Bloomberg Endorses Obama Citing Support for Marriage Equality
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsed Barack Obama for president on Thursday, citing Obama’s support for marriage equality as influencing his endorsement.
In a piece published by the financial news website Bloomberg.com, which is owned by Bloomberg, the mayor focuses heavily on climate change. He cites the recent devastation inflicted on New York by Hurricane Sandy and Obama’s leadership combating climate change.
“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,” Bloomberg writes.
Bloomberg also notes Obama’s historic support for marriage equality as well as his support for a woman’s right to choose:
When I step into the voting booth, I think about the world I want to leave my two daughters, and the values that are required to guide us there. The two parties’ nominees for president offer different visions of where they want to lead America.
One believes a woman’s right to choose should be protected for future generations; one does not. That difference, given the likelihood of Supreme Court vacancies, weighs heavily on my decision.
One recognizes marriage equality as consistent with America’s march of freedom; one does not. I want our president to be on the right side of history.
Although Bloomberg states Mitt Romney would bring “valuable business experience to the Oval Office,” he is critical of Romney’s shift toward the hard right of the Republican Party as well as the shortcomings of Obama’s first term.
“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,” Bloomberg writes.
Bloomberg is one of the richest people in America and left the Republican Party in 2007 while serving as mayor to become an Independent. Before running for office, he was a registered Democrat. He made no endorsement during the 2008 presidential race.
Late last month Bloomberg rallied marriage equality supporters in Maryland after donating $250,000 to their campaign. With a Super PAC created last month, Bloomberg has funneled $500,000 into marriage equality campaigns in Maine, Minnesota and Washington. Bloomberg has said he plans to spend up to $15 million through the new Super PAC in state and local races.
[Photo: Michael Bloomberg (Courtesy of Wikimedia Commons).]
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