Starting Point - Central Sanity

I have to start over, here -- Pete Abel's article "Starting Point" is where I said it was, but what is central to my point is that what I called Insanity is actually Sanity.... and in a world gone mad... (My apology to Pete!)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

Georgia: Helen Blocker Adams is the catalyst for change Augusta politics needs
The Bloomberg Model
Virginia: Instant Run-Off Voting
Anti-Incumbents are mad as hell!
Florida: Independent voters on the rise!
Starting Point - Mid-life political crisis
New York: Spitzer on "C" = no blank check from New York City

Georgia: Helen Blocker Adams is the catalyst for change Augusta politics needs

The Augusta Chronicle has endorsed independent candidate for District 120 representative Nov. 7:
"She's a proven consensus builder, not only in her professional life but in her very active civic life: She is, for example, the force behind the popular and growing South Augusta Business at Breakfast networking association. And in her race for mayor last year, she proved eminently capable of crossing lines, both racial and partisan, to get things done."

Go, Helen!!!

The Bloomberg Model

Azi Paybarah had something to say about the New York Spitzer on C campaign in the New York Observer blog The Politicker and links to The Hankster:

He says the Independence Party is "still trying to get their piece of Spitzer's success, urging voters to bolster the party's relevance by voting for him on Row C.
"Don't Give Him a Blank Check," N. Hanks wrote on this site."

Uhh, wouldn't that be Spitzer trying to get a piece of the success of base-building in New York City by Independence Party activists? After all, independents are the ones with the votes, which presumably Mr. Spitzer wants.

The vote on Column C is a vote for non-partisan governance, and a vote for ordinary New Yorkers, and a challenge to the Democratic Party clubhouse.... -NH

Virginia: Instant Run-Off Voting

Runoff voting - good for Virginia?Voices, by Nathan Larson, The Augusta Free Press:
This Election Day, 1.5 million voters in Minneapolis, Pierce County, Wash., Davis, Calif., and Oakland, Calif., will decide whether they want to switch to a new voting system called Instant Runoff Voting, or IRV. I hope these measures pass. IRV can help ensure majority rule and prevent third-party candidates from becoming spoilers....

We support the endorsement, but the value of IRV is to serve voters. IRV in a NON-PARTISAN race can help elect the choice of voters, not the parties. -NH

Anti-Incumbents are mad as hell!

A new site added to The Hankster blogroll is Robert Fowler's Anti-Incumbents.com. Please pay them a visit!

Florida: Independent voters on the rise!

Independent voters fastest-growing segment of the electorate in Florida
BY MARC CAPUTO
mcaputo@MiamiHerald.com
''It's the same stuff, year after year,'' he said. ``This election probably isn't much different.''
Except in this regard: The political parties are turning off people such as Panopoulas, who, as an independent voter, is part of the fastest-growing segment of the electorate in Florida and, most dramatically, in Flagler......


'Other' voters could hold keyFlorida candidates go after independentsBy Betty Parker
News Press (Southwest Florida): Their numbers are growing faster than any other voting group, but how to win independent voters remains a big question as the Nov. 7 election approaches.

BY THE NUMBERS State voter totals:• Republican: 3,937,203• Democrat: 4,236,949• Other: 2,274,739*Although Democrats have more registered voters, the GOP majority in the state House and Senate, Congress, the Cabinet and governor's seat, as well as the numbers voting for President Bush, put the state in the Republican column.Lee County• Republican: 152,869• Democrat: 93,343• Other: 78,079

Starting Point

New on The Hankster blogroll Central Insanity: Read Pete Abel's thoughts on his "midlife political crisis"... I think he speaks for a lot of us!

New York: Spitzer on "C" = no blank check from New York City

DON'T GIVE HIM A BLANK CHECK! VOTE FOR ELIOT SPITZER ON COLUMN C, the Independence Party line.

We have to ask, how can ordinary voters in New York benefit from Eliot Spitzer's impending win in the gov race? Well, here’s the plan: Mr. Spitzer is not only running as a Democrat, he also sought and was given the Independence Party line—Column C. The good thing about the Spitzer on C vote is that it allows the voices of ordinary New Yorkers to be heard. It's the continuation of the Bloomberg revolution of 2005, when the Mayor received 75,000 votes on Column C and 47% of the black vote went outside the box. That was a strong demand by voters for non-partisan leadership, for leadership that cares more about New Yorkers than about the corrupt two-party system. That's a revolution worth continuing. -NH

California: Independent voters on the rise!

CALIFORNIA'S CHOICE Winning over the voters is a question of good timing, John Wildermuth, San Francisco Chronicle: ..."Back when 58 or 59 percent of the voters called themselves Democrats, you could win by appealing just to your party,'' [Tony Quinn] said. "But now only about 43 percent of the registered voters are Democrats, and independent voters reject that strident partisanship.'' .... But the Iraq war has virtually disappeared from Angelides' recent speeches as polling showed that Schwarzenegger's popularity was rising even as concerns about the war grew. ....

More voters turned off by party extremes, California registers growing number of independents, By Mark Baldassare and David Lesher - Special to the Sacramento Bee: As the major political parties fall further out of vogue with new voters in California, Republican and Democratic candidates are finding it difficult to call on the party loyal for support on Election Day.
Democrats and Republicans are declining, and the number of voters belonging to third parties, including Green, Libertarian, Natural Law, and Peace and Freedom, are shrinking. But there are growing numbers of independent voters or those who "decline to state" their party when they register to vote. These trends have been under way since the early 1990s and seem to have accelerated after voters ousted Democratic Gov. Gray Davis and replaced him with Republican Arnold Schwarzenegger in 2003.
Since then, the ranks of independent voters have swelled by about 415,000. Meanwhile, there are about 164,000 fewer voters in the two major parties. Today, 43 percent of voters are Democrats, 34 percent are Republicans, 4 percent belong to one of the other parties and 19 percent are independents, according to last month's data from the California secretary of state. With no party in the majority, the large group of independents will decide many statewide candidate races and ballot measures....

Texas: Teachers for Strayhorn

Corpus Christi teachers say yes to one tough grandma, KRIS-TV

Minnesota: A tale of three parties....

For governor, Peter Hutchinson, Pioneer Press: In an era of partisan vitriol and mind-numbing personal attack, we find Minnesotans actually agree on quite a few big things, including the central importance of education, transportation, health care and the environment to the state's well-being. We expect government to be a player in those areas and are ready to put the can't-agree-ons aside, at least for the time being.
We want to get something done.
And we think there is a wonky, non-office-holding fellow, Peter Hutchinson of the Independence Party of Minnesota, who has the best chance to put this consensus into practice....


Editorial: Hatch offers state needed change, Minneapolis Star Tribune: If the governor's office could be won by issuing the best position papers, Independence Party candidate Peter Hutchinson would win. ...


Two opponents team up against Ellison in debate, Minneapolis Star Tribune: Fifth District contenders debate character and fitness for office. Ellison talks about experience, while others have questions.Rochelle Olson, Star TribuneLast update: October 28, 2006 – 6:31 PMThe debate turned to personal problems when the candidates were asked whether they would repeal President Bush's tax cuts. Ellison said he would. Lee said she would for the top tiers. Fine said the cuts should be made permanent and then he said of Ellison, "It's easy to ... increase taxes when you don't pay your own."...

Pennsylvania: Independent voters on the rise!

Registration on the rise BY MICHAEL P. BUFFER, Citizens Voice:
...there are 777 more registered Democrats in Luzerne County than there were in May, 155 more registered Republicans and 444 new third-party or independent voters. ...

Florida: Independent voters on the rise!

Independent, minor-party voters crashing election party, by NICHOLAS AZZARA, Bradenton Herald:
...the number of registered Independent and minor party voters has grown by 50 percent in Manatee County during the past six years....

Connecticut: The Bloomberg advantage

Lieberman Gets Assist From N.Y. Mayor, by ANDREW MIGA, The Associated Press, Washington Post:
The mayor has also dispatched several campaign operatives to Connecticut to help Lieberman reach GOP and independent voters as the race closes....

Massachusetts: How much can Christy Mihos pull together?

Can an independent candidate win the governor's race? By Heather Schultz, Milford Daily News: The latest polls put Mihos at 9 percent. Green-Rainbow Party candidate Grace Ross lingers at around 2 percent. But political experts say Mihos may have more going for himself than the usual independent candidate....

P.S.
It's not too late for Mr. Mihos to campaign for Question 2 - fusion voting for Massachusetts...

Maryland: Independent voters on the rise

Unaffiliated voters could tip the outcome in a very tight contest, by Larry Carson, Baltimore Sun: Howard County also has about 33,000 registered unaffiliated voters, and C. Stephen Wallis, the independent candidate, is the wild card in the mix.....

National: What's a Centrist?

The Austin Centrist advocates for a centrist movement....

Massachusetts: Vote Yes on Question 2

Endorsement from the Patriot Ledger for the fusion voting referendum....

Race & Politics: Does the code still work?

Eugene Robinson questions the old Southern election race code in his article today in the Washington Post. Due in part to independent voters, Harold Ford is closing in on the race in Tennessee that might make him the first African American elected to the Senate from the South since Reconstruction....

And Earl Ofari Hutchinson writes in the Huffington Post about the prospects of a Barak Obama presidential run in 2008.....

Meanwhile, Fred Newman comments this week in Talk Talk: "Yes, it’s changing, all politics are changing and black politics and white politics are inseparable. Always have been, always will be. This is an American issue. There aren’t black issues and white issues in America. There are black and white issues in America. You mentioned Novak’s remarks about Hillary Clinton. This is a theme now in politics – Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton. And it is a part of American history, it’s the continuation of what has been a long-term 200 year old fight between blacks and women on who’s going to go first, electorally.... "

California: Where are the independents going?

From California Majority Report -- Will Arnold or Angelides swing independents? Jim Mangia, of California's IndependentVoice, says Angelides reached out to indies with a response to their survey.... And from the New York Times -- did Karl Rove take independents for granted?

Texas: Now's the time to shake up Austin with Carole Keeton Strayhorn

From a comment on the Hankster:
Gov. Perry and Lt. Gov. Dewhurst, who sit on the Texas Bond Review Board, have been trying to use money from Texas Mobility Fund ONLY to fund TOLL roads. The one who has prevented Perry's travesty is the third member of the board -- Carole Keeton Strayhorn. She is the only candidate with a viable plan to terminate the contract with Cintra-Zachry. She is endorsed by the San Antonio Toll Party. Please vote for Strayhorn for governor.

New York: Now is the time for Spitzer supporters to vote Column C

From Zogby International Wednesday:

Among independent voters, 53% support Spitzer * , while 20% would vote for Faso, 14% for Green Party Candidate Malachy McCourt and 8% supporting Libertarian John Clifton.

Among independent voters, 38% would vote for Clinton, 24% for Spencer, 21% for Green Party candidate Howie Hawkins and 5% for Libertarian candidate Jeff Russell.

Among independent voters, 31% would vote for Cuomo, 25% for Pirro, 17% for Green Party candidate Rachel Treichler and 11% for Libertarian Chris Garvey.

53% of independents were skeptical of the value of debates and believe debates are carefully staged political events that offer little new information about the candidates, compared with 32% of independents who see some value because they offer voters a chance to compare candidates side by side.

* A vote for Eliot Spitzer on Column C is a vote for political reform....

A special message from the New York City leaders of the Independence Party

Dear Fellow New Yorker,

Election Day is Tuesday, November 7th, 2006. Eliot Spitzer is going to win - everyone knows that. He will be New York's next Governer. The only question is, how will he win.

Eilot Spitzer and David Paterson are running on the Democratic Party line and the Independence Party line -- Column "C" on the ballot. Voters get to choose how to vote and while the votes are tallied together in the end, where they are cast makes a difference.

If you vote for Spitzer on the Democratic line (Column "B") you are giving him a blank check. If you vote for him on Column "C" it's like sending him a telegram that says "We don't want a partisan Governor. We want reform. And we'll be watching you".

Traditionally, New York City does not get its fair share from Albany. We get taken for granted. Remember the protracted court case around school funding? Voters in NYC began to impact on that when we elected a nonpartisan Mayor, Mike Bloomberg, who was willing to take on Albany and the two parties to help us get our fair share. That was the Bloomberg revolution and we need to keep that going.

Every vote we cast for Spitzer and Paterson on Column "C" sends a powerful message that we the voters want them to govern not as loyal Democrats, but as leaders who are loyal to all the voters of New York. It's a way of demanding a new kind of politics in this state.

Please join us in voting for Eilot Spitzer on Column "C" and join the campaign team by talking with your friends and family about voting for Spitzer on "C".

For more information, please call 212-962-1699, or email The Hankster

National: Independent voters need to speak up for everyone

Independent Voters Favor Democrats by 2 to 1 in Poll
Iraq War Cited Most Often As Top Issue for Elections
By Dan Balz and Jon CohenWashington Post
"....Just 22 percent of independents voting for Democrats are doing so "very enthusiastically."....

With the Dems poised to sweep Congress and even some statewide races, independents need to speak up now more than ever for an end to partisanship and the corruption that has been bred by the two-party system. If there's one thing we've learned, replacing Repubs with Dems won't make a dime's worth of difference in national policy. The voices of the American people need to be heard, and it's independents who can and need to speak up. -NH

independent voters

Inside Zebster: Anti-incumbent fever or anti-majority?

Inside Zebster: Anti-incumbent fever or anti-majority?
So while you're frustrated, angry and ready to kick the "bad guys" out by voting against the Republicans, realize that you're only doing half the job.....

Indie Castle: Digital Revolutionary Pamphlateers

Indie Castle: Why I blog

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

Massachusetts: Christy Mihos could learn from Mike Bloomberg....
Massachusetts: Fusion voting and IRV
Missouri: The independent voting constituency
Connecticut: Lamont invests more money.....
Minnesota: Independence Party hangs tough

Massachusetts: Christy Mihos could learn from Mike Bloomberg....

Going it alone's not easy
By REBECCA FATER, Lowell Sun Statehouse Bureau

......"Bloomberg didn't just (appeal to Independents) in the sense of saying, 'There are a million Independents in New York and I'm your candidate,' " said Salit. "He built a coalition that made a very clear statement to the public that he was going outside the box."
Salit said an Independent candidate needs to prove to the populace that the campaign isn't just about himself or herself: It's about improving the political climate and quality of life for voters.
Unfortunately for Mihos, a large number of voters who believe his campaign is all about Mihos getting revenge on the Republican administration for not reappointing him to the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority Board, where he first blew the whistle on the Big Dig. ......

Massachusetts: Fusion voting and IRV

One Candidate, Many Parties
Massachusettes voters should choose “Yes” on fusion voting
Published On Monday, October 23, 2006
By THE HARVARD CRIMSON

Voters "...are left with a dismal decision: a Democrat or Republican that they moderately support, or a third-party candidate whom they enthusiastically support but who does not stand a chance of being elected. And if they do opt to vote symbolically for the third party, there is a chance that doing so will help elect their least desirable candidate by siphoning a vote away from a mainstream candidate.

But there’s a solution which, while not a panacea, will go a long way towards solving both of these problems. It’s called “fusion voting.” ....

Missouri: The independent voting constituency

Nodler vs. Wright
The Joplin Globe
By Susan Redden
Joplin Globe
"Yet, Independent candidates have a "constituency" among potential voters who do not identify themselves as Republicans or Democrats, said Jackie Salit, political director with the Committee for a Unified Independent Party...."

Connecticut: Lamont invests more money.....

Lamont Gives $2M to Flagging Campaign
By ANDREW MIGA
The Associated Press, Washington Post
Saturday, October 21, 2006

....What's the cost of reaching process-oriented independent voters?

Minnesota: Independence Party is hanging tough

Party of Jesse Ventura Vies to Be More
The Big Two Dwarf Minnesota's Independence Party, but It Refuses to Fade
By Conrad deFiebre
Minneapolis Star Tribune

Texas: Strayhorn for everyone!

Houston Chronicle endorses Carole Keeton Strayhorn..... "Strayhorn is running as an independent, portraying herself as an outsider who wants to give Austin a jolt. In one sense that is true. She would bring a fresh style of leadership to the executive branch. But it should be remembered that Strayhorn is no novice when it comes to working the levers of government...."

Minnesota: IRV

Voters in Minneapolis will decide on Instant Runoff Voting.... (from KARE 11)

Connecticut: Lamont vs. Lieberman

From the New York Post - Lieberman up in the polls..... as the New York Observer Politicker tells us how....

The Center cannot hold

John Harwood in the Wall Street Journal tells us that "Prevailing political wisdom holds that the only things that matter are each party's "base" -- that there is no center anymore, and no more swing voters worth chasing...."

Of course in a two-party frame-work, as Jackie Salit put it on Fox News Heartland with John Kasich last week, the concern of the political establishment is with the outcome of the elections. As independents come together and stand up for the country, neither party will recognize this base because it's not in their interest...

Carole Keeton Strayhorn -- the alternative to the Trans Texas Corridor mess

The Trans-Texas Corridor (TTC) project championed by Gov. Rick Perry will bring about mass evictions of Texans from their homes, farms, and ranches. This is the largest land-grab in Texas history. Perry plans to force Texas families from their homes, kicking and screaming, so a foreign company can profit for the next 50 years. And, the details of the land grab are still being withheld from the public, for more than a year. Learn more at www.StopPerry.com

Texas Governor Debate

Kinky, Ricky, Grandma, Bell. The only debate for this years Texas Governor race from Oct. 6th.

Christy Mihos on Jim Pillsbury "Live" from the Knotty Pine cafe' #192

A conversation with Independent Candidate for Gov Christy Mihos

GO TO GOOGLE VIDEO....

Christy Mihos Big Dig Commercial

This is the Christy Mihos commercial that has been in the news. Produced by Bill Hillsman of Northwoods Advertising, it's caused quite a stir in Massachusetts. The commercial depicts Christy asking the Bechtel engineers and politicians why the Big Dig is billions of dollars over budget. The engineers and politicians do what they do best.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

Massachusetts: Mihos, where's Question 2?
Vermont: Politicians have failed the country
Wisconsin: Sick of do-nothing politicians!
Illinois: You call this a choice?
VIDEO: Jackie Salit on The Heartland with John Kasich

Massachusetts: Mihos, where's Question 2?

'Wild card' candidate Mihos out to beat two-party blues
By Jack Spillane, Standard-Times in South Coast Today, Oct. 18
"He supports abortion rights, same-sex marriage and reform of state campaign finance laws. He opposes granting driver's licenses or in-state tuition to illegal immigrants..... "

Vermont: Politicians have failed the country

From the Bennington Banner -- Independent candidate for Congress Keith Stern is taking on the major party candidates - no distinction between the parties.....

Wisconsin: Sick of do-nothing politicians!

James Hamer from Montello, WI, in a letter to the editor to the Capital Times in Madison, says it's time to get rid of the Dems and Repubs...

Jackie Salit on The Heartland with John Kasich

Jackie Salit, an expert on independent politics,
on national TV Saturday speaks about the importance of independent voters in the mid-term elections with former Congressman and 2000 presidential candidate John Kasich on The Heartland with John Kasich. Broadcast on Fox News October 7, 2006.

Illinois: You call this a choice?

More than half the voters are unhappy with choices in gov race in Illinois (from the Chicago Tribune)

National: Jackie Salit speaks out for independent voters

In case you haven't already seen it, don't miss Jackie Salit on Fox News Heartland with John Kasich. Go to IndependentVoting.org and click on the TV...

Texas: Kinky or Strayhorn?

Rick Casey writes in the Houston Chronicle about Carole Keeton Strayhorn, the people person candidate...

Massachusetts: Yes to Question 2 fusion voting!

The Rhode Island Providence Journal endorses Massachusetts Question 2, the referendum that will allow fusion voting where candidates are allowed to run on more than one line.....

New York: Queens Independence Party is back!

From John Toscano at the Queens Gazette:
"The Queens Independence Party remains committed to political reform and the empowerment of independent voters. We are working to extend the 'Bloomberg revolution' to all corners of the state," [Queens IP County Chair] Everett said. ...

Minnesota: Changing politics the independent way

From KARE Are third party candidates relevant? By John Croman and Scott Goldberg, KARE 11 News, speaking of the Minnesota Independence Party's top of the ticket Peter Hutchinson: "He said third parties won't go away until they change politics significantly or they knock out one of the two main parties in power...."

And Vote Your Independence! Read more in Emphasizing 'Party' along with 'Independence' from the Pioneer Press about the WE in Independence!

National: Independents are fed up with politics as usual!

From Independents Could Tip Some Races By ROBERT TANNER for the AP:
"People are really fed up with politics as usual. They think it's fundamentally broken," said Hutchinson, quick with one-liners and sharp at debates. Voters, he said, are sick of politicians and their promises. "What they say to me is, `They think we're dumb.'"

Robin Williams is no Thomas Jefferson, but then this isn't 1801...

From CNN: Director Barry Levinson's satirical "Man of the Year" hits theaters on Friday, aiming to tap into voter disenchantment ahead of the November U.S. election with a story about an acerbic talk show host, played by Williams, who runs for president.

Elvis lives!.... In Canada.... As an independent!!!

From CBC News: Elvis Aaron Presley, the Independent candidate running in Pelly-Nisutlin, finished last in a four-person race.

Of all the Elvis sitings over the past 29 years, this is the one I was looking for!

Help Stop Corruption in the Presidential Debates.

America's top opinion-makers are catching on...the country is ripe for an independent challenge to the two-party monoply. Join the letter writing campaign to urge them to go a step further and take on the corruption of the presidential debates... [click here]

The Line #211

This week on The Line, the panelists sound off on the ethics reforms suggested by a statewide task force.  Also on tap, a closer look at what brought the downfall of the only scheduled gubernatorial debate, plus the push to get Independent voters to split their ticket this November at the polls.....

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

California: Going for black....
Illinois: Jack Wolf says it's time for independents
Media: Don't shut out independents!
National: Will McCain follow Lieberman?
Independent Politics: Voters become political bosses
Party Politics

California: Going for black....

In a Desert Sun AP article, Gov. Schwarzenegger and Angelides compete for black votes......

Illinois: Jack Wolf says it's time for independents

Rockford Register Star
Letters to the Editor
Time for independents
What’s good for the Rock River Valley and America?
I’ve been confused by the recent objections of politicians having their pictures taken with Sen. Syverson. Frankly, I think the time has come to stop worrying about the Democratic Party and the Republican Party and to concentrate on our area, the state and the country.
Our political system is a shambles. A well-qualified independent candidate with no ties to any political party would be a breath of fresh air.— Jack Wolf, Belvidere

Media: Don't shut out independents!

The Michagan Lenawee Connection (Daily Telegram) takes a stand on inclusion of independents and third parties in the process.....
"...Democrats and Republicans, with the help of a cooperative news media, have largely managed to shut third parties out of the electoral process through restrictive ballot requirements and debates where only two candidates are invited. Maybe that’s why, even though one third of American voters don’t identify with either major political party, there are only two independents in Congress — Sen. Jim Jeffords and Rep. Bernie Sanders, both of Vermont.....We disagree with our colleagues elsewhere in the news media who have defended the practice of excluding third-party candidates from debates...." [more]

National: Will McCain follow Lieberman?

Peter A. Brown's editorial in the News Sentinel/KRT, Ft. Wayne, Indiana tells us that McCain will take a page from Joe Lieberman in a 2008 Presidential run.....

Independent Politics: Voters become political bosses

Tom Blackburn in his Palm Beach Post column talks about the ability of independent voters to cut their own backroom deals in statewide races that can't be gerrymandered, citing Connecticut and Rhode Island as examples.....

Party Politics

Have the Repubs lost their revolutionary fervor? Paul Weyrich, chairman of the conservative Free Congress Foundation, thinks so, as reported by Jill Zuckman of the Chicago Tribune's Washington Bureau.....

Texas: Debate or game show?

Rick Casey in the Houston Chronicle thinks the best part of the gov debate on Friday night was the game show segment. And by the way, he says Carole Keeton Strayhorn was the "clear loser" because of it..... And Ralph Blumenthal in the New York Times couldn't agree more....

I have to say, it looks like Strayhorn is emerging as a genuine independent -- you can tell that because she gets schlonged by the corporate press one way or the other... When they say Good Ol' Boys Club in Texas, they're not just playing around....

Ohio: Third parties - third wheel?

Mark Tuscano writes in the central Ohio News-Herald about third parties - are they valuable or are they "just spoilers"?

Connecticut: And Bill Hillsman's no astronaut....

From the Hartford Courant: Media consultant Bill Hillsman says Lieberman's an independent the way Bill's an astronaut....

Colorado: Independent voters want to vote for the person over ideology

From the Denver Post:
Gail Schoettler tells us that two years ago in Colorado this Republican-dominated state elected a Democratic legislature. "That shift is continuing today as more and more voters register as independents, separating themselves from both parties in their desire to vote for the person over the ideology....."

National: Will independents vote? Will it matter?

From the Indianapolis Star:
Curtis Gans, director of American University's Center for Study of the American Electorate, tells us that voters might stay home this election.

Media Alert! Jackie Salit on independent politics - Fox News 8pm Saturday

Media Alert!

Watch Jackie Salit, an expert on independent politics, on national TV Saturday speaking about the importance of independent voters in the mid-term elections with former Congressman and 2000 presidential candidate John Kasich.

on:

The Heartland with John Kasich
Fox News (National channel in your area)
8 pm (EST)

Texas: The debate is on for tonight....

From the Austin American Statesman: The debate is on....
7 p.m. tonight in Dallas for the only televised debate in the race for the Governor's Mansion. Republican Gov. Rick Perry, Democrat Chris Bell, independent Carole Keeton Strayhorn and independent Kinky Friedman will come together for the one-hour event. The debate sponsor, Dallas-based media company Belo Corp., did not invite Libertarian James Werner, who has threatened to sue.... [more]

By the way, News 8 Austin tells us that a poll was conducted by Blum & Weprin Associates Inc. of New York, and released by The Dallas Morning News showing that Perry's "not winning a majority of any group other than Republicans. He's not even winning a very large majority of Republicans. He's losing among Independents, badly. He's losing badly among Democrats. Most voters would like to have someone else, but they just can't get together who they like....." [more]

Any while we're on the subject, you'll be interested in this article that ran today in the Rochester (NY) Democrat & Chronicle by Laureen Oliver, the one-time upstate activist for the Reform and Independence Parties, who has popped up consulting to Kinky. Laureen thinks we need an independent centrist candidate for President in 2008.....

And finally, this from Independent Texans organizer Linda Curtis:
HANDS ACROSS THE CORRIDOR! started out in Gonzales, Texas. Our hard-working independent candidate for governor, Carole Keeton "Grandma" Strayhorn, stopped at the "Come and Take It Cannon" with us.

THIS ENTIRE EVENT was an "explosive" moment for the campaign to oust Rick Perry. The "Come and Take It Cannon" rests where the first shot for Texas Independence took place. Thirty-two men walked from there to the Alamo, in the fight for independence. Carole gave a great talk, saying she didn't want Perry to get even "one cup of dirt" for his Trans-Texas Corridor and he could just try to come and take it, but she would fight him with every breath left in her! Then she too went from Gonzales to the Alamo to meet with more supporters.
You can reach Linda at ljcurtis@indytexans.org

New York: Observer Likes Mike

The New York Observer ran an editorial today "We Like Mike" in favor of New York City Mayor Bloomberg running for President in 2008 as an independent:
....As a politician with unlimited resources, Mr. Bloomberg simply doesn’t need traditional party structures and funds. After all, he can afford to spend at least a billion dollars on a Presidential campaign. Besides, his appeal is based on his independence. Running as a Republican, or even as a Democrat, would take away that appeal......

Massachusetts: When is a debate not a debate? When the major parties don't want it....

Independents Christy Mihos and Grace Ross were all set to debate in Lowell, but it's been cancelled because the major party candidates don't want to....

Oregon: The fight for fairness

From The Oregonian and Register Guard: A lawsuit was filed by the Committee for Petition Rights, headed by Greg Wasson, to challenge the unfair ballot access restrictions for independent candidates.....

Future of Voting in Massachusetts, Part I: What is Fusion?

This is the first installment in the series, The Future of Voting in Massachusetts.
by Jesse Kanson-Benanav
on his blog View From the Bridge:
With the primaries out of the way and Democrats united behind Deval Patrick against Kerry Healey, so much attention is being paid to whether that party can bring an end to nearly two decades of Republican gubernatorial control in Massachusetts. This is a partisan battle we are all accustomed to under the U.S. two-party political system. Republicans and Democrats face off for power in every state in the Union..... [read more]

Texas: Don't mess with us!

New York: The Nation is calling you-- Mike Bloomberg, Michael Steinhardt....

Here's a blogger's report on a potential run by Mayor of New York Michael Bloomberg for independent President 2008: from Bloomberg Secretly Considers Independent Presidential Run By James Joyner -- York Mayor Michael Bloomberg is mulling over the idea of running for president as an independent, his local CBS affiliate says.....

Michael Steinhardt, who are you???? Can you pull votes?

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

Texas: Don't mess with us!
Connecticut: Of Dems and independents (who is which?)
National: Of Dems and Repubs
Massachusetts: Jim Fleishman got it right....
Texas: Does arrogance count?
New York: Independent voters take heart!

Texas: Don't mess with us!

More major out-of-state press for Kinky (in the Chicago Tribune) - looks like they got the memo..... But Carole Strayhorn hangs tough in the Austin American Statesman....

By the way, Libertarian gov candidate James Werner is being excluded from the debate by the Belo Corp. according to the Texas Monitor.....

And the Waco Tribune reports on the ongoing protests against Perry's Trans Texas Corridor plans, many folks allied with Strayhorn's campaign..... For some good background on this fight, see Independent Texans' Stop the Trans Texas Corridor .....

Connecticut: Of Dems and independents (who is which?)

Two articles of note from the Hartford Courant: "Joe and the Jewish Vote: If You're Jewish, Should You Feel Guilty If You Don't Vote For Lieberman?" by Leonard Felson, and Bill Hillsman, adman to the independents.... "Lieberman Won't Forget" by Mark Pazniokas....

National: Of Dems and Repubs

Robert Novak's column in the Chicago Sun Times tells us that the Dems are not funding Congressional races this year and George W. Bush is sidling up to Joe Lieberman.....