-election, saying he is the best candidate to lead the fight against climate change.

By , Washington
published in  The Telegraph 
 
Mr Bloomberg, whose city is still in partial darkness after the being hit Hurricane Sandy, said Mr Obama had "taken major steps to reduce our carbon consumption" while Mitt Romney had "reversed course" on his previous environmental stances.
The billionaire mayor, who has previously been both a Democrat and a Republican but is now an independent, said he also supported Mr Obama's positions on gay marriage and abortion rights.
"If he listens to people on both sides of the aisle, and builds the trust of moderates, he can fulfill the hope he inspired four years ago and lead our country toward a better future for my children and yours," Mr Bloomberg wrote in an article for Bloomberg, the media company he owns.

The endorsement is a welcome lift for the President, who is trailing his Republican opponent among independent voters by double-digit margins. Mr Bloomberg did not endorse a candidate in 2008 but after indicating that he was prepared to pick a side this year both campaigns assiduously courted his vote.

Mr Romney met with the outspoken mayor, whose share of the national spotlight is larger than most governors or members of Congress, for breakfast in New York in the spring while both Mr Obama and Vice-President Biden have invited him to play golf.

His endorsement of Mr Obama was not without criticism and he said the President had failed to build "a coalition of coalition of centrists, which doomed hope for any real progress on illegal guns, immigration, tax reform, job creation and deficit reduction".

However, he said Mr Romney had abandoned his previous "sensible positions" as he tacked to the Right in order to win the Republican party's presidential nomination.
Mr Bloomberg also urged both men to give more specifics about how they would revive the economy without adding to America's federal deficit.

Rupert Murdoch, a close friend and supporter of Mr Bloomberg's, claimed in 2010 that the mayor had described Mr Obama as the most "arrogant man" he had ever met. The Mayor did not deny making the comment.

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