Faces of the Independent Movement

Edith Bargoma and Josephine Coskie show off their 2013 Nicholas Johnson Independent Spirit Awards from the Independence Party of NYC, Tribeca Grill (in SoHo), May 14th. Congrats!

Philsophical Question: The War on Poverty or the War on the Poor? Where's the Development? Where are we in 2013?

What's happening on the cutting edge in education?  Not So Much -- or not so much in the establishment edu world?! But let's carry on... See this article on the San Fransisco Chronicle...

Lenora Fulani announces the publication of a special report by co-founder and developmental psychologist Lenora B. Fulani, Ph.D. entitled, The Development Line: Helping the Poor to Grow.

Nearly 50 years since the launch of the War on Poverty, the poverty rate in America is 15 percent, with 22.3 percent of children officially living below the poverty line. Nearly a third of all African-Americans—10.7 million—live in poverty.

Dr. Lenora Fulani argues that new conceptual, methodological and organizational tools, approaches that have been developed since the 1960s outside of traditional social service and educational institutions and funding streams, are essential for the successful development and education of inner-city youth in America. She traces these developments from 1968 and the genesis of Dr. King’s Poor People’s Movement, to present day programs like her own, which have successfully utilized performance-based methodologies to promote developmental learning among young people and their families.

Read more.

The Naked City: The Antidote to Corruption is Democracy

"There are eight million stories in the naked city. This is one million of them."

No, it's not the celebrated 1948 film noir... or *is* it???.....

The New York City Independence Party, which represents the nearly one million independent voters in the City, has endorsed Adolfo Carrion for Mayor in 2013 (see NYC independent strategist Jacqueline Salit's delightful and passionate introduction before the NYC IP City-wide County Committee here), released a comprehensive political reform package last week in the wake of the current political scandals (which apparently has moved Gov Cuomo to "Call for 'Open Primaries'") in New York, and which according the the IPNYC "expose structural weaknesses in the system that need to be addressed, but not in ways that entrench the powerful and preclude a more nonpartisan process."

Nonpartisan municipal elections, or open primaries at the state level, is a central tenent of the reform package and IP General Counsel Harry Kresky made a very succinct case in his recent amNewYork oped: Kresky: Nonpartisan voting would make NYC elections fairer:  "But if you eliminate the "gateway," then no "gatekeeper" can charge a candidate to pass through it. That's what nonpartisan municipal elections would do."

The New York City Independence Party Political Reform Package - The Antidote to Corruption is Democracy (PRESS RELEASE NYC Independence Party) From the release:

The Independence Party (IP) was first created in 1994 to bring political reform to New York. Unlike other minor parties, its purpose was not to influence the electoral process on the basis of ideology, but rather to influence the political process itself; to make it more open, less partisan and less corruptible. For nearly 20 years, the Independence Party built on that vision, using fusion and the appeal of political independence to push nonpartisan reforms.

Over the last few weeks, it has become evident that such reform is desperately needed. The current political scandals expose structural weaknesses in the system that need to be addressed, but not in ways that entrench the powerful and preclude a more nonpartisan process....

The reform agenda includes: 1) Nonpartisan Elections and Fusion, 2) Initiative and Referendum, 3) Term Limits for State Legislators, 4) Voter Mobility, 5) Nonpartisan Administration of Elections, 6) Campaign Finance Reform, 7) Nonpartisan Redistricting Reform, 8) Full Public Hearings on All Reforms. For the full statement go here.

And if you are one of the million, let us know!
Email TheHankster or catch us on Twitter or Facebook at The-Hankster.

See you in the streets!!
NH

Independents Are 40% and Rising

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• The Rise of the Independent Voice (By Michael Drucker, IVN/ Independent View) Recently the number of independent voters have risen to 40% in some polls. The media has tried to give them a voice. They are called swing voters or democrats and republicans in hiding. They are disappointed with congress and the administration due to their inability to govern. Some of these voters are independent activists. So lets find out where they are from and what they have to say.*
• Percentage of independent California voters inches upward (Sac Bee/ Capitol Alert) with nearly 21 percent of the electorate now registered to vote with no party preference, according to a report today by the California secretary of state… Meanwhile, the proportion of voters registered to vote Democratic declined to 43.93 percent from 44.04 percent in February 2011, while Republican registration dropped to 28.94 percent from 30.88 percent two years ago..
• 5 Lessons Learned from the 2013 State of the News Media Report (By Jane Susskind, IVN) 1. Independent voters are key: Major networks need to appeal to independent voters, both on and offline. According to the 2013 State of the News Media report, independents are the most likely to have left a news outlet, making up 34% of those who no longer follow certain news outlets.

* Also see Independents Rising: Third Party Politics In America -- Michael Lewis, Independent Kentucky...

Springtime in NYC...

... (looks strangely like late summer...) - beautiful!

Political Ethics, Closed Primaries, Transparency: Include Independents!

INDEPENDENT VOTERS
Number of independent voters skyrockets (October 18, 2012, By: Mark Wachtler, Examiner.com) One group promising that those days are over is the newly formed Independent Voters Association. Based out of Chicago, but slowly expanding nationally, the IVA pledges to be that ready-made army of political precinct workers and volunteers for independent and third party candidates.

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Richard Davis: One-party rule naturally leads to ethics abuses (By Richard Davis, For the Deseret News) This arrogance also is demonstrated in legislative decisions made in closed legislative party caucuses, ever stricter limits on the ability to put citizen-based initiatives on the ballot and closed primaries that exclude most voters.
• Kansas Democrats vote to limit primaries - Closes primaries to registered Democrats (Topeka Capital Journal) The move reverses the party’s prior primary-ballot rule that allowed unaffiliated voters to cast ballots to pick Democratic candidates to advance to the general election.
• Teplitz wants caucus for more transparency in Pa. (By CHRISTINA KAUFFMAN, York Dispatch.com) Initiatives include lobbying reform, suspension of pay for the governor and legislators if they don't pass a timely budget and opening the state's closed primary to independent voters.
• Save money, make the system fairer (By Joe Ferraro, Philadelphia Inquirer) Plan No. 3: Go to an open primary system. That means anyone, including independents, can vote for anyone they want in the primary, regardless of a candidate's party. This idea may not save money, but it would make the system fairer. And, if adopted, it would likely negate Plans Nos. 1 and 2. The county couldn't close polling places because there would likely be more voters, and the political parties couldn't be charged for their exclusive primary election process.
• American political system is rotten to the core (By Jeff McLean, Seacoastonline.com) In addition, implementing term limits and reducing the number of closed primary states would serve to combat the current role of gerrymandering and money in politics.
• Guest column: Proposed Democratic election reforms don't go far enough (By Keith Allard, Michigan Live) • End taxpayer-paid primaries. If the two parties wish to play games with the system they have created, the taxpayers should not be liable for the expensive cost of these elections. Allow parties to pay for their own selection process, whether it is a caucus or closed primary.

Darkness

A Big Hankster Howdy to The Moderate Nation!

Howdy ho, Hanksteristas!

Yes, it's round-up time here on the ol' prairie....  Ooops! What I mean is that we have a new colleague in the independent blogosphere: Please check out The Moderate Nation.

As many of you know, The Hankster is an independent political blog that got started in 2006 and is affiliated with IndependentVoting.org. We have supported many independent grassroots voices since then. The independent movement, whether liberal, moderate, conservative, or extreme -- is growing!

Queens Independence Party Vice Chair Bryan Puertas gathering support...

So check out The Moderate Nation. And check in whenever you can!

 _-NH

7th Annual National Conference of Independents

Election Reform: fraudulent voting practices were developed by and are fomented by our partisan system

Election reform has never been more important at a time when less than half of people vote in major elections (and somewhere around 10-15% in important local elections) and yet the establishment (partisan) voices drone on about voter fraud and campaign finance. At a time when 40% of the American people identify as independent... Re-imagine the whole of American politics! [See vid below]

Democracy demands a much higher bar -- full participation by the American people -- which will of necessity come from outside the current party system.

Let's face it, the most fraudulent voting practices were developed by and are fomented by our partisan system that requires complete allegiance to a slate of partisan scalawags who vow to betray the democratic values of our nation! To wit:

ELECTION REFORM

• Editorial: Voting laws need big change (EDITORIAL Poughkeepsie Journal) These deflating numbers are clearly unacceptable. A slew of solutions has to be pursued aggressively. They range from scheduling early voting dates, to greatly bolstering the ability of residents to register online. They must involve clearer, cleaner ballots and lengthening registration deadlines. They have to include campaign finance reform to give challengers a fighting chance to compete against entrenched incumbents. They ought to feature an independent process to draw fair, impartial political boundaries rather than leaving it up to the politicians to carve up those lines at will.
• Ark. AG outlines election reform proposals (THE ASSOCIATED PRESS, The Republic - Columbus IN) Attorney General Dustin McDaniel on Thursday said he is pushing a package of legislative proposals that would toughen the penalties for fraudulently gathering signatures for a ballot measure and require more disclosures from those working on ballot question campaigns.
• FEC Complaint Could Limit Corporate Donations In Elections (By Alex Gauthier, IVN) Responding to inquiries from the press, Dan Conston, CLF’s communications director told the Hill, “[It’s] an obvious coordinated intimidation tactic from the left masquerading as just one more utterly baseless complaint.”

EDUCATION REFORM
Reform candidates see mixed results in Los Angeles school board race (Brandon Lowrey - Reuters, Chicago Tribune)  Reformers, backed by Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa's Coalition for School Reform, want to expand charter schools and change the way the district hires, evaluates and fires teachers. They faced opposition from the local teacher's union, United Teachers Los Angeles, which has funded its own slate of candidates. Voters handed Villaraigosa and his allies one victory outright, one defeat and one draw that will be decided in a runoff election in May.

Independent Movement: Out of the Clutches of Partisan Politics

More voters are becoming independents (40% of the American electorate considers itself to be independent - you can see the C-Span coverage of IndependentVoting.org's 2013 National Conference of Independents here) and as the voters go, so go the politicians... More candidates are becoming independent, too! Open primaries would help our country move forward, out of the deadly clutches of partisan interests. 

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

Viewpoint: Independents have clear view of party lines (By Kate McGuire, a freshman journalism major from Waterloo, Iowa. She is a staff writer for the Baylor Lariat) Yet I am neither a Democrat nor Republican. I believe independent voters are more than what people label us.

INDEPENDENT POLITICIANS

• Detroit lawmaker breaks with Dems, now independent (By DAVID EGGERT, Associated Press, Albany Times Union) Olumba's departure from the Michigan House's Democratic caucus gives Republicans a 59-50 edge instead of a 59-51 majority, though he may still vote with Democrats on many bills. Olumba said the move allows him to independently negotiate with Republican House Speaker Jase Bolger on behalf of his constituents "without a middleman," and that he planned to form a one-man "Independent Urban Democracy Caucus."
• State Rep. John Olumba of Detroit leaves Democratic Party, citing racial slights (By Kathleen Gray, Detroit Free Press) "The Democratic Party has to start recognizing its most loyal constituents," he said in a news conference to announce that he is becoming an Independent and the sole member of the Independent Urban Democracy Caucus.
• Michigan state Rep. John Olumba leaves Democratic Caucus, declares himself Independent (Jonathan Oosting, Michigan Live) "I am declaring today that I desire for the speaker, other leaders and members of the House to recognize my status accurately as what it is: Independent," Olumba said during an afternoon press conference at the Capitol, explaining a House resolution he introduced earlier in the day. "I declare myself to be a member of the Independent Urban Democracy Caucus that recognizes and puts as a priority the poor and disenfranchised persons of this state."

OPEN PRIMARIES

• It’s time to open up the District’s primaries (By Thomas M. Smith, Washington Post Opinions) f lawmakers really want to clean up city government, however, there’s a simpler step they can take: Open up the District’s closed partisan primaries, which discourage talented people from challenging entrenched incumbents.
• Editorial: Open primary in Montana would help tame partisian politics (EDITORIAL Bozeman Daily Chronicle) Unfortunately, the bill, sponsored by Rep. Scott Reichner, was tabled by the House State Administration Committee Thursday, and its chances of moving forward this session are slim. Still, it’s an idea that has worked in other states and could work well for Montana in the future. Our current primary system is too easily manipulated by the fringe. An open primary would offer a workable solution.
• Bigfork lawmaker wants to open up primary elections (y Marnee Banks - MTN News, KAJ18 Kalispell MT) State Representative Scott Reichner (R-Bigfork) wants to open up Montana's primary elections so that voters don't have to choose a ballot for one party or another.
  Pauls leery of using closed primary - Rep states adoption of method by Dems is bid to prevent conservative wins. (By Mary Clarkin - The Hutchinson News - KS) Thomas Witt, leader of the Kansas Progressive Caucus in the Kansas Democratic Party, made the motion to adopt a closed primary method, during the party's Washington Days in February. He said his motive was to keep unaffiliated voters from voting in Democratic precinct committee races.
• Kansas Democrats vote to close primaries (By AP, Dodge Globe) the Democratic State Committee voted 86-61 on Saturday in favor of the change, which allows Democrats to identify voters more easily to urge them to vote in the general election.

Independent Voters, Open Primaries, and Poverty

Nancy Folbre in her New York Times piece this week posits that "labor itself is produced outside the market..." and she points to the family as the engine of production. So too in politics, culture, science and all things human (even the family!), innovation comes from outside the existing institutions and their created markets - by definition. Big fight going on nationally around party primaries. Innovation will come from outside the partisan system, even as the out-of-power party fights the in-power party for control. Read on:


INDEPENDENT VOTERS

Why Republicans Are Out Of Step With Young Voters (by Don Gonyea, NPR) Austin Jones, a senior and an independent voter, says it's not just the Republican stand on social issues that troubles him. "Evolution is a fact. Climate change is happening. There's no arguing that. If you're arguing that, you're a fool," Jones says. Campus Democrats, meanwhile, see such comments from an independent as an opportunity.

OPEN PRIMARIES

• A New Primary System? Two For Thought (By John Fuller/Joe Carbonari, Flathead Beacon - MT) Joe Carbonari: There is a move afoot, here in Montana and across the country as a whole, to disenfranchise and/or discourage those voters that the Republican Party cannot attract or hold. Better my Republican friends should spend their time re-examining their positions and their message. We need more voters, and more candidates, who understand the complexities of the issues that face us. Limiting the choices that voters have and working to restrict the opposition’s turnout is not good for the health of our democracy.
• Pauls leery of using closed primary, Rep states adoption of method by Dems is bid to prevent conservative wins. (By Mary Clarkin - The Hutchinson News KS)  About 58 percent of those voting on the motion during Washington Days supported it. The Kansas Republican Party has a closed primary, and the Democrats' primary also will be closed in August 2014. The old open primary system permitted unaffiliated voters to obtain a Democratic ballot without becoming Democrats. Under a closed primary, voters at the polls wanting a Republican or Democratic ballot will have to be affiliated with either party before obtaining a ballot.

POVERTY & THE MINIMUM WAGE

• The Business of the Minimum Wage (By CHRISTINA D. ROMER, NY Times) Instead, most arguments for instituting or raising a minimum wage are based on fairness and redistribution. Even if workers are getting a competitive wage, many of us are deeply disturbed that some hard-working families still have very little. Though a desire to help the poor is largely a moral issue, economics can help us think about how successful a higher minimum wage would be at reducing poverty.
  Minimal Wages, Minimal Families (By NANCY FOLBRE - Nancy Folbre, economist at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst -NY Times/Economix "Explaining the Science of Everyday Life") So, the debate circles back to the dilemma acknowledged by classical political economy in the 19th century. The forces of supply and demand, left to themselves, treat labor like any other commodity. But labor itself is produced outside the market, by families and communities who must struggle to find ways to support their contributions to the future.
• Economists disagree on whether the minimum wage kills jobs. Why? (Posted by Brad Plumer, Washington Post/Wonkblog) There are lots of possible ways that companies can adjust to modest wage hikes besides hiring fewer people. (Obviously if the minimum wage shot up to $100 per hour, that’d be much more disruptive, but no one is proposing that.) The basic economic theory is alluring. But the world isn’t always that simple.
  [IL Gov] Quinn calls for $10 minimum wage, gun control in State of the State (Daily Register - IL) In a nearly 40-minute speech, Quinn also called for an end to voters having to declare a party affiliation to participate in primary elections and reiterated that rising pension costs are diverting money from other state programs.

Friday Night Hankster Chat: The Independent Movement

Howdy ho, Hanksteristas! It's been a while since our last Friday Night Hankster Chat!

Was thinking today about my colleague Sarah Lyons' wonderful presentation at the February 16th National Conference of Independents when she introduced the independent movement's grassroots leadership panel. It's a proud history!

Morris Fiorina: Yes, Virginia, there really ARE independent voters!

INDEPENDENT VOTERS
5 False Assumptions Political Pundits Make All the Time (By Molly Ball, The Atlantic) It's true that self-described independents are more likely to have a partisan leaning than to be "pure independents" -- centrists who find themselves equally sympathetic with both sides' views. But the "independents" are still more independent than the partisans on either side.


VOTING RIGHTS ACT

• Analysis - In U.S. voting-rights case, liberal justices pitch to Kennedy (By Joan Biskupic, The Star - UK) Barely a minute into a U.S. Supreme Court hearing, liberal justices began a strategic barrage of questions that came down to this: Why should a time-honoured plank of the 1965 Voting Rights Act be invalidated in a case from Alabama with its history of racial discrimination?
• Sotomayor, Kagan ready for battles (By Dana Milbank, Washington Post) For a quarter-century, Antonin Scalia has been the reigning bully of the Supreme Court, but finally a couple of justices are willing to face him down.

Sequester Pawns

C-SPAN 3 Coverage of National Conference of Independents Tonight 12:30AM: Change the Culture to Change the System

UPDATED 3/1/13 -- Jacqueline Salit's keynote address link fixed

Portions of the 2013 National Conference of Independents will air tonight on C-SPAN 3 beginning at12:30 am (2/26) 

IndependentVoting.org president Jacqueline Salit's keynote address [not enbedable] followed by the panel discussion on "Changing the Culture to Change the System" moderated by Salit and Harry Kresky and including South Carolina State Rep Joe Neal; Omar Ali, Adjunct Professor, University North Carolina at Greensboro; Jason Olson, Director, IndependentVoice.org; Bradley Tusk, Mike Bloomberg 2009 campaign manager;  Steve Peace, Chair, California Independent Voter Project; Lenora Fulani, co-founder, IndependentVoting.org; Ted Downing, co-author, Arizona Top Two open primary initiative.
 

The segments re-air at 4:45 am on C-SPAN 3.

Stay tuned!

Independents Rising - National Conference of Independents

On February 16th, 2013, IndependentVoting.org hosted the seventh biennial national conference of independents in New York City. Over 400 activists from across the country gathered to take stock of their growing movement. Currently 40% of Americans consider themselves independent. Jacqueline Salit, president of IndependentVoting.org, hosted the event.

Enjoy this slide show from the event!

Independent Conference 2013

Independent voters and organizers from around the country gathered for a conference in New York City last Saturday. Fun was had by all and this is a small sample of the many friendly and independent faces.

Montana Repubs Pitch Top Two Open Primaries

OPEN PRIMARIES
Panel hears GOP plan for 'top 2' primary elections (Written by Matt Gouras, Associated Press, Great Falls MT Tribune) House Bill 436 would advance the top two candidates who receive the most votes in the new open primary election to the November election. A candidate receiving more than 50 percent of the vote in a primary would win the election outright — and no general election would be held for that race. Rep. Scott Reichner, of Bigfork, the sponsor, said the measure would let voters choose candidates from among different parties without having to strictly choose one party for an entire ballot. Many voters do not strongly identify with one of the two major parties, he said.

Georgia Independent Voters Calls for Top Two Open Primaries

INDEPENDENT VOTERS
Independent Voters a Growing National Force A full "40 percent of American voters consider themselves to be independents unswayed by party loyalties." (By Shyla Nambiar - Peachtree Corners resident and activist with Georgia Independent Voters, Peachtree Corners Patch) In Georgia last year, 77 percent of legislative races had only one candidate on the general election ballot, but this number would be significantly lowered if primaries were conducted as top-two nonpartisan processes, as it did in California last year.

Mickey Edwards, Author of "The Parties Versus the People: How to Turn Republicans and Democrats into Americans" on Charlie Rose tonight...

Charlie Rose tonight!

February 18, 2013

Michelle Rhee, Author of "Radical: Fighting to Put Students First." Next Designer Carolina Herrera, Composer Tom Hodge and Music Director Javier Peral discuss their collaboration. We conclude with Mickey Edwards, Author of "The Parties Versus the People: How to Turn Republicans and Democrats into Americans"
www.charlierose.com

Cathy L. Stewart, Mickey Edwards and Jacqueline Salit at Politics for the People 4.27.12