How Can We Get Out of the Partisan Trap?

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Notes on Getting Out of the Partisan Trap (By Harry Kresky, This post was co-written by Michael Hardy, Huffington Post) For us, this raises the issue of getting past, or outside of, the institutions that organize special interest politics. Chief among these, of course, are the political parties, which control the Congress and, notably, dictate the terms of the political game. Obama has tried to rise above this, only to be sucked back into a partisan grid. How do we get out of that trap? That is a complicated, long term proposition. But there are steps that could be taken now.
• To survive, state GOP must reinvent itself (By Michael J. Mishak, Los Angeles Times) Labor unions, which are Democrats' biggest allies, say the combination of the "top-two" primary system and the new political maps creates unprecedented opportunities for them to influence Republican races. Last week, the Service Employees International Union launched a political action committee aimed at helping moderate Republicans be elected to the Legislature.
• California Set to Become Even More Democratic (By Kevin Drum, Mother Jones) But in 2008 and 2010, voters (including me) approved initiatives that took redistricting out of the hands of the legislature and gave it to an independent commission charged with creating compact, nonpartisan district lines.

NEW YORK
With embattled Weiner all but certainly out of running, NYC mayor's race suddenly shifts (SAMANTHA GROSS  Associated Press, The Republic) Thompson has some catching up to do. As of January, Weiner had raised $5.1 million, Quinn had raised $3.2 million and Stringer had raised $1.1 million. Liu and de Blasio trailed with $513,000 and $393,000, respectively.

EDUCATION REFORM
School reform’s new generation (By Joel I. Klein, Washington Post) What they have in common is recognition that the status quo in public education is broken and that incremental change won’t work. They are ready to challenge the heart of the educational establishment rather than tinker around its edges, which has been the hallmark of past, failed reform efforts.