TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS
ANDRES: Corralling the 'don't-knows'-Ideological independents don't exist (Gary Andres, Washington Times) True political independents are a key swing group in presidential elections. But reaching and persuading them is always a challenge.

CAMPAIGN

• Pennsylvania, Iowa, Nevada: Are They Really Battlegrounds? (Wall Street Journal/Political Perceptions) More persuasion will be required by each campaign this time than in 2004, both in wooing independent voters and protecting their own party base from poaching by the other side.
• Obama gives new life to anemic institution (Seattle Post Intelligencer) There was a time when national political conventions played a significant role in the selection of a president. But that was when party platforms meant something and before interminable primaries sucked the juice out of the event and when party bosses could still broker a deal in a smoke filled room.
• No Easy Path To The Presidency-The Race Has Tightened, And Many Voters Say They Could Still Go Either Way (National Journal) Fully 16 percent of that most coveted demographic, independent voters, told CBS pollsters that they have yet to make up their minds for either candidate, and 13 percent admitted they haven't been paying attention to the race so far.
• Suburban Cowboys (The Economist) It should be solidly Republican, and it is, but the party’s advantage is crumbling. In the past four years the Republicans have shed more than 2,000 registered voters in the county. The Democrats have added 5,500, while fully 9,000 new voters have registered as independent.
• Talking Points: Is McCain Throwing Bush Administration Under Bus? (Fox News.com/The O'Reilly) McCain's emphasis should be on solving vexing problems, not assigning blame for what has gone wrong. That's what Obama is doing. Independent voters, the ones that will decide the next election, want hope, not blame.
• NINETY DAYS AND COUNTING: The Outlook for the 2008 Presidential Election in Early August (By Alan I. Abramowitz, Center for Politics, Larry J. Sabato's Crystal Ball)

LOCAL INDEPENDENT NEWS
Inviting Republicans to climb on Mumpower’s bandwagon (Asheville Citizen Times LETTER) Since January Henderson County voter registration showed a gain of 43 Republicans and 88 Democrats while unaffiliated registration grew 1,616.

MEDIA
The Poll Masters And Their Dupes (Huffington Post/Levan Moulton) Every major media outlet has an entrenched, ratings-based interest in the 2008 Presidential Election being a close, neck and neck battle up until the finish line on November 4th. CNN, FOX News, and MSNBC are experiencing record spikes in viewership.