Game changer: Nanny Bloomberg endorses Obama, because climate change

http://twitter.com/#!/MikeBloomberg/status/264080226886221824

Oof. Hurricane Sandy must’ve flushed out Bloomberg’s brain. Yesterday, he was busy putting gun control in Florida ahead of disaster victims in his city. Today, it’s all about how President Obama can fix climate change — to save future disaster victims:

Our climate is changing. And while the increase in extreme weather we have experienced in New York City and around the world may or may not be the result of it, the risk that it might be – given this week’s devastation – should compel all elected leaders to take immediate action.

…

But we can’t do it alone. 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. His administration also has adopted tighter controls on mercury emissions, which will help to close the dirtiest coal power plants (an effort I have supported through my philanthropy), which are estimated to kill 13,000 Americans a year.

Voters, you have a major decision to make. Who’s the right man for the job?

One sees climate change as an urgent problem that threatens our planet; one does not. I want our president to place scientific evidence and risk management above electoral politics.

Perhaps Mayor Bloomberg could start by managing the risk in his own city.

You should concentrate on hospital generators working RT @mikebloomberg This November, vote for a president who will lead on climate change

— Randy (@ERE1968) November 1, 2012

So, what does all this mean for our country? Piers Morgan, for one, thinks the endorsement is huge:

This is huge – @mikebloomberg just endorsed Obama because of his stand on climate change: nyti.ms/WFkldO #Sandy

— Piers Morgan (@piersmorgan) November 1, 2012

Huge. Huge! Everyone might as well just go home — Obama’s officially a lock. Poor Romney’s no longer gonna be able to count on the reliably red state of New York.

Meanwhile, conservatives aren’t impressed with Nanny B.’s politicizing of Sandy and problems with prioritizing:

Hurricane hit my city, so vote for guy who ignores climate change cuz he’ll fix climate change. What logical fallacy is that @mikebloomberg?

— Mookie DC (@KingMookieDC) November 1, 2012

What an absolute ass –> RT @mikebloomberg: This November, vote for a president who will lead on climate change: bit.ly/U1nzb8

— Jersey Right (@JerseyRight) November 1, 2012

Because made up crap is more important than anything! “@mikebloomberg: This November, vote for a president who will lead on climate change”

— StacyinNTX (@StacyinNTX) November 1, 2012

Mayor @mikebloomberg Bloomturd who lied about the meteorology of the situation on Saturday is all of a sudden mr fix the climate #GTFO

— Ryan Gallagher (@Ryan_ABP) November 1, 2012

Statist technocrats unite. (Same tweet I’d have sent either way) RT @bloombergtv: Mayor @mikebloomberg endorses @barackobama for re-election

— Ben Domenech (@bdomenech) November 1, 2012

And soft drink bans. And other stupid shit. RT @mikebloomberg This November, vote for a president who will lead on climate change

— RB (@RBPundit) November 1, 2012

Guess what, Mayor Bloomberg: Americans have more pressing issues on their minds.

Mayor,some of us have a long way to go before climate change is our biggest problem @mikebloomberg

— M M (@mayerdaman) November 1, 2012

@shannonbream @mikebloomberg HA! I need a job first before I can even think about climate change!

— Jennifer Lessard(@Jlessard) November 1, 2012

No -I’ll vote for a president that believes in jobs. RT@mikebloomberg: This November, vote for a president who will lead on climate change

— Trey Price (@TreyFLA) November 1, 2012

But, but, climate change! Rising waters! We need a leader who can fix it! This we know, because Mayor Bloomberg tells us so!

@shannonbream @mikebloomberg the uncontested leader on climate change is the Earth. The climate has been changing for 4 billion years.

— Jason Martin (@jasonmartin03) November 1, 2012

Heh.

***

WaPo columnist Ezra Klein has an interesting take on the endorsement. He sees it as, more than anything else, a strategic move:

1. Bloomberg’s endorsement is one of the most fascinating and strategically designed endorsements I’ve seen.

— Ezra Klein (@ezraklein) November 1, 2012

2. By endorsing this close to the election, he’s trying to impose a real cost on the Republican Party for climate denialism.

— Ezra Klein (@ezraklein) November 1, 2012

3. By attacking Obama and praising the old Romney in his op-ed, he’s buttressing his role as an arbiter of the center.

— Ezra Klein (@ezraklein) November 1, 2012

4. And then he’s spending that credibility to make “acting to stop climate change” a centrist issue.

— Ezra Klein (@ezraklein) November 1, 2012

5. Bloomberg’s not endorsing Obama so much as he’s trying to reset the incentives on climate change. It’s a huge play.

— Ezra Klein (@ezraklein) November 1, 2012

6. And by tying the endorsement to Sandy, Bloomberg is trying to cement the idea that Sandy=climate change

— Ezra Klein (@ezraklein) November 1, 2012

7. Making it at least a bit more likely that the political elites will see Sandy as a proper forcing event for action on climate change.

— Ezra Klein (@ezraklein) November 1, 2012

The centrist agenda, as defined by Bloomberg: all Bush tax cuts expire, act on climate change, pro gun control, pro choice, pro gay marriage

— Ezra Klein (@ezraklein) November 1, 2012