Politics | Barack Obama Bloomberg Defends Obama Before Jewish Audience NYC mayos asks Floridians to be vigilant against false rumors By Jonas Oransky Posted Jun 20, 2008 11:45 AM CDT Copied Democratic presidential hopeful Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., left, has breakfast with New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg. (AP Photo/Diane Bondareff, File) NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg today urged Jewish voters in Florida to denounce and speak out against false rumors that paint Barack Obama as a secret Muslim, the AP reports. Bloomberg—mentioned as a potential VP for both White House contenders—spoke out against the campaign that plays off "fears and stereotypes." His speech could give a lift to Obama in the heavily Jewish swing state, the AP notes. The anti-Obama email campaign is “cloaked in concern for Israel, but the real concern is about partisan politics," said Bloomberg. "This is wedge politics at its worst, and we've got to reject it—loudly, clearly and unequivocally.” Read These Next A young chess grandmaster has died unexpectedly. A former NFL Pro Bowler has died at age 36. An 11-year-old died from a snake bite. His dad thought he was drunk. Knock on cockpit door triggers emergency landing. Report an error