The Hankster

INDEPENDENT MOVEMENT
Ok, so the independent movement went left (by going right) -- a story that the MSM seems to have completely missed, and now the media is fixated on percentages of independents who now disapprove of Obama. Not so fast says Chris Cillizza in The Fix -- it's where independents will go in the midterms that the Dems have to watch out for!

• REVIEW of Committee for a Unified Independent Party President Jacqueline Salit's How the Independent Movement Went Left by Going Right by Darrel Manson in Hollywood Jesus - "Pop Culture from a Spiritual Point of View") NOTE: Darrel is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and a member of the Green Party, living in southern California.
• Independents edge away from Obama (By: Ben Smith, Politico) “This is a huge sea change that is playing itself out in American politics,” said Democratic pollster Doug Schoen. “Independents who had become effectively operational Democrats in 2006 and 2008 are now up for grabs and are trending Republican...."
• Independents backing away from Obama (By DOUG THOMPSON, Capitol Hill Blue)
• Not so fast, says Chris Cillizza -- Obama is still very strong among independents: The Most Important Number in Politics Today (Chris Cillizza, Washington Post/The Fix) It's the midterms you have to watch out for....
• Sarah Palin, crazy or brilliant (Joshua Lobdell, Detroit Conservative Examiner) Independent voters by a 55%-34% simply want Palin to leave the national stage...

CALIFORNIA OPEN PRIMARIES
Arnold goes up against California Teachers Association -- again!

• Schwarzenegger holds his ground on budget (Carla Marinucci, Matthew Yi, San Francisco Chronicle) Schwarzenegger's recent resolve may be a product of his short political timetable: He cannot run again because of term limits, but he is keenly concerned about his legacy - and eager to put reform measures like an open primary and a rainy day fund before voters.

NEW YORK CITY POLITICS
Democratic Party losing ground in the face of growing independent movement in NYC:

• Queens City Council member Tony Avella wants a bigger fight against Bloomberg than what Bill Thompson is putting up.... Little-known Democrat still in NYC mayor's race (SARA KUGLER, Newsday)
• Wayne Barrett: The Empty-Suit Board of Ed (By Wayne Barrett, Village Voice/Runnin Scared) To see how far we've come, the last Board of Ed president was Bill Thompson, who rode that job into his current position as comptroller. Robert Wagner and David Dinkins were Stringer predecessors whose records as Manhattan borough president carried them into Gracie Mansion, and former Bronx Borough president Fernando Ferrer was the last Democratic nominee for mayor. Now, not all the clowns are in Albany.

LAST WORD
What are all those Obama-istas up to now? The database still belongs to the DNC. But are they having conversations with their neighbors???

• An Army Untapped (By Harold Meyerson, Washington Post) This year, however, the administration has asked far less of that list and received, not surprisingly, far less in return. Organizing for America (formerly Obama for America), which maintains that list within the confines of the Democratic National Committee, has asked those 13 million Obamaites to "create a conversation within their communities," in the words of one DNC official.

Labels: Arnold Schwarenegger, Barack Obama, independent voters, Jacqueline Salit, Mayor Bloomberg, open primaries, polls

OPEN PRIMARIES
Voters will have to see through the mud that will be slung by the parties against open primaries in California

• Less than a year from now: Freedom from ideological gridlock? (By Thomas Elias, San Diego Source/Daily Transcript)

LOCAL INDEPENDENT POLITICS
Governor races start up -- and here are some interesting independent campaigns to watch:

• VA: Poll: McDonnell at 49% and Deeds at 43% (By Jim Nolan, Richmond Times Dispatch) According to Public Policy, McDonnell has picked up more support among independent voters and holds a 54-33 advantage over Deeds in that category.... Deeds has a 4-1 edge over McDonnell among blacks, who came out in unprecedented numbers last fall and helped Barack Obama carry the state.
• MA: Campaign 2010: Cahill to split party, switch to unenrolled (By Jim O’Sullivan/State House News Service, Bedford MA Minuteman)
• NE: Sen. White moves toward race with Terry (By Robynn Tysver, OMAHA WORLD-HERALD)
• FL: Lining up to be next governor of Florida (Historic City News) Peter Allen: The Riverview resident, 60, founded the Independence Party of Florida in 2001. The electrical contractor wants third parties to demand an open primary.

MJ

• "Would There Be A President Obama Without Michael Jackson?" (by Jim Buck, Jim Buck Blog)
• "I want his children to know there was nothing strange about your daddy, it was strange what your daddy had to deal with." - Rev. Al Sharpton yesterday at the Michael Jackson Memorial, Staples Center, L.A. (Politico)
  
  
  NEW YORK POLITICS
  2 independent State Senators speak out for reform: Sen. Pedro Espada has been joined by Sen. Frank Padavan in calling for fair rules for everyone in the NY State Senate...
  
• 30 DAYS – NO RESULTS-Senate mess enters second month (BY PETE DAVIS, Queens Courier)
• GOP has a plan; Espada said he knows Dems who are ready for vote for it (By DAVID LOMBARDO, Legislative Gazette)
• Golisano Defends Coup (Politics on the Hudson)
• Ending state Senate mess would be easy - Albany lawmakers just need to come together, right now (Bill Hammond, Daily News)
• Gov. urged to appoint No. 2, break Senate impasse-A Queens assemblyman, reform groups call on governor to appoint a lieutenant governor who could break tie in Senate, but some question the legality of such a move. (By Erik Engquist , Crains New York)

ELSEWHERE
No one expects much opposition to Judge Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court, endorsements are rolling in, but the jury is still out...

• Sotomayor's Critics and Fans (Posted by Prerana Swami , CBS News/Political Hotsheet)
• Bloomberg Steps Up (Again) For Sotomayor (Elizabeth Benjamin, Daily News/Daily Politics)

Labels: Florida Independence Party, Frank Padavan, independent voters, Massachusetts, Mayor Bloomberg, Michael Jackson, Nebraska, open primaries, Pedro Espada, Sotomayor, Virginia

For video of NYC Independence Party weekend petitioning, see Hankstertube NYC Independence Party July 4th Celebration

Labels: Fourth of July, Mayor Bloomberg, NYC Independence Party, petitioning

Just got home from a petitioning shift with Bronx IP activist Michelle Pepe (recent graduate of Iona College in New Rochelle, NY) in Queens County Council District 31. VERY successful shift - we brought home 9 in 4 hours!

Labels: Eric Ulrich, grassroots organizing, independent politics, Iona College, NYC Independence Party, NYC Republican Party, petitioning, Queens politics

What's shakin' on Fourth of July weekend?

Labels: independent voters, Mayor Bloomberg, open primaries, socialism

Hey hey Hanksteristas! I'll be out slogging around in the neighborhood tomorrow petitioning to put Mike Bloomberg on the ballot (as an independent, of course!) on the NYC Independence Party line.

Labels: Alaska Independence Party, Fourth of July, Hankster Friday Nite Chat

• Gallup finds independents ideologically diverse
• Open primaries: what California needs
• Romney would win 2012 Repub primary -- IF they shut down open primaries and keep out independents....
• New York fusion voting gives weight to third parties
• Where does Pedro Espada get all that chutzpa??
• Stop the presses! Political consultant gives up on "change"!
• Albany partisan struggles inside the parties
• How Mayor Bloomberg improved NYC schools
• Personal Democracy Forum -- personal and bi-partisan

Labels: California open primary, fusion voting, Gallup polls, independent voters, Mayor Bloomberg, Mitt Romney, New York State Senate, Pedro Espada, Personal Democracy Forum

• California parties scurry in face of demand for open primaries...
• New York mayoral control faces deadline in Albany

Labels: Abel Maldonado, independent voters, Mayor Bloomberg, mayoral control, New York City schools, open primaries

Sunday, June 28, 2009

To Our Readers: Talk/Talk will take a summer break for the month of July. Back in August. Happy Independence Day and have a great month! Jackie Salit *************************************************** Every week CUIP's president Jacqueline Salit and strategist/philosopher Fred Newman watch the political talk shows and discuss them. Here are excerpts from their dialogues compiled on Sunday, June 28, 2009 after watching selections from "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," "The Chris Matthews Show," "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" and several Charlie Rose interviews. Salit: And how do you feel about the characterizations that some people are giving that the Iranian regime is fragile? Newman: Regimes have been called fragile and then lasted for centuries. I don't know what that's supposed to mean. I don't know if it's fragile or not. Salit: Meaning that the fact there are hundreds of thousands of people in the streets doesn't necessarily equal fragility. Newman: In a more democratic society, having that many people out in the street protesting, would be an indicator of fragility. But Iran is not that kind of democratic society. Salit: Millions protested the Vietnam War, Lyndon Johnson was forced to withdraw from a re-election bid and the Democratic Party lost the White House in 1968. Read Talk Talk in its entirety here.

Labels: Fred Newman, Iran protest, Jacqueline Salit, Talk Talk, Tiger Woods

• Independent gov in Michigan's future?
• Sotomayor has 64% independent support for Supreme Court confirmation
• Political Common Sense for America: The Creation of the Franklin Party By Brian Boeheim (NEW BOOK EXPLORES THE NON-‘SENSE’ IN PARTISANSHIP–Republicans vs. Democrats, Left Wing vs. Right Wing, Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off!) from HotIndieNews.com
• Check out Mayor Bloomberg at the Personal Democracy Forum 2009 yesterday -- Mike talks about politics then and now... via Skype from Jazz at Lincoln Center

Labels: independent governor, independent voters, Mayor Bloomberg, Sonia Sotomayor

Labels: #pdf09, Andrew Rasiej, Democracy, government, Mayor Bloomberg, Personal Democracy Forum, technology

Is Ralph Nader now ready to play well with others, including Cynthia McKinney and Jackie Salit? Check out new blog Free Obama (Resist the Borg, Restore the Republic) hosted by Open Source pioneer Robert David STEELE Vivas... A book review of The Grand Illusion: The Myth of Voter Choice in a Two-Party Tyranny by Theresa Amato.

Labels: Fred Newman, FreeObama.org, Grand Illusion, independent voters, Jacqueline Salit, open primaries, Ralph Nader, Ron Paul, Talk Talk, Theresa Amato

I'm somewhat surprised at the heft of emotion that I feel at Michael Jackson's death yesterday.

Labels: conservatism, Larry King, Man in the Middle, Michael Jackson, Morning Joe, The Hankster, weirdness

• Russia Today: Americans want to throw off the partisan straightjacket
• Independents of faith must remain independent in the midst of politician sex scandals
• California reform
• New York City mayoral control of schools -- Bloomberg warns of chaos without it, Black Star News warns of educational apartheid, and Randi Weingarten quits UFT to go national

Labels: independent voters, Mayor Bloomberg, mayoral control, open primaries

• WSJ: independent voters are the canaries in the mine of American politics...
• Log Cabin Repubs endorse Mayor Bloomberg...
• Gov Paterson orders NY Senate to meet
• Independent Pennsylvanian says: Sign the petition for Open Primaries!! (Letter to Pocono Record)
• Mayor Villaraigosa supports open primaries!
• NYC schools doing better -- Bloomberg's case for mayoral control

Labels: Governor Paterson, independent voters, Log Cabin Republicans, Mayor Bloomberg, Pedro Espada

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• A Nation of Independent Voters (Canada Free Press- By Daniel Greenfield)
• Sotomayor under attack for strength (Caller Times.com - Corpus Christi)
• Ron Paul, Pat Choate Praise “Grand Illusion: The Myth of Voter Choice in a Two-Party Tyranny” (Ballot Access News)

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Opinion: Leadership and courage are what's missing in Sacramento (By Abel Maldonado, Special to the Mercury News)

BLOOMBERG 09

• A big opportunity for small biz (Crains New York) It's appropriate to thank Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Ms. Quinn for what they've accomplished—and to ensure they understand it's just a start.
• The Banana Republic of NY Public Schools (Huffington Post) Here's what the teachers are saying
• Mayor Bloomberg's school control bill gets first Democrat support in Brooklyn Sen. Daniel Squadron (BY KENNETH LOVETT, DAILY NEWS)

Labels: independent voters, Mayor Bloomberg, mayoral control, open primaries, Sonia Sotomayor

Labels: Capitalist Manifesto, independent voters, Mayor Bloomberg, open primaries, Pedro Espada, political reform