As Iowa Looms, Why Not To Take Bloomberg and the Political Unity Gang Seriously

| | Comments (7)

We interrupt political reality--such as the impending Iowa caucuses--to bring you this....

A few days ago, David Broder, Washington Post columnist and reporter and unofficial dean of the DC press corps, offered another heartfelt cry for political unity. In a page 4 news story, he noted,

New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, a potential independent candidate for president, has scheduled a meeting next week with a dozen leading Democrats and Republicans, who will join him in challenging the major-party contenders to spell out their plans for forming a "government of national unity" to end the gridlock in Washington.

Broder was hyping an effort for which he has much affection. But it's hard to take this endeavor--and this pining for beyond-D-and-R politics--seriously. First, the poohbahs of unity participating in this January 7 confab at the University of Oklahoma include former Democratic Senators Sam Nunn, Chuck Robb, David Boren, and Gary Hart, former Republican Senator John Danforth, former GOP New Jersey Governor Christine Todd Whitman, and current Republican Senator Chuck Hagel. A few on this list are political has-beens. (Quick name Robb's greatest accomplishment. It might be having kept Oliver North out of the Senate.)

And some of these political unitarians have stains on their crossing-the-aisle credentials. Danforth is a decent fellow, but he guided Clarence Thomas through his Supreme Court nomination process, thus giving tremendous power to one of the most polarizing ideologues to sit on the highest court. That was hardly striking a blow for unity government! And Whitman, when she served as George W. Bush's first EPA administrator, provided moderate cover to the Bush administration's do-nothing extremism on global warming and other environmental matters. In other words, when she had a chance to make a difference, she punted. It's tough now to give a damn about anything she has to say about the decline of governance and political discourse.

But the real reason not to be too impressed by this bunch: Iraq. That word does not appear in Broder's article once. The war is the most pressing matter facing the nation and the next administration. What would these folks--who supposedly are preparing to back Bloomberg or another nonpartisan and independent candidate--do about it? For that matter, what would Bloomberg? He has said precious little about the war. When he does, I will consider him a serious independent presidential contender. But until then, Bloomberg and the others are just playing at nonpartisan politics. The guys and gal running in the Democratic and Republican primaries each have had to address the issue.

So don't order your Bloomberg bumperstickers yet. For now, it's back to the real world and waiting to see which of the partisan candidates will be taken seriously by the people who count the most: the voters.

    Comments

  1. David,

    Happy New Year!

    Posted by: HAPPY Author Profile Page | January 2, 2008 11:44 PM

  2. While the D's and R's will fight tooth and nail to prtect their power and cash flow streams, they must be pushed aside and new parties must be allowed to form and take shape.

    The R's have made it clear by their actions that they only have a few true clients, as GW Bush called them, the haves and the have more. All other citizens are to be exploited in an effort to make the uber-rich happy.

    The D's have devolved from being somewhat populist to being the guys who wish to displace the R's in their assigned task of keeping the uber-rich content with their ability to sin without reprecussions.

    Posted by: kalpal Author Profile Page | January 3, 2008 10:06 AM

  3. Yawn.

    It's the Repugs versus the Demorats forever!

    Posted by: David B. Benson Author Profile Page | January 3, 2008 5:25 PM

  4. Bloomberg is most certainly not a non-partisan on the issue of Iraq. He has time and time again expressed his support for Bush and the Iraq war. He is unequivocally hawkish. There have been numerous instances in the national media where Bloomberg connects the 9/11 attacks to the Iraq war. These have been documented by Glenn Greenwald in an article. Greenwald's larger point is very important: why hadn't all of this non-partisan business fired up earlier during the rise of Republican dominance? It is only appearing now that it becomes clear that Democrats might regain control. The point is a very good one and should be addressed by scholars here at CQ and elsewhere. Thanks!

    Posted by: violintsam Author Profile Page | January 3, 2008 7:21 PM

  5. "So don't order your Bloomberg bumperstickers yet"

    I have a theory about Bloomberg (other than the obvious). My theory is that Bloomberg is keeping his powder dry just in case the unthinkable happens and we end up without at least two of the following winning the primary's: Clinton, Giuliani, Romney, or McCain. If by some twist of fate (or failure of the big fix) we end up with the likes of Obama-vs-Huckabee, Bloomberg will have to step in to save the day for the establishment banking, insurance, defense, and free trader industries. But I think we all know that’s most likely not going to happen so Bloomberg will have no need to run. And will be free to enjoy his billions for eternity.

    Just a Theory!

    Posted by: uncledad Author Profile Page | January 3, 2008 9:34 PM

  6. "People may like what third-party candidates say, because often they are the only ones saying anything, but they usually won't vote for someone who doesn't have a chance. Since third-party candidates are not in the news, they are considered to be not really in the race; and since they are not in the race, this justifies treating them as if they are not news."

    ~ Michael Parenti

    Posted by: capt Author Profile Page | January 3, 2008 10:30 PM

  7. The Republican Party is a sick joke, and the people of this country are fed up with them.
    From Nixon to Bush, and from Scooter to Larry "Toilet Stall" Craig, the Republicans have proven themselves to be a bunch of lying, corrupt, evil, perverted, over-spending crooks.
    When you look at all the money Bill Clinton left this country, it makes us all cry to know that Bush spent it all.
    When the money was gone, Bush went to China for help.
    Just think, we owe money to China!
    That is the Bush way.
    Cheney is no better.
    You can't trust either of them.
    No one does.
    Why are we in Iraq?
    The war should be on terror, not in Iraq.
    Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11, and yet Bush has spent all that money to fight "his" war.
    Yes his, because many Republicans have backed off from the war.
    By the way, the war in Iraq has cost the U.S. almost five hundred billion dollars.
    Forget Rudy.
    Rudy Giuliani is no hero.
    While he is often called the hero of 9/11, the truth is that Rudy was a terrible leader during his years as mayor of New York City.
    He made bad decisions and took a girlfriend while being married.
    In fact, he even wanted his lover to live in the same house with his wife.
    Most people would call this perverted.
    New Yorkers were so sick of his antics, that they wanted him out of office.
    Then came 9/11.
    The only reason people call Giuliani a hero today, is because he just happened to be NYC's mayor during that bad time.
    Any mayor would be looked at as a hero if they showed their face under those circumstances.
    If there was no 9/11, Rudy would have become a joke.
    This is not the kind of leader we want in the White House. In closing, the New York Post reported in their paper on April 23, that Giuliani spent more than $48,000 dollars of campaign money on posh hotels while claiming to have spent the least of all the Republican candidates.
    Rudy is a good time leader, and does it with other people's money.
    Forget Mitt.
    His ads look bad.
    He can't seem to get his facts right, and will say things to make himself look good.
    Red flags go up around him.
    I spoke with his son Tagg at the New Hampshire debates back in June (2007), and while he seemed like a nice man, Tagg could not get his facts right either.
    The worst Republican as of late, though, is Larry Craig.
    He is a lying pervert who wanted gay sex with a strange man on a dirty toilet seat.
    He pled guilty, then said he was not guilty.
    Say what?
    He is another Republican moron.
    Did you hear about Washington State Republican Rep. Richard Curtis?
    He offered $1,000 to a young man for unprotected sex while dressed in women's lingerie.
    This sort of thing just goes on and on with them.
    Remember Mark Foley?
    Here is a letter I wrote that was in many newspapers and Web sites:

    Once again, the Republicans have turned my stomach with shocking and repulsive behavior.
    Mark Foley, a Republican member (now ex-member) of Congress, has sent many e-mails with perverted sexual content to a sixteen year old boy.
    This is the same man who while in Congress, backed a bill that was meant to protect children from child predators.
    Foley himself, is a man who preyed on a child with lust.
    What is also incomprehensible, is the fact that some Republicans knew of Foley’s behavior, and yet, did not take a hard stand against this until it became public news. If I had a teenage son and/or daughter, I would not want them to go near any Republican leader for fear of either or both becoming a victim of a sick Republican pervert.

    George Vreeland Hill

    There were more than three hundred such letters in newspapers in 2007 alone.
    Many of them in New Hampshire.
    There are thousands on the Internet.
    No lie.
    THOUSANDS!
    This does not even include articles, ads, radio, TV and other areas where the public takes notice.
    In fact, one Republican in California wanted me stopped once, because I was hurting some Republicans in their elections.
    I just want to do my part in helping to get rid of every Republican scumbag.
    From phone scams to the Union Leader (NH) covering up for Republicans, the garbage never ends.
    But the Republican Party will end.
    Did you know that George W. Bush once made fun of the issue of Weapons of Mass Destruction?
    He did, and in front of some shocked people during a black-tie event in 2004.
    He said.... (While looking under a piece of furniture) "Those weapons of mass destruction have got to be here somewhere."
    Then, while pretending to look out of a window, Bush laughed as he said..... "Nope, no weapons over there."
    While he was laughing, there were men and women fighting and dying in Iraq because of WMD.
    George W. Bush should be removed from office because of that alone.
    Face it, Bill Clinton lied about having sex, and was impeached because of it.
    George W. Bush however, did far worse, as he laughed at the very people who are fighting for the United States of America!
    That about sums it all up!
    (By the way, this Bush/WMD was part of an article and letter I wrote as well.)
    This leads us to John McCain.
    All he seems to do is attack other candidates.
    His Woodstock ad against Hillary Clinton was boring and without the facts.
    He tells of Hillary wanting to spend a million dollars on a museum while he (McCain) supports spending more on the war in Iraq.
    He wants you to believe that the Democrats are the big spenders, while it is McCain's Republican Party that has spent all the money Bill Clinton left us to a point where Bush had to borrow money from China.
    Think about that again.
    We owe to China.
    That is the Republican way.
    Also, it must be noted that McCain even laughed at war.
    Remember when McCain changed the words of a Beach Boys song to Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Bomb, Iran?
    McCain even laughed when he was done.
    He thought starting a war with Iran was a laughing matter.
    That is the real John McCain.
    He just can't be trusted.
    He is another George Bush, and you know what we got with him.
    The Republican Party is a mess, and getting worse.
    People do not trust any of them, and we are all tired of their act.
    I am doing my best to make sure that no Republican wins an election.
    Thank you for your time.

    George Vreeland Hill

    Posted by: George Vreeland Hill Author Profile Page | January 4, 2008 9:17 PM

Post A Comment


(for verification only; will not be published with your comment)