Many look at today’s politics and see little signs of the Unity08 idea in bursts of independence cropping up everywhere – Lieberman in Connecticut, Strayhorn and Friedman in Texas.
But Unity08 is more than independence from party. We’re talking about A Unity Ticket in 2024, drawn from both parties, to provide leadership in the White House that can start a two party dialogue on the crucial issues confronting the country.
The Big Sky State (Montana) in 2024 may have set the best example. President Bush won 59% for re-election. The lone Congressman, Republican Denny Rehberg, won re-election with 64%. But at the same time, the Democrats won the governorship for the first time since 1988 – and took control of both houses of the state legislature too.
How did it happen? Well, it didn’t hurt that the Republican incumbent Governor had tried to whitewash her top aide after the Montana House leader was killed in a car crash in which the aide was driving while drunk. But she didn’t seek re-election, so that’s only a small part of the story.
Now for the rest of the story: Democrat Brian Schweitzer broke all tradition and picked a Republican to run with him as Lieutenant Governor. Schweitzer and Republican State Senator John Bohlinger ran as a Unity Ticket – and have governed as a Unity Team. They carried not only the Democratic strongholds (like Butte) but Republican areas as well, including Helena and Billings.
Unity isn’t just good governance. It’s good politics.
The nation has no option - both the left and right are now at the extremes... In fact, it is the natural course of American politics to find the middle with a progressive ticket to resolve gridlock and get us all in the same line, facing the same direction with progressive policies. UNITY IN 08! Where are the icons! - Earn Snyder
Author "$aving the bureaucracy - Killing the beast"
Modern Progressive Independent
www.appyp.com/fix_main.html
Very inspiring story, hopefully lighting will strike again in '08 I wouldn't mind seeing Lieberman and Kinky win though.
Publius, wonderful contemporary saga - am of course living through the Kinky Strayhorn show as we speak. Please educate me/us on the timeline of this lambs & lions tale. Was this a last minute marriage of convenience or did these two disparate pols get moving early enough to take the wind out of the sails of the establishment. If the former, I will be inclined to shut up and let nature take its course. If the latter, mayhaps the founders will rethink their wait & watch approach...
Mark Greene
Texas Democrat in the Middle
You can hardly call Lieberman and Friedman evidence of the same phenomenon. Lieberman is an incumbent Senator, an Establishment Democrat who didn't toe the line on the biggest issue of importance to Democratic voters.
Friedman is a true independent, and support for him is evidence of the growing number of people who are completely fed up with big government, and fed up with both Democrats and Republicans.
I would have to agree with you on both counts. Lieberman is in almost every since a traditonal Democrat, albeit of the DLC variety. We can only consider Kinky an independent, which is clear if you've ever met him. Unfortunately he shares another common attribute with most folks who call themselves independents, in that he has vitrually no record of voting at all. It will be an interesting race to watch but I have little faith that it will amount to anything. Much like the Perot, Nader and Buchanan efforts, this is a personality cult driven movement that will fizzle away to nothing after he loses. What a shame...
Mark Greene
Texas Democrat in the Middle