Unity08 Moving Ahead

Several months ago, I I posted an article on an intriguing group called Unity 08, which seeks to get a centrist slate of candidates on the ballot in 2008.

It seems that they’re moving ahead, if this WashWire piece is to be believed:

Unity08 — the brainchild of Democrats Gerald Rafshoon and Hamilton Jordan (both of whom helped to elect President Carter) and Doug Bailey (President Ford’s media adviser) — is up and running, and Waterston, a star of “Law & Order”, is making the rounds in Washington to promote blended politics. If all works according to plan, perhaps millions of Internet delegates would nominate “an absolutely credible bipartisan ticket” of a Republican and a Democrat.

With recent polls pointing towards 2008 being an interesting race between Clinton and Giuliani (both of whom seem refreshingly non-wignuttish able politicians and administrators), I wouldn’t have high hopes for Unity 08’s prospects in the Presidential race… although a 3-way campaign among Clinton, Giuliani, and Bloomberg would certainly be even more entertaining.

However, I would be interested in seeing what they could do down-ticket, particularly if they take advantage of the ability in some jurisdictions to cross-nominate candidates running in other parties.

There’s another recent writeup of Unity at Politico. Quoting that article on Unity’s goals for the 2008 elections:

Such a unity ticket would help leaders come to consensus answers on vexing issues such as climate change, lack of health insurance for millions of Americans and the looming bankruptcy of entitlement programs, actor and Unity08 spokesman Sam Waterston said during a meeting Tuesday with Politico editors and reporters.

“The idea is to create a space in which it’s possible to discuss these ideas honestly and directly, to come to some kind of solution,” Waterston said. “I’ve been watching with a combination of horror and fascination how politics is usually done.”