Is Bloomberg’s Right-Hand Man Hinting His Boss Would Play a Good Second Fiddle?
Last week, my colleague Aram David posted about a Daily News opinion article that made the case for why Michael Bloomberg would make an ideal running mate for Barack Obama. The question, of course, is whether the billionaire mayor would want to be anyone’s second fiddle.
Now, however, key Bloomberg aide (and longtime shadow presidential campaign manager) Kevin Sheekey has made some remarks that are being interpreted as having “promoted the idea of an Obama-Bloomberg presidential ticket,” as an article on NY1’s Web site put it.
Speaking to NY1’s Dominic Carter, Sheekey said:
…you were the one asking about an Obama ticket. I think the mayor is the ultimate swing voter. He is someone who the country is looking at to find out where they will go. He is one of the true independents in the country.
The NY1 article adds that Sheekey “pointedly did not rule out the mayor as Obama’s running mate.”
Bloomberg has long flirted with a president run (amidst a flurry of denials that convinced no one). Last week, Bloomberg finally put the definitive kibosh on talk of a White House run in a cutely titled New York Times Op-Ed “I’m Not Running for President, but …”
Obama, who had met earlier in the campaign with Bloomberg, chatted with the mayor after the publication of his Times article.
Hat tip: Gothamist.
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