Politico: Unity 08 + Bloomberg?
By Justin Gardner | Related entries in 2008 ElectionThe meme is catching on…wonder where they got it from… :)
Few in the political world are more keenly interested in the ramifications of “Mike’s Big Move” — as New York’s Daily News proclaimed Mayor Michael Bloomberg’s decision to sever his ties with the Republican Party — than former Carter White House official Gerald Rafshoon.He and his partner, Hotline founder Doug Bailey, are the proud parents of Unity08, a group conceived to offer an alternative to next year’s Democratic and GOP nominees by building a “coalition from the middle” through an online convention.
And Rafshoon told Politico that Unity08 has been holding secret conversations with three candidates interested in running for Unity08′s nomination.
So let’s see…who could those three be? Hagel’s definitely a lock for having multiple conversations, and Bloomberg probably has had a least one. That leaves one wild card. Probably not Ron Paul, although I bet he would run on a bi-partisan ticket in a heartbeat. And Mike Gravel, well, he’s Mike Gravel.
Any guesses as to who the 3rd person is?
And the story goes into the “problems” with centrism, but I’m going to respond after these graphs…
But to accomplish their goal of appealing to the centrist, nonpartisan middle, Bailey and Rafshoon are jettisoning many preconceived notions about third parties. Traditionally, most third parties have been built on intense sentiment for a certain cause — for segregation (Strom Thurmond, George Wallace), against the gold standard (James Weaver) or for left-wing causes (Eugene Debs, Henry Wallace and Ralph Nader).Analysts question whether Unity08, with a moderate like Bloomberg preaching a message of competence, would offer the necessary sizzle.
“You need a push factor — discontent with major parties — and you need a pull. The problem with a centrist candidate is: What is the pull? What does it mean to be a centrist?” said University of California, Davis, political scientist Walter Stone, whose expertise is third-party candidacies. “A lot of the time, it means ambivalence.”
Ambivalence? Hardly. Take a look at that second graph and one word sticks out: competence. Is that sexy? No, but as if John Kerry or George Bush offered anything in the way of flash in their campaigns. The biggest fireworks were the personal potshots they took at each other. And people are tired of that garbage.
So what would a centrist candidate focus on? Looks like…
[...] the party’s platform has been focused on offering solutions to globalization, campaign finance reform, the national debt, energy independence and terrorism.
Sounds good to me.
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June 21st, 2007 at 6:58 pm
[...] Wesley Clark Link to Article mike gravel Politico: Unity 08 + Bloomberg? » Posted at Donklephant on Thursday, June 21, 2007 The meme is catching on…wonder where they got it from… [ :)] … he would run on a bi-partisan ticket in a heartbeat. And Mike Gravel, well, he’s Mike Gravel. Any guesses … From Politico: Few in the political world are more keenly interested in the ramifications of “Mike’ View Entire Article » [...]