A Major Independent Candidate?
Observers have posited various scenarios wherein a credible independent
candidate could pose a challenge to the major party candidates. Campaign
consultant Doug Schoen explores the topic in detail in his book Declaring
Independence: The Beginning of the End of the Two Party System (Random
House, Feb. 5, 2008). Democratic strategist Joe Trippi has also
argued that the right independent candidate could, by using the Internet
to mobilize supporters and money, have an impact in the race.
In 2005 there were a few suggestions that if Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) were unable to win the Republican nomination because of opposition from conservatives, he might then run as an independent; McCain rejected such notions. On Jan. 3, 2006 the New York Post reported that Donald Trump "flatly ruled out running for governor this year -- but hinted he may go for president in 2008." Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-NE) was the subject of talk about a possible independent bid, but on Sept. 10, 2007 he announced that he would neither seek re-election to the U.S. Senate, nor run for president. Activists concerned about illegal immigration started a draft Lou Dobbs effort. Dobbs himself has written a book Independents Day: Awakening the American Spirit (Viking, Nov. 6, 2007). Most of the independent candidate speculation focused on New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg. Bloomberg issued occasional denials and put the final "no" on the matter in a Feb. 28, 2008 op-ed in the New York Times ("I’m Not Running for President, but ..."). Thus far the only well-known figure to launch and independent run is consumer advocate Ralph Nader, who made his announcement in a Feb. 24, 2008 appearance on NBC News' "Meet the Press."
Another Nader Campaign: Third Time the
Charm?
At the end of January 2008 consumer advocate Ralph Nader launched a
presidential exploratory committee and within a month he announced his
candidacy. Nader laid out a set of issues ranging from single payer
health insurance to a bloated military budget to labor law reform that
he said are not being addressed by the other candidates. The broad
themes are familiar: fighting corporate greed, corporate power and corporate
control. The departures of John Edwards and Dennis Kucinich from
the race for the Democratic nomination does leave an opening for an anti-corporate
message, but even those who agree with his ideas may wonder if Nader is
the right person to carry that banner. As the Green Party nominee
in 2000 Nader obtained 2,882,737 million votes (2.74% of the vote) and
in the view of some tipped the election to George W. Bush. (Nader
forcefully rejects that charge, pointing to myriad factors involved in
Gore's loss to Bush). More to the point, in 2004 Nader ran as an
independent and obtained just 463,647 votes (0.38%). Nader points
to a lawsuit filed on his behalf in Oct. 2007 against the Democratic National
Committee and several allied organizations charging them with using abusive
lawsuits, harrassment and intimidation to keep him off the ballot.
He envisages raising $10 million to run his independent campaign.
Nader said he has not determined whether he will seek the Green Party nomination,
but some Greens are seeking to draft him.
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| www.naderexplore08.org | www.draftnader.org |
Bloomberg Speculation
The Bloomberg talk started in mid-2006. Bloomberg ruled out a
presidential run on many occasions. For example in August 2006 he told
the
New York Times, "I do not know how many times I have to say
I am not going to run for president. But I’ll say it one more time.
I have no plans to run for president." (another
example). However, his denials did not put an end to the speculation,
evidenced by a steady stream of news stories. The Dec. 11, 2006 issue
of New York magazine featured a "Bloomberg '08: He's Serious" cover
On March 26, 2007 the Washington Post
ran an article headlined,"N.Y.
Mayor Is Eyeing '08, Observers Say." On May 15, 2007 the
Washington
Times weighed in with "Bloomberg poised for third-party campaign.".
In that article, the Times' Ralph Z. Hallow, citing personal friend
of the mayor's wrote that, "New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg is prepared
to spend an unprecedented $1 billion of his own $5.5 billion personal fortune
for a third-party presidential campaign." Newsweek put him
on the cover of its November 12, 2007 issue as "The Billion Dollar Wild
Card." The New York Times rounded out the year with a Dec.
31, 2007 article by Sam Roberts, "Bloomberg Moves Closer to Running for
President," which described the Mayor as "growing increasingly enchanted
with the idea of an independent presidential bid...[while] his aides are
aggressively laying the groundwork for him to run."
Bloomberg did a few things that have added fuel to the talk. On June 19, 2007, he switched his registration from Republican to unaffiliated. Bloomberg stated, "I have filed papers with the New York City Board of Elections to change my status as a voter and register as unaffiliated with any political party. Although my plans for the future haven't changed, I believe this brings my affiliation into alignment with how I have led and will continue to lead our City." Also, on Jan. 7, 2008, just before the New Hampshire primary, he was one of the participants in the bipartisan summit in Norman, Oklahoma convened by University of Oklahoma President David L. Boren and former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn.
However, Bloomberg put the final "no" on the matter in a Feb. 28, 2008 op-ed in the New York Times ("I’m Not Running for President, but ...").
Several efforts to draft Bloomberg or encourage him to run sprang up.
| Official Bloomberg | Draft Sites | ||
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| www.mikebloomberg.com
Office of the Mayor
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www.draftbloomberg.com | www.runmikerun.com | www.uniteformike.com |
Inactive/former sites
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| draftmichael.com
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in early 2007 Joseph Oddo of Write Consult LLC formed an independent Committee to Draft Michael Bloomberg. |
www.runmikebloomberg.com
"A petition for responsible government" |
www.bloomberg08nyc.com
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content by Karin Gallet |
See also:
Eamon Quinn. "Bloomberg,
on Ireland Trip, Rules Out White House Run." New York Times,
August 23, 2006.
John Heilemann. "His
American Dream." New
York, December 11, 2006.
Michael D. Shear.
"N.Y. Mayor Is Eyeing '08, Observers Say." Washington Post,
March 26, 2007.
Ralph Z. Hallow. "Bloomberg
poised for third-party campaign. Washington Times, May 15,
2007.
Sam Roberts. "Bloomberg
Moves Closer to Running for President." New York Times, December
31, 2007.
Unity08: An Experiment That Didn't Work
Unity08 launched in May 2006
with the goal -- audacious, idealistic, or perhaps harebrained -- of electing
a bipartisan ticket to the White House. Unity08 forsaw building "a
solidly-funded movement" of millions of Americans that will "take our country
back from polarizing politics." The group's website stated:
May
31, 2006 grab
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| www.unity08.com |
Unity08 might have been dismissed as a fringe idea or pie-in-the-sky thinking, but the group attracted notable backers including Doug Bailey and Roger Craver, co-founders of The Hotline; Hamilton Jordan, who served as Jimmy Carter's White House chief of staff; Angus King, who served two terms as governor of Maine as an Independent; and Gerald Rafshoon, who did media and communications for Carter as governor and president. In addition to these eminences, Unity '08's founders council also listed many college students.
The idea garnered significant early media coverage. Principal backers of Unity08 appeared on such programs as PBS' "NewsHour" and C-SPAN's "Washington Journal." In a June 1, 2006 column Wall Street Journal contributing editor Peggy Noonan pointed to "the increasing and profound distance between the rulers of both parties and the people" and suggested the time may be right for a new political party. The Washington Post's David Broder termed it an "intriguing gambit" and wrote that, "The sincerity of their motivation is as striking as the odds against their success."
Unity08 organized as a Section 527 organization. However, in July 2006 the Federal Election Commission took up a Draft Advisory Opinion (Draft AO 2006-20) which states that, "Unity 08 must register as a political committee and therefore is subject to the reporting requirements and limitations and prohibitions of the [Federal Election Campaign] Act."
In August 2006 Unity08 announced formation of a rules committee to make recommendations on how to translate its broad vision into a specific process. In February 2007 the group announced people could register to be delegates in its national primary. In March 2007 Unity08 announced draft rules for its online national presidential nominating convention.
In January 2008 the departures of Doug Bailey and Gerald Rafshoon signalled the end of Unity08 [letter]. However, the unity government theme gained some currency at a Jan. 7, 2008 bipartisan summit organized by University of Oklahoma President David L. Boren and former U.S. Senator Sam Nunn in Norman, Oklahoma [statement].
See also:
Ronald Brownstein.
"Internet, Polarized Politics Create an Opening for a Third Party." Los
Angeles Times, April 25, 2005.
Peggy Noonan. "Third
Time: America may be ready for a new political party." Wall Street
Journal, June 1, 2006.
David Broder. "Politics
for the Disengaged." Washington Post, June 4, 2006.
Others
Finally, there are many obscure presidential hopefuls waging low- or
no-budget campaigns. According to the FEC, "As of April 1 [2007],
179 individuals had filed a Statement of Candidacy and/ or Statement of
Organization for the 2008 Presidential Election. An exhaustive list
of candidates may be obtained upon request from the FEC Press Office."
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Copyright © 2006, 2007, 2008 Eric M. Appleman/Democracy in Action |
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