Bloomberg Says B’peh Molei: I’m Not Running for President

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bloomberg-book-smallNew York Mayor Michael Bloomberg made it clear on Friday that he is not running for President, noting he has probably the best political job already, “and you don’t make friends by doing it.”

Before about 500 Dartmouth College students yesterday, he recommended his life lessons: to be independent of political parties, to be innovative and take on controversial subjects, to be generous and honor those protecting this country and to be prepared for the likelihood that their own future will surprise them.

“And don’t forget to have fun,” he stressed.

Bloomberg was speaking yesterday at the inaugural Dartmouth Presidential Lecture Series, hosted by Dartmouth President Jim Yong Kim.

The series is aimed at helping students explore real-life lessons offered by successful individuals. Dr. Kim will address “habits of the mind” at the next in the series at the Hopkins Center. Bloomberg’s partner, former New York State Banking Commissioner Diana Taylorm, a 1977 Dartmouth graduate and a member of its board of trustees, attended the forum yesterday.

Bloomberg urged students not to get tied into a belief that one political party has the monopoly on good ideas, and he criticized the Republican and Democrat parties for both failing to see the others’ good ideas..

“Take immigration reform: liberals tend to talk about our need for more immigrants while conservatives tend to talk about the need to control our borders. You know what? They are both right. Our refusal to let more immigrants into this country is sending jobs overseas and threatening the longterm economic health…at the same time our inability to stop the flow of illegal immigrants threatens our long term national security.”

He said mayors are doing more to deal with the immigration issue than Washington, and he doubts whether there is the political will to have meaningful immigration reform, even after the mid-term elections in November.

“There is no courage in Washington to solve this issue whatsoever,” he said, noting that the nation is losing jobs overseas by refusing to allow skilled professionals while threatening national security by not shoring up the borders.

Bloomberg is a Boston native. He was a lifelong Democrat who switched to being a Republican when he ran for New York mayor in 2001.

He has been elected to three terms and in 2008 was mentioned as a possible independent presidential candidate or vice presidential candidate.

Asked by a member of the audience if he would consider running for President in 2012, he said if drafted he would not run unless he was sure he could win.

Besides, he said, he considers his job as mayor of New York just about as good as it gets, politically.

“I am gainfully employed. I have made a commitment for the next 1,263 days but who is counting,” he said.

Mayors of major cities, he said, have “perhaps the best political job and the best chance to individually change society.” “Mayors have to explicitly say ‘yes’ or ‘no’ and be on the record and have the press follow it and deliver a service the next day, not just promise the service. And you don’t make friends by doing that.”

When he assumed office in 2002 and took the city’s $6 billion deficit and has turned it into a $3 billion surplus. He has been criticized for increasing property taxes in the same time period, however.

He is also known for his controversial move to make the city’s restaurants smoke-free. He said it has been a huge success, adopted across the world. And it has extended the lengths of people’s lives.

He urged students to “take on big controversial issues. People will respect you for it,” and better yet, “You will be able to look yourself in the mirror.”

Bloomberg is considered a social liberal. He supports gay rights, abortion rights, gun control, opposes the death penalty and said he has said he not only tried marijuana but he “enjoyed it.”

He said one of the best things that ever happened to him was being fired from his first job. It forced him to summons the courage needed to start his company, he said.

Bloomberg is considered the eighth wealthiest individual in the United States, worth an estimated $18 billion. He owns an 88 percent share of Bloomberg LP, a financial media company.

He said when he graduated from Johns Hopkins University in 1960 America’s “promise was still out of reach for too many.” It was the courage of his generation to ask the important questions, leading to change but over time. Buit now, people have “stopped asking those questions.” He suggested students find that courage to ask those questions to advance society.

{Union Leader/Matzav.com Newscnter}


4 COMMENTS

  1. Hillary also said the last 10 years she is not running for president… at the end she did run, thts part of the campaign to get ppl to speculate.

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