Is President Obama Going to Stay Out of the NYC Mayor’s Race?
EmailWhite House press secretary Robert Gibbs seemed to indicate today that President Obama would not endorse the Democratic mayoral candidate, whomever he or she may be, in the 2009 New York City mayoral race. Then the White House walked that back… but just enough to suggest that it remained an open question.
New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who won the post twice as a Republican, then switched to become an independent, is running for a third term, after securing changes in the charter permitting such a move.
Bloomberg met with President Obama today — along with the Rev. Al Sharpton and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich, R-Ga. — to talk education.
At the briefing today, Charlie Hurt of the New York Post asked if the meeting could be read as an endorsement of Bloomberg’s handling of education.
“I don’t think anybody should infer that someone coming to the White House is any sort of political endorsement," Gibbs said.
And then he added: "The president doesn’t intend to make any political endorsement in the New York mayor’s race."
Such a move could be tantamount to an endorsement of Bloomberg. Whoever the Democratic candidate is will need the backing of the president in Blue York City.
ABC News followed up: the president is not going to endorse the Democratic candidate?
"I don’t think he has any plans to -– I, I, I was suggesting on Charlie’s behalf that we weren’t making an endorsement of Mr. Bloomberg," Gibbs said.
A White House official called to clarify that Gibbs’ statement that President Obama "doesn’t intend to make any political endorsement in the New York mayor’s race" was premature.
But that’s not to say President Obama will endorse the Democrat, or Bloomberg, or anyone. It all remains in flux. As does the mayor’s race.
– jpt
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Maybe it’s one of those things that should be left up to the City.
Posted by: DontGet818OnMeNow | May 7, 2009, 4:32 pm 4:32 pm
I have every confidence that Obama wants to be Mayor of New York in addition to POTUS and Chairman of General Motors.
Posted by: Sigmonde | May 7, 2009, 4:50 pm 4:50 pm
First the trilateral and then a NYC race..gotta give it to the old boy.. he’s a fiesty one!!
Posted by: DontGet818OnMeNow | May 7, 2009, 5:09 pm 5:09 pm
The real reason AF1 flew over NYC last week was to see how low and slow it could go and see if it was feasible to tow a banner behind it endorsing the Democratic candidate. One picture for $332,000.00, WOW……explain that one “Baghdad Bob” Gibbs!!
Posted by: American Infidel | May 8, 2009, 9:04 am 9:04 am
So he’s staying out of the NYC Mayor’s race, but isn’t that hypocritical since he has already endorsed Arlen Specter without even knowing who (if any) are his opponents? Mean Pres. Clinton endorsed Bobby Rush in 2000 in his primary against Barack Obama back in 2000 yet he doing the same thing with Specter. Pres. Obama won’t endorse personal friends he has known for years like Alexi Giannoulias for Illinois’s U.S. Senate or Artur Davis for Governor of Alabama, yet he has promised to campaign and fundraise for Arlen Specter? C’mon, right?
Posted by: CestWhat | May 8, 2009, 9:22 am 9:22 am
To answer the question, yes. I’d say Obama has got too much crap to deal with to bother with a NYC mayor’s race. By crap I mean the economy and foreign policy stuff, especially Pakistan.
Posted by: amber | May 8, 2009, 12:19 pm 12:19 pm