Bill Maher says in the Huffington Post that
"One of the things that makes Republicans furious about our current president is their idea that Obama is always apologizing for America's biggest mistakes. Unlike President Bush. Who was one of America's biggest mistakes."
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
New Rule: If Mitt Romney, Karl Rove and Sarah Palin all think America has never done anything wrong, we must be doing something wrong. Look at them: an empty suit, an empty heart and an empty head.
Even though Sarah Palin, Karl Rove and Mitt Romney can share the stage as prominent figures in what remains of the Republican Party, Mayor Bloomberg cannot be forgotten for his role in helping the Republicans in 2004 by hosting the Convention in New York City, projecting an image of good government, and happy days, helping G.W. Bush's election, along with Dick Cheney, to a 2nd term. A move that would lead to the current state of the economy, world-wide recession, record unemployment, astronomical debt, etc.
No apologies.
http://www.balloon-juice.com/...
Wikipedia -
Michael Rubens Bloomberg (born February 14, 1942) is the current Mayor of New York City. He was listed as the eighth-richest American, with a net worth of US $16 billion, in the Forbes 400 on September 17, 2008, making him the richest resident of New York City, ahead of David H. Koch. He is the founder and 88% owner of Bloomberg L.P., a financial software services company.
A lifelong Democrat before seeking elective office, Bloomberg switched his registration in 2001 and ran for mayor as a Republican, winning the election that year and a second term in 2005. He was frequently mentioned as a possible independent candidate for the 2008 presidential election and fueled that speculation when he left the Republican Party in June 2007 to become an independent. There was also speculation that he would run as a vice-presidential candidate. Bloomberg did not, however, seek the presidency nor was he selected as a running mate by any of the presidential candidates.
Recently, The NY Daily News reported -
Mayor Bloomberg will run for reelection as a Republican this fall, the Daily News has learned, after successfully courting the party to let him back on its ballot line two years after he left it.
http://www.nydailynews.com/...
He was lifelong Democrat until 2001.
Huffington Post’s Yellen -
Last October, Michael Bloomberg, New York City's Mayor, announced that he would seek to extend the city's term limits law and run for a third term in 2009, since he needed more than that silly old law limiting the Mayor to two terms, especially during the Wall Street financial crises. "Handling this financial crisis while strengthening essential services...is a challenge I want to take on." Although Bloomberg rejected former Mayor Giuliani's grab for a third term after 9/11, saying that no one is indispensible, he suddenly discovered that someone is -- himself.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/...
2004 Republican National Convention was invited to New York by Mayor Bloomberg. The detailed timeline for the negotiations and orchestration of this event are highlighted in Chris Smith’s article in New York Magazine, Elephant in The Room.
How did Bloomberg overcome all his disadvantages and endear himself to George Bush and Karl Rove? "Bloomberg has raised an absolute ass-load of money for the Republican Party nationally," says a GOP strategist currently working for the Bush campaign. "He is an absolute star. He’s worked very hard to put together fund-raisers for a lot of Republican candidates. Bloomberg and Giuliani account for a very meaningful fraction of the Republican money raised this year. They’ve both made a staggering lift for key candidates, but I think Bloomberg deserves more credit than he’s received yet."
Bloomberg’s prowess as a cash machine makes Republicans willing to overlook such gestures as disinviting Ohio congressman Bob Ney to a fund-raiser at Bloomberg’s home, after Ney voted against appropriations for New York. "We’re all grown-ups here," the strategist says. "We know what that was about."
... all the Republican favors Bloomberg has done haven’t paid off for the city. "Now he’s going to address the Republican convention and host all these people who stiffed the city and not say something?" asks Mandy Grunwald, a Democratic consultant who helped elect President and Senator Clinton and worked for Gifford Miller’s 2005 mayoral campaign.
http://nymag.com/...
Why did Michael Bloomberg become a Republican?
Part of the answer is found in his speech at the 2004 Republican Convention:
We've shown the world that New York can never be defeated, because of its dynamic and diverse population and because it embodies the spirit of enterprise and the love of liberty. And because no matter who you are, if you believe in yourself and your dream, New York will always be the place for you.
This is the city of dreamers and time and again it's the place where the greatest dream of all, the American dream, has been tested and has triumphed.
It's where in his first major national speech, in 1860, Abraham Lincoln challenged this party and our nation to face the moral evil of slavery with the faith that right makes might.
And later that year, it was New York's delegation to the Republican National Convention that moved to make Abraham Lincoln's nomination for the presidency of the United States unanimous.
I'm proud to say that framed on a wall of my home is the flag those New York Republicans carried during that convention. It is a constant reminder to me of the proud role New York played at a pivotal moment in our nation's history...
And we showed that our dreams, like our liberties, will never be lost to violence or hate.
No place epitomizes the American experience and the American spirit more than New York City. Ironically, it is exactly because we are a city that embraces freedom, that welcomes everyone and encourages their dreams, that New York remains on the front lines in the war on terror.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/...
While Bloomberg spoke honorably of the past and optimistically about the future, one has to wonder where he was during the rest of the convention speeches. The other speakers at the Republican convention can be seen filling the audience with sense of fear and danger.
http://www.youtube.com/...
To understand the reason for holding 2004 Republican Convention in New York City we may again go to The Elephant in The Room, -
"Already, the core of Bloomberg’s strategy is clear. He is treating the Republican National Convention as simply one more astute business deal. Bringing the convention to the city isn’t about politics; it’s about filling hotel rooms and restaurant seats, marketing a resilient New York on international TV. "This convention will bring the city $250 million in economic activity, and also show that we’re back from 9/11," Bloomberg says. "And the real economic benefit is long-term, from the people going home from the convention and telling their kids or telling their neighbors that New York is safe, that it’s fun, that people were nice to them." Displaced street vendors? Nightmarish traffic jams? "This is the slowest business week of the year!" Bloomberg says, slightly irritated. "You couldn’t ask for a better week to do it!"
Well, the Convention was (or should have been) about politics, and the long term future of our country. Today, a $250 million stimulus package is about what Alaska will receive to maintain its Medicaid program. New York State will receive about $20 billion in Federal relief.
http://dpc.senate.gov/...
We are not back from 9/11. For some reason many have not attained closure on 9/11. Conspiracy theories are alive and well. Many are skeptical or very critical of the government’s initial response to terrorist attacks. 9/11 will always be remembered, but the rebuilding of the World Trade Center will be a turning point more important than victory in Iraq and Afghanistan.
http://www.youtube.com/...