Bloomberg News

this category covers both the publication and the mayor of nyc

not anymore?

===

text, (links below):

steyer, hank http://insideclimatenews.org/carbon-copy/20140624/bipartisan-leaders-make-economic-case-fighting-climate-change

odd betrayal?

exxonknewS 12 23

...“Oil and gas companies are under pressure, desperately trying to preserve their social license through recycled pledges,” said David Tong, Global Industry Campaign Manager at Oil Change International, which last year published a report finding that Exxon’s climate commitments are “grossly insufficient” to meet the goals of the Paris Agreement.

Woods and his fellow oil company representatives are also using COP to push for unproven technologies that will prolong the lifespan of climate-wrecking fossil fuels. In an interview with Bloomberg at COP, Woods said the energy transition would require an assortment of “solutions” — including hydrogen and carbon capture — and “we need big companies to help with that.”

Woods rejected the IEA’s recent assessment of carbon capture as an “illusion,” telling Reuters that “you could say that about electric vehicles, about wind, about solar.” But according to the IEA, “The key actions required to bend the emissions curve sharply downwards by 2030 are well understood, most often cost effective and are taking place at an accelerating rate. The scaling up of clean energy is the main factor behind a decline of fossil fuel demand of over 25% this decade.”

Yet unlike the billions it invests in carbon capture, Exxon is spending almost nothing on renewable sources of energy, while lobbying against the transition away from its core products.

“It’s no surprise that Exxon is pushing for the continued use of fossil fuels,” said Jessica Green, Professor of Political Science at the University of Toronto. “Exxon is in a fight for its life. Real progress on climate change isn’t about more carbon markets or net zero pledges, it’s about putting the oil and gas industry out of business.”

A larger strategy

Woods’ deflections at COP are part of a larger strategy of “corporate issues management,” said Supran, which “the fossil fuel industry has been pioneering for decades.”

“It means having your fingers in all the pies, anticipating future threats to your business and neutralizing them through decades of 360-degree public affairs strategies,” he said.

Exxon has been working to shift the narrative outside of COP, too. “On November 30, the first day of COP 28, The New York Times included a full-page greenwashing ad from ExxonMobil,” Brad Johnson documented in Hill Heat on Monday. “Reuters coverage of Al Gore’s criticism of ExxonMobil’s presence at COP 28 was smothered by greenwashing ads from ExxonMobil. The Punchbowl News political newsletter today is Presented by ExxonMobil.” Yesterday’s Power Switch newsletter from Politico was Presented by ExxonMobil, too.

While the oil giant’s greenwashing may have ramped up around COP, it’s also a years-long affair — aided in large part by many of the same media outlets interviewing Woods at the conference. A major analysis of Big Oil’s advertising between October 2020 and October 2023 found that “many of the world’s most trusted English-language news publications help fossil fuel companies mislead readers about topics like the promise of carbon capture, the potential of ‘renewable biogas,’ and how much the industry contributes to the energy transition,” according to Amy Westervelt and Matthew Green.

The analysis, published by Drilled and DeSmog this week, found that Bloomberg Media Studios last year created a video for Exxon promoting carbon capture and hydrogen; Politico organized 37 e-mail campaigns for Exxon; and Exxon sponsored more than 100 editions of Washington Post newsletters in 2022 alone, as just a few examples.:}:

Ultimately, it’s up to the media, policymakers, and other major institutions to determine whether the oil companies still responsible for fueling climate catastrophe are allowed to have a platform to stand on — or whether, like Big Tobacco, their time to influence the debate about their products’ harm is finally up.

gmail --> mrc newsbusters

https://www.newsbusters.org/blogs/business/joseph-vazquez/2022/02/03/eco-baloney-bloomberg-opinion-editor-suggests-blotting-out

Eco Baloney: Bloomberg Opinion Editor Suggests Blotting ‘Out the Sun’ to Fight Warming

Joseph Vazquez

February 3rd, 2022 11:32 AM

A Bloomberg Opinion editor actually suggested humanity just blot out the sun to fight global warming. Michael Newman wrote a senseless blog headlined, “What if We Blotted Out the Sun to Fight Global Warming?” He probably subconsciously realized the suggestion was insane, as he hedged in his subheadline: “It’s risky, but then again the path we’re on now may be even riskier.”

Newman called “solar geoengineering” one of the “great hopes” to “stop or slow climate change.” He explained the idea as “an attempt to figure out a way to cool the planet by deflecting some of the sun’s rays before they reach us humans.” Newman based his argument on an equally absurd article by Bloomberg Opinion columnist Clara Ferreira Marques headlined: “Solar Geoengineering Research Is a Risk Worth Taking.”

As Newman summarized, “Clara argues it’s ‘terrifying and terrible in the way that chemotherapy is: We don’t want it, but can we deny ourselves the possibility?’” But Newman undercut himself by admitting that “The science isn’t yet there,” and that “a group of scientists argue it should be banned now — and they are not wrong that it is a risky and last-resort proposition.” Or, perhaps dimming the thing that makes life possible on Earth is just as crazy as it sounds, and Newman pushing it as a solution makes no sense at all.

Climate Depot founder Marc Morano slapped down Newman’s blot “out the sun” as a “last-resort” argument in comments emailed to MRC Business. Morano referenced his book Green Fraud (2021), which pointed to a Newsweek article from April 28, 1975 showing how climate change extremists advocated for “melting the arctic ice cap by covering it with black soot” to stave off global cooling. According to Morano, Newman’s argument is “a redo of the 1970s. Before fossil fuels caused global warming, fossil fuels caused global cooling and the ice age in the 1970s!”

Morano further analyzed the narrative shift:

They were worried that our fossil fuel pollution was blocking out the sun creating global dimming and the next ice age. They were trying to geoengineer the climate back in the 1970s and here we have come full circle now trying to do it the other way by essentially cooling the planet instead of trying to warm it.

But as is the case with much of the eco-extremist fear mongering, outrageous proposals like blotting out the sun are just political gibberish to convince politicians to push more meaningless climate regulations.

“Climate activists are using the threat of ‘blotting out the sun’ as a form of lobbying for ‘climate action,’” Morano argued. “They are saying, 'We are being forced to do this risky radical experiment on our planet' unless we reduce our emissions. It's one level of futile to pass legislation to attempt to regulate the climate and a whole different level to monkey around with the physics and mechanics of the atmosphere.”

Conservatives are under attack. Contact letters@bloomberg.net and demand the outlet stop peddling insane climate ideas like blotting out the sun.

punked?

most dangerous, energy

https://www.alternet.org/2021/05/jp-morgan/

The International Energy Agency (IEA) is the world's most influential energy forecaster. Providing in-depth policy advice to dozens of national governments, the IEA has long been a friend of fossil fuel executives, regularly encouraging evermore fossil fuel development, even in the face of evermore dire climate warnings. But all that started to change last week.

The IEA released a special report that represents the agency's first attempt at modeling an energy pathway that is compatible with limiting global warming to 1.5°C, the aspirational goal of the Paris Agreement.

Perhaps the single most important sentence in the 224-page report is this one: "There is no need for investment in new fossil fuel supply in our net zero pathway." In other words, if we want to curtail global warming to 1.5°C―and thus slow the rate of species extinction and prevent millions of early deaths―we cannot invest a single dollar more in expanding the fossil fuel industry.

Compare this with JPMorgan Chase. In October of last year, Chase, the world's largest funder of fossil fuels, announced that it was going to align its business model with the Paris Agreement. The pledge came only after years of campaigning by activists and was widely welcomed. The most exciting part of the announcement was Chase's promise to release 2030 climate targets.

Well, Chase just released those targets―and they are worse than even the most pessimistic among us feared.

Rather than actually reducing the overall greenhouse gas emissions associated with its lending, Chase has created a convoluted accounting trick known as "carbon intensity", pledging that by 2030, it will achieve a 15% reduction in the "carbon intensity" of the oil and gas firms it finances.

The most important thing to know here is that reductions in "carbon intensity" and reductions in "actual greenhouse gas emissions" are two very different things.

Imagine you are the CEO of an oil firm. Your company owns 1,000 oil wells; it doesn't own any windmills. Now Chase gives you a $10 billion loan. You use that loan to buy 400 new oil wells and 200 windmills. You now own 400 additional oil wells. This means you are digging up and burning more oil than ever before; your overall contributions to climate change have gone up significantly. But because you are now also profiting from wind power, the "carbon intensity" of your company has gone down―an accounting trick that enables your oil company to both expand oil production and meet Chase's callow climate targets.

What it boils down to is this: While the IEA states that there can be no new investment in the expansion of fossil fuels, Chase doesn't plan to reduce its investments in new fossil fuel supply at all within the next decade.

This is concerning (not to mention deeply immoral) for a number of reasons: Chase is the first major US bank to commit to 2030 climate targets; by setting the bar so devastatingly low they have made it easier for other Wall Street banks to engage in similar acts of greenwashing. Just 100 fossil fuel companies are responsible for 71% of all history's climate pollution; if Wall Street is willing to give them a pass, it is basically passing on climate action of any sort.

The fact that the media has largely fallen for Chase's big climate lie is also of concern."JPMorgan Chase Pledges to Cut Carbon Emissions in Lending Portfolios," read one uncritical Bloomberg headline. Even the normally rigorous Guardian recently fawned about how Wall Street is acting on the climate crisis.After years of the media's failure to accurately report on the climate crisis, it is upsetting to see major media outlets fail like this.

All of this would, of course, be less alarming if the White House understood that companies like JPMorgan are a major part of the problem―and that regulating them is a major part of the solution. But that is far from the case."No government is going to solve this problem," said US Special Climate Envoy, John Kerry in arecent interview. "The solutions are going to come from the private sector."

Kerry's words are especially alarming. Whether it's sustainable investing funds that are riddled with fossil fuels, insurance companies building coal mines, or banks making empty climate pledges, it's clear that Wall Street cannot be counted on to solve the climate crisis for us.

We need a government that is willing to step in, stop the money pipeline to climate chaos, and force Wall Street to treat global warming like the crisis it is. As the IEA has made abundantly clear that starts with ensuring that not a single dollar more goes toward expanding the fossil fuel industry.

Alec Connon is the coordinator of the Stop the Money Pipeline coalition, a coalition of over 160 organizations working to stop the flow of money from Wall Street to the fossil fuel industry. He is also a writer. His first novel, The Activist, was published in 2016. Follow him on Twitter: @alecconnon

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Bloomberg News Taking Cues From Fox On Climate Change

BLOG ››› August 21, 2013 4:21 PM EDT ››› DENISE ROBBINS

PUNKED?

Bloomberg News gave a platform for a fossil-fuel funded climate misinformer to advance groundless allegations against scientists -- the second time this year it has drawn a false equivalence between top climate scientists and climate deniers.

In an article on the recently leaked draft of a climate change report authored by the world's top scientists, Bloomberg News quoted Marc Morano, who runs the industry-funded blog Climate Depot that Bloomberg described as "skeptical of climate change" (New York Times reporter Andrew Revkin has called it "divisive and toxic"). Morano has no scientific background, yet Bloomberg gave him space to baselessly assert that the report by the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is based on "predetermined science" and will "add very little to the scientific debate." The global panel of scientists actually determined with over 95 percent certainty that human activities are the primary drivers of climate change, and found that global sea levels are rising swiftly, potentially adding 3 feet by the end of the century and bringing devastating impacts to several parts of the world including three major cities in the United States.

Bloomberg's article paralleled Fox News' coverage of the report, which also quoted Morano in an effort to cast doubt on the IPCC's findings. In the article, FoxNews.com promoted Morano's claim that "all of these fatuous figures are pulled out of the air to support the IPCC ideologies and not based upon any statistical analysis or science." (The report is actually based on the synthesis of the peer-reviewed scientific literature by hundreds of top scientists.)

This is the second time this year that Bloomberg has given false balance or "false equivalence" to claims that run counter to established climate science, even though the facts lie squarely in one camp. In May 2013, Bloomberg also gave a platform to Morano, uncritically repeating his absurd claim that catastrophically high carbon dioxide levels should be "welcomed" because "plants are going to be happy."

mayor NYC soda, guns, transfat?

in a move that underscores Wall Street's growing unease over the business-as-usual strategy of the world's fossil fuel companies, Bloomberg L.P. unveiled a tool last week that helps investors quantify for the first time how climate policies and related risks might batter the earnings and stock prices of individual oil, coal and natural gas companies.

The company's newCarbon Risk Valuation Tool is available to more than 300,000 high-end traders, analysts and others who regularly pore over the stream of information that's available through Bloomberg's financial data and analysis service. The move significantly broadens and elevates the discussion of "stranded" or "unburnable" carbon reserves—expanding it beyond climate groups and sustainability investors to the desks of the world's most active and influential investors and traders.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/11/27/2998791/bloomberg-climate-political/

Michael Bloomberg’s 12-year run as mayor of New York City will end in January. On Tuesday the 71-year-old billionaire said he will continue to use his money and influence to advocate gun control, immigration reform, and climate change.

Bloomberg was speaking to reporters to announce that Rio de Janeiro Mayor Eduardo Paes will succeed him as chairman of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, a global network of the cities taking action to confront climate change.

Bloomberg told reporters he would continue focusing on climate initiatives through his philanthropy. When pushed to respond to questions about potentially supporting congressional candidates he feels are strong on climate change issues, he said, “I will make phone calls and do everything I can to help those people who want to protect the health of our planet get re-elected.”

According to The Hill, an aide clarified the statement by saying that Bloomberg is “leaving the door open” to climate-related political work.

“I think across America, there’s a much greater understanding that something is going on,” Bloomberg said, regarding climate change and recent extreme weather events. “What we have to do is make sure that the political leaders here in America have the courage to address that. And then the same thing is true around the world.”

If Bloomberg bankrolls climate-friendly candidates, he would join a growing list of wealthy donors financing candidates willing to stand up for environmental and climate-related measures in the face of fossil fuel industry resistance and Capitol Hill gridlock.

Early this month Tom Steyer, a California billionaire (a board member at the Center for American Progress), spent $8 million of his own money to help defeat climate denier Ken Cuccinelli’s campaign to be governor of Virginia.

Amongst other tactics, Steyer’s political committee, NextGen Climate Action, aired ads that scolded Cuccinelli for launching an investigation into the research of a University of Virginia climate scientist.

“Tom’s view is that climate and climate change solutions need to be on the ballot in a way they never have before,” Michael Casey, a consultant with NextGen Climate Action, told The National Journal about Steyer.

While climate action as a political issue might be getting more money in this election cycle, it will take a lot more than that to go head-to-head with conservative and fossil fuel groups that have far deeper pockets and political penetration.

Tags: Climate Change Election Michael Bloomberg

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg laid out an ambitious plan today to fortify the city against the extreme weather and storms we can expect thanks to a changing climate. “This is a defining challenge of our future,” Bloomberg said in a speech at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

The plan, estimated to cost $20 billion, includes 250 recommendations in all, covering everything from erecting bulkheads and levees to retrofitting old buildings to protecting the city’s power infrastructure. (Fifty-three percent of NYC’s power plants currently sit within the 100-year floodplain, and by the 2050s, 90 percent could be in that danger zone.)

The New York Times reports

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Michael_Bloomberg

Michael Rubens Bloomberg is an Independent who has been New York City's 108th mayor since January 1, 2002, and founded Bloomberg LP, a powerful financial news and information company, in 1981.[1] The company made $8 billion in profits in 2012.[2] His long-term partner is Diana L. Taylor.[3]. Bloomberg is also co-chair of the Campaign to Fix the Debt (see more below).

Bloomberg, a Democrat turned Republican, was "at one point one of the single biggest contributors anywhere to Republican candidates."[4]

In 2012, Bloomberg, at an estimated net worth of $25.0 billion, ranked at #10 on the Forbes 400 list of billionaires in the United States[5] and at #20 on the list of the world's billionaires.[6]

Ties to Pete Peterson's "Fix the Debt"

Bloomberg is listed as a chairman of the campaign to Fix the Debt, along with former New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg and former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell.[7]

Bloomberg pushed the "No Budget, No Pay" bill stunt backed by Fix the Debt partner organization Comeback America Initiative,[8] which passed the U.S. House in January 2013, but was promptly denounced as unconstitutional.[9]

Bloomberg has long been sympathetic to the deficit reduction crowd. In a March 2012 op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg complained about the President asking millionaires and billionaires to do more to fix the debt calling it "class warfare," and backed the $4 trillion Simpson-Bowles deficit reduction plan. He also expressed support for the expiration of Bush tax cuts for all income levels, which would have been a large hike on the poor and middle class.[10]

In 2011, Bloomberg proposed his own $8 trillion deficit reduction plan that would entail steep cuts to Social Security and Medicare and proposed to raise the retirement age.[11]

This article is part of the Center for Media and Democracy's investigation of Pete Peterson's Campaign to "Fix the Debt." Please visit our main SourceWatch page on Fix the Debt.

About Fix the Debt

The Campaign to Fix the Debt is the latest incarnation of a decades-long effort by former Nixon man turned Wall Street billionaire Pete Peterson to slash earned benefit programs such as Social Security and Medicare under the guise of fixing the nation's "debt problem." Through a special report and new interactive wiki resource, the Center for Media and Democracy -- in partnership with the Nation magazine -- exposes the funding, the leaders, the partner groups, and the phony state "chapters" of this astroturf supergroup. Learn more at PetersonPyramid.org and in the Nation magazine.

Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

From 2010 to 2012, Bloomberg LP spent $2.5 million lobbying on financial issues, a fact not disclosed in his Fix the Debt biography. Most of Bloomberg LP’s lobbyists previously held federal government jobs.[12] His long-term partner is Diana L. Taylor, who is the state banking superintendent for the State of New York[13] as well as a board member of Citigroup with an annual compensation of $316,250 in 2011,[14] and of Brookfield Properties. Citigroup lobbies on corporate tax reform.[15] Bloomberg has long been sympathetic to the deficit reduction crowd. In a March 2012 op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg complained about the President asking millionaires and billionaires to do more to fix the debt calling it "class warfare," and backed the $4 trillion Simpson-Bowles deficit reduction plan. He also expressed support for the expiration of Bush tax cuts for all income levels, which would have been a large hike on the poor and middle class.[16] Bloomberg pushed the "No Budget, No Pay" bill stunt backed by Fix the Debt partner organization Comeback America Initiative,[17] which passed the U.S. House in January 2013, but was promptly denounced as unconstitutional.[18] In 2011, Bloomberg proposed his own $8 trillion deficit reduction plan that would entail steep cuts to Social Security and Medicare and proposed to raise the retirement age.[19]

Political Contributions and Lobbying

In 2012, Bloomberg gave heavily to two SuperPAC's, the Mayors against Illegal Guns Action Fund, and Americans Elect, a superPACwhich ran ads for independent nominee for Senate Angus King.[20] Bloomberg's contributions to Americans Elect totaled $500,000.[21]

From 2010 to 2012, Bloomberg LP spent $2.5 million lobbying on financial issues. Most of Bloomberg LP’s lobbyists previously held federal government jobs.[22]

Political Positions

Bloomberg holds a variety of different political positions that are generally centrist, drawing from both Democratic Party and Republican Party positions on different key American issues. He tends to be more liberal on social issues and some economic issues, such aspublic welfare and income inequality, while being a fiscal conservative.

Social Issues

On the major issue of abortion, Bloomberg is considered pro-choice. He supports abortion rights, stating: "Reproductive choice is a fundamental human right and we can never take it for granted, on this issue, you're either with us or against us." He has criticized pro-choice politicians who support pro-life candidates. His comments may have been directed at New York Senator Chuck Schumer, a supporter of abortion rights who supported Bob Casey, who is pro-life, in the 2006 Senate election.[23]

Bloomberg tends to be liberal about his policies towards many social issues; for instance, Bloomberg supports governmental funding for stem cell research, calling the Republican position on the issue "insanity,"[24] while also supporting same-sex marriage with the rationale, "I think anybody should be allowed to marry anybody."[25]

However, he continues to support the strict drug laws that have been established in New York City and enforced by the New York Police Department (NYPD), despite having admitted to smoking marijuana in the past and "[enjoying] it."[26]

Domestic Issues

On crime, the decline in New York criminal activity that occurred throughout Rudy Giuliani's tenure has continued. Bloomberg, however, is against the death penalty, stating, "I'd rather lock somebody up and throw away the key and put them in hard labor, the ultimate penalty that the law will allow, but I'm opposed to the death penalty."[27]

In addition to his anti-crime work, Bloomberg is an avid supporter of gun control, stating, "I don't know why people carry guns. Guns kill people." As mayor, he increased the mandatory minimum sentence for illegal possession of a loaded handgun. In regard to the change, Bloomberg commented, "Illegal guns don't belong on our streets and we're sending that message loud and clear, we're determined to see that gun dealers who break the law are held accountable, and that criminals who carry illegal loaded guns serve serious time behind bars."[27] Bloomberg formed Mayors Against Illegal Guns in May 2007, an organization made up of 210 mayors who support gun control.[28]

Bloomberg has also shown involvement in education reform as mayor, replacing the school board set up by the state with direct mayoral control over public education. He raised the salaries of teachers by 15 percent while the test scores of students in the city and the graduation rate rose as well. Bloomberg is opposed to the promotion of students to the next grade level for strictly social reasons, stating that students should only be promoted when they are adequately prepared for the next grade level. He favors after-school programs to help students that are behind. As mayor, Bloomberg strengthened the cell-phone ban in schools.[29]

In dealing with the global warming debate and New York's role in it, he has enacted a plan called "PlaNYC: A Greener, Greater New York" to fight global warming, protect the environment, and prepare New York for the projected one million more people expected to be living in the city by the year 2030.[30] Bloomberg has also been involved in motivating other cities to make changes, delivering the keynote address at the C40 Large Cities Climate Summit and stating, "[W]e now know beyond a doubt that global warming is a reality. And the question we must all answer is, 'What are we going to do about it?'" Bloomberg also talked about how he would go about fighting climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions, using cleaner and more efficient fuels, and encouraging public transportation.[31]

On issues of domestic and homeland security, Bloomberg has attacked social conservatives on immigration, calling their stance unrealistic: "We're not going to deport 12 million people, so let's stop this fiction. Let's give them permanent status."[32] He supports a worker ID database that uses DNA and fingerprint technology to keep track of all workers to verify their status.[33] Bloomberg believes that law-abiding immigrants should be given citizenship and supports the congressional efforts of John McCain and Ted Kennedy in immigration reform. Regarding border security, Bloomberg compared it to the tide, stating, "It’s as if we expect border control agents to do what a century of communism could not: defeat the natural market forces of supply and demand . . . and defeat the natural human desire for freedom and opportunity. You might as well as sit in your beach chair and tell the tide not to come in. As long as America remains a nation dedicated to the proposition that 'all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,' people from near and far will continue to seek entry into our country."[34]

Bloomberg believes that the September 11, 2001 attacks were not intended to be solitary events. When he assumed office, he set up a Counterterrorism Bureau that works with the NYPD intelligence division to gather information about terrorism affecting New York worldwide. He feels that funding for Homeland Security by the federal government should be distributed by risk, where cities that are considered to have the highest threat for a terrorist attack would get the most money.[35] Bloomberg is also a supporter of the USA PATRIOT Act.[36]

Economic Issues

Economically, Bloomberg tends to be conservative, expressing distaste for taxes. He has stated, "Taxes are not good things, but if you want services, somebody's got to pay for them, so they're a necessary evil."[37] As mayor, he did raise property taxes to fund budget projects. However, in January 2007, he proposed cuts in property taxes by five percent and cuts in sales taxes, including the elimination of taxes on clothing and footwear. Bloomberg pointed to Wall Street profits and the real estate market as evidence that the city's economy was booming and could handle a tax break.[38]

Bloomberg's fiscal conservativism also led him to eliminate the previous $6 billion deficit when he assumed office. He balanced the budget of New York City by raising property taxes and making cuts to city agencies, excluding the police and fire departments.[39]

As a businessman, Bloomberg is respected by the business community and governs with a pro-business platform. He is in favor of providing tax breaks to big corporations. As mayor, Bloomberg lobbied the CEO of Goldman Sachs to establish its headquarters across from Ground Zero by promising $1.65 billion in tax breaks. Regarding this deal, Bloomberg stated, "This [New York City] is where the best want to live and work. So I told him [CEO of Goldman Sachs], 'We can help with minimizing taxes. Minimizing your rent. Improving security. But in the end, this is about people.'"[40]

He has had a less cordial relationship with unions as mayor. In 2002, when New York City's transit workers threatened to strike, Bloomberg responded by riding a mountain bike through the city to show how the city could deal with the transit strike by finding alternate means of transportation and not pandering to the unions.[41]

Bloomberg is a staunch advocate of free trade and is strongly opposed to protectionism, stating, "The things that we have to worry about is this protectionist movement that has reared its head again in this country. . . ." He worries about the growth of China and fears the tightening gap between the United States and other countries: "The rest of the world is catching up, and, there are people that say, surpassing us. I hope they are wrong. I hope those who think we are still in good shape are right. But nevertheless, the time to address these issues is right now."[42]

Bloomberg puts a strong emphasis on public health and welfare, adopting many economically liberal policies. As mayor, he made HIV, diabetes, and hypertension all top priorities. He extended the city's smoking ban to all commercial establishments and implemented a trans fat ban in restaurants.[43] He also launched a program called Opportunity NYC, which is the nation's first-ever conditional cash transfer pilot program, designed to help New Yorkers break the cycle of poverty in the city. He instituted a $7.5 billion municipal affordable housing plan, the largest in the nation, that is supposed to provide 500,000 New Yorkers with housing.[44]

Bloomberg is concerned about poverty and growing class divisions, stating, "This society cannot go forward the way we have been going forward, where the gap between the rich and the poor keeps growing."[45]

Foreign Policy

Initially, Bloomberg strongly supported the war in Iraq and the rationale for going in. He stated, "Don't forget that the war started not very many blocks from here," alluding to Ground Zero. In regard to the global War on Terrorism including Iraq he said, "It's not only to protect Americans. It's America's responsibility to protect people around the world who want to be free." His enthusiasm seems to have lessened somewhat over the course of the war, however. In August of 2005, he said, "I think everybody has very mixed emotions about the war that was started to find weapons of mass destruction and then they were not found."

Draft Bloomberg 2008 (aka Unite For Mike)

The Draft Bloomberg 2008 committee, which is based out of New York City, Boston, and Washington DC, promotes a Mike Bloomberg candidacy, regardless of election vehicle or political party he chooses to run under. This is the most heavily trafficked site promoting Mike Bloomberg for President (according to alexa). So far the group has received significant publicity due to its close ties to Kevin Sheekey, New York City's Deputy Mayor, in social networking sites like the Draft Mike Bloomberg Facebook group.[46]

This unaffiliated Draft Bloomberg group launched its bloomberg08nyc.com New York City Draft Bloomberg 2008 campaign lead by Karin Gallet, Andrew MacRae and Michael White.[47][48] In December 2007, the Draft Bloomberg 2008 campaign site relaunched as UniteForMike.com, providing a blog and collecting signatures for the Draft Bloomberg 2008 movement.[49] The site included blogs, forums, videos, news, and commentary as well as up to date information on the activities of the Draft Bloomberg for President movement.

Affiliations

Ex Officio Trustee, Museum of Jewish Heritage [50]

Ex Officio Trustee, Metropolitan Museum of Art [51]

Ex Officio Trustee, American Museum of Natural History [52]

Ex Officio Director, Lincoln Center [53]

Ex Officio Trustee, Carnegie Hall [54]

Contact Information

Office of the Mayor, New York City.

Articles and Resources

Featured SourceWatch Articles on Fix the Debt

Fix the Debt Portal Page

Fix the Debt's Leadership

Fix the Debt's Partner Groups

Fix the Debt's State Chapters

Fix the Debt's Lobbyists

Fix the Debt's Parent Group

Fix the Debt's Corporations

Pete Peterson

Peter G. Peterson Foundation

America Speaks

Simpson-Bowles Commission

Erskine Bowles

Alan Simpson

Social Security

Medicare

Medicaid

Other Related SourceWatch Articles

Citigroup

Bloomberg Philanthropies $50 million grant to the Sierra Club's Beyond Coal Campaign

gun control

U.S. presidential election, 2008

External Resources

Profiles

Bio: Michael Bloomberg, Office of the Mayor, New York City.

Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York, CityMayors.com.

Topic: Michael Bloomberg, New York Times.

Profile: Michael Bloomberg, BBC News.

Michael Bloomber, NNDB.com.

Michael Bloomberg in the Wikipedia.

#34, Bloomberg, Michael Rubens, Forbes 400, 2004.

Katie Couric, Leaders and Revolutionaries: Michael Bloomberg, TIME 100, 2007.

Articles by Michael Bloomberg

"The Changing Gun Debate. The Feds ducked responsibility on guns. Good thing America's mayors stepped in," Newsweek (MSNBC), April 30, 2007 (issue).

External Articles and Commentary

2007

Michael D. Shear, "N.Y. Mayor Is Eyeing '08, Observers Say," Washington Post, March 26, 2007.

Carol J. Loomis, "Bloomberg's money machine. There's power in that name. The man, Michael Bloomberg, runs New York City and may have even grander ambitions. The company, Bloomberg LP, is a prodigious success and just keeps getting stronger," Fortune (CNNMoney.com), April 5, 2007.

Andrew Ross Sorkin, ed., "Is Michael Bloomberg Worth $13 Billion?" Deal Book Blog/New York Times, April 10, 2007.

"NRA Magazine Cover Depicts NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg as Octopus, Raising Anti-Semitic Concerns," Associated Press (Fox News), April 18, 2007.

Michael Saul, "Living like this is killing the city. Mayor unveils monster proposal to make our town more ecofriendly," New York Daily News, April 23, 2007.

June Kronholz, "Could Bloomberg Shake Up Race? Voter Frustration Could Open Door To Independent Presidential Run," Wall Street Journal Online, May 1, 2007.

kowalski, "Mike Bloomberg, Guns, and the Tiahrt Amendment," RedState Blog, May 5, 2007.

Reihan Salam, "I Still Like Mike," The American Scene, May 9, 2007.

"Chuck (Schumer): Bloomberg can't win White House if Clinton is Dem nominee," Newsday, May 10, 2007.

"Hagel-Bloomberg In '08? You Never Know. Senator Says Today's GOP Is Not The Party He Joined; Considers An Independent Ticket In '08," Face the Nation/CBS News, May 13, 2007. re Chuck Hagel

"From CQ Today: Hagel Hints at Independent Bid for White House in 2008," Congressional Quarterly (New York Times), May 14, 2007.

Jim Carney, "Will Bloomberg Run for President?" TIME Magazine, May 14, 2007.

Azi Paybarah, "Bloomberg: Neutral in 2008," New York Observer, May 14, 2007.

Chris Cillizza, "Hagel Continues Flirtation With Independent Bid," The Fix Blog / Washington Post, May 14, 2007.

Michael Gormley, "Bloomberg Again Nixes Presidential Run. NYC Mayor Michael Bloomberg Again Rejects Supporters Who Want Him to Run for President," Associated Press (ABC News), May 14, 2007.

Fred Siegel and Michael Goodwin, "The Mystery of Michael Bloomberg. Why does a popular but mediocre mayor think he should run for president?" The Weekly Standard, May 14, 2007.

Ralph Z. Hallow, "Bloomberg poised for third-party campaign," Washington Times, May 15, 2007.

Joe Gandelman, "Is A Bloomberg-Hagel Independent Ticket In The Offing For 2008?" The Moderate Voice, May 15, 2007.

2006

Chris Smith, "The Mayor and His Money. Michael Bloomberg may be the first politician to use his vast fortune not just to get elected but to actually govern. In a city ever more defined by the gap between rich and poor, that’s pretty weird," New York Magazine, 2006.

"Bloomberg: Illegals needed to take care of golf courses. New York mayor: Fairways would suffer if undocumented immigrants sent home," WorldNetDaily, April 2, 2006.

Sarah Kugler, "NYC Mayor Advocates U.S. Worker Database," Associated Press (BreitBart.com), May 24, 2006.

Ben Smith, "Bloomberg for President. Third Way Out," The New Republic Online, June 29, 2006 (July 10, 2006 issue).

Ben Wallace-Wells, "Bloomberg '08? The Republican mayor of New York has become the party's fiercest internal critic. But can his 'billionaire populism' bridge the nation's blue-red divide?" Rolling Stone, August 22, 2006.

Clara Jeffery, "NYC Sues (More) Out-Of-State Gun Dealers. Does This Mean Bloomberg's Running for Prez?" MoJo Blog/MotherJones, December 7, 2006.

Justin Rocket Silverman, "Thousands more surveillance cameras," Newsday, December 14, 2006.

2005

Michael C. Dorf, "New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's Response to a Same-Sex Marriage Ruling: Should Executive Officials Defend Laws They Consider Unconstitutional?" FindLaw's Writ, February 14, 2005.

Laura Trevelyan, "Bloomberg braces for mayoral joust," BBC News, June 20, 2005.

Mark Berkey-Gerard, "What Now, Mayor Bloomberg?" Gotham Gazette, November 2005.

References

? MikeBloomberg.com LLC, Entrepreneur, online profile of Michael Bloomberg, accessed January 2013.

? Center for Public Integrity, Donor profile: Michael Bloomberg, investigative organizational website profiling the biggest financial backers of Election 2012, December 21, 2012.

? City Mayors Foundation, Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York, foundation website, accessed January 2013.

? Azi Paybarah, Bloomberg: Neutral in 2008, The New York Observer, May 14, 2007.

? Michael Bloomberg, Forbes profile, accessed January 2013.

? The World's Billionaires, Forbes ranking with net worth calculated March 2012, accessed January 2013.

? Fix the Debt, CEO Fiscal Leadership Council, organizational document, accessed January 2013.

? No Labels, Accomplishments, organizational website, accessed January 2013.

? Erik Wasson, Senate GOP Introduces No Budget, No Pay; Claims It Is Constitutional, The Hill, January 23, 2013.

? Michael Bloomberg, Federal Budgets & Class Warfare, Wall Street Journal, archived at MikeBloomberg.com, originally published March 29, 2012, accessed January 2013.

? Kate Taylor, Mayor Presses Both Parties to Cut U.S. Deficit, New York Times City Room, November 8, 2011.

? Center for Responsive Politics, Bloomberg LP, OpenSecrets.org lobbying database, accessed January 2013.

? City Mayors Foundation, Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York, foundation website, accessed January 2013.

? Citigroup, Schedule 14A Proxy Statement, corporate Securities and Exchange Commission filing, March 8, 2012.

? Citigroup Management Corp., Lobbying Report, corporate lobbying report filed with U.S. Congress, July 1 - September 30, 2012.

? Michael Bloomberg, Federal Budgets & Class Warfare, Wall Street Journal, archived at MikeBloomberg.com, originally published March 29, 2012, accessed January 2013.

? No Labels, Accomplishments, organizational website, accessed January 2013.

? Erik Wasson, Senate GOP Introduces No Budget, No Pay; Claims It Is Constitutional, The Hill, January 23, 2013.

? Kate Taylor, Mayor Presses Both Parties to Cut U.S. Deficit, New York Times City Room, November 8, 2011.

? Alan Wirzbicki, Michael Bloomberg Backs Ad Push For Independent Angus King in Maine, Boston Globe, October 5th, 2012.

? Center for Responsive Politics, Donor Disclosure Profile for Bloomberg, Michael, OpenSecrets.org, money in politics website, accessed October 30th, 2012.

? Center for Responsive Politics, Bloomberg LP, OpenSecrets.org lobbying database, accessed January 2013.

? Mike Bloomberg on Abortion. ontheissues.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.

? Can a Republican Mayor of New York take the White House. rollingstone.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.

? Michael Bloomberg's Gay Marriage Solution. nymag.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.

? Mike Bloomberg on Drugs. ontheissues.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.

? 27.0 27.1 Mike Bloomberg on Crime. ontheissues.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.

? Mike Bloomberg on Gun Control. ontheissues.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.

? Mike Bloomberg on Education. ontheissues.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.

? Environment Sustainability. mikebloomberg.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.

? Mayor Michael Bloomberg delivers keynote address at the C40 Large Cities Climate Summit. mikebloomberg.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.

? Sewell Chan. Mayor Attacks 2 Main Ideas on Immigrants. New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-12-22.

? Mike Bloomberg on Homeland Security. ontheissues.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.

? Testimony of The Honorable Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor, City of New York, before the Committee on the Judiciary. United States Senate. Retrieved on 2007-12-22.

? Michael Bloomberg addresses the Senate. senate.gov. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.

? Mike Bloomberg on the Issues. ontheissues.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.

? Michael Bloomberg Quotes. woopidoo.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.

? Mayor Plans Cut in Property Tax And End to Sales Tax on Clothes. nytimes.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.

? Mike Bloomberg on the Budget and Economy. ontheissues.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.

? Mike Bloomberg on Corporations. ontheissues.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.

? Bikes, Mike and Transit Strike. transalt.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.

? Bloomberg warns of economic inequality. mikebloomberg.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.

? Mike Bloomberg on Health Care. ontheissues.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.

? Mike Bloomberg on Welfare and Poverty. ontheissues.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.

? Bloomberg warns of economic inequality. mikebloomberg.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.

? NY observer

? Karin Gallet: Drafting Bloomberg

? Pro-Bloomberg Blogger, Eagle Scout

? [http://www.uniteformike.com Official portal of the Draft Bloomberg 08 committee, UniteForMike.com

? Leadership, Museum of Jewish Heritage, accessed May 25, 2009.

? Directors, Metropolitan Museum of Art, accessed June 16, 2010.

? Trustees, American Museum of Natural History, accessed April 19, 2010.

? Directors, Lincoln Center, accessed October 2, 2009.

? Trustees, Carnegie Hall, accessed November 4, 2009.

Categories:

Politics (U.S.)

Elections (U.S.)

Civil liberties (U.S.)

Real Economy Project

United States

Fix the Debt

21 February 2013, at 09:25.

also biz mag?

also a news wire? http://www.bloomberg.com/

Koch Industries, a giant oil and energy conglomerate, has InsideClimate News, a four-year-old online news startup, in its crosshairs.

In October, the company launched an online ad campaign via Google, Facebook, and its KochFacts.com website (which rebuts coverage it finds unsatisfactory) claiming that InsideClimate “misleads readers and asserts outright falsehoods” about Koch’s interest in the proposed Keystone XL pipeline. The pipeline would transport crude oil from the tar sands of Alberta, Canada, to Gulf Coast refineries in the US, and has drawn vigorous opposition from environmentalists. Koch’s ads feature a jaundiced image InsideClimate’s founder and publisher, David Sassoon, calling him the “activist/owner” of the site. Sassoon calls the ads “media intimidation.”

It is not the first time that Koch Industries—one of the largest private companies in the country—has targeted a news outlet. In recent months, the company has employed a nearly identical strategy to criticize reporting by Bloomberg News and the Center for Public Integrity. InsideClimate’s battle with the firm is more complicated than a hackneyed David-and-Goliath story, however, revealing both the strengths and weaknesses of a young news site trying to prove its mettle.

Bloomberg's ban prohibits 2-liter soda with your pizza and some nightclub mixers

By BRAD HAMILTON and SUSAN EDELMAN

Last Updated: 1:24 PM, February 24, 2013

Posted: 10:38 PM, February 23, 2013

Take a big gulp, New York: Hizzoner is about to give you a pop.

Nanny Bloomberg unleashes his ban on large sodas on March 12 — and there are some nasty surprises lurking for hardworking families.

Say goodbye to that 2-liter bottle of Coke with your pizza delivery, pitchers of soft drinks at your kid’s birthday party and some bottle-service mixers at your favorite nightclub.

They’d violate Mayor Bloomberg’s new rules, which prohibit eateries from serving or selling sugary drinks in containers larger than 16 ounces.

Bloomberg’s soda smackdown follows his attacks on salt, sugar, trans fat, smoking and even baby formula.

NANNY MIKE'S CAN'T-DO ATTITUDE

The city Health Department last week began sending brochures to businesses that would be affected by the latest ban, including restaurants, bars and any “food service” establishment subject to letter grades.

And merchants were shocked to see the broad sweep of the new rules.

“It’s not fair. If you’re gonna tell me what to do, it’s no good,” said Steve DiMaggio of Caruso’s in Cobble Hill, Brooklyn. “It’s gonna cost a lot more.”

And consumers, especially families, will soon see how the rules will affect their wallets — forcing them to pay higher unit prices for smaller bottles.

Typically, a pizzeria charges $3 for a 2-liter bottle of Coke. But under the ban, customers would have to buy six 12-ounce cans at a total cost of $7.50 to get an equivalent amount of soda.

“I really feel bad for the customers,” said Lupe Balbuena of World Pie in Carroll Gardens, Brooklyn.

Domino’s on First Avenue and 74th Street on the Upper East Side is doing away with its most popular drink sizes: the 20-ounce and 2-liter bottles.

“We’re getting in 16-ounce bottles — and that’s all we’re going to sell,” a worker said.

He said the smaller bottles will generate more revenue for the restaurant but cost consumers more.

It will also trash more plastic into the environment.

Deliveryman Philippe Daniba said he had brought countless 2-liter bottles of soda to customers over his 19 years at the restaurant. The ban, he said, “doesn’t make sense.”

Industry-group officials agreed.

“It’s ludicrous,” said Robert Bookman, a lawyer for the New York City Hospitality Alliance. “It’s a sealed bottle of soda you can buy in the supermarket. Why can’t they deliver what you can get in the supermarket?”

Families will get pinched at kid-friendly party places, which will have to chuck their plastic pitchers because most hold 60 ounces — even though such containers are clearly intended for more than one person.

Changes will be made at the Frames bowling alley in Times Square, where 26-ounce pitchers are served at kids’ parties, said manager Ayman Kamel.

“We’re going to try to get creative,” he said, noting drinks with 100 percent juice are exempt from the ban.

“We’re figuring out a way to have freshly squeezed juice for the birthday parties. We might have to raise the price about a dollar or so.”

Dallas BBQ at 1265 Third Ave. will retire its 60-ounce pitchers and 20-ounce glasses, manager Daisy Reyes said.

“We have to buy new glasses,” she said. “We’re in the process.”

And if you’re looking for a night of bottle service at a Manhattan hot spot, be warned: Spending $300 on a bottle of vodka no longer entitles you to a full complement of mixers.

Astrid Stawiarz If you get bottle service at a city nightclub or restaurant, you cannot also get a carafe of cranberry juice like the one hostess Maggie is serving up here at Le Souk Harem in the West Village. Tonic water and other beverages are also limited, even though they are only used as mixers.

The carafes in which mixers are typically served hold 32 ounces, and the most common mixers — sodas, cranberry juice and tonic water — will be limited. Only water and 100 percent juice will be unlimited.

“Oh, my God. Seriously?” said Lamia Sunti, owner of the swanky West Village club Le Souk Harem. “It’s not like one person is going to be drinking the whole carafe. It’s silly.”

The rules are hard to unravel.

Alcoholic drinks and diet sodas are not subject to the ban, nor are fruit smoothies if they don’t have added sweetener, or coffee drinks and milkshakes if made with 50 percent milk.

But what about drinks with small amounts of added sugar? Vendors must determine if the beverages have more than 3.125 calories per ounce.

But they should double-check their math: Violations cost $200 each.

brad.hamilton@nypost.com

steyer, hank http://insideclimatenews.org/carbon-copy/20140624/bipartisan-leaders-make-economic-case-fighting-climate-change

Bloomberg News Taking Cues From Fox On Climate Change

BLOG ››› August 21, 2013 4:21 PM EDT ››› DENISE ROBBINS

In an article on the recently leaked draft of a climate change report authored by the world's top scientists, Bloomberg News quoted Marc Morano, who runs the industry-funded blog Climate Depot that Bloomberg described as "skeptical of climate change" (New York Times reporter Andrew Revkin has called it "divisive and toxic"). Morano has no scientific background, yet Bloomberg gave him space to baselessly assert that the report by the U.N.'s Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) is based on "predetermined science" and will "add very little to the scientific debate." The global panel of scientists actually determined with over 95 percent certainty that human activities are the primary drivers of climate change, and found that global sea levels are rising swiftly, potentially adding 3 feet by the end of the century and bringing devastating impacts to several parts of the world including three major cities in the United States.

This is the second time this year that Bloomberg has given **:{false balance:(style="background-color:#fff200"):}:** or "false equivalence" to claims that run counter to established climate science, even though the **:{facts:(style="background-color:#fff200"):}:** lie squarely in one camp. In May2013, Bloomberg also gave a platform to Morano, uncritically repeating his absurd claim that catastrophically high carbon dioxide levels should be "welcomed" because "plants are going to be happy."

mayor NYC soda, guns, transfat?

The company's newCarbon Risk Valuation Toolis available to more than 300,000 high-end traders, analysts and others who regularly pore over the stream of information that's available through Bloomberg's financial data and analysis service. The move significantly broadens and elevates the discussion of "stranded" or "unburnable" carbon reserves—expanding it beyond climate groups and sustainability investors to the desks of the world's most active and influential investors and traders.

http://thinkprogress.org/climate/2013/11/27/2998791/bloomberg-climate-political/

According to The Hill, an aide clarified the statement by saying that Bloomberg is “leaving the door open” to climate-related political work.

Tags:

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg laid out an ambitious plan today to fortify the city against the extreme weather and storms we can expect thanks to a changing climate. “This is a defining challenge of our future,” Bloomberg said in a speech at the Brooklyn Navy Yard.

*The New York Times* reports:

http://www.sourcewatch.org/index.php/Michael_Bloomberg

Michael Rubens Bloomberg is an Independent who has been New York City's 108th mayor since January 1, 2002, and founded Bloomberg LP, a powerful financial news and information company, in 1981.^[1] The company made $8 billion in profits in 2012.^[2] His long-term partner is Diana L. Taylor.^[3]. Bloomberg is also co-chair of the Campaign to Fix the Debt (see more below).

Bloomberg, a Democrat turned Republican, was "at one point one of the single biggest contributors anywhere to Republican candidates."^[4]

In 2012, Bloomberg, at an estimated net worth of $25.0 billion, ranked at #10 on the Forbes 400 list of billionaires in the United States^[5] and at #20 on the list of the world's billionaires.^[6]

Ties to Pete Peterson's "Fix the Debt"

Bloomberg is listed as a chairman of the campaign to Fix the Debt, along with former New Hampshire Senator Judd Gregg and former Pennsylvania Governor Ed Rendell.^[7]

Bloomberg pushed the "No Budget, No Pay" bill stunt backed by Fix the Debt partner organization Comeback America Initiative,^[8] which passed the U.S. House in January 2013, but was promptly denounced as unconstitutional.^[9]

Bloomberg has long been sympathetic to the deficit reduction crowd. In a March 2012 op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg complained about the President asking millionaires and billionaires to do more to fix the debt calling it "class warfare," and backed the $4 trillion Simpson-Bowles deficit reduction plan. He also expressed support for the expiration of Bush tax cuts for all income levels, which would have been a large hike on the poor and middle class.^[10]

In 2011, Bloomberg proposed his own $8 trillion deficit reduction plan that would entail steep cuts to Social Security and Medicare and proposed to raise the retirement age.^[11]

This article is part of the Center for Media and Democracy's investigation of Pete Peterson's Campaign to "Fix the Debt." Please visit our main SourceWatch page on Fix the Debt.

About Fix the Debt
The Campaign to Fix the Debt is the latest incarnation of a decades-long effort by former Nixon man turned Wall Street billionaire Pete Peterson to slash earned benefit programs such as Social Security and Medicare under the guise of fixing the nation's "debt problem." Through a special report and new interactive wiki resource, the Center for Media and Democracy -- in partnership with the Nation magazine -- exposes the funding, the leaders, the partner groups, and the phony state "chapters" of this astroturf supergroup. Learn more at PetersonPyramid.org and in the Nation magazine.

About Fix the Debt

The Campaign to Fix the Debt is the latest incarnation of a decades-long effort by former Nixon man turned Wall Street billionaire Pete Peterson to slash earned benefit programs such as Social Security and Medicare under the guise of fixing the nation's "debt problem." Through a special report and new interactive wiki resource, the Center for Media and Democracy -- in partnership with the Nation magazine -- exposes the funding, the leaders, the partner groups, and the phony state "chapters" of this astroturf supergroup. Learn more at PetersonPyramid.org and in the *Nation* magazine.

Undisclosed Conflicts of Interest

From 2010 to 2012, Bloomberg LP spent $2.5 million lobbying on financial issues, a fact not disclosed in his Fix the Debt biography. Most of Bloomberg LP’s lobbyists previously held federal government jobs.^[12] His long-term partner is Diana L. Taylor, who is the state banking superintendent for the State of New York^[13] as well as a board member of Citigroup with an annual compensation of $316,250 in 2011,^[14] and of Brookfield Properties. Citigroup lobbies on corporate tax reform.^[15] Bloomberg has long been sympathetic to the deficit reduction crowd. In a March 2012 op-ed in the Wall Street Journal, Bloomberg complained about the President asking millionaires and billionaires to do more to fix the debt calling it "class warfare," and backed the $4 trillion Simpson-Bowles deficit reduction plan. He also expressed support for the expiration of Bush tax cuts for all income levels, which would have been a large hike on the poor and middle class.^[16] Bloomberg pushed the "No Budget, No Pay" bill stunt backed by Fix the Debt partner organization Comeback America Initiative,^[17] which passed the U.S. House in January 2013, but was promptly denounced as unconstitutional.^[18] In 2011, Bloomberg proposed his own $8 trillion deficit reduction plan that would entail steep cuts to Social Security and Medicare and proposed to raise the retirement age.^[19]

Political Contributions and Lobbying

In 2012, Bloomberg gave heavily to two SuperPAC's, the Mayors against Illegal Guns Action Fund, and Americans Elect, a superPAC which ran ads for independent nominee for Senate Angus King.^[20] Bloomberg's contributions to Americans Elect totaled $500,000.^[21]

From 2010 to 2012, Bloomberg LP spent $2.5 million lobbying on financial issues. Most of Bloomberg LP’s lobbyists previously held federal government jobs.^[22]

Political Positions

Bloomberg holds a variety of different political positions that are generally centrist, drawing from both Democratic Party and Republican Party positions on different key American issues. He tends to be more liberal on social issues and some economic issues, such as public welfare and income inequality, while being a fiscal conservative.

Social Issues

Bloomberg tends to be liberal about his policies towards many social issues; for instance, Bloomberg supports governmental funding for stem cell research, calling the Republican position on the issue "insanity,"^[24] while also supporting same-sex marriage with the rationale, "I think anybody should be allowed to marry anybody."^[25]

Domestic Issues

In addition to his anti-crime work, Bloomberg is an avid supporter of gun control, stating, "I don't know why people carry guns. Guns kill people." As mayor, he increased the mandatory minimum sentence for illegal possession of a loaded handgun. In regard to the change, Bloomberg commented, "Illegal guns don't belong on our streets and we're sending that message loud and clear, we're determined to see that gun dealers who break the law are held accountable, and that criminals who carry illegal loaded guns serve serious time behind bars."^[27] Bloomberg formed Mayors Against Illegal Guns in May 2007, an organization made up of 210 mayors who support gun control.^[28]

In dealing with the global warming debate and New York's role in it, he has enacted a plan called "PlaNYC: A Greener, Greater New York" to fight global warming, protect the environment, and prepare New York for the projected one million more people expected to be living in the city by the year 2030.^[30] Bloomberg has also been involved in motivating other cities to make changes, delivering the keynote address at the C40 Large Cities Climate Summit and stating, "[W]e now know beyond a doubt that global warming is a reality. And the question we must all answer is, 'What are we going to do about it?'" Bloomberg also talked about how he would go about fighting climate change by reducing carbon dioxide emissions, using cleaner and more efficient fuels, and encouraging public transportation.^[31]

On issues of domestic and homeland security, Bloomberg has attacked social conservatives on immigration, calling their stance unrealistic: "We're not going to deport 12 million people, so let's stop this fiction. Let's give them permanent status."^[32] He supports a worker ID database that uses DNA and fingerprint technology to keep track of all workers to verify their status.^[33] Bloomberg believes that law-abiding immigrants should be given citizenship and supports the congressional efforts of John McCain and Ted Kennedy in immigration reform. Regarding border security, Bloomberg compared it to the tide, stating, "It’s as if we expect border control agents to do what a century of communism could not: defeat the natural market forces of supply and demand . . . and defeat the natural human desire for freedom and opportunity. You might as well as sit in your beach chair and tell the tide not to come in. As long as America remains a nation dedicated to the proposition that 'all men are created equal, endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness,' people from near and far will continue to seek entry into our country."^[34]

Bloomberg believes that the September 11, 2001 attacks were not intended to be solitary events. When he assumed office, he set up a Counterterrorism Bureau that works with the NYPD intelligence division to gather information about terrorism affecting New York worldwide. He feels that funding for Homeland Security by the federal government should be distributed by risk, where cities that are considered to have the highest threat for a terrorist attack would get the most money.^[35] Bloomberg is also a supporter of the USA PATRIOT Act.^[36]

Economic Issues

Economically, Bloomberg tends to be conservative, expressing distaste for taxes. He has stated, "Taxes are not good things, but if you want services, somebody's got to pay for them, so they're a necessary evil."^[37] As mayor, he did raise property taxes to fund budget projects. However, in January 2007, he proposed cuts in property taxes by five percent and cuts in sales taxes, including the elimination of taxes on clothing and footwear. Bloomberg pointed to Wall Street profits and the real estate market as evidence that the city's economy was booming and could handle a tax break.^[38]

Bloomberg puts a strong emphasis on public health and welfare, adopting many economically liberal policies. As mayor, he made HIV, diabetes, and hypertension all top priorities. He extended the city's smoking ban to all commercial establishments and implemented a trans fat ban in restaurants.^[43] He also launched a program called Opportunity NYC, which is the nation's first-ever conditional cash transfer pilot program, designed to help New Yorkers break the cycle of poverty in the city. He instituted a $7.5 billion municipal affordable housing plan, the largest in the nation, that is supposed to provide 500,000 New Yorkers with housing.^[44]

Foreign Policy

Draft Bloomberg 2008 (aka Unite For Mike)

This unaffiliated Draft Bloomberg group launched its bloomberg08nyc.com New York City Draft Bloomberg 2008 campaign lead by Karin Gallet, Andrew MacRae and Michael White.^[47][48] In December 2007, the Draft Bloomberg 2008 campaign site relaunched as UniteForMike.com, providing a blog and collecting signatures for the Draft Bloomberg 2008 movement.^[49] The site included blogs, forums, videos, news, and commentary as well as up to date information on the activities of the Draft Bloomberg for President movement.

Affiliations

Ex Officio Trustee, Museum of Jewish Heritage ^[50]
Ex Officio Trustee, Metropolitan Museum of Art ^[51]
Ex Officio Trustee, American Museum of Natural History ^[52]
Ex Officio Director, Lincoln Center ^[53]
Ex Officio Trustee, Carnegie Hall ^[54]

Contact Information

Office of the Mayor, New York City.

Articles and Resources

Featured SourceWatch Articles on Fix the Debt

Fix the Debt Portal Page

External Resources

Profiles

Bio: Michael Bloomberg, Office of the Mayor, New York City.
Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York, CityMayors.com.
Topic: Michael Bloomberg, New York Times.
Profile: Michael Bloomberg, BBC News.
Michael Bloomber, NNDB.com.
Michael Bloomberg in the Wikipedia.
#34, Bloomberg, Michael Rubens, Forbes 400, 2004.
Katie Couric, Leaders and Revolutionaries: Michael Bloomberg, TIME 100, 2007.

Articles by Michael Bloomberg

"The Changing Gun Debate. The Feds ducked responsibility on guns. Good thing America's mayors stepped in," Newsweek (MSNBC), April 30, 2007 (issue).

External Articles and Commentary

References

↑ MikeBloomberg.com LLC, Entrepreneur, online profile of Michael Bloomberg, accessed January 2013.
↑ Center for Public Integrity, Donor profile: Michael Bloomberg, investigative organizational website profiling the biggest financial backers of Election 2012, December 21, 2012.
↑ City Mayors Foundation, Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York, foundation website, accessed January 2013.
↑ Azi Paybarah, Bloomberg: Neutral in 2008, The New York Observer, May 14, 2007.
↑ Michael Bloomberg, Forbes profile, accessed January 2013.
↑ The World's Billionaires, Forbes ranking with net worth calculated March 2012, accessed January 2013.
↑ Fix the Debt, CEO Fiscal Leadership Council, organizational document, accessed January 2013.
↑ No Labels, Accomplishments, organizational website, accessed January 2013.
↑ Erik Wasson, Senate GOP Introduces No Budget, No Pay; Claims It Is Constitutional, The Hill, January 23, 2013.
↑ Michael Bloomberg, Federal Budgets & Class Warfare, Wall Street Journal, archived at MikeBloomberg.com, originally published March 29, 2012, accessed January 2013.
↑ Kate Taylor, Mayor Presses Both Parties to Cut U.S. Deficit, New York Times City Room, November 8, 2011.
↑ Center for Responsive Politics, Bloomberg LP, OpenSecrets.org lobbying database, accessed January 2013.
↑ City Mayors Foundation, Michael Bloomberg, Mayor of New York, foundation website, accessed January 2013.
↑ Citigroup, Schedule 14A Proxy Statement, corporate Securities and Exchange Commission filing, March 8, 2012.
↑ Citigroup Management Corp., Lobbying Report, corporate lobbying report filed with U.S. Congress, July 1 - September 30, 2012.
↑ Michael Bloomberg, Federal Budgets & Class Warfare, Wall Street Journal, archived at MikeBloomberg.com, originally published March 29, 2012, accessed January 2013.
↑ No Labels, Accomplishments, organizational website, accessed January 2013.
↑ Erik Wasson, Senate GOP Introduces No Budget, No Pay; Claims It Is Constitutional, The Hill, January 23, 2013.
↑ Kate Taylor, Mayor Presses Both Parties to Cut U.S. Deficit, New York Times City Room, November 8, 2011.
↑ Alan Wirzbicki, Michael Bloomberg Backs Ad Push For Independent Angus King in Maine, Boston Globe, October 5th, 2012.
↑ Center for Responsive Politics, Donor Disclosure Profile for Bloomberg, Michael, OpenSecrets.org, money in politics website, accessed October 30th, 2012.
↑ Center for Responsive Politics, Bloomberg LP, OpenSecrets.org lobbying database, accessed January 2013.
↑ Mike Bloomberg on Abortion. ontheissues.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
↑ Can a Republican Mayor of New York take the White House. rollingstone.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
↑ Michael Bloomberg's Gay Marriage Solution. nymag.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
↑ Mike Bloomberg on Drugs. ontheissues.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
↑ ^27.0 ^27.1 Mike Bloomberg on Crime. ontheissues.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
↑ Mike Bloomberg on Gun Control. ontheissues.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
↑ Mike Bloomberg on Education. ontheissues.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
↑ Environment Sustainability. mikebloomberg.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
↑ Mayor Michael Bloomberg delivers keynote address at the C40 Large Cities Climate Summit. mikebloomberg.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
↑ Sewell Chan. Mayor Attacks 2 Main Ideas on Immigrants. New York Times. Retrieved on 2007-12-22.
↑ Mike Bloomberg on Homeland Security. ontheissues.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
↑ Testimony of The Honorable Michael R. Bloomberg, Mayor, City of New York, before the Committee on the Judiciary. United States Senate. Retrieved on 2007-12-22.
↑ Michael Bloomberg addresses the Senate. senate.gov. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
↑ Mike Bloomberg on the Issues. ontheissues.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
↑ Michael Bloomberg Quotes. woopidoo.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
↑ Mayor Plans Cut in Property Tax And End to Sales Tax on Clothes. nytimes.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
↑ Mike Bloomberg on the Budget and Economy. ontheissues.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
↑ Mike Bloomberg on Corporations. ontheissues.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
↑ Bikes, Mike and Transit Strike. transalt.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
↑ Bloomberg warns of economic inequality. mikebloomberg.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
↑ Mike Bloomberg on Health Care. ontheissues.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
↑ Mike Bloomberg on Welfare and Poverty. ontheissues.org. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
↑ Bloomberg warns of economic inequality. mikebloomberg.com. Retrieved on 2007-08-02.
↑ NY observer
↑ Karin Gallet: Drafting Bloomberg
↑ Pro-Bloomberg Blogger, Eagle Scout
↑ [http://www.uniteformike.com Official portal of the Draft Bloomberg 08 committee, UniteForMike.com
↑ Leadership, Museum of Jewish Heritage, accessed May 25, 2009.
↑ Directors, Metropolitan Museum of Art, accessed June 16, 2010.
↑ Trustees, American Museum of Natural History, accessed April 19, 2010.
↑ Directors, Lincoln Center, accessed October 2, 2009.
↑ Trustees, Carnegie Hall, accessed November 4, 2009.

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