New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was never really a Republican; neither
was he really a Democrat, the political party he previously left. From DINO
(Democrat in name only), he became a RINO (Republican in name only) and now
I guess one might call him, what, an UNO (unaffiliated in name only)?
Actually, Bloomberg is to party affiliation what some New Yorkers are to
their baseball teams - when they're winning they're all for them, but lose
and it's the Bronx cheer.
Still, in announcing his new unaffiliated status, Bloomberg said something
that caught my attention: "Any successful elected executive knows that real
results are more important than partisan battles, and that good ideas should
take precedence over rigid adherence to any particular ideology." Not that
Bloomberg was ever known for a rigid adherence to anything besides his money
(he is a billionaire, in case you hadn't heard), but still he may be onto
something.
California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger has spoken of a new era of "post
partisanship" in describing his approach to governing America's largest
state. He and Bloomberg are featured on the cover of this week's Time
magazine. The headline is "Who Needs Washington?" Not them.
Since his re-election as an independent, Connecticut Senator Joe Lieberman
has spoken and acted like a liberated man. In this, he sounds like Michael
Bloomberg.