Unity08 to meet in S. Fla. to back independent presidential ticket

By Anthony Man | Sun-Sentinel.com
1:25 PM EDT, July 17, 2007

South Floridians are hoping to generate local interest in a national movement to change presidential politics.

Unity08, which has support on the national level from people who've been involved in Democratic and Republicans candidates, hopes to propel an independent ticket into the White House next year.

Locally, organizers plan to get people from Broward and Palm Beach counties involved and will hold a public meeting Thursday evening.

Helping lead the effort is Jake Jacobson, who lives west of Boca Raton.

He said Unity08 is finally the way to do something about the "broken political system." The idea is to come up with a presidential and vice presidential candidate from each party, and, using the Internet, try to get that person elected.

"We are going to eliminate the dollars that are involved in politics and we are going to end the gridlock and paralysis that are caused by lobbying and actual bribery," Jacobson said.

To those who say it's not realistic to end the dominance of the Democratic and Republican parties, Jacobson responds: "This wall is going to come down because the will of the people must be heard, not the will of the politicians, not the will of the lobbyists. If 63 million could vote for American Idol, more than any presidential candidate has ever gotten, then we can surely get 15 million people" for the planned Internet nominating convention next year.

The plan is to find candidates who articulate solutions to problems.

"We're not interested in wedge issues," Jacobson said. "We're interested in getting the Iraq war straightened out, oil independence and Social Security and Medicare addressed, and not pushed aside the way the immigration issue has been pushed aside."

The first South Florida gathering is Thursday. It's open to anyone, said Jacobson. "We're not interested in party affiliations."

The organizational meeting is at 7 p.m. at the clubhouse at the Boca Pointe Country Club, 7144 Boca Pointe Drive. That's off Powerline Road between Palmetto Park Road and Hillsboro Boulevard.

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