Conversations on Independence

Seven of Six--LEFT is RIGHT (blogging against the Bush-war) posted on The Hankster last weekend--recommended a post by Mary on The Left Coaster "Creating Real Change": "So why is it so hard to make the power of the majority real? Barry's [Barry Kendall, new executive director of The Commonweal Institute] analysis is that what we lack is a real progressive movement that can pressure Washington to address the problems we face...." with supportive comments on moveon.org


David Anderson, an African American blogger at Stop overTaxing Our People, continues to stump for black voters joining the Repubs, but he's not encouraged lately: "A growing number of African Americans, particularly those of us under 40, are independent voters who are not satisfied with the Democrats...."


Indeed more than 40% of the American electorate considers themselves independent. Partisan politics is not the answer to the abandonment of 20% of the New Orleans population, black and poor, or to the Jena 6 outrage, or to any of our continuing racialist policies, put in place and kept there by a deal between the Dems and Repubs. I'm glad Mike Huckabee is reaching out. But I'm putting my faith in the grassroots and increasingly organized independent movement.


And Dave Lindorff writes about Cynthia McKinney's quitting the Dems on Philadelphia Front Page News: Time for Mass Resignation From the Democratic Party; QUIT THE PARTY: "I'm talking about mass resignations from the Democratic Party, with every person who resigns and becomes an independent or who changes their registration to a third party sending a message to the DNC explaining why he or she is quitting. It starts small with a few people here and a few people there, but as Arlo Guthrie once put it, pretty soon we're talking about a movement, and you can join it right here!..." There's a follow-up here on This Can't Be Happening about some complaints from progressive Democrats that it risks handing the 2008 election to the Republicans....They still harbor the illusion that unaffiliated voters are middle-of-the-road or conservative-leaning people who only care about so-called wedge issues, not the big issues of our day. In fact, my travels across this country have taught me that the unaffiliated voter is usually someone who is cynical about politics, believes that there is little difference between the two parties, and that he or she is being screwed, by corporations, by government, and by his or her own political leaders."


The Hankster couldn't agree more with Dave on this! And regardless of calls to disenroll from the Dems, people are doing it...


From The Dr. No! Zone blog (a Ron Paul supporter), in New Hampshire, Ron Paul drew a good-sized, spirited crowd along with accompanying regional media to kick off Saturday's New Hampshire Family walk....

You can read in the Examiner "Independent voters will be barred from casting ballots in the Libertarian Party primary under a ruling issued by a Tucson federal court judge this week, a case that could eventually affect the statewide open primary system...."

By the way, Marcia Ford on Postmodern Misfit announces that her new book We the Purple, about her political and religious crisis of faith, will be published in March. Congrats, Marcia. [Be sure to look for this, The Hankster gets some very nice quotes!]

P.S. -- LEFT is RIGHT (blogging against the Bush-war), Left Coaster, and This Can't Be Happening are now all linked to The Hankster sidebar!

Conversations on Independents and the Sunday Talk Shows

Every Sunday, Jackie Salit (President of the Committee for a Unified Independent Party and long-time consultant to independent grassroots organizing efforts) and Fred Newman (the brilliant and some folks think "outrageous" philosopher and architect of the current progressive American independent movement) get together and talk about the talk on the Sunday Talk Shows. They call it Talk/Talk. This Sunday, there's a stellar line-up on NBC's Meet the Press with Tim Russert:

• BILL CLINTON Former President of the United States
• DAN BALZ Chief Political Reporter, Washington Post
• PATRICK BUCHANAN Conservative Commentator (and independent candidate for a minute in 2000)
• DAVID GREGORY Chief White House Correspondent, NBC News
• TAVIS SMILEY Host, PBS's Tavis Smiley Host, PRI's The Tavis Smiley Show Moderator, PBS's All-American Republican Forum

What could Tim Russert possibly thinking?
We'll find out....

And next Sunday, join a CUIP National Conference Call, led by Jacqueline Salit , Editor of the Neo-Independent magazine and president of CUIP, Sunday, October 7th. For more information, please contact Nancy Ross at national@cuip.org or call 800-288-3201/212-609-2800.

PACleanSweep says Vote NO on Nov. 6

PACleanSweep (on The Hankster sidebar) is urging every Pennsylvanian to go to the polls on November 6 and cast a resounding 'NO' vote on every one of the PA judges who accepted a pay raise. You can select your county for the list.

I first met Russ Diamond, the founder of PACleanSweep, when he attempted to run for gov of Pennsylvania as an independent in 2006. He failed to reach the ridiculous ballot access requirement of 68,000 signatures (volunteers collected a hefty 38,000 statewide), but he has never given up on organizing independents, anti-incumbents and just plain folks to speak out about the corruption of the two-party system and the democratic process.

Earlier in September, the Philadelphia Daily News reported that "some anti-pay-raise activists, such as Russ Diamond of Pennsylvania Clean Sweep, note that Saylor [a State Supreme Court Justice seeking re-election] was part of a 6-0 Supreme Court decision upholding the way the Legislature approved slot-machine parlors - a dead-of-night vote on a bill that received no detailed public scrutiny until after it passed."

USA Today reported last week: "Pennsylvania judges went a decade without any raise in base pay, according to Stuart Ditzen, a spokesman for the Administrative Office of Pennsylvania Courts. In July 2005, the Legislature raised salaries for lawmakers, judges and other state officials — during a 2 a.m. vote that enraged voters and led to the defeat of at least six legislative leaders that November. Voters also ousted Pennsylvania Supreme Court Justice Russell Nigro — the first time in state history, Ditzen says, that a high-court justice was voted off the bench. After the election, the Legislature repealed the pay raise for everyone."

It's not about the money, Russ is quoted in the article, "it's about the way they got it."

Keep up the good work, PACleanSweep!

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Poll: 58 percent of independent voters would back a Democratic congressional candidate who votes to expand children's health insurance bill (Politico)
• Quit the Democratic Party - become an independent! (OpEdNews)
• Instant runoff voting is simple and effective (By John B. Anderson, Christian Science Monitor)
• Hillary's Dilemma: In an evenly divided country, nobody can be elected president without winning voters outside his/her party. (Scripps Howard)
• 'ROCK STAR' OBAMA TRIUMPHS AT ARCH (New York Post) and Obama Distances Himself From Clinton, on Her Turf (The New York Times)
• Oregon: Frohnmayer's brother running for U.S. Senate (Daily Emerald) and Former mayor switches party affiliation to Independent, Jim Torrey says he doesn't plan to run for statewide office (Statesman Journal)
• Kentucky: Paper ballots with no option for straight ticket voting (Lexington Herald Leader)
• Louisiana: Lieutenant governor race offers candidate variety-2 independents (Shreveport Times)

Welcome We Could Be Famous!

Please welcome We Could Be Famous to The Hankster sidebar! Check out this New Orleans site, and while you're there, be sure to vote on What is most important:

• Being famous
• Being totally hot
• Lip gloss
• Finding Jon-Benet's killer

I voted, and I'm happy with my vote!

Meet John Georges

"A successful businessman, not a politician..."

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Independents Could Shake Up Primaries (RealClearPolitics)
• Time For Obama to Step Up His Game--show us the "different"! (Dan Balz-Washington Post )
• Louisiana independent gov candidate John Georges has a plan... (The Advocate)

Conversations on Independence

Worth a read:

Very smart post on We Could Be Famous (we wonder if the rest of the sentence is "but we're not!"--btw-a GOOD thing...): Clinton's rivals are passing up on the chance to exploit her most glaring weakness with Democratic and Independent voters, instead waiting for her perceived "unlikability" to catch up to her..... So the question remains, will rival Democrats challenge Senator Clinton directly on this issue? If they don't, and Clinton wins the nomination, you can certainly bet the Republicans will.
Read it!!! The Hankster recommends it!

Should Obama and Hillary debate in New York at the Apollo? You decide...

Independents - Making Our Voices Heard: NH-CIV will be hosting an event this fall. It will be held on Sunday, October 14th at Alpine Groves in Hollis. Please mark your calendars!

And then there's the Dems' LEFT is RIGHT (blogging against The Bush-war) on looking for independent votes without talking to independent voters... Well, that's ok... Let's encourage them with some independent verve.....

From Iowa Insider by Charlotte Eby: Former Iowa Democratic Party Chairman Gordon Fischer announced Monday he is backing Barack Obama in the Iowa caucuses. Fischer said he is endorsing Obama partially because of the “electability” factor and his crossover appeal. He also believes Obama has the best chance against any of the Republicans... He said to win in Iowa and other swing states, a candidate has to bring out independent voters, as well as some Republicans, and he’s convinced Obama can do that.

And what do you think about the reachability of YouTube? From taking down words
Indiana politics...à la carte (great subtitle!!!): More generally, YouTube is great if you can break through from the Internets to the real world, where independent voters might see what you're doing. But those instances are rare....

From Independents Unbound (Thoughts, observations, opinions and rants from small "i" independents, who, usually, decide the more important elections in America. Now, we are taking names and kicking ass; all year, every year!): Independent Voters Tilt Democrat Can't say we didn't tell you so... The only party that is really gaining adherents is the (i)ndependent (un)party. The latest generation to gain voting rights are registering independent in huge numbers and the vast majority of them are anti-establishment to varying degrees. They see both major political parties as establishment parties.Neither major party can count on their loyalty. They are thinking people, anti-ideology and -dogma..... So true, so true!!

Discuss!!!
The Hankster

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• The courtship of black voters in South Carolina (Los Angeles Times)
• Secretary of state will decide if Cuyahoga Falls independents are really Republicans (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
• Board deadlocks-Ohio's secretary of state will decide who's independent (Warsmith Beacon Journal)
• Blueprint Louisiana: Reform Agenda Needed-independent John Georges the only candidate to sign on (Bayou Buzz)

Iowans debate Hillary/Obama at the Harkin Steak Fry

Conversations on Barack Obama

Thanks to Democrats in the Spotlight for this:

Has Barack Obama got it in him?
New Hampshire may be his last chance to stop Clinton juggernaut- MSNBC video

Tucker Carlson, our favorite boyish-good-lookin' conservative male journalist on video with explanitory talking women heads A.B. Stoddard from The Hill, and Anne Kornblut from the Washington Post -- Tucker gets in the last word, of course: "It's VERY upsetting!" ‘Obama is too weak’ Sept. 18: Barack Obama says he wants to bring a new kind of politics to the White House: hope, optimism, and reaching out to adversaries. But is Obama playing too nice in the race for the Democratic nomination? (try to get through the advertisement)

Howard Fineman of the New York Times here on MSNBC says: We’re waiting for an Obama moment – if he’s got another one in him. If he does, he has a chance to pull what would be a sensational upset by attracting the swarm of independent voters here who make this state’s [New York] primary unique.

Is Hillary a "slam-dunk"in New York? Hell NO! Should there be a debate in New York about who gets our votes? Hell YES! (See HanksterTube for video!)

Obama will be in New York on Thursday.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Dems losing independent support (MSNBC)
• Ohio: Are they independent candidates or really GOP plants? (Warsmith Beacon Journal)
• Mass: Independent candidates can't debate - League of Women Voters (Eagle-Tribune)
• New Jersey: Libertarian Likely to be First Minor Party or Independent to Qualify for New Jersey Legislative Public Funding (Ballot Access News)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Independent Voters Tilt Toward Democrats -IN A TWO-PARTY SYSTEM (Associated Press)
• Diary of a Mad Voter-Dan Rostad on NewWest (The Voice of the Rocky Mountains): I have to admit, I looked long and hard at this post before recommending to Hankster readers, but I think it's worth a glance... Montana's Jon Tester gets a rounding for supporting statehood for Washington DC citizens (huh??)... And from another post: "You can't separate capitalism and democracy. You can't--or shouldn't--pit one against the other. They are as intertwined as clouds and rain. ..." (well, THAT's bleak!)... And here's a really interesting theory: "In a haphazard experiment released this month in Nature Neuroscience, scientists from New York University and the University of California at Los Angeles claim that they have successfully navigated the neurobiology of politics, and in doing so, have discovered that certain brain activity can be directly tied to an individual's political ideology....." (Really, were we BORN partisan????) .... And then finally, "In contemporary American life, unions are largely irrelevant -- that is, everywhere except for politics. Union bosses regularly abuse workers to achieve their political objectives -- and in states like Colorado, they get away with it...."
• Clinton makes the Sunday talk-show rounds (LA Times)

Read on, and be happy you're an independent!!!

Independent Party of Oregon

Welcome to the independent movement!!!!

The Oregon Independent Party is on! Hankster readers should visit their new site, and don't be shy! (Now on The Hankster sidebar...) Here's what's happening:

Oregon has a proud history of independent politics. We are one of 3 states to elect an independent as Governor. Wayne Morse served as an independent in the United States Senate.
Unfortunately, it is now all but impossible to run for public office as an independent candidate in Oregon. In 2005, the Oregon State Legislature enacted House Bill 2614, a law intended to keep independent candidates off of the Oregon ballot by disqualifying all Republicans and Democrats who vote (on anything) in the primary election from signing any petition for a candidate seeking to qualify for the general election.

In response to this new law, citizen activists collected 26,000 signatures during 2006 to form the Independent Party of Oregon. The party was officially recognized by the Oregon Secretary of State in January 2007.

The Independent Party of Oregon seeks to enfranchise the 30 percent of Oregon voters who are not members of a political party and to provide a common sense alternative for voters and political candidates who have grown frustrated with partisan division and special interest control of our elections and government decisions.

The IPO does not adhere to rigid ideology that characterizes many "3rd party" movements in Oregon and America and is not affiliated with any other party on any level (international, national, state). Instead, we seek to recruit members and promote candidates who believe in the importance of good government and who are committed to restoring citizen control over our government processes. We are open to collaborating with members of other political parties in pursuit of these goals and encourage all people of good conscience to join us in that effort....

Conversations on Debates

On Thursday, September 20, the American Association of Retired People (AARP) and Iowa Public Television (IPT) sponsored a nationally televised presidential forum - and they excluded former Senator Mike Gravel and Rep. Dennis Kucinich. The forum, entitled "Divided We Fail Presidential Candidate Forum," was focused on health care and security and was moderated by Judy Woodruff of PBS.'


Here are some of the responses from the blogosphere:

• Todd Beeton on MyDD AARP Debate Open Thread
• From Think On These Things: I Don’t Want To Hear Any More Grief About Obama Missing The AARP Debate… UNTIL there is also some grief and outrage about Dennis Kucinich and Mike Gravel not being allowed to participate. It’s a double standard. What’s up with that Democratic party? The Democrats are supposed to be the party of inclusion yet you’re not allowing your candidates to debate......
• The Council on Foreign Relations (A Nonpartisan Resource for Information and Analysis) posts transcripts of the debate in Iowa.....
• Kucinich Goes At PubTV Debate Exclusion posted at Rolas de Aztlan-KPFT Pacifica says:
  Democratic Presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich said Iowa Democratic Party leaders and other groups aligned with the entrenched political power structure are “rigging the game in Iowa” by excluding him from two Presidential events this week....
• In other debate news: Lenora Fulani is calling for a community debate between Hillary and Obama at the Apollo in Harlem.... For video see HanksterTube!..... and for Fulani's press conference statement see BlackStarNews....
• For a cutting edge report on where the presidential candidates stand on inclusion of independents in the presidential debates, see Rock The Debates..... You won't be shocked, you won't be surprised, you'll feel downright villified....!

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• New Oregon Independent Party is state's fastest-growing (Statesman Journal)
• 1994 Redux: The Consequences of Dems' New NAFTA (David Sirota-Huffington Post)
• Clinton's Familiar Third Rail-AARP debate report (Washington Post)
• Schwarzenegger says independent voters are key (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE)
• Schwarzenegger tells GOP faithful to court independents (KGET - San Diego)
• Polls look bad for Kinky Dem run (Waco Tribune)
• Minnesota stands out in the Midwest for the strong showings third party candidates (Hometown Source)
• Ohio Court Ducks Issue of Who Can Circulate Petitions (Ballot Access News)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• CUIP President Jackie Salit joins Rock-The-Debates board (Third Party Watch)
• Oregon: Independent or independent? Can a party be independent? (The Oregonian)
• Ron Paul introduces Congressional Ballot Access Bill HR 3600 (Ballot Access News)

Let the People Decide 2

More footage from Sunday's African American Day Parade, Lenora Fulani and the Committee for a Harlem Debate between Clinton and Obama

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Hillary never addressed independent voters on 1994 health care policy (New York Times)
• "Most Confident" Presidential Candidates-Obama leads (Forbes)
• Hispanic Councilman from New Jersey Fights for Equality running as independent (Hispanic Business)
• As champion of black farmers, Obama could win Southern votes (The Hill)
• John Georges: Entrepreneur means business (Times Picayune)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• How to appeal to independents -- Indianola steak fry talk (IowaPolitics.com)
• Voters don't sway with celebrity endorsements (The Caucus)
• McCain lost New Hampshire independents, touring in a refurbished bus (US News & World Report)
• Chuck Hagel's retirement--a centrist vacuum in Nebraska? (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
• Bloomberg's nonpartisan and nonprofit foundations (Associated Press from Google)
• Following Frohnmayer, Novick to call for impeachment look (The Oregonian)
• Lieberman registers to vote as a Democrat, wife and daughter unaffiliated (The Stamford Times)

Conversations on Rock The Debates!

Checking in on Rock The Debates. You may have been on a much deserved vacation and missed this wonderful collection of video catching the candidates on camera. Go there now! Do not delay!

In "The Question" A Registered Independent says "every voter in America should see" Rock the Debates... "I couldn't believe the responses that I heard from the candidates. I found them appalling...."

Ballot Access News also took note that Rock the Debates Now Has Responses from 7 Major Party Presidential Candidates as did Third Party Watch, which has a "review" of candidate responses worth taking a look at...

The Hankster is a Big Fan of Rock the Debates (as well as A Registered Independent, Ballot Access News and Third Party Watch...) and commented most recently in Conversations on Political Insanity

Wingnuts & Moonbats (very interesting blog.....) also covered this gem, as did On The Wilder Side.... (also very nice blog who "have a commitment to voter choice and grassroots democracy. That commitment manifests as support of ballot access; supporting third party, independent and outsider candidates; and believing in the need for write-ins and “none of the above” as choices on the ballot"....)

Greens for Greens posted this link to On The Wilder Side... and where did it all begin? Paulie Cannoli tells his story: "Several LNC members, including Chuck Moulton,who gave me a ride down to Orlando, are involved with starting Rock The Debates..."

So go! What're ya waitin' for???

Let the People Decide!

Hillary and Obama should debate! Let the people decide! Lenora Fulani (the independent mayor of Harlem) and the Committee for a Harlem Debate between Clinton and Obama marched in the Harlem African American Day Parade Sunday

Conversations on Independence

• Connecticut regrets fake Independent Lieberman (Rob Shvern)
• Local and national media refused to report on Lieberman's actual positions (Connecticut Blog)
• Lessons from the new Lamont/Lieberman poll (David Sirota, OpenLeft)
• We urge Black Missourians to be independent voters. Why are we beholden to only one party? It is hurting us. (Re-Elect Governor Blunt in 2008)
• New Hampshire might very well go to Obama since it has many independent voters (The Essence of Politics)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

Repubs should lose their intransigent approach to health care reform (Mercury News Editorial)
Dan Walters: Dems lost even more ground (Sac Bee)
Illinois Ballot Access Bill Sent to Governor (Ballot Access News)
Ohio: Voted in a partisan primary? You can't run as an independent... (The Vindicator)
Maine: Introducing a new nonpartisan blogger (The Ellsworth American)
Oklahoma: Party coalition seeks easier access to ballot (The Journal Record)

New York City 2007 Obama Blackout

Every so often New Yorkers experience a blackout. We suffer hours or days or weeks depending on what neighborhood you live it. We blame ConEd. We walk home and light candles and complain to our neighbors.

This summer it might well not be ConEd's fault for once. We might just have a Dem Party blackout on Barack Obama. (And maybe the 2 are connected, given the control of the Dems over City politics, independent Mayor Michael Bloomberg's nonpartisanship notwithstanding...)

The "hot" item these days among New York City independents is the black establishment's swift and almost complete support for Hillary Clinton, no questions asked. But Lenora Fulani has something to say about that. In today's Black Star News, there's a commentary by Fulani called "Let the People Decide". She says:

Let me be very clear here. I have not endorsed Obama’s presidential campaign. Moreover, I am an independent and therefore not a voter in the New York Democratic presidential primary on February 5, 2008. But I am a political leader and I am concerned that the Democratic Party—including major Black Democrats—have shut down public discussion of critical issues affecting the Black community.

The Committee for a Harlem Debate Between Clinton and Obama will be marching in Sunday’s African American Day Parade to build the public call for a forum at the Apollo Theatre.

And Think On These Things - a self-proclaimed pro-Obama blog, in an article called Did The Clinton Machine Silence Debate Among Blacks In Harlem? links to an article from EURweb about Master P at Oprah Winfrey's Barack Obama fundraiser. Master P says that Hip Hop "is a way of keeping our kids off the street, it's taken them out of the dope game, out of the hustle game and turned them into businessmen...."

Discuss!

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Lenora Fulani Wants a Hillary-Obama Debate in Harlem (Politicker) with mention on
• UPTOWNflavor Harlem blog
• Anti-War Candidates Campaigning in an Anti-War New Hampshire (Campaigns & Elections)
• The candidates on Iraq war (Christian Science Monitor)
• McCain campaigns support for troop surge (Miami Herald)
• Ron Paul backers a mixed bunch (Seattle Times)
• Clinton Making S.C. Power Play (Campaigns & Elections)
• Oregon: Why John Frohnmayer is running for U.S. Senate as an independent (The Register-Guard) (The Forest Grove News-Times) (The World Link)
• Kos Poll: Lamont beats Lieberman, again (Daily Kos)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

Fulani Is Calling For Hillary Vs. Obama (New York Sun)
Giuliani moves in to The Valley (LA Daily News)
Why America's Mayor will not be the GOP's candidate (by Doug Schoen - NY Daily News)
Obama superior choice (Baltimore Community Times)
Schwarzenegger veto of Iraq ballot measure (Sac Bee)
John Georges' independent run for Louisiana Gov (LSU Daily Reveille)
Independent Frohnmayer to run against Gordon Smith in Oregon (CQ Politics) (Oregon Statesman Journal) (The Oregonian)

Alejandro Escovedo Quintet Harrisburg PA 3-28-07

See them if you can!!!

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Independents need a real choice (LETTER to Arizona Republic)
• Navigating New Hampshire-McCain comback? (American Spectator)
• MoveOn.org: Momentum or Menace? (Chris Cillizza's The Fix-Washington Post)
• Boston Globe's Scott Helman re: Bloomberg and independent voters (Boston Globe)
• In California, Nuñez redistricting a sham (BY EARL OFARI HUTCHINSON - LA Daily News)
• Independent gov candidate John Georges endorses Blueprint La. plan including responsibility for caring for uninsured (The Advocate)
• On a collision course-Repubs, Dems and John Georges (Baton Rouge Business Report)
• Ideas over partisanship-South Carolina Gov. Mark Sanford creates Reform SC (GoUpstate-Spartanburg)

Dr. John

Dr. John at BB King's in NYC, Sept. 7, 2007
New Orleans and the Levee

Independent Voter Blues

Don't miss The Hankster and D. Belmont in concert among independent friends!

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Repubs losing candidates (Newark Star Ledger)
• Americans and independents closer to Dems than Repubs (KNBC Los Angeles)
• Fred Thompson: Dems Should Return MoveOn.org Money (KXMB blog-South Carolina)
• MoveOn.org 'Betray Us' Ad Infuriates GOP (The Gate - blog of the National Journal)
• Lieberman defends Petraeus against anti-war critics--you call that "independent"?? (Stamford Advocate)
• Chuck Hagel calls it quits (Sioux City Journal)
• Forget reaching out to independents--Repubs don't even reach out to their own members (Daniel Weintraub - Sac Bee)
• John McCain only candidate to address California GOP convention (Los Angeles Times)
• Rhode Island State Rep. Richard Singleton quits Repubs over Iraq war, becomes independent (Boston Globe)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Appeal of "First Woman President" symbolic? (By David Hill-The Hill)



• California Republican State Convention Ends; No Change to Closed Presidential Primary (Ballot Access News)



• What's not the matter with Kansas. Rise of moderate Republicans and independent voters changing the Heartland (by John B. Judis, The New Republic)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Sen. Chuck Hagel's retirement will leave opening in Nebraska, and possibly in national independent politics (Politico)
• Schwarzenegger to Repubs: Open primaries to independent voters or die (Daily Breeze) * State GOP needs independents, says Schwarzenegger-Governor cites falling voter rolls (San Diego Union Tribune) * Schwarzenegger Asks California Republican Party to Let Independents Vote in Presidential Primary (Ballot Access News)
• Obama draws 4,000 fans, $200,000 in campaign funds on Portland visit (The Oregonian)
• Oregon: Frohnmayer to Run for Senate as an Independent (Blue Oregon )
• Louisiana: Georges signs up as independent candidate for Gov (Leesville Daily Leader)
• Tennessee: Sproles eyes running as Independent (Knoxville News Sentinel)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Long Odds Face Any Independent Running for U.S. President (Media Newswire )
• Obama seeking independent voters in Colorado (Craig Daily Press ) and (Denver Post)
• Loudoun Co. VA Independent Voters organization (Washington Post)
• North Carolina instant runoff voting in action Nov. 6 in Hendersonville (Citizen Times)
• Dem Divide in Mississippi gives Repubs an edge (The Vicksburg Post)
• Proposed reform of Electoral College wouldn't make voting any more fair (Mercury News)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Repubs depressed -- Tony Blankley utters the "i" word (RealClearPolitics)
• U.S. needs a national popular vote (FairVote in the Austin American Statesman)
• Michael Bloomberg's "earned income tax incentive" (Washington Post)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Independents understand hypocrisy--If you consider yourself a political independent, you probably should visit www.independentvoting.org (Columbian)
• Americans feel we are "seriously off on the wrong track" but Repubs prefer to "stay the course" (Los Angeles Times)
• Lively Obama/Clinton contest, Netroots rooting inside the box (Politico)
• Carl Romanelli, county Green Party co-chairman, suspicious of Pennsylvania plan for independent voters in candidate cross-filed elections (Wilkes Barre Times Leader)
• The small divided Green Party (Dissident Voice-by Joshua Frank)
• In Kentucky, pol calls for independent ethics commission (News Enterprise)
• In Washington, elitist party system excludes independent (LETTER to HeraldNet)
• In North Carolina, Sam Smith wants nonpartisan elections (Charlotte Observer)
• Kinky Friedman eyeing gubernatorial bid as Democrat (Houston Chronicle)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• The voters no one can take for granted--independent voters are on the rise (Los Angeles Times)


• New Hampshire's independent voters at 44% big factor in primary (Detroit Free Press)


• Independents may get to vote in primary (The Arizona Republic)


• 36 percent of Latino voters are independent (Chicago Sun-Times)


• Kinky Friedman dons Democrat tag (Star-Telegram)


• Senate Bill 924 asks voters to decide whether to get out of Iraq (Sacramento Bee)


• Obama, Kucnich endorse IRV (Instant Runoff Voting website - a project of FairVote.org)

August Independent Political Round-Up

Independents Meet with Kucinich
A team of New Hampshire independents met with presidential candidate Dennis Kucinich Saturday night in Bedford, NH at the office of Russ Ouellette , a leader of The Committee for an Independent Voice (NH-CIV). Ouellette and CIV-NH builders Betty Ward and Andre Gibeau sat down with the candidate and his wife Elizabeth to lay out their concerns about partisan control of the political process and to discuss the aims of the independent movement. Kucinich presented his record as one of having fought the political machine of his own party, notably on the Iraq war policy.

The candidate accepted an invitation to participate in an upcoming forum organized by CIV-NH at Alpine Grove in Hollis in mid-October. The meeting with the three New Hampshire independents was arranged by California’s IndependentVoice.org co-chair Jim Mangia, a longtime figure in the independent political movement, who has helped Kucinich shape the pro-democracy, pro-independent thrust of his candidacy. Mangia is guiding Kucinich through a series of sit-downs with independent leaders to better acquaint him with the concerns and political reform agenda of independent voters. Mangia has been influential in persuading Kucinich to reach out to independent voters in open primary states. Last week, the Kucinich campaign issued a press release stating he intends to seek the support of independent voters. The former national secretary of the Reform Party and current President and CEO of St. John’s Well Child Center, Mangia hosted a forum on healthcare in mid-August attended by 250 social service professionals and Kucinich at the acclaimed health clinic in Los Angeles. See excerpts from the gathering on YouTube.

New York City Independent Lenora Fulani Announces Intention to Seek Citywide Office in 2009
Lenora Fulani filed an exploratory committee – The Committee for an Independent New York – and declared her intention to run for citywide office at a press conference on the steps of New York City’s City Hall with over 100 supporters. “In 2001, the people of this city inaugurated a new era of nonpartisan government. With Michael Bloomberg as mayor and with a new sense of independence, the city began to move beyond years of petty politics and clubhouse control. As an early supporter of Bloomberg’s and as a member of the Independence Party which gave him his margin of victory in 2001, I am proud that I campaigned for him.” Fulani filed papers with the New York City Campaign Finance Board authorizing an exploratory committee for a run for citywide office. “I have already spoken with dozens of community leaders, elected officials, clergy, independents, Democrats and Republicans about my intentions and my concerns. I will continue to reach out and to expand the public conversation about a nonpartisan future for our city.” Click here to read her full statement or watch the press conference.

Georgia Radio Host and Former Independent Candidate Helen Blocker-Adams Open Airwaves to Discussion of Black Vote
Helen Blocker-Adams, the host of WNRR 1230 am “People and Issues” and a 2006 independent candidate for the GA state legislature addressed the topic of the 2009 elections and the black vote with special guest Lenora Fulani. “In talking with folks in the community here I find that more and more people are getting the sense that they've been voting for years and years, typically for the Democrats, and staring to realize 'I'm not getting what I should be getting for all those votes' and feeling like there's got to be another way. There's got to be more choices and options." Blocker-Adams received over 30% of the vote as an independent in 2006.


NH Independents extend invitation to Richardson
CIV-NH activist Betty Ward of Concord, NY spoke with candidate Bill Richardson Sunday morning at a gathering at the home of State Senator d’Allesandro. Richardson addressed the group of 60-70 people and included in his remarks recognition of independent voters. Afterwards, Ward introduced herself and her organization of independents to Richardson who beckoned Stan McKenna - the NH political director. Ward briefed McKenna about CIV-NH and they spoke of setting up an additional meeting. Ward also extended an invitation to the Richardson campaign to participate in NH-CIV’s mid-October forum for independents.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Roots: Hillary winning the black establishment in South Carolina, Obama running second place, Edwards battling for black vote (The State), Blacks skeptical Obama is electable (Washington Times) -- and Yes, South Carolina, there IS an Independence Party, says Wayne Griffin!


• Sen. John Warner to retire (Politico), the fight for his Senate seat begins (Richmond Times Dispatch), Virginian Often Opposed Own Party (Washington Post) -- and Yes, Virginia does not have party registration--independent voters make all the difference....