The Hankster: Youth, Media, Independence, and "The Powers That Be"

Friday, April 23, 2010

Youth, Media, Independence, and "The Powers That Be"

Independent activist news this week was def centered on young people. See John Opdycke's piece "Going Indy" and consider the fact that "fully 50 percent of voters aged 18-29 now identify as independents..." (Opdycke is the Chief of Staff for IndependentVoting.org/CUIP.) Let that sink in for a moment. Then pivot back towards the triangulationists featured in John Avlon's CNN oped "Bill Clinton Back and Looking Good". Pan to NYC independent youth contingent presenting 1,084 signatures of people under the age of 30 calling for the Charter Revision Commission to put a referendum for nonpartisan municipal elections for New York City on the ballot in the next election. Commissioners Hope Cohen and Kathryn Patterson dialogued with these young activists at the Brooklyn St. Francis College public hearing on April 20. WHICH by the way none of the local media covered... Hmmm.... You can view the testimony from youth and independents at HanksterTube.

Hats off to the organizers in California who are pushing for passage of Proposition 14, a referendum that will allow independents (aka "decline to state") to vote in statewide elections. The Hankster wishes you all the best. Open primaries that bring new voices (youth for example) to the table and new coalitions together could only help in this quite serious national and international political situation.

Expect more politically upwardly mobile partisan powers-that-be animosity toward independent state senator in NY Pedro Espada Jr. who is proposing some interesting nonpartisan election reforms...

Power to the People, Read On:

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

Going Indy (By John Opdycke, The Collegian-California State University Fresno)
Opportunity for GOP and Dem unity for peace and electoral reform (Human Rights Examiner, Deborah Dupre')
Brown Forges a Centrist Identity (By NEIL KING JR., Wall Street Journal)
Frustrated Voters Cut Ties with Democrats, Republicans (Ann Butler, First Coast News) The number of independent voters has grown faster in the past two years than Democrats and Republicans in at least 14 of the 28 states and the District of Columbia that register voters by party, according to a USA TODAY review.
Bill Clinton is back and looking good (By John Avlon, Special to CNN)
GOOD-BYE REPUBLICANS AND DEMOCRATS, THE INDEPENDENT REVOLUTION IS UNDERWAY (by Ryan Jaroncyk, CAIVN)
Frustrated voters cut ties with Democrats, Republicans (By Richard Wolf, USA TODAY)
Switch to third party is popular - Nearly one third county switchers choose another affiliation. (By Andrew M. Seder, Wilkes Barre Times Leader)