Today is primary day and 3.5 million Flori

Tuesday, June 30, 2009

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


Monday, June 29, 2009

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....

Sunday, June 28, 2009

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?

Saturday, June 27, 2009

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...

Friday, June 26, 2009

so long michael jackson

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS


Tuesday, June 23, 2009

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

Monday, June 22, 2009

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

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)

Sunday, June 21, 2009

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS


INDEPENDENT VOTERS

OPEN PRIMARIES

NEW YORK STATE LEGISLATURE SHAKE-UP

BLOOMBERG 09

NEW YORK POLITICS

THE CAPITALIST MANIFESTO


Friday, June 19, 2009

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

OPEN PRIMARIES

NEW YORK CITY MAYORAL SCHOOL CONTROL

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS




Tuesday, June 16, 2009

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS




Saturday, June 13, 2009

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.


Friday, June 12, 2009

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS




Wednesday, June 10, 2009

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS



Tuesday, June 09, 2009

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

Monday, June 08, 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!)


Sunday, June 07, 2009

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!
  • 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

Friday, June 05, 2009

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS


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

Thursday, June 04, 2009

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

Tuesday, June 02, 2009

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS