Talk Talk: LONG SHOTS

Sunday, June 28, 2009

To Our Readers: Talk/Talk will take a summer break for the month of July. Back in August. Happy Independence Day and have a great month! Jackie Salit *************************************************** Every week CUIP's president Jacqueline Salit and strategist/philosopher Fred Newman watch the political talk shows and discuss them. Here are excerpts from their dialogues compiled on Sunday, June 28, 2009 after watching selections from "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer," "The Chris Matthews Show," "This Week with George Stephanopoulos" and several Charlie Rose interviews. Salit: And how do you feel about the characterizations that some people are giving that the Iranian regime is fragile? Newman: Regimes have been called fragile and then lasted for centuries. I don't know what that's supposed to mean. I don't know if it's fragile or not. Salit: Meaning that the fact there are hundreds of thousands of people in the streets doesn't necessarily equal fragility. Newman: In a more democratic society, having that many people out in the street protesting, would be an indicator of fragility. But Iran is not that kind of democratic society. Salit: Millions protested the Vietnam War, Lyndon Johnson was forced to withdraw from a re-election bid and the Democratic Party lost the White House in 1968. Read Talk Talk in its entirety here.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Independent gov in Michigan's future?
• Sotomayor has 64% independent support for Supreme Court confirmation
• Political Common Sense for America: The Creation of the Franklin Party By Brian Boeheim (NEW BOOK EXPLORES THE NON-‘SENSE’ IN PARTISANSHIP–Republicans vs. Democrats, Left Wing vs. Right Wing, Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off!) from HotIndieNews.com
• Check out Mayor Bloomberg at the Personal Democracy Forum 2009 yesterday -- Mike talks about politics then and now... via Skype from Jazz at Lincoln Center

Personal Democracy Forum (PDF) 2009

Mayor Bloomberg via Skype Monday: People have the right to full participation in their government, and elected officials have a duty to make govt more accessible and accountable. In the old days, people could go down to City Hall or join a poltical club, and they can still do that, but technology is making govt more accessible....

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

Is Ralph Nader now ready to play well with others, including Cynthia McKinney and Jackie Salit? Check out new blog Free Obama (Resist the Borg, Restore the Republic) hosted by Open Source pioneer Robert David STEELE Vivas... A book review of The Grand Illusion: The Myth of Voter Choice in a Two-Party Tyranny by Theresa Amato.

More thoughts on California political reform

Don't miss last week's Talk Talk with Fred Newman and Jacqueline Salit: The Moral Core

Newman: What if it’s unfindable, given the materials that we have to work with, namely people?

Salit: Well, that’s a problem.

Newman: I would say so.

Salit: Yes. And, you’re saying, what if it’s the case that the very thing that we need to make this thing work can’t be done, or can’t be done now, that it can’t be done at this stage of human development.

Newman: Alright. Let’s agree that that’s what I’m saying. What about that?

Friday Nite Hankster Chat: Man in the Mirror

I'm somewhat surprised at the heft of emotion that I feel at Michael Jackson's death yesterday.

I feel very touched by the impact on all of us of the life, music and performance artistry of Michael Jackson from the vantage point of his passing. My Michael Jackson ranges from the kid who became very famous very early in life (he was 6 years younger than me and came to life in my early college years at the beginning of The Suppression*), to the young and powerful performance artist who transformed not only "Hollywood" or "the business" as Liza Minelli was saying Friday night on Larry King, but transformative of American culture itself, in the sense that some others are talking about -- transforming "race".

Michael Jackson was a man of the people, culturally speaking. He belongs to us, and we will make of him what we will.

There was a time when I was really angry with Michael for trying to become white -- after all, MoTown is Black! I'm Black and I'm Proud (damnit)... What could he know about whiteness? And didn't he study his P.C. Black Nationalism?? Hey, what's up with the anti-woman cosmetic surgery??? [and all of these knee-jerk emotions from a fast-becoming middle-aged white woman... tsk, tsk, tsk!]

Then, in the face of the media's onslaught around the acusations of child molestation at his "fantasy" house, I felt protective, if uncertain and even defensive, in response. That's not Our Michael! Our Michael is troubled and probably crazed, but no child molester. It's a media frenzy!

When I got home late last night and turned on CNN to discover that Michael Jackson had died (that he died at aged 50 wasn't so much of a discovery), and then listened to the updates this morning on Morning Joe, I noticed that they talked about his weirdness. I found these conversations encouraging. Even within the course of the half-hour that I listened to the strange people on Morning Joe blabbing about whatever, the fact that one of them (could have been Barnacle....) chose the word weird, and that was picked up by other more stalwart msnbc commentators, seemed a world away from 1972.

Maybe we are a more serious and thoughtful country than we were in 1972.

I don't know.

I do think we should salute Michael Jackson for interjecting an element of joyful, wonderful, humanistic weirdness in a very ugly and dangerous and world. Michael Jackson was a world class performer.

Don't mourn. Change the Man in the Mirror.

- NH

[UPDATED with links 6:27pm 6/27/09]

NOTE: Thus begins the new Friday Nite Hankster Chat. Please write in!

* The Suppression began in 1972.... More on this later...

so long michael jackson

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Russia Today: Americans want to throw off the partisan straightjacket
• Independents of faith must remain independent in the midst of politician sex scandals
• California reform
• New York City mayoral control of schools -- Bloomberg warns of chaos without it, Black Star News warns of educational apartheid, and Randi Weingarten quits UFT to go national

ny ny

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• WSJ: independent voters are the canaries in the mine of American politics...
• Log Cabin Repubs endorse Mayor Bloomberg...
• Gov Paterson orders NY Senate to meet
• Independent Pennsylvanian says: Sign the petition for Open Primaries!! (Letter to Pocono Record)
• Mayor Villaraigosa supports open primaries!
• NYC schools doing better -- Bloomberg's case for mayoral control

rain rain....

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• A Nation of Independent Voters (Canada Free Press- By Daniel Greenfield)
• Sotomayor under attack for strength (Caller Times.com - Corpus Christi)
• Ron Paul, Pat Choate Praise “Grand Illusion: The Myth of Voter Choice in a Two-Party Tyranny” (Ballot Access News)

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Opinion: Leadership and courage are what's missing in Sacramento (By Abel Maldonado, Special to the Mercury News)

BLOOMBERG 09

• A big opportunity for small biz (Crains New York) It's appropriate to thank Mayor Michael Bloomberg and Ms. Quinn for what they've accomplished—and to ensure they understand it's just a start.
• The Banana Republic of NY Public Schools (Huffington Post) Here's what the teachers are saying
• Mayor Bloomberg's school control bill gets first Democrat support in Brooklyn Sen. Daniel Squadron (BY KENNETH LOVETT, DAILY NEWS)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• * Young voters: Obama's "change" message still resonates (Boston Globe)
• * Zogby/Scoop44 Poll: 70% of Young Americans Say Obama’s Promises of Change Match Actions (By Alexander Heffner, Scoop 44 blog)

OPEN PRIMARIES

• * St. Helena native Lee Pierce running for Assembly (By Doug Ernst, St. Helena Star - CA) Pierce said he’s also in favor of redistricting and open primaries, “to even the playing field.”
• * Pros, cons of Utah going with open-primary system (By Frank Pignanelli & LaVarr Webb, Deseret News)
• * Top-Two Proponent Has Factually Inaccurate Op-ed in Long Beach Press-Telegram (Ballot Access News)
• * Thomas Elias: Get ready to vote on open primaries for California (Press Telegram - Long Beach CA) ref. above
• * Time to include all the voters in primaries (LETTER: Pocono Record)

NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATURE SHAKE-UP

• * New York's Cleansing Coup (By JOHN FUND, Wall Street Journal)
• * Monserrate On His Young And 'Uninformed,' Pre-Democrat Days (Daily News/Daily Politics)
• * Albany Weather Report: Getting Heated (By Tom Robbins, Village Voice/Runnin Scared)

BLOOMBERG 09

• * Working for free: On the campaign trail for billionaire Mayor Bloomberg (BY CELESTE KATZ, DAILY NEWS CITY HALL BUREAU)
• * Gotbaum Hits Cuts to Her Office As "Payback from Speaker Quinn" (By Roy Edroso, Village Voice/Runnin Scared)
• * Tim Gunn Voting for Bloomberg -- Why Shouldn't You? (by Jane C. Timm, Village Voice)

NEW YORK POLITICS

• * Tom Golisano Reportedly Considering Senate Bid (Austin Cassidy, The Jacksonville Observer) Note: Austin Cassidy is the Libertarian founder of Independent Political Report blog
• * Mayoral control of schools in New York (From The Economist print edition)

THE CAPITALIST MANIFESTO

• * The Capitalist Manifesto: Greed Is Good (To a point) - (Fareed Zakaria, NEWSWEEK)
• * The Problem with Fareed Zakaria (The Atlantic online, by Derek Thompson)
• * Zakaria’s Capitalist Apologia (By Matthew Rothschild, Progressive.org)
• * The Return of Capitalism (By Fareed Zakaria, Washington Post)
• * TDCotE (xi): Littlle Zakaria Dresses Like Grownup (by Dollars and Sense, D&S collective member Larry Peterson)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• * Under Obama, Democrats plan a summer Western offensive (LA Times/Top of the Ticket)
• * EDITORIAL: The middle is where it's at (Washington Times)
• * Polls show Obama’s honeymoon drawing to a close (Christian Science Monitor/the vote blog)
• * Welch Nails It (National Review, Larry Kudlow)
• * US public opposes Obama on GM, Guantanamo: poll (AP)

OPEN PRIMARIES

• * Thomas Elias: Get ready to vote on open primaries for California (Press Telegram)
• * Open primary bill (Pocono Record)
• * Open primaries to all registered voters in Pa. (Pocono Record)
• * Proposed law would end Pennsylvania's closed primaries (By HOWARD FRANK, Pocono Record)
• * House bill would allow Independent, non-party affiliates to vote in primary (Pocono Record )

NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL SCHOOL CONTROL

• * Assembly tweaks NYC school control (by Michael Lanza, Queens Chronicle)
• * Mayoral Control Saga Winding Down (By Lori Gross, Queens Tribune)
• * Let mayoral control of schools expire, says Senate's new Democratic leader John Sampson (BY KENNETH LOVETT AND GLENN BLAIN, DAILY NEWS ALBANY BUREAU)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Attempt in Oregon to undo unfair law against independent candidates stalls in Dem state house (be sure to read the comments!)
• Early polling on NYC Mayor race (no one's on the ballot yet.....!) Bloomberg over Thompson
• NEW BOOK EXPLORES THE NON-‘SENSE’ IN PARTISANSHIP (–Republicans vs. Democrats, Left Wing vs. Right Wing…Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off!)
• Independents are the largest voting bloc in the country
• Pennsylvania mulls open primaries

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• New York State Assembly expected to vote for Mayoral control of schools with inclusion of parents on the board Wednesday -- Teacher's Union Randi Weingarten supports it
• Pedro Espada now president pro tem of NY State Senate in Albany

• Pennsylvania headed for open primaries??
• Defiance City OH discusses nonpartisan elections
• Independent Paul Long for Charlottesville VA City Council favors open primaries

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Independents to play major role in Oklahoma Gov race
• NY Assembly to approve Mayoral control of schools possibly Wednesday
• More on the NY State Senate shake-up

history redux

The Hankster recommends: Castillo's Eva Brenner's Heiner Muller's hamletmachine (dramaturgy courtesy of Castillo's Youth on Stage! director Dan Friedman, music and lyrics inspiration by prominent American Muller director Fred Newman) is an absolute standout. Amazing accomplishment of bringing European avant-garde together with American postmodern philosophical sensibility on common turf: the Castillo Theater on 42nd St. -- not Disney, not Mickey Mouse. Cudos to the ensemble and the production team.

Castillo's Eva Brenner's Heiner Muller's hamletmachine (dramaturgy courtesy of Castillo's Youth on Stage! director Dan Friedman, music and lyrics inspiration by prominent American Muller director Fred Newman) is an absolute standout. Amazing accomplishment of bringing European avant-garde together with American postmodern philosophical sensibility on common turf: the Castillo Theater on 42nd St. -- not Disney, not Mickey Mouse. Cudos to the ensemble and the production team.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Taxes, Democrats, Republicans and independents: spin from the viewpoint of the conservative establishment
• Closed primaries in Pennsylvania are not acceptable
• Gov Schwarzenegger talks about the budget and open primaries -- audio from LA Times
• The meaning of money and voter turnout in the VA Dem Gov race + video from WAVY -- Deeds did poorly among African American voters. And here's a wrap-up from the Roanoke Times
• Mayoral control of schools inches forward in the midst of traditional Albany political play-book "chaos"

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Independents hold the balance of power in the Obama era -- John Avlon
• CQ Politics Poll Tracker picks up Pew Research poll about independents being highest percentage of American electorate in 70 years....
• Virginians reject establishment party politics in Dem primary for gov, Creigh Deeds wins
• Dan Janison talks about why this Albany budget gridlock is different from all other Albany budget gridlocks: Pedro Espada

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

Creigh Deeds gains support of independent voters in Virginia's Dem primary for Gov race -- voting today is open to any voter -- VA has nonpartisan registration. Interesting comment about this race by Fake Virginia in Daily Kos...

Interesting camera angle by Azi Paybarah of IP spokesperson/strategist Jackie Salit welcoming Mayor Bloomberg at the NYC Independence Party Spring Chair Reception Sunday at Wolfgang's Steakhouse in Tribeca. See photos from the event at the top of The Hankster... And, here's Azi catching the gist of the independent campaign to elect the first independent Mayor of NYC... And by the way, shaking hands with Mike in the mailer is 25 year Harlem independent organizer Allen Cox...

Also of interest: NY Times poll shows one-third of New Yorkers know Mike Bloomberg's political affiliation----- INDEPENDENT!

Independence Party-Bloomberg and Obama

NYC Independence Party Spring Chair Reception at Wolfgang's Steakhouse in Tribeca, Sunday June 8, 2009

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Mayor Bloomberg was in attendance at Sunday's NYC Independence Party Spring Chair Reception, hosted by NY County Chair Cathy Stewart and her rag-tag band of Independence Party executive committee members and IP registrants from all 5 boros. Pictured here, State Committee member from Bayside Queens Drago Lovrin, the Mayor, and the Hankster. (Watch The Hankster for more photos from the event!)

• Mary Alice Miller doesn't want black voters to be independent....

• Elsewhere, independents are favoring State Sen. Creigh Deeds in the Democratic primary for Gov in Virginia... Virginia does not register voters by party and maintains open primaries.

off with their heads!

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Tim Giago (aka Nanwica Kciji) writes in the Green Bay Press Gazette today urging American Indians (aka Native Americans) to go independent, so as to not be taken for granted by the Democrats.... Hey, Tim -- welcome home, good to see you here!

• John Zogby, who defended Pres. Obama's speech in Cairo in a silly debate with Dick Cheney's daughter (who???) over US Middle East policy, says progress on health care would revive support for Obama among independent voters.

• Independent voters in Virginia changing course on Gov race...

• Washington State Granger and ex-Nirvana basist is against open primaries.... oh, that's right, he's a Dem...

• Whoppi Goldberg will moderate a Town Hall for independent Mayor Mike Bloomberg Monday night to gain women's votes

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Glenn Thrush on Politico says the big story on Sonia Sotomayor approval rating is the independents -- 53-26% in favor...

• Harlem Children's Zone's Geoffrey Canada weighs in on mayoral control of NYC schools...

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• William K. Barth talks about why social conservatism and libertarianism don't mix for Repub Party
• The "Obama Effect" on Wall Street -- will it turn around now?
• Queens Courier endorses independent Mike Bloomberg
• Michael Goodwin on NYC Mayoral control of schools in Daily News yesterday: "Normal people ask whether mayoral control is good for kids. Legislators ask whether it is good for themselves." And here's the Post on charter school success.... and WSJ on Milwaukee and NYC school reform...
• Illinois state legislature votes (or not) on political reform

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Campaign for America's Future and Media Matters for America, say new polling and demographic data show that the country has shifted to the left
• Here's the Media Matters article
• Here's the full report
• What do we think about government take-over of failing corporations?
• Howard Dean says Congress should do what it needs to do for health care