Gathering to Discuss Independent White House Run

Gathering to Discuss Independent White House Run

New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who has been pondering an independent White House bid, will join a dozen leading Democrats and Republicans next week at a meeting "challenging the major-party contenders to spell out their plans for forming a 'government of national unity' to end the gridlock in Washington," according to the Washington Post.

"Those who will be at the Jan. 7 session at the University of Oklahoma say that if the likely nominees of the two parties do not pledge to 'go beyond tokenism' in building an administration that seeks national consensus, they will be prepared to back Bloomberg or someone else in a third-party campaign for president."

"Conveners of the meeting include such prominent Democrats as former senators Sam Nunn (Ga.), Charles S. Robb (Va.) and David L. Boren (Okla.), and former presidential candidate Gary Hart. Republican organizers include Sen. Chuck Hagel (Neb.), former party chairman Bill Brock, former senator John Danforth (Mo.) and former New Jersey governor Christine Todd Whitman."

December 30, 2007