Mayor: Fed, State Leaders Lag On Creating Jobs
NEW YORK (AP / 1010 WINS / WCBS 880/ CBS 2) -- New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg lashed out at the White House, Congress and state leaders on Wednesday for what he called failed attempts to create jobs, accusing both parties of being too distracted by partisan politics to address unemployment.
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The billionaire mayor, who is occasionally mentioned as a long-shot presidential candidate, delivered a campaign-style speech in Brooklyn during which he spent half his time reiterating familiar complaints about partisan gridlock and the other half outlining vague ideas to get more Americans working.
"As families struggle to get by they have seen little but partisan gridlock, political pandering and legislative influence peddling," Bloomberg said. "This can't go on, we've got to pull together and focus on what's important for America and then roll up our sleeves and fix the things that need fixing."
Bloomberg, who has been a member of both parties and is now unregistered, also carefully burnished his bipartisan credentials -- equally praising and criticizing the beliefs and approaches of Democrats and Republicans.
"We need change and whether the recent elections will be a cure for America's economic problems or just another symptom of our dysfunctional politics remains to be seen," Bloomberg said.
He blamed both parties for unfairly vilifying the concept of success and for too quickly dismissing the idea of cooperating within government and across party lines.
"When it comes to creating jobs, government hasn't gotten the job done,'' he said. "Washington and Albany are not working, and as a result, too many Americans are out of work, out of savings and out of patience.''
Bloomberg singled out several areas for improvement, but the concepts were vague -- like fixing immigration and promoting trade more effectively.
He also said business taxes should be cut as a way to keep corporations from moving overseas. He offered no way to pay for the difference.
Bloomberg repeatedly says he is not running for president in 2012. He explored the idea in 2008, and his supporters enjoy reaping the benefits of renewed attention about lingering White House aspirations.
(TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2010 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)
