On the same day plans for a new, moderate political movement were described on the front page of this newspaper, tucked inside was an advertisement that unwittingly made the case for Unity08’s push to attract the masses in the political middle.
The huge ad, paid for by Focus on the Family Action, showed a freckled-faced yet forlorn youngster under the ominous banner: “Why doesn’t Senator Salazar Believe Every Child Needs a Mother and a Father?” It was a silly cheap shot at Sen. Ken Salazar’s stance on gay marriage. (He actually believes marriage is between a man and a woman, but thinks states – not an amendment to the U.S. Constitution – ought to decide.)
Besides trying to defile a man most Coloradans know as a devoted family man – he missed last week’s immigration-bill vote to attend his daughter’s high school graduation – the ad encapsulated much of what’s wrong with politics today. The two major parties spend too much time pandering to the extreme fringes over divisive issues like gay marriage while merely paying lip service to the pressing issues that matter to many Americans, like runaway federal spending, soaring health and energy costs, and terrorism.
Unity08’s founders say it will be the place for those disaffected by politics as usual. The group wants to offer a split ticket for president in 2008, with one Democrat and one Republican or an independent. Citizens will choose the candidates through an online convention in spring 2008.
“If you’re in the middle, kind of a centrist, you don’t feel either party hears you,” said Hamilton Jordan, former White House chief of staff for President Carter and one of the founders. “My country and kids’ future are more important than either political party.”
Unity08 will be based in Denver, an ideal backdrop considering this purple state has a huge and growing block of unaffiliated voters with a notorious independent streak.
Third-party ventures and independent candidacies are notoriously hard to sustain, but the success of Ross Perot has demonstrated a huge appetite. Perot’s 1992 presidential bid eventually launched the Reform Party, and his single-minded quest to talk about the budget deficit helped shape that campaign.
Unity08 will need to be more than just “we’re not them” if it’s to make inroads in the two-party system. At this moment, many voters are fed up with both parties, giving life to an unlikely effort to rally round a new banner.
