Transcript Staff Writer

American voters seem ready for the bipartisan political forum scheduled at the University of Oklahoma Monday. The event is designed to urge presidential candidates to unite the country's polarized political parties.

Recent elections underscore that need, political scientists say. The results of the Iowa caucuses show U.S. voters want a leader who can reach across party lines, said Ron Peters, OU regents professor of political science.

Both Mike Huckabee and Barack Obama, while definitely conservative and liberal, have used a rhetoric of moderation and change, and voters responded to that, he said.

After Iowa, "the most conservative Republicans and liberal Democrats are pretty much out of (the race) now."

The forum at OU -- scheduled before the Iowa vote -- is a call for presidential candidates to be more moderate and bipartisan. More than a dozen influential Republicans and Democrats will attend the meeting hosted by OU President David Boren and former U.S Senator Sam Nunn of Georgia.

After it was announced that New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg was attending the event, several political columnists speculated that Bloomberg may use the forum as a platform to launch an independent bid for president.

But it seems more likely "there isn't a hidden agenda" to this forum, said Pat Hall, a political consultant and former CEO of the Oklahoma Democratic Party.

"The timing of this is some people who think alike are getting together in a very neutral place -- Norman, Oklahoma -- and trying to send a message to the two parties," Hall said.

In fact, Boren has always pushed for a more civilized and bipartisan way of doing politics, said Marc Nuttle, an attorney and Norman-based political consultant.

"He was always willing to push the envelope for change, and this isn't the first time he and Sen. Nunn have spoken up and out," Hall said.

Boren has said the forum was scheduled so the statements made would not seem like a reaction to any particular candidate.

The timing might be just right for the American people, too.

"Everybody's open to change, people want answers," Nuttle said.

The fact is that most Americans see a problem with politics in national politics. Hall cited a poll showing nearly 80 percent of Americans are unhappy with the partisanship in Washington.

Nuttle agreed.

"There's no question that there's a problem in D.C. that requires adjustment," Nuttle said.

Oklahoma's Fourth District Rep. Tom Cole, R-Moore, said the forum's goals would be a "contribution to the public dialogue."

"We're in the middle of a big political cycle and a big political year," Cole said. "And anytime someone steps up and reminds politicians that they are Americans first and Republicans or Democrats second that's a useful thing to be reminded of."

This isn't the first time America has gone through a big political change, Nuttle said. Former President Ronald Reagan's "Time for Choosing" speech in 1964 set the U.S. at a crossroads.

"We had to decide what kind of country we wanted to be," Nuttle said. "The country made its choice and headed down the path of less government until 2004, when that political era ended. Now the U.S. is at another crossroads and needs to decide again which path to take."

"The issues aren't clear-cut or short-term," he said, "so the country needs political leaders who can look at serious issues without petty biases."

Guests at the forum will begin arriving this afternoon. They will discuss a statement calling for political unification at a private meeting Monday morning at Boren's official OU residence, Boyd House. The statement will be presented and each guest will have the opportunity to speak at a public discussion and press conference 11 a.m. at Catlett Music Center.

Whatever the outcome, the fact that the forum was held is significant enough for political experts like Peters.

"This is the first event of its type that I know of where you have Democrats and Republicans coming together and saying 'Enough is enough,'" he said.

Julianna Parker

366-3541

jparker@normantranscript.com