TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Don't underestimate your power as an Independent (Lee Brocher, Get Involved, Make a Difference) 40% of Wisconsinites (including me) consider themselves Independent. In fact, for the first time in several years, Wisconsin Independents far outnumbered Republicans (25%) of Wisconsinites, and Democrats (29%).  links to independentvoting.org
  
• Holbrook's been 'Twain' longer than Clemens was (By Amy McRary, Knoxville News Sentinel) One new routine discusses the power of the independent voter, a topic he says is relevant with the 2008 election.
  
• Locals to witness history at Obama inaugural (BY TOM TOLEN, The Livingston Community News/Ann Arbor News) Karaska became a devotee of Obama after reading his book "The Audacity of Hope.'' However, she votes independently. "Both my husband (Brian) and I are independent, or to use the new term, swing voters,'' she said. "I consider the person and how they stand on issues.''
  

POLITICAL REFORM

Minneapolis voters can start thinking 1, 2, 3 (By Lori Sturdevant, Minneapolis Star Tribune) District Judge George McGunnigle's clear summary judgment ruling should give those opponents pause. He dispatched all of their legal objections with apparent ease, and allowed that in a democracy, much weight must be given the will of the people in matters such as voting method. Minneapolis voters approved the use of instant-runoff voting in 2006 by roughly a 2-1 margin.

NEW YORK POLITICS/INDEPENDENCE PARTY

• POLITICS & POWER: Not everyone endorses this deal (Rick Brand, Newsday/Long Island) While cross endorsements are not new, what makes this deal unusual is that it involved four parties and affects every countywide race this November. It took place before any party even held screenings to see if other candidates were interested in running. And the pact was consummated without incumbents appearing before the other parties.
  
• Peeved Republicans may deny Mike Bloomberg GOP line for third run (Elizabeth Benjamin, NY Daily News/Daily Politics) Bloomberg has been cozying up to Democratic elected officials and county chairs even as his aides are reaching out to Republican leaders. The mayor also is positioning himself to make a play for the Independence Party line, which he had in both of his previous campaigns. He needs permission to run on that line, too, and city Independence Party leaders are so far lukewarm about providing it. NOTE: "lukewarm" is putting it mildly!
  
• Billionaires Bloomberg, Golisano Bond Over Third Party (Gothamist) Bloomberg has gotten flak for supporting the city's Independence Party—and implicitly Fulani, who made anti-Semitic remarks. Pigeon claims the partnering isn't related to the 2009 mayoral election.
  
• BLOOMY & GOLISANO IN THIRD-PARTY TAG-TEAM (By MAGGIE HABERMAN, New York Post)
  

SCIENCE

Dopamine Made Me Do It (By Sally Satel, M.D., American Enterprise Institute) In a November 2007 New York Times piece three FKF executives and three professors from the Semel Institute for Neuroscience at UCLA observed the brains of swing voters. Brain scans showed that areas linked with feelings of anxiety lit up when voters were shown photos of Mitt Romney. The scans revealed mixed emotions about Hillary Clinton and disgust when subjects looked at John Edwards.