In 1992, it was a big-eared Texas tycoon, Ross Perot, lifting ballots from Bush 41’s pocket. In 2000, it was Ralph Nader, clipping enough votes from Al Gore to make him a wanted man among liberal Democrats. It’s too soon to tell who will be the “spoiler” candidate for 2008, but at least one new 527 group is in the running to supply one: Unity08. The organization’s long list of “founders” is an odd mix of high-school and college students and veteran political operatives–including Doug Bailey, a former Gerald Ford strategist, and Hamilton Jordan, once Jimmy Carter’s chief of staff. They aim to shake up the polarized system with a simple strategy: form a bipartisan presidential ticket, and appeal to voters right down the middle of the political spectrum. “Our politics are broken,” says party cofounder Bailey. “The right can’t even talk to the left.” Tomorrow, Unity will begin registering delegates to vote in its June 2008 online nominating convention. Those interested–Bailey’s hoping for “millions”–need only be registered to vote. What the group lacks in money and influence (Unity has raised just over $500,000 so far, Bailey says), it makes up for in bravado. Bailey says he expects his party to take the White House next year. Of course, they’ve got to clear a few obstacles first, like convincing people to take them seriously enough to get on the ballot in all 50 states. Oh, and they’ll need a candidate. Bailey says his group has “briefed” the staffs of more than 40 senators under consideration as potential candidates, but he won’t say who. So far, there are no takers. If they get hard up, they could always drop a dime on Nader. He’s already hinted that he may run again if Hillary Clinton gets the Democratic nomination.
