Running or Not, He and Arnold Have Good Points

Hey folks,

Yes, he came right out and said he was not running. He said he was going to be NY Mayor until the end of his term. But you know, for a guy not running for President, he sure sounds like it. Me personally? I think he is attempting to feel out the situation and he will do one of two things.

One, he will stir up enough interest, get enough positive feedback, to come out and say, "I didn’t want to run for President. I was just trying to fix the two party system, which anyone can see is broken. But YOU are encouraging me to run. To save the country from another four years of partisan war. To bring the country together. To once again bring this country back to the people. This is why I now announce my candidacy for President of the United States of America."

Or, he will find the waters not all that welcoming and simply remind you that he said, "I’m not running."

But either way, he does have a point. So do others echoing him. According to the Christian Science Monitor -A bid to build centrism in US politics By Daniel B. Wood, Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor Fri Jun 22, 4:00 AM ET

From the podium came fighting words. The target of all the punching: America's partisan politics.

First up was New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, delivering a scathing admonition: "The politics of partisanship and the resulting inaction and excuses have paralyzed decisionmaking," he told a group of some 200 national politicos and guests. "We can turn around … our wrongheaded course, if we start basing our actions on ideas [and] shared values … without regard to party."

Which is what I do here. More and more people seem to be following in my footsteps. I have aswered the question so many times and in so many ways, I do not know how to further clarify. I am an Independent. I see things in the mode of right vs wrong. I lean strongly to the Right. I am Conservative. But I tow no party line. This is what Bloomberg is saying. You know, the guy that was Democrat, Republican, now Independent?

The next day, his partner in taking to task the political climate, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R), echoed: "There really is no more urgent issue facing America today than … bridging the political divide."

Just look at congress. NOTHING is getting done. Those that are true Democrats, cannot get by the leadership because thier leadership is bend and obsessed with "getting Bush." The Republicans seem to be bend on helping to pass a bill NO ONE wants. They have also fell into a position of constant defense against all the attacks from the Left.

The two politicians, used as bookends for a conference titled, "Ceasefire!" have become national poster boys for a nascent movement to restore statesmanship and the art of negotiation to a polarized political scene – at least on the state and city levels. Some call it "postpartisanship," a term repeated by Governor Schwarzenegger, whose job-approval ratings have soared since he began reaching out to Democratic lawmakers on initiatives in California.

Others, such as Mayor Bloomberg – the former Democrat-turned-Republican-turned-independent – call it simply "nonpartisan leadership." The emphasis is on ideas over ideology, building trust instead of enmity with opposing politicians, embracing innovation with more regard to citizens than to which party thought of it first – or who gets credit. The idea also plays into the yearning of an increasingly frustrated voting public for another principle: Get it done.

This is why the Independent Movement is growing. People are getting tired of BOTH extreme sides, and the insanity they show.

"Arnold is the perfect example of the moment for broad coalition-building going on outside Washington," Steven Schier, a political scientist at Carleton College, in Northfield, Minn. "Bloomberg is providing the public argument and the rhetoric about what is wrong with the partisan, national political system," he adds, describing Washington politics as "essentially warfare between two armed camps."

I like that. It’s true. Meanwhile the collateral damage is this very country. Get this.

The New York mayor and the California governor are hammering a note that resonates with the public. Seventy-five percent like leaders who are willing to compromise, and 60 percent like leaders whose positions are a mix of liberal and conservative, according to the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press in Washington.

"The analysis [of Bloomberg and Schwarzenegger] is exactly correct," says Doug Bailey, cofounder of Unity08, a group that wants to nominate a bipartisan "unity ticket" for the 2008 presidential election, using a first-ever online convention. "The people know the system is broken at a time when there are more crucial issues in front of the government than at any point in our lifetimes. Yet they know the two parties can't sit down and talk in any effective way."

The best records of reach-across-the-aisle politicians have been at state and local levels, many experts say. Schwarzenegger has been leading the pack. After several stumbles in his first two years, he appointed a Democrat as his chief of staff last year. He has since made headlines with global warming and healthcare initiatives, prison reform, and a state infrastructure overhaul.

We will never all agree with all things. Like the global warming scam. Or universal health care. But if we could find someone that can be open to actual intellectual debate, I think most Americans will go for that person. Which is what I bet you Bloomberg is laying the foundation for. The article goes on to give examples of politicians on both sides operating in a "postpartisan" way and the positive benefits they have received.

Now I do not know what you think of Bloomberg. Truthfully, I’m not sure what I think of Bloomberg. I’ll have to look into him more seeing that I truly believe he is attempting a run. I’m not sure the "Governator" can run without a Constitutional change. But I do have to say this. They are right.
Peter