Today's Read: "Bipartisan ticket aim of Unity08," The Washington Times. Andrew Seaman interviews our CEO, Robert Bingham, and discusses how Unity08 will position itself after the primaries. Check it out! Subscribe to this feed! Tags: Unity08, election, president, government, bipartisan, politics, news and politics, washington times, robert bingham, andrew seaman

The latest GWU Battleground Poll (from Lake Research and the Tarrance Group) tells us lots that we've heard before: 70% of the people think the country is on the wrong track; 57% disapprove of the job the Republican president is doing; 52% disapprove of the job the Democrats are doing in Congress. But they went further. Asked which of these qualities is the most important in a Member of Congress, 32% said "strength of values and convictions" and twice as many, 64%, said "willingness to find practical workable solutions." 93% said Washington lawmakers put partisan politics ahead of the people, and an astonishing 71% say that of their very own Member of Congress. No wonder that a plurality of Americans felt that in the future their children will be "worse off" than they are right now. That is an amazing finding in a country where our optimism is supposed to be the hallmark! What it says is that the people don't expect the politicians in either party to lead. That leaves it up to the people. Only the people can lead us out of this mess, starting now, starting here – literally, starting here, at Unity08.com. This is your site. This is your country. Also read the article about the Battleground Poll in the Washington Post. Subscribe to this feed! Tags: Unity08, election, president, government, bipartisan, politics, news and politics, battleground poll, washington post

We began distributing the first member vote email invitation yesterday (Friday). There was a slight bug in the first batch that we corrected quickly. I will be sending the invitations out in batches over the next week. So far, the response has been fantastic. I appreciate your patience. Intro copy from the invitation... "This is not just research for a couple hundred - it is an actual vote of all Unity08 members. You and all members can directly shape Unity08 priorities on issues, candidate qualifications, and even Unity08 operations. There are no criteria for who can participate and we hope that every single member participates!" I look forward to your input!

Following up his appearance on Hardball, Sam Waterston, actor and Unity08 spokesperson, was on "Morning Joe" to do a phone interview this morning. Listen to part of the interview at the MSNBC web site by clicking here. Look for the link titled, "Sam Waterston discusses Unity08." For those that don't listen/watch Joe Scarborough, "Morning Joe" is a weekday morning talk show on MSNBC with Scarborough discussing the news of the day with three panelists. Mr. Scarborough served in the United States House of Representatives, from 1995 to 2024, as a Republican from Florida. Subscribe to this feed! Tags: Unity08, election, president, government, bipartisan, politics, news and politics, scarborough, morning joe, sam waterston

When asked to pick any Republican to be their running mate, democratic presidential candidates Joe Biden and John Edwards both named Nebraska senator Chuck Hagel. As asked by saheedb, "Partisanship plays a major role in why nothing can get done in Washington today. All of you say that you'd be able to work with Republicans. Well, here's a test. If you had to pick any Republican members of Congress or a Republican governor to be your running mate, who would it be?" Watch the video. Who do you think those that didn't get to answer the question (Obama, Clinton, Dodd, Gravel, Kucinich, Richardson) would pick as a bipartisan running mate? Subscribe to this feed! Tags: Unity08, election, president, government, bipartisan, politics, news and politics, clinton, obama, richardson, dodd, kucinich, edwards, biden, gravel, youtube debate, cnn

Sam Waterston, actor and Unity08 spokesperson, was originally scheduled to be on Hardball this Monday, but it has been moved to Tuesday, July 24 for a full half hour. These things happen in the television industry... we are still taping the episode on Monday, but the airing has been moved to Tuesday on MSNBC at 5pm & 7pm ET. The show will be taped outdoors near Union Station, so if you are in the D.C. metro area, come on out and support Sam and Unity08! The outdoor taping will start on Monday at 3:30pm ET at 400 Capital St. NW at the corner of Louisiana Ave. We’re going to have Unity08 signs in the crowd, so look for them! For those new to politics, “Hardball with Chris Matthews” is a cable news show that features discussion of a wide range of topics, focusing primarily on politics. To learn more about the show, visit MSNBC. Sam Waterston on "Hardball with Chris Matthews" at 5pm and 7pm ET Tuesday, July 24! 7/25/07: Watch the interview! Tags: Unity08, election, president, government, bipartisan, politics, news and politics, sam waterston, hardball, chris matthews

In a Gallup poll approximately one week ago, Lydia Saad and Joseph Carroll determined that 58% of Americans think the two parties are doing such a poor job that we need a third one. Only 33% think the two parties are just fine. Our Doug Bailey did some research and found that five years ago, Gallup found just the opposite: 56% were satisfied with the performance of the two parties and only 40% felt a third party was needed. So, what happened?" The following commentary was written as an answer to that question by Mr. Bailey: It’s not just Iraq. It’s how the Republican and Democratic leaders in Washington are so certain that they are right that they refuse to seek common ground – or so bent on winning an election that losing lives seems secondary. It may be hard to know who the enemy is in Baghdad, but in Washington the enemy is anyone in the opposite party. The Bush White House will not yield – not even to accept a genuinely bipartisan Iraq Study Group report, from a panel that included two former GOP Secretaries of State and their own new Secretary of Defense. The Democrats in Congress are just as adamant. They reject anything without a timetable for withdrawal. They refuse to support or even talk about anything that Republican moderates, seeking the middle, propose. They filibuster all night, but won’t spend any time at all to seek quiet agreement behind closed doors. Both sides are wrong – and the people know it. We need to forget how we got there and whose fault it is. We must figure out how to preserve our security and give millions of innocent people in Iraq a chance to avoid a bloodbath. It’s complex, but complex issues are why we have leaders. Iraq is hardly the only issue without the kind of bipartisan agreement that has accompanied every sustainable domestic or foreign policy initiative for the last 50 years. We are facing many crucial issues right now, including energy dependence, education in inner city schools, a broken health care system, global climate change, immigration, the deficit, and the coming entitlement mess. These issues are all huge, all tough, and all complex. I urge Congress to sit down and talk to each other. End the gotcha game. The stakes are too high! If you can’t lead, then Unity08 will find someone who can. What are your thoughts? Tags: Unity08, election, president, government, bipartisan, politics, news and politics, gallup, doug bailey

An article written yesterday on USA TODAY online discusses whether the country is ready for another party to challenge the run for the presidency. "Do we need a third party? Most say yes," by Susan Page had logged 143 comments at the time of this blog post. The article says, "In a USA TODAY/Gallup Poll taken Friday through Sunday, 58% say the two major parties are doing 'such a poor job' that a third party is needed. Just a third say the established parties 'do an adequate job of representing the American people.'" To read the article and the comments, please visit: "Do we need a third party? Most say yes," by Susan Page. Tags: Unity08, election, president, government, bipartisan, politics, news and politics, usa today, third party, susan page

Bill O'Reilly followed up his interview of Sam Waterston on TV last night by discussing the reality of a third-party candidacy on his radio show today. Click here to listen to the show. I get asked this question with regularity, so I will take this opportunity to be proactive and answer it here: Is Unity08 a political party, a PAC, or a candidate? At this time, Unity08 is registered as a PAC. It is not a political party. Our intention is to put America back on course by giving a much-needed jolt to the two-party system. This jolt will help them understand that partisan, fringe-based politics is not sustainable. If the major parties witness our success and enact positive change, then Unity08 has served its purpose. We’d rather preserve the two-party system that has been successful in this country for such a long time. But, if the major parties ignore the message, a Unity Party could replace one, or both, of them. It will be up to Unity08’s members to determine whether we seek this course of action. Tags: Unity08, election, president, government, bipartisan, politics, news and politics, bill o'reilly, radio factor flash

Sam Waterston, Unity08 spokesperson, will be a guest on Fox News' O'Reilly Factor this Tuesday, July 10th, 8pm ET. As defined by Wikipedia: The O'Reilly Factor is an American talk show on the Fox News Channel hosted by commentator Bill O'Reilly, who discusses current political and social issues with guests from opposing ends of the political spectrum. The O'Reilly Factor is currently the highest rated show on the Fox News channel and the highlight of O'Reilly's career. O'Reilly is known for his confrontational interview style and strong opinions, for which the program has been both praised and criticized. To learn more about the show, please visit The O'Reilly Factor site.