Nueva amenaza de los llamados bipartisanos

Vuelven las especulaciones sobre una hipotética candidatura independiente encabezada por el Alcalde Michael Bloomberg, de Nueva York. Todo debido a una reunión prevista a celebrar la semana que viene en la Universidad de Oklahoma entre viejas glorias venidas a menos de ambos partidos. La cita incluye entre los demócratas, ex Senadores como Sam Nunn -antiguo Presidente del Comité de Defensa del Senado-, Chuck Robb -hierno del Presidente Johnson- o el ex candidato presidencial Gary Hart, y entre los republicanos figuras independientes como Chuck Hagel o Bill Brock. Está por ver si existe una verdadera determinación por lanzarse a la carrera con una plataforma propia, o es sólo un paripé para hacerse escuchar. Bipartisan Group Eyes Independent Bid

(...) New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, a potential independent candidate for president, has scheduled a meeting next week with a dozen leading Democrats and Republicans, who will join him in challenging the major-party contenders to spell out their plans for forming a "government of national unity" to end the gridlock in Washington.

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.

Boren, who will host the meeting at the university, where he is president, said: "It is not a gathering to urge any one person to run for president or to say there necessarily ought to be an independent option. But if we don't see a refocusing of the campaign on a bipartisan approach, I would feel I would want to encourage an independent candidacy." (...)