Hotline On Call notes Republican Senator Chuck Hagel, the latest subject of third party presidential hype, floated the idea during an interview with the Washington Post:
Hagel said in a wide-ranging interview this week that he is discussing his options with his family and other confidants and will make a decision in the next six weeks.
He said one possibility is forming a presidential exploratory committee and — despite his outcast position within his party — seeking the Republican nomination. Or he may seek a third Senate term. Then again, he might take a more creative path.
Hagel joked during the interview about teaming up with New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, a moderate Republican, and also floated the possibility of joining a bipartisan unity ticket with a Democrat — with his name first, of course.
As Hotline points out, the “bipartisan unity ticket” Hagel referenced is code for Unity ’08, the third party group I mocked back in December. Will he go through with it? I’m skeptical. Posturing as a maverick in the Senate is easier than putting your career on the line by challenging your own party’s nominee.
Update 1/27 7:00 PM: The Washingtonian adds more silly hype:
If the 2008 presidential election turns out to be close, a few thousand votes here or there could sway the results—so both parties are working to stop a third-party bid.
Democratic strategists are concerned that a challenge from the left might undermine a centrist Hillary Rodham Clinton candidacy. Republican strategists are equally worried that if Rudy Giuliani, Mitt Romney, or John McCain becomes the nominee, he might face a challenge from a right-wing anti-immigration candidate.
Who might play the role of spoiler in 2008?
Republicans around McCain have been watching CNN’s Lou Dobbs, who has been gaining popularity on TV with his anti-immigrant, anticorporate comments and segments like “Broken Borders” and “Exporting America.” It isn’t lost on political watchers that Dobbs is urging his viewers to switch their affiliation to “independent” to protest the corporate backing of both parties.
Author/globalization expert Ted Fishman says Dobbs is offering “the most direct assault on American big business by an establishment figure since Dwight D. Eisenhower took on the military-industrial complex.”
New York City mayor Michael Bloomberg is another strong contender for a center-right independent bid—he could write any size check to fund a campaign, and a bipartisan team at Unity ’08 is working to line up ballot access that might ease the way for a third-party run. Bloomberg has been reaching out across the aisle to Democrats like Al From, who heads the centrist Democratic Leadership Council.
On the left, rebel union leader Andy Stern, head of the powerful Service Employees International Union that led the breakup of the AFL-CIO, could leave the Democrats if he feels workers aren’t being represented. Stern’s made no secret of his disdain for both parties, and his 1.8 million members would provide the army for a grassroots outside-the-system bid. In a not-so-subtle warning, Stern is scheduling a trip to New Hampshire and Iowa at the end of January as part of a book tour.
Why would Stern enter knowing that he would be guaranteeing Republicans a victory? That’s ridiculous. The same with Bloomberg — the businessman in him will realize that he would spend hundreds of millions and still lose. And Dobbs would have to give up his show on CNN, which I assume he is loathe to do.