Now the alliance involved in promoting a major third-party candidacy for president -- presumably Mike Bloomberg -- has come to include a Virginia political organization that's already floated some Mike-for-president petitions. For the release from the Independence Party, led by Long Islander Frank MacKay, click on the continued bar below.
In addition, there are reports of the Unity '08 people losing consultants to the stealth Bloomberg effort under way.
The world's longest media drumroll since the days of Gov. Mario Cuomo thus continues. Of course, this guy won't have to leave the plane on the runway if he decides to withdraw since he probably owns the plane and the runway. Or he'll fly it himself if the campaign goes public. Also, it strikes us that Florida's mayor, Rudy Giuliani, seems to have stopped predicting Bloomberg would not run....Team Rudy usually has the scoop on things that affect itself.
Ah, but don't you long for the good old days -- during what we could have called Unity '04?
In those days Rudy and Mike were together endorsing George W. Bush for re-election, and mere citizens were arrested by billionaire Bloomberg's underpaid and overpressured cops during the New York City GOP convention -- simply for walking down the street. It's true, good out-of-towners. Pedestrians were trapped in orange nets as if they were fish. And even with his minimalist endorsement of the incumbent -- he was running for reelection the following year -- the Democrat-turned-Republican mayor couldn't seem to squeeze out a position on the Iraq war. Maybe he will do so some time before his inauguration in DC, maybe not.
While we're at it, take a good close read of this Voice piece by Tom Robbins this week. It's a good, cold reality-check on what the run by the non-Huckabee Mike really entails.
Once again, it makes good sense here to employ the logic of Wonderland, since we're in it. Just assume Bloomberg is running and that his denials are outright lies until we see actual evidence that he is NOT going to be on the ballots. Colleagues who knew him in his (full-time) business days have said for years that the man likes to operate in secret until that is no longer possible. This itself could become a campaign issue in a democratic republic, of course. But the way it works is that he won't be called on his stealth operating style until he declares his candidacy to everybody, which ought to happen after he gets his strategy in order.
Dan Janison
For Immediate Release
January 10, 2008
Independence Party of America (IPOA) brings another state party into the fold: Virginia Independent Greens join IPOA
Frank MacKay, Chair of the Independence Party of America
(IPOA), Chair of the Independence Party of New York (IPNY) and Executive Director of the Reform Party of the United States of America (RPUSA), announced today that the Virginia Independent Greens, under the leadership of Chairman Carey Campbell, have reached an agreement to affiliate with the Independence Party of America.
The Virginia Independent Greens have the distinction of having in the field the first 2008 petition for Mayor Michael Bloomberg for President of the United States.
“We look forward to being part of this team, headed by Chairman MacKay, to ballot-access an independent presidential candidate who will move this country toward unification - and away from the polarization of the current two-party system in Washington,” says Chairman Campbell. “Of course, the candidate to do this is Mayor Mike Bloomberg.”
Virginia Independent Greens had not been aligned with any national party organization. The group has a long history of ballot-accessing-by-petition Virginia statewide candidates.
At meetings in Washington attended by Chairman MacKay, Chairman Campbell, Tom McLaughlin (Vice Chairman of the Independence Party of America and Chairman of the Reform Party of Pennsylvania), and Tom
Connolly (National Director for Ballot Access for the Independence Party of America and Vice Chair of the Independence Party of New York), the Virginia organization became the latest affiliate to join the expanding group of independent state organizations.
The Pennsylvania Reform Party, like Virginia Independents, has a
long history of ballot-accessing statewide candidates and, like Virginia, has affiliated with the IPOA.
“We have many organizations like these petition-access states headed our way, as well as over a dozen states that have instant ballot access,” says Chairman MacKay.
“Instant ballot access is achieved when a state party or a group of state parties, i.e. RPUSA, hold a presidential convention of state delegates and vote to nominate a presidential candidate,” explains Director for Ballot Access Connolly.
“We covered all options to bring together many states with independent movements toward the common goal of electing an Independent President of the United States,” adds Vice Chair McLaughlin.
-more-
Cont., IPOA brings another party into the fold
Today, Chairman MacKay leaves on a southern tour of Reform/Independent state organizations, several of which have instant ballot access. On January 26, the Independence Party of Minnesota will hold a meeting to affiliate with IPOA.
Our goal is to elect an Independent President and establish a new national party - a party of independence and reform.”
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