Boren: Chances of Bloomberg bid less than 50 percent

Former Sen. David Boren (D-Okla.) said there is less than a 50-50 chance that a third party bipartisan presidential ticket will be launched this year.
            
Boren, who has helped spearhead a bipartisan drive to push the Democratic and Republican presidential candidates to detail their plans for a government of national unity, said it is possible that a candidate like New York City Mayor Mike Bloomberg could launch an independent bid.
            
{mosads}However, Boren said during an interview on C-SPAN’s “Newsmakers” program that it is not his group’s first choice to have Bloomberg or another unity candidate challenge the Democratic and Republican nominees. Boren said the chances of such a bid are “not as negligible” as 5 percent but less than 50 percent. He later said during the interview that the chances are “far less than 50-50.”
            
The primary goal of the Boren/Nunn effort is to persuade the presidential nominees and other political leaders to make changes to the nation’s political system, which they claim has become too partisan. They also want the White House hopefuls to commit to a bipartisan Cabinet.
            
Boren, who has not endorsed a presidential candidate, suggested he was pleased that voters in Iowa this week embraced the message of change in Washington. Both Iowa victors — Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee (R) — have vowed to change how Washington operates.
            
Asked about President Bush’s 2000 campaign pledge to become a uniter and not a divider, Boren said it will be important for his group to make sure that the next president follows through on unity promises. Boren said Bush was a uniter as a governor in Texas but was unable to bring that bipartisan spirit to the nation’s capital.
            
Bloomberg will be among the 16 prominent figures attending a bipartisan summit on Jan. 6 and 7 at the University of Oklahoma. Boren, a former governor who served in the Senate from 1979 to 1994, is the president of the University of Oklahoma. He organized the meeting along with former Sen. Sam Nunn (D-Ga.).
            
Boren said there is a chance that Bloomberg may opt not to run and that another candidate will lead the unity ticket. But without the benefit of the resources that the billionaire Bloomberg has, it is doubtful that a unity ticket could gain significant political traction.

While Boren has reportedly said he would not serve on the unity ticket, Nunn has not ruled it out.
            
Bloomberg has repeatedly said he is not running for president though his decision to leave the Republican Party to become an independent last June and his scheduled attendance at Monday’s meeting has triggered  speculation that he will seek the White House this year.
            
Others who are expected to attend include Sen. Chuck Hagel (R-Neb.), former Defense Secretary William Cohen, and former Sen. Bob Graham (D-Fla.).
            
Boren stressed that his group’s effort is also aimed at changing the partisan atmosphere on Capitol Hill though he acknowledged that that is no easy task.
            
The interview airs on C-SPAN on Sunday at 10 a.m. and 6 p.m.