At the time I wrote that piece it was unclear if they were serious at all. There's a lot of money to be made in organizing groups like this and the argument is tailormade to appeal to wealthy donors who yearn for things like "entitlement reform" (especially privatization of Social Security and Medicare) and what they call "common sense" solutions to difficult issues like climate change. But it's not just about the money, that much is clear. The group has actually started holding events to sell their idea of a unity ticket.
On Monday, they hosted one in New Hampshire featuring everyone's favorite Senate diva, Democrat Joe Manchin of West Virginia, along with a congenial bucket of warm water, former Republican Utah governor Jon Huntsman. They called their gathering a "Common Sense Townhall," showing that they have a great sense of humor if nothing else. The GOP is going to run Donald Trump for president, a man who was twice impeached, tried to illegally overturn the election and is now looking at his third indictment in less than a year — and he's polling very close to Joe Biden. The idea that it's common sense for any Democrat or moderate Republican to run a third-party candidacy at a time when we are facing one of the most serious political challenges in our history is very dark comedy. There has never been a worse time to do something like this.
