Unity08 Seeks Middle-of-the-Road Candidate (Third Party Threat)

Washington Post ^ | 4/25/07 | Chris Cillizza

[freespirited]

Actor Sam Waterston praised the personal attributes of "Law and Order" co-star Fred Thompson but warned that if the former Senator enters the Republican presidential field he will be forced to run the "gauntlet" of conservative interest groups to win the nomination.

"Everyone is obliged to trim their answers," to please the party's base, said Waterston, a leader of Unity08, a third-party movement...

Former Gov. Angus King (I-Maine), another leader of the new group, said the current Republican campaign underscores the negative impact of this sort of base politics, noting that candidates including John McCain and Mitt Romney have had to engage in numerous "twists and turns" on social issues to please conservative activists.

Asked about former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani... King was skeptical about the Empire State politician's ability to win if he sticks to the issue positions he adopted as mayor. "It will be very interesting to see what's left of him if he does win the nomination," King said. ...

The two men are leading backers of Unity '08 -- a bipartisan effort to run a serious third party candidacy for president in 2008.

Waterston argued that dissatisfaction with the two parties has reached critical mass in recent years as the American public has watched as neither side addressed looming crises over climate change and Medicare among other issues....

That theory will be put to the test over the coming months as Unity '08 seeks to recruit delegates for their national convention, which is set for next summer.

Delegates will choose a presidential and vice presidential nominee at the online gathering. The biggest names mentioned as possible candidates are New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Nebraska Sen. Chuck Hagel -- both of whom were elected as Republicans but have broken with party orthodoxy. ..

[freespirited]

This could be the groundwork for a repeat of 92 and 96--a Clinton victory by plurality. Both Hagel and Bloomberg would draw far more from the GOP candidate.

[Migraine]

Please be a freakin liberal...

[TexasCajun]

"Alhhright People! Ya'll Ready fer Ross now "

"I know ya been ahearing that "Big Sucking Sound" by now! "
"Have ya had enough of Washington politics? "

[incredulous joe]

Hagel might be a problem in siphoning off votes.I could foresee such a candidacy created to defeat the Republican nominee. I don’t like that guy.

Bloomberg would have little effect on conservative voters. I think he’s more left than he is right. He’s a fruitcake.

[iowamark]

Bloomberg would draw leftist votes from the Clintons, which is why they will make sure that he does run.

I have a hard time seeing Hagel drawing many votes at all.

[freespirited]

I saw a poll recently that, much to my surprise, showed Bloomberg would draw significantly from the GOP candidate and put Hillary! in the White House.

[Fiji Hill]

This could be the groundwork for a repeat of 92 and 96--a Clinton victory by plurality. Both Hagel and Bloomberg would draw far more from the GOP candidate.

On the other hand, should the GOP nominate a principled and articulate conservative such as Fred Thompson, this could misfire, as did John Anderson's bid for the White House as an independent in 1980.

[incredulous joe]

I always give my FReeper Friends the benefit of the doubt when they site polls (I assume they know the variations and nuance between Zogby, CNN and Newsweek). Regardless, I suspect things may be so tight in the next election that even if Bloomberg were to get 3% of conservative and 1 % of libs that might be enough margin to give Mrs. Clinton the White House.

Still, I guess I’m hard pressed to see Bloomberg pulling any serious numbers in states that actually matter, maybe he gets 5 in NY and 4 in California. People in the Midwest aren’t going to vote for him.

It is also possible that if Guiliani were the nominee that he could do some damage there.

I just don’t see Bloomberg being a serious threat, a la Perot. In fact, I don’t see him as serious, period. If he lands in a three way debate with Mrs. Clinton and the GOP nominee - be that Romney, Guiliani or Thompson - he ends up agreeing with the Dem on 90% of the issues and getting his lunch eaten by the Republican, thereby boosting that candidate’s standing with the conservative base.

[incredulous joe]

“Alhhright People! Ya’ll Ready fer Ross now “

Do you remember the SNL bit with Dana Carvey doing Perot. Ross was good for some laughs. Man, that was some funny stuff!

[TexasCajun]

Dana Carvey did make a good Ross Perot.

...very funny.

[freespirited]

I did a quick search and was able to find the link. It was a Ras poll (I dont believe anything Zogby dishes out), and it looked at how Bloomberg would affect a Hillary!-McCain or Hillary!-Rudy race. The results showed he’d mess it up for the GOP, which is precisely how the Clintons win races.

http://www.rasmussenreports.com/Political%20Tracking/Dailies/April%202007/Bloomberg.htm

[incredulous joe]

Thanks. I wasn’t questioning your veracity, but I always like to source polls. Rasmussen is relatively reliable, at least in as much that such things can be predicted this far in advance.

I don’t know why they bother putting McCain in the mix. He’s toast.