Bloomberg Talks Economy, Not Potential Candidacy

From CBS News' Michelle Levi:

WASHINGTON, D.C. -- New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg received the National Mayoral Leadership Award from the U.S. Conference of Mayors tonight for his work on environmental issues. There was no mention of the buzz about his potential presidential candidacy; instead, he criticized the federal government and proposed an economic stimulus plan.

Bloomberg applauded many mayors for "repaint[ing] the roof while the sun is shining" -- and saving for tougher times during economic booms. He, however, criticized the federal government for being muddled by partisan allegiance as well as being affected by pressure from unions and special interests.

He said the federal government spent "with reckless abandon" in the past decade: "they ate the seed without worrying about next year's harvest." He warned that "the next year's harvest is here, and the seed corn is gone. All we have is a barn full of I.O.U.s."

Additionally, the mayor criticized federal politicians -- always an applause line with this crowd -- for making economic policy decisions for political reasons and insisted they should start, "making decisions based on the business cycle instead of the election calendar."

Bloomberg, known for his success in the private sector, laid out his federal economic stimulus plan which focuses on "policies that will produce a boost in the short-term and a boom in the long-term."

The five cornerstones of Bloomberg's plan include offering help to people that are in danger of losing their homes, financing immediate infrastructure projects, promoting manufacturing jobs by putting a focus on innovation, investing in education and job training programs, and finally passing a comprehensive immigration reform bill that encourages workers to emigrate legally to the U.S.

Teasing those eagerly awaiting a presidential candidacy announcement (or an official announcement that there will be no announcement), Bloomberg ended his speech saying he would leave with "two words that I think will some up what is really important in the next two weeks: Go Giants," referring to his hometown football team that will play in the Super Bowl.