TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS 8/23/09

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Independent candidate could win big in New Hampshire Winds of political change blow through New Hampshire (Eagle Tribune, James A. Kimble) New Hampshire and Rhode Island are tied nationally for having the most independent voters, according to the poll.
• State GOP may restrict primary to party members (Carla Marinucci, San Francisco Chronicle) "They're treating the GOP like it's a club where they all make the rules for everyone, and the signs says, 'No girls allowed and no Latinos.' "
• San Francisco Chronicle Publishes Misleading Story About California Republican Party Primary (Ballot Access News)
• California GOP Pins Hopes on Ex-CEOs (By JIM CARLTON, Wall Street Journal) California's Republican-party registration fell to 31.4% of voters in 2008 from 38.6% in 1988, amid a rise in independent voters, according to the Public Policy Institute of California, a nonpartisan think tank in San Francisco. Democratic registration also has fallen, but to 44.4% from 50.4% over the same period, according to the institute.
• Healthcare Reform 101: Is the public option really out or is there hope for the uninsured? (Phoenix Examiner, Jack Dunning) NOTE: Jack Dunning is a consumer advocate and an early friend of The Hankster. See his blog The Dunning Letter
• Obama hits recored low in Zogby poll (Phoenix Conservative Examiner Scott Martin)
• Where Obama Is Losing Ground (by Ronald Brownstein, The Atlantic/Politics by Marc Ambinder) Yet when the pollsters read a description of the Obama proposal to respondents, the attitude among independents sharply shifted. Opposition among them remained roughly the same at 44 percent. But support jumped to a 52 percent majority. The gap between potential and actual support for Obama's plan among independents suggests two things: that the White House is losing the struggle to define the plan so far, and that they may have room to increase their support if they can regain the initiative.

OPEN PRIMARIES
In 2008, there were 33 open primary states in which independent voters could participate in the presidential primaries and caucuses. In these states, 2.7 million independents voted for Barack Obama, giving him the margin of victory to secure the Democratic Party nomination. Party insiders (both Republican and Democratic) are attempting to eliminate open primaries and reassert their control of the electoral process. Sign the letter to President Obama in support of Open Primaries

• PD Editorial: Fix-it plan California Forward's reforms deserve a spot on the ballot (KENT PORTER / The Press Democrat) But without political reforms that make elected officials truly accountable to voters, such as open primaries, neither party has shown itself worthy of that much power.
• Robert Novak and the death of insider Washington journalism (Michael McGough, Opinion L.A., LA Times) I remember amusing myself with a parody of "Inside Report" that went something like this: "A whispered conversation at the yellowed urinals of a hotel men's room explains why President Ford's defense budget is in grave trouble." Then came open primaries, C-SPAN and the celebrification of what used to be backroom advisers.
• Why Have Primaries? (Written by Ryan Starski, Michigan Polic Network/Political Reform)
• War veteran loses legal battle over NY ballot (Associated Press, Fox News 44)

BLOOMBERG 09
August campaign is about money: who's got it, where it came from and who's gettin' it...

• Thompson, Bloomberg Bicker About Political Contributions (Jen Chung, Gothamist)
• Thompson's People Call Foul on Bloomberg's Donations (By Azi Paybarah, PolitickerNY) NOTE: This article relies on a separate Gothamist article from January 2009 about a contribution to the NY State Independence Party and has very little if anything to do with the Mayor's race 2009. By virtue of NY State law, which was decided in the highest NY court, the NYC IP organizations, and not the State party, hold the right to endorse city-wide candidates. The NYC IP endorsed Mike Bloomberg for Mayor in April 2009 after intense negotiations between Mayor Bloomberg and independent strategists Fred Newman and Jackie Salit, and the duly-elected executive committees of the five NYC IP county committees. The NY Times went on record in February saying "Last year, Mr. Bloomberg and his aides stepped into a messy battle between factions of the Independence Party." Then in March, the Times continued on record saying "For a brief time, Mr. Newman and Ms. Salit considered offering the Independence Party line to Mr. Thompson, inviting him to their home for a conversation. But Mr. Thompson, who opposed nonpartisan elections in 2003, again refused to back the concept, they said. “The talks went nowhere,” Ms. Salit said.
• Finger pointing on campaign spending: Bill Thompson and Mayor Bloomberg call each other out (Adam Lisberg, Daily News/Brawl for the Hall) NOTE: Brawl for the Hall is a new Daily News blog specifically on the Mayor's race classified under Election 2009
• Bloomberg proposes new campaign rules that wouldn't apply to him (BY Erin Einhorn, DAILY NEWS/Brawl for the Hall) Bloomberg's team quickly pointed out Thompson donated $6,000 to the Working Families Party in 2002 and 2003 that he never reported as campaign spending.
• Mike Bloomberg, Independent for Mayor: Campaign questionnaire (Daily News/Brawl for the Hall) Q: Why are you the best person for the job? A: I’m an independent, results-oriented leader with a plan to fix the economy, create jobs and help middle class New Yorkers who are hurting right now.

ON THE BLOGS
Independent strategist Jackie Salit talks about where the independents are today

• Jackie Salit on WLRN Radio (Michael Drucker, The Independent View) link to audio