TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

Why McCain is losing independent votes to Obama in N.H (Newsmax.com) Q: What's the "outsized effect of independents"? A. That's the effect where independent voters are closer to where the American people are than the parties....

In the battle for a hook, 3 articles today on John McCain's 2000 primary run (Bob Benenson, CQ Politics Editor) (Alec MacGillis, Washington Post) (Hugh Hewitt, Townhall.com)



RON PAUL
Austin Cassidy of Third Party Watch wonders why something called the Texas Independence Party would petition to put Ron Paul on the ballot as an independent in one of the toughest ballot access states for independents when the Libertarian Party has automatic ballot access.... There's more than meets the eye in the Libertarian/Constitutionalist Parties fight over the spoils of Ron Paul's "spoiler" campaign...

Could Montana primary process help Paul? (MATT GOURAS – AP Google)



BLOOMBERG
There's a whole lot of press here about "Bloomberg inching toward an independent run..."

For my money, the upcoming meeting in Oklahoma is a business meeting of politicos who are concerned about the hemorrhage of voters from the parties. An electorate that's becoming independent because they feel that divisive partisanship is increasingly dangerous to the future of the country is dangerous to partisan politics. Is there a bi-partisan solution? Who knows.

So I don't think this meeting is a calculated prelude to an independent run for president by Michael Bloomberg. The independent mayor of New York is in my mind--to his credit--not enough of a politician and too much of a businessman to invest $1 billion in a losing campaign....

As Azi Paybarah noted on the Politicker, independent strategist Fred Newman thinks this is a party election: “War vs. peace. As I see it, that's what the vote's going to look like a year from now on Election Day. It's going to be war vs. peace. The Republican is going to be the war candidate. The Democrat is going to be the peace candidate. And people will vote party, in my opinion.”

Personally if I had access to a billion dollars, I'd invest it in building the independent movement at the grassroots so we could inch our way towards participatory democracy in America. The independent movement needs rich people and big names who will do what ordinary people want them to do, and not cave into grandstanders and hack third party opportunists....

But here you go:

• THE BATTLE FOR INDEPENDENTS (By DAVID SEIFMAN in New York and DAPHNE RETTER in Washington, NY Post)
• Oklahoma University’s Boren seeks revised campaigning (By JIM MYERS Tulsa World)
• Bipartisan group to explore independent presidential bid at OU meeting (AP-Joplin Globe)
• Bloomberg Moves Closer to Running for President (By SAM ROBERTS, New York Times)
• Independents To Challenge Repubs & Dems On Unity (By Justin Gardner Donklephant)
• Independent candidacy weighed-Centrists, including Bloomberg, to discuss need for an independent presidential candidacy (AP Newsweek)
• Former Sen. Nunn wants candidates to address issues (By JIM GALLOWAY, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• Bloomberg Inches Yet Closer To Running As Centrist Independent (By Joe Gandelman, The Moderate Voice)
• Iowa and New Hampshire? Look to Oklahoma instead. (Al Eisele, Huffington Post)

Black voters in North Carolina are watching the primaries with anticipation -- Obama could win the presidency (Raleigh News & Observer)



NEW HAMPSHIRE
Joe McQuaid, publisher of the New Hampshire Union Leader: Voters sometimes ignore the polls (that's what campaigns call upsets, comebacks and surprises....)