| In a surprise announcement, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, endorsed President Barack Obama. Bloomberg calls himself an "independent" and is known for being a "moderate," and calling for an end to the current gridlock in Congress and working in a "bipartisan" spirit. As Mayor, he also heads what he says is one of the "largest armies" in the country, referring to the highly armed New York Police Department (NYPD) and large bureaucracy of city government. The NYPD, which also works directly with the CIA, has its own tanks, helicopters and missiles. Colin Powell, former Secretary of State and Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff also endorsed Obama, as he did in 2008. Like Bloomberg, Powell is considered a "moderate," who also promotes "bipartisanship." He has supported Obama's wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. Obama spokeswoman Jen Psaki said the campaign is "very excited" about the endorsement: "We think it sends a strong signal about why he should be sent back for another four years to be Commander in Chief." This is an indication that the role of Obama in the coming period is as Commander in Chief and that he must make certain the public treasury can be utilized for U.S. war aims in conditions where the economy is not recovering. Bloomberg, after repeatedly saying he would make no public endorsement and expressing criticisms of both Obama and Romney, changed his mind. It appears Hurricane Sandy was a main factor. He endorsed Obama November 1 saying, "The devastation that Hurricane Sandy brought to New York City and much of the Northeast -- in lost lives, lost homes and lost business -- brought the stakes of Tuesday's presidential election into sharp relief. The floods and fires that swept through our city left a path of destruction that will require years of recovery and rebuilding work. In just 14 months, two hurricanes have forced us to evacuate neighborhoods -- something our city government had never done before. If this is a trend, it is simply not sustainable. Our climate is changing. And while the increase in extreme weather we have experienced in New York City and around the world may or may not be the result of it, the risk that it might be -- given this week's devastation -- should compel all elected leaders to take immediate action." Bloomberg titled his editorial, which ran in his Bloomberg News, "A Vote for a President to Lead on Climate Change." He emphasized, "We need leadership from the White House -- and over the past four years, President Barack Obama has taken major steps to reduce our carbon consumption, including setting higher fuel-efficiency standards for cars and trucks. His administration also has adopted tighter controls on mercury emissions, which will help to close the dirtiest coal power plants (an effort I have supported through my philanthropy), which are estimated to kill 13,000 Americans a year." He contends that Romney has "reversed course," on climate change issues. He said, "If the 1994 or 2003 version of Mitt Romney were running for president, I may well have voted for him because, like so many other independents, I have found the past four years to be, in a word, disappointing. "In 2008, Obama ran as a pragmatic problem-solver and consensus-builder. But as president, he devoted little time and effort to developing and sustaining a coalition of centrists, which doomed hope for any real progress on illegal guns, immigration, tax reform, job creation and deficit reduction. And rather than uniting the country around a message of shared sacrifice, he engaged in partisan attacks and has embraced a divisive populist agenda focused more on redistributing income than creating it." He then goes on to say Obama has achieved some important victories. Bloomberg says Obama's "Race to the Top education program -- much of which was opposed by the teachers' unions, a traditional Democratic Party constituency -- has helped drive badly needed reform across the country, giving local districts leverage to strengthen accountability in the classroom and expand charter schools. His health-care law -- for all its flaws -- will provide insurance coverage to people who need it most and save lives." He concludes saying, "Neither candidate has specified what hard decisions he will make to get our economy back on track while also balancing the budget. But in the end, what matters most isn't the shape of any particular proposal; it's the work that must be done to bring members of Congress together to achieve bipartisan solutions." He says Obama can be successful if "he listens to people on both sides of the aisle, and builds the trust of moderates." A Coalition of Centrists In a situation where the machinery of the two parties is disintegrating and individual candidates with their own machinery are backed by contending factions among the rich, the solution posed is not one of bringing the parties together. This is not what is meant by bipartisanship. On the contrary, a "coalition of centrists" is called for which will work together to "achieve bipartisan solutions." Bloomberg, a billionaire himself and a representative of Wall Street, is positioned to be part of this group of "moderates" and help put it in place. Bloomberg, together with former Secretary of Defense Gates, former Chairmen of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Mike Mullen and potentially now Colin Powell as well, are all well-known "bipartisan" and "moderate" forces. Bill Clinton too is perhaps the quintessential "centrist." Has a deal been made to bring Bloomberg into this "coalition of centrists"? Will these forces form a committee to secure control of the purse strings? Or perhaps take a place in the next Obama administration? If so, it would mean Obama has his forces in control of both Chicago and New York City and their massive police forces. It also means various different alliances bringing together this "coalition of centrists," are in the works. If Obama can pull these various forces together, as the recent endorsements indicate, it is further evidence that the ruling circles see him as the champion able to preserve the union under conditions of the current cold civil war going hot. He is the one who can be successful in putting the public purse strings directly in the hands of the monopoly financiers, keep the people repressed while keeping the union whole. Or at least that is what the rulers hope. |