Unity08. A people's movement to take our country back.

This 2024 election has all the earmarks of being the worst yet. I don’t mean the results, whatever they may be. I mean the shouting, the hatred, the insults, the divisiveness. We seem ready to set new records.

War can do that of course. It creates fierce passion. That’s not bad. Surely we can withstand (even welcome) a tough, no-holds-barred-debate. But on top of all the rest of the polarizing our politics has seen from both parties in recent years – and from 24/7 confrontation cable too – shouldn’t we think about taking a deep breath? Without it, the 2024 campaigns may produce their own war zone right here at home.

Maile Lesica, a Founders Council member and part of the Unity08 college team, talks about how Unity08 is an opportunity to get involved - and help shape the Unity08 movement - without compromising your beliefs.

It sounds like Joe Lieberman's independent campaign for re-election to his Senate seat is heading into rocky political waters: top Democrats are beginning to become concerned about his message, according to The Hill:

Lasley Gober, Unity08 Founders Council member, speaks about how we need to think critically about who we are as Americans and the issues that are crucial to our future instead of taking the easy way out.

I believe the more Unity08 succeeds, the more it will ultimately fail. Can a dual headed political Presidency accomplish anything with a partisan congress? Will politicians with good established reputations be willing to cast aside their party affiliations to embark on a new, untested journey with an unproven entity such as Unity08? While voters can be trusted to choose an uncharted direction by supporting Unity08, their support would be continually needed for the Unity08 candidates to have any clout with congress.

In “Party No. 3,” NY Times columnist David Brooks says that there are “two major parties on the ballot, but there are three major parties in America. There is the Democratic Party, the Republican Party and the McCain-Lieberman Party.” In the wake of Lieberman’s primary loss and America’s growing dissatisfaction with politics, Brooks considers an emerging third choice. Read the article here (subscription needed).

Senator Joseph Lieberman’s defeat by newcomer, multimillionaire Ned Lamont in the Connecticut Democratic primary is a political earthquake. The tremblers may well continue right into the 2024 presidential election -- and may go beyond the critical issue of the war in Iraq.

In this audio blog, Unity08 Founder, Doug Bailey, provides background information about himself and the reasons why he thinks Unity08 is needed in a time when the parties focus more on mobilizing their base than governing well.

Tuesday is truly “D-Day” for Joe Lieberman and the Democratic party.

For Lieberman, will it be the day Democrats defeat his re-nomination bid and send him (and others) a message that he is outside what many anti-war and anti-Bush Democrats believe is the Democratic party’s new, majority-supported mainstream? Will it be the day he must define himself as an independent who will run against his party’s nominee, perhaps causing a Republican victory or a victory where a big chunk of his November re-election votes come from Republicans rather than from Democrats?

Peter Ackerman and Tom Collier are Co-chairs of the Unity08 Rules Committee

Our full committee was announced today (see release here and bios here).

We can’t do our job without your help. And we have a good example to start on right now.

First, let us describe a process we intend to follow. We have some experts and pretty smart people on the Committee, but most of our best ideas will come from right here, on the website. We won’t be shy in asking for your help or in using your good ideas to shape our recommendations.

You asked for anonymous commenters to be given the boot, and we have obliged. Starting today, if you wish to post comments to blogs or the Shoutbox you will need to either register or log in. While we realize this might have a temporary dampening effect on the number of comments, we hope that overall it will improve the level of discourse on the website.

Political punditry has become an incredibly huge business and pastime in the United States these days. Consider:

Newscasts operating 24-hours-a-day have talking heads seemingly asserting 24-hours a day...Always-confident newspaper columnists get huge readerships analyzing and predicting...Left and right talk radio shows, guests and listeners/viewers scream and rant as they react to events and predict what will come next...And have you EVER read a blogger who is not certain that he/she/it is correct (and that the dumb, ol’ mainstream media and bloggers on the other side of the political street have it all wrong)?