New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg has bipartisan credentials and has been praised by Republicans and Democrats alike, including President Obama.
Many major national politicians are staying out of Bloomberg’s reelection campaign (Obama, for example, backs the Democratic candidate Bill Thompson) but the praise is resurfacing in the final days of the race.
TPM reader DO flagged for us a glossy 8 1/2 x 11″ Bloomberg campaign mailer featuring a full-page photo of former Vice President Al Gore, saying it “appears to be a strong endorsement.” (It’s not.)
“If Gore remains passive about this it will be tantamount to accepting Bloomberg’s apparent claim that Gore has endorsed him … or Gore is playing a political game in which he is endorsing Bloomberg, but is leaving himself a plausible denial that he has endorsed Bloomberg while he tacitly accepts Bloomberg’s brochure being send in his name,” DO wrote us.
TPMDC checked in with Gore spokeswoman Kalee Kreider, who affirmed her boss’ friendly quotes about Bloomberg over the years.
“Former Vice President Gore has not formally endorsed a candidate in New York Mayoral race,” she said, declining to comment on the specific mailer since she hadn’t seen it.
“Over the years, former Vice President Gore has made a number of positive comments about Mayor Bloomberg’s environmental leadership – as well as the leadership of other mayors – around the country,” Kreider said.
I also asked Bloomberg spokeswoman Jill Hazelbaker about the mailer. She sent me some remarks Gore made last month she said make “clear” that Gore “offered strong praise of Mike for his leadership and record on the environment.”
“The mailer reflects those sentiments and it does not say that he offered a political endorsement,” Hazelbaker said.
From the Sept. 24 transcript:
Al Gore: “I want to say first of all that it really is an honor to be here with my friend Mayor Mike Bloomberg. It is without any hesitation whatsoever that I say to you that he has been doing a spectacular job of providing leadership as the Mayor of the capital city of the world – that’s the way a lot of people think of New York City. And if every mayor of every city on this planet had the kind of commitment and understanding and determination of what needs to be done to solve the climate crisis, then we would solve the climate crisis in short order.
“And I want to thank you, Mike, for not only doing the right thing and not only providing great leadership on this issue, but taking the time to really understand it thoroughly, and even more important than that, thank you for really putting your heart in it. I really appreciate that.”
From the Q and A following the event:
Reporter: “This is for the Vice President. Sir, you spoke very highly of Mayor Bloomberg’s leadership on climate change initiatives, and I’m wondering if that means you are supporting him in the Mayor’s race, or your fellow Democrat?”
Al Gore: “Well I think today’s event demonstrates among many other things that the issue of solving the climate crisis goes beyond party politics and party labels. And I’m proud to endorse the leadership and the actions the Mayor Bloomberg has been taking for quite a long time on this issue and this is just another example of that. I am a recovering politician. I’m on about step nine, so I try to stay out of the partisan races, but I’m very proud of Mike Bloomberg’s leadership, I really am. I’m not just saying it. I get a chance to work with mayors all over this country, and actually mayors in lots of other countries as well, and I know real leadership on the environment when I see it, and this is the real deal.”
