Today is primary day and 3.5 million Flori

Thursday, July 30, 2009

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS
Here's a mix of news over the past few days. If you're in the Atlanta area, go see Jacqueline Salit's documentary "How The Independent Movement Went Left By Going Right" (you can also see the film online at independentvoting.org/video). And please read Tom Jacobs' article in Miller-McCune and see if you agree that methinks Tom doth protest too much!
  • 'Independent' Voters Are Generally Not -- They are prized by pollsters, but are smaller in number and less influential than most think. (By: Tom Jacobs, Miller-McCune)
  • Film showing of “How The Independent Movement Went Left By Going Right” (Georgia Independents) The film will show on Saturday, August 8th, from 2:30pm – 5:00pm at the Ponce de Leon Branch of the Fulton County Library at 980 Ponce de Leon Avenue NE in Atlanta.
  • Thomas Richard Harry Launches His New Book, 'The Gathering Of The Clan: An Independent Political Option For America.'- The Gathering of the Clan explores the need for change in politics and shares innovative constructs to revitalize our two-party system. (PRESS RELEASE)
  • A Regional Party No More-Far From Being Relegated To The South, The GOP Is Showing Signs Of Life In Democratic Strongholds (by Amy Walter, National Journal)
  • Zobgy/O'Leary Report Poll: American Voters Split 49/49 on Sotomayor Confirmation (PRESS RELEASE-O'Leary Report Poll)

OPEN PRIMARIES
Washington State indies get back-up from top court:
  • Supreme Court Rules Open Primary Constitutional (Rose Report)

BLOOMBERG 09
Big news this week was the Quinnipiac Poll showing that Bloomberg's support has gone down by 10 points since last month. The Quinnipiac news release points out that "In the June 16 survey, New York City voters were asked to choose between "Thompson the Democrat" and "Bloomberg the independent." In today's survey, Bloomberg is identified as "running as both a Republican and an independent." Looks like Mike needs to get more independent! Bloomberg is running on Column C, the Independence Party line, as his primary ballot line. New York is a fusion state.

Wednesday, July 29, 2009

Dr. Omar Ali on Al Jazeera Thursday: Race in America


Catch Dr. Omar Ali, professor in the History Department and the African and African American Studies Program at Towson University in Maryland, on a half-hour segment of Al-Jazeera International's "Inside Story" to discuss race in America--surrounding the Henry Louis Gates/Sgt. James Crowley incident. Tune in Thursday, August 30, at 1:30pm Eastern Time. Click here for Al-Jazeera link.

Monday, July 27, 2009

health cares


TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS
Independents growing as a voting bloc...

POLITICAL REFORM
  • California Legislature Faces Many Election Law Bills (Ballot Access News) AB 909, which has passed the Assembly and is in the Senate Appropriations Committee, would provide that independent voters must be told at the primary polling place that they may choose a Democratic, Republican or American Independent primary ballot.

Friday, July 24, 2009

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS
Apparently this percentage is up since January, including among independents. But the poll was taken before Obama's latest push for health care reform...

LOCAL INDEPENDENT VOTERS
Step right up, see how the gov candidates scramble for the independent vote!

THIRD PARTIES
Personally I think the American public has pretty much "moved on" to nonpartisan politics for the moment, but I still think Mark West makes some mighty good points here about the value of third parties.


LAST WORD
This is a short article by the guy who blogs about American politics for The Economist, no doubt named after the Lexington of the American Revolution where the first "shot heard round the world" rang out... After reading the piece I'd say we made the right decision. Both times!
The Obama cult (Lexington blog, from The Economist print edition)

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

Wow! The polls came out and there was a slew of articles about the numbers, strength and opinions of independent voters. Now at 39% of the electorate, independent voters will determine the outcome of the upcoming midterm elections.

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

In New York, coverage of Mike Bloomberg's independent run for mayor includes his May contribution of $250K to the NYC Independence Party organizations. NYC IP filed more than 5,800 signatures of members throughout the five boroughs at the Board of Elections last Thursday... And by the way, the Naked Cowboy and Rev. Billy are apparently throwing their hat (and collar) into the ring for mayor...

BLOOMBERG 09
Ballot line for Sale? RE: Bloomberg (by Jewlicious, Daily Kos) NOTE: Seems a bit naieve....?
Gives $250K to Independence Party (By Tom Robbins, Village Voice/Runnin Scared)
Any Friend Of Bloomberg's... (Liz Benjamin, Daily News/Daily Politics)
The Naked Cowboy NYC Mayor (Shannon Bell, Right Pundits.com)
NYC's Naked Cowboy wants to be mayor (Associated Press, 10News)
Electallujah! Reverend Billy Takes on Bloomberg, Corporate Hegemony and Consumerism (Fog City Journal)


ALBANY REFORM
State Senate gridlock likely to affect next year’s election, poll finds (By Robert J. McCarthy, BUFFALO NEWS)

Monday, July 20, 2009

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

Slow news weekend for independent voters, but the onslaught of partisan attacks on Pedro Espada's efforts to bring reform into the Albany statehouse continue. Mayoral control of schools is now a central issue in the NY State (recessed) legislative session...

BLOOMBERG 09


NEW YORK STATE POLITICS

Saturday, July 18, 2009

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

OPEN PRIMARIES
Can political parties bring about political reform in California? Or is that another case of the fox guarding the chicken house....? California Moderate Party founder says reform is ok, but "It goes beyond structural reform." Not sure what that means. Human development? My read on this third party is lots of party program, not much human political process....

BLOOMBERG 09
It's official -- the 2009 NYC Mayoral race is about whether the black vote returns to the Dem Party or continues to go independent.

NY STATE REFORM POLITICS
NYC's grassroots independent fight against corrupt (Dem and Repub) party politics for nonpartisan elections, nonpartisan governance and fair elections: Mr. Espada goes to Albany...

SOTOMAYOR CONFIRMATION
Towards a more independent Supreme Court

Thursday, July 16, 2009

men walk on moon

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS
Are they Dems or are they indies? Only their community organizer knows for sure....

BLOOMBERG 09
Mayoral control of schools is a political issue this year, not only in NYC, but in other cities:

NY STATE POLITICS
NY State Senator Pedro Espada from the Bronx might well be the first actual reformer to walk the halls of the NY State legislature. He's now the Senate Majority Leader and was instrumental in revising the rules pertaining to bringing legislation to the floor, changing decades-old practices that required the majority leader's permission to advance legislation, lawmakers said. Now any 38 senators, or three-fifths of the 62 total, can petition to bring a bill to the Senate floor.

Wednesday, July 15, 2009

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS
O'Leary Report skews pretty far right, seeks to peel off independent voters; New Jersey polls showing shift among indies from Dem Corzine to Repub Christie for Gov -- keep watching implications for midterms...
  • Independent Voters and Small Business Owners Will Vote Against Congressmen Who Support a Second Stimulus - According to Breaking Zogby/O'Leary Report Poll (O'Leary Report Press Release) According to a recent Zogby International/O'Leary Report poll, three out of four Independent voters (74.3 percent) oppose a second stimulus, and 55.2 percent "strongly oppose" it. Only 18 percent of Independents favor a second stimulus package, and 7.7 percent are not sure.
  • Poll suggests Corzine in trouble (From CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser-CNN Political Ticker) The GOP candidate also holds the edge among independent voters, 64 percent to 28 percent. Christie's showing among independents has increased since last month's poll.
  • Commentary: Stimulus is too low, too slow (By Julian E. Zelizer, Special to CNN)

OPEN PRIMARIES
Most Californians support open primaries -- the nation's primiere third party ballot access expert Richard Winger parses the type of primary we're talking about...

BLOOMBERG 09
Dems playing politics with unemployment?
  • Report: Unemployment high among black New Yorkers (AP - Newsweek)

Tuesday, July 14, 2009

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

OPEN PRIMARIES
California Bill Advances, Would Tell Independent Voters They May Vote in Major Party Primaries (Ballot Access News)

BLOOMBERG 09
More independence from New York City's becoming first independent mayor!

NEW YORK STATE POLITICS
Lots of the NYC press on Pedro Espada's "coup" in Albany is (Democratic) partisan. That's to be expected -- NYC is a Democratic Party town. The interesting thing is that NYC is becoming independent and non-partisan, and both Mayor Bloomberg and Pedro Espada are independent. NYC press, eat your hearts out!

Monday, July 13, 2009

The Hankster Goes Donklephant!

The Hankster is going on the road! Yes, that's right. My friend and fellow-blogger Justin Gardner has invited some new talent into the stable: Say Hello To The New Donklephant Writers "Today is Donklephant’s 4th anniversary, and I can’t think of a better way to celebrate then inviting some new writers into the fray to help build the community and make the conversations more diverse. Specifically, I’ve invited 4 daily bloggers and 3 guest bloggers to join."

Justin was a panelist via satellite at last year's Blogging the World workshop at Performing the World 2008.

In addition to The Hankster, Solomon Kleinsmith will also lend an independent voice to the mix.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

OPEN PRIMARIES
  • One New York blogger thinks it's time for open primaries in New York State - and this just might be the right composition in Albany to make that happen. Read NY: Time for NYS to open the primaries (Canadaeh blog)
  • California continues to keep Abel Maldonado's open primary bill front and center: GOP has tough row to hoe in California (Carla Marinucci, San Francisco Chronicle)
  • And this letter to the Pocono Record in Pennsylvania reminded me of the flurry of letters and editorials in favor of open primaries in the Keystone State: Primary elections are for the parties to use (LETTER, Pocono Record)

BELOW FROM POCONO RECORD ARCHIVES:


BLOOMBERG 09
NY Times says WFP (barely) backs Thompson by a 2-vote margin after Sheldon Silver called on Public Employees Federation bosses to go with the Democrat... Quel Surprise!

NEW YORK STATE INDEPENDENT POLITICS
According to the Buffalo News, Tom Golisano controls the upstate Independence Party of New York, and Steven Pigeon is his man... What's the future of reform in New York State?

LAST WORD
Sarah Palin is still making news--and might be going independent... Most independents think she should quit national politics.
  • EXCLUSIVE: Palin to stump for conservative Democrats (Ralph Z. Hallow, Washington Times) "I will go around the country on behalf of candidates who believe in the right things, regardless of their party label or affiliation."
  • Palin Hints At Independent Conservative Movement (Tammy Bruce blog)

Friday, July 10, 2009

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS


INDEPENDENT VOTERS
More comments on polls showing drop in support for Obama among indies -- depends on what polls when...


CALIFORNIA OPEN PRIMARY
Support for this year's top reform demand


NEW YORK POLITICS
NY State Senator Pedro Espada (photo above) should get the Reform Award of the Century in NY State politics!


LAST WORD
Notes from a community organizer:


  • The Myth of "Obama's Army" and the Reality of Organizing for Healthcare (by Femlaw, Daily Kos) Yep, that's right. We're telling stories. We're knocking doors. We're making phone calls. We're engaging in local activism. That's exactly what we did during the campaign - for two years. And it worked pretty well, the last time. . .


NOTE:


Unfortunately there won't be a Friday Nite Hankster Chat tonight -- my Hewlett Packard laptop computer with Windows Vista is in the shop... again. The one that had a defective hard drive that was replaced during the winter.... hmmm.... Will an Apple a day keep the doctor away???

Thursday, July 09, 2009

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT MOVEMENT
Ok, so the independent movement went left (by going right) -- a story that the MSM seems to have completely missed, and now the media is fixated on percentages of independents who now disapprove of Obama. Not so fast says Chris Cillizza in The Fix -- it's where independents will go in the midterms that the Dems have to watch out for!
  • REVIEW of Committee for a Unified Independent Party President Jacqueline Salit's How the Independent Movement Went Left by Going Right by Darrel Manson in Hollywood Jesus - "Pop Culture from a Spiritual Point of View") NOTE: Darrel is an ordained minister in the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), and a member of the Green Party, living in southern California.
  • Independents edge away from Obama (By: Ben Smith, Politico) “This is a huge sea change that is playing itself out in American politics,” said Democratic pollster Doug Schoen. “Independents who had become effectively operational Democrats in 2006 and 2008 are now up for grabs and are trending Republican...."
  • Independents backing away from Obama (By DOUG THOMPSON, Capitol Hill Blue)
  • Not so fast, says Chris Cillizza -- Obama is still very strong among independents: The Most Important Number in Politics Today (Chris Cillizza, Washington Post/The Fix) It's the midterms you have to watch out for....
  • Sarah Palin, crazy or brilliant (Joshua Lobdell, Detroit Conservative Examiner) Independent voters by a 55%-34% simply want Palin to leave the national stage...
CALIFORNIA OPEN PRIMARIES
Arnold goes up against California Teachers Association -- again!
  • Schwarzenegger holds his ground on budget (Carla Marinucci, Matthew Yi, San Francisco Chronicle) Schwarzenegger's recent resolve may be a product of his short political timetable: He cannot run again because of term limits, but he is keenly concerned about his legacy - and eager to put reform measures like an open primary and a rainy day fund before voters.

NEW YORK CITY POLITICS
Democratic Party losing ground in the face of growing independent movement in NYC:
  • Queens City Council member Tony Avella wants a bigger fight against Bloomberg than what Bill Thompson is putting up.... Little-known Democrat still in NYC mayor's race (SARA KUGLER, Newsday)
  • Wayne Barrett: The Empty-Suit Board of Ed (By Wayne Barrett, Village Voice/Runnin Scared) To see how far we've come, the last Board of Ed president was Bill Thompson, who rode that job into his current position as comptroller. Robert Wagner and David Dinkins were Stringer predecessors whose records as Manhattan borough president carried them into Gracie Mansion, and former Bronx Borough president Fernando Ferrer was the last Democratic nominee for mayor. Now, not all the clowns are in Albany.


LAST WORD
What are all those Obama-istas up to now? The database still belongs to the DNC. But are they having conversations with their neighbors???
  • An Army Untapped (By Harold Meyerson, Washington Post) This year, however, the administration has asked far less of that list and received, not surprisingly, far less in return. Organizing for America (formerly Obama for America), which maintains that list within the confines of the Democratic National Committee, has asked those 13 million Obamaites to "create a conversation within their communities," in the words of one DNC official.

Wednesday, July 08, 2009

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

OPEN PRIMARIES
Voters will have to see through the mud that will be slung by the parties against open primaries in California


LOCAL INDEPENDENT POLITICS
Governor races start up -- and here are some interesting independent campaigns to watch:

  • VA: Poll: McDonnell at 49% and Deeds at 43% (By Jim Nolan, Richmond Times Dispatch) According to Public Policy, McDonnell has picked up more support among independent voters and holds a 54-33 advantage over Deeds in that category.... Deeds has a 4-1 edge over McDonnell among blacks, who came out in unprecedented numbers last fall and helped Barack Obama carry the state.
  • MA: Campaign 2010: Cahill to split party, switch to unenrolled (By Jim O’Sullivan/State House News Service, Bedford MA Minuteman)
  • NE: Sen. White moves toward race with Terry (By Robynn Tysver, OMAHA WORLD-HERALD)
  • FL: Lining up to be next governor of Florida (Historic City News) Peter Allen: The Riverview resident, 60, founded the Independence Party of Florida in 2001. The electrical contractor wants third parties to demand an open primary.


MJ

  • "Would There Be A President Obama Without Michael Jackson?" (by Jim Buck, Jim Buck Blog)
  • "I want his children to know there was nothing strange about your daddy, it was strange what your daddy had to deal with." - Rev. Al Sharpton yesterday at the Michael Jackson Memorial, Staples Center, L.A. (Politico)


    NEW YORK POLITICS
    2 independent State Senators speak out for reform: Sen. Pedro Espada has been joined by Sen. Frank Padavan in calling for fair rules for everyone in the NY State Senate...
  • 30 DAYS – NO RESULTS-Senate mess enters second month (BY PETE DAVIS, Queens Courier)
  • GOP has a plan; Espada said he knows Dems who are ready for vote for it (By DAVID LOMBARDO, Legislative Gazette)
  • Golisano Defends Coup (Politics on the Hudson)
  • Ending state Senate mess would be easy - Albany lawmakers just need to come together, right now (Bill Hammond, Daily News)
  • Gov. urged to appoint No. 2, break Senate impasse-A Queens assemblyman, reform groups call on governor to appoint a lieutenant governor who could break tie in Senate, but some question the legality of such a move. (By Erik Engquist , Crains New York)

ELSEWHERE
No one expects much opposition to Judge Sonia Sotomayor's nomination to the Supreme Court, endorsements are rolling in, but the jury is still out...

Friday, July 03, 2009

Friday Nite Hankster Chat: Fourth of July Independent Style!


Just got home from a petitioning shift with Bronx IP activist Michelle Pepe (recent graduate of Iona College in New Rochelle, NY) in Queens County Council District 31. VERY successful shift - we brought home 9 in 4 hours!

James Tkacen, a volunteer for Eric Ulrich's City Council race (he won the Feb. nonpartisan special election and has gotten support before from the Queens IP County Committee) -- and by the way a college mate of Michelle at Iona College (small world!) -- was our district guide today! Thanks for the ride, James!!

Video coming up....

There was so much support at the grassroots for independent politics on the eve of Independence Day, I just have to share it! I'm working on video now, so stay tuned...

And, let me know what you're thinking about right now about independent politics, the country, the world...

Talk to you soon!
-NH


TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

What's shakin' on Fourth of July weekend?

INDEPENDENT VOTERS
  • Out in Arizona, Examiner.com says independent voters have become a force in Arizona, Repubs are losing ground. "Currently there are 880,128 Independent/unaffiliated voters in Arizona, a 6.8 percent gain from last November to total 28.4 percent of the state’s electorate."


OPEN PRIMARIES
  • California struggles with their budget crisis, and Time Magazine ran a piece that included the open primaries solution: To relieve the logjam in California politics, momentum is growing for an open primary system, in which the two top vote getters in the primary, regardless of party, would face each other in the general election. Proponents believe it would loosen the grip of partisan ideologies and make it easier of moderates to win elections. In addition, a redistricting reform won narrow approval last November and proponents of good government keep trying to lengthen the state's term limits on legislators.



BLOOMBERG 09


LAST WORD
  • Here's the latest in a wide-ranging public dialogue about whether the US is becoming socialist under the Democrats...., Walt Lucas a blogger since 2004 at Rough Stock is " A happily married guy from Esparto. Two kids, three dogs, twenty seven cows, thirty two horses and two cats. Blogging on Politics, Yolo County, Family Life and my constant search to become what God wants me to be", indeed believes the Dems are carrying us down a road to "watered down socialism". He offers this commentary in the Daily Democrat out of Woodland CA...


I'm headed off for my petitioning shift to put the first independent Mayor of New York City on the ballot on the NYC Independence Party line, but I'll be back around 6pm -- JOIN ME FOR A SPECIAL INDEPENDENCE DAY FRIDAY NITE CHAT WITH THE HANKSTER!!! RIGHT HERE!

-NH

Thursday, July 02, 2009

Happy Independence Day!


Hey hey Hanksteristas! I'll be out slogging around in the neighborhood tomorrow petitioning to put Mike Bloomberg on the ballot (as an independent, of course!) on the NYC Independence Party line.

Then, I invite you to join me online for a special Fourth of July Hankster Friday Nite Chat when I'll be blogging around the sphere between 6 and 8pm NY time.

Post a comment, email me at hanks_nancy@msn.com, or tweet at http://twitter.com/NancyHanks or you could also FaceBook me!

Tell me what Independence Day 2009 means to you and how you're celebrating!

-NH

personal democracy forum 09




TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS