There May Be a Partisan Divide, But Independents Are Coming Together

DOES POWER SHARING IN WASHINGTON MEAN
THAT THE PEOPLE WILL HAVE MORE POWER?

            Join us on the next National Conference Call for Independents led by
          Independentvoting.org President
Jackie Salit

Date:  MONDAY, December 6th
Time: 8:30 pm ET
        7:30 pm CT, 6:30 pm MT, 5:30 pm PT

                     For more information contact Nancy Ross or Gwen Mandell at national@cuip.org or

phone:  800-288-3201 or 212-609-2800

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Ask the Indys (By Azi Paybarah, WNYC/The Empire) Jackie Salit, a nationally recognized figure in the Independence Party movement is hosting a conference call next Monday
• Poll: Americans want Obama and GOP to work together (By: CNN Deputy Political Director Paul Steinhauser) The survey indicates a partisan divide on the issue, with 94 percent of Democrats saying the GOP should cooperate with Obama and congressional Democrats, with more seven in ten independent voters agreeing. But Republicans appear divided, with 49 percent saying the two sides should try to reach common ground and 47 percent saying that GOP leaders should stick to their beliefs even if it causes political gridlock.

OPEN PRIMARIES

• 'Open primary' amendatory veto killed by Illinois House (By CHRIS WETTERICH, THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER)

BLOOMBERG 2010

• Poll: Bloomberg candidacy would aid Obama in 2012 (By Shane D'Aprile, The Hill/Ballot Box)
• Obama leads all comers, 60% think Palin cannot beat him (Public Policy Polling)

CALIFORNIA

• Capitol Alert: State's first-ever redistricting commission to kick off Tuesday (By Jim Sanders, Fresno Bee) Members include two voters who decline to state a party affiliation, Stanley Forbes of Yolo County and Connie Galambos Malloy of Alameda County
• Reaching for a Legacy: A “Nonpartisan” Surrender? (By Peter Schrag, California Progress Report) Maybe the longest lasting reforms of Schwarzenegger’s years in Sacramento will be the changes in the elections process –the commission that will replace the legislature in drawing legislative and congressional districts and the creation of the “top two” election process, approved by the voters last June, in which Californians can choose any candidate regardless of party in the primary and in which the top two vote getters, again regardless of party, will face off in the general election.

EDUCATION REFORM

• Parents, Community Leaders React to Schools Chancellor Compromise - Mostly Positive Verdict on Deal to Clear the Way for Cathie Black (By Paul Leonard, Douglaston Patch)
• Creating bipartisan education reform (By: Thomas H. Kean, Politico)

LAST WORD

• American exceptionalism: an old idea and a new political battle (By Karen Tumulty, Washington Post) With a more intellectual sheen than the false assertions that Obama is secretly a Muslim or that he was born in Kenya, an argument over American exceptionalism "is a respectable way of raising the question of whether Obama is one of us," said William Galston, a former policy adviser to President Bill Clinton who is now a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

LEDE

• How Prop 14 Election Overhaul Could Change California (By MAX FISHER, The Atlantic Wire) Victory for Independent Voters The Moderate Voice's Nancy Hanks writes, "Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger said that this will take power away from the parties and put it in the hands of the people, which is what we wanted to do." Hanks cites the statement from an independent voters group: "As a result, the 3.4 million Decline to State independent voters will have equal access to our political process. At the rate voters are choosing to become independents here in California, we expect to be over the four million mark by our next election cycle."

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Kansas Democrats Open Primary; GOP Says No (Reporter: 13 News WIBW)
• Voter wants blanket primary (By M.J. Ellington, Montgomery Bureau, Times Daily AL)
• New California primary system could be good for Arizona (by Linda Valdez, The Arizona Republic)
• New York Now Lagging California In Race for Non-Partisan Elections (By HENRY STERN, Special to the NY Sun)
• California Goes Nonpartisan (Gotham Gazette/Wonkster)
• Dems open August primary (BY TIM CARPENTER, Topeka Capital Journal) "Allowing unaffiliated voters to join Democrats as we choose our candidates will strengthen our candidates and continue our long tradition of inclusion as a party," Gates said.

PROP 14

• Proposition California ensures electoral blandness (By George F. Will, Washington Post) Proposition 14's purpose is to weaken and marginalize parties, traditionally the principal vehicles for voter education and mobilization.
• California campaign: We need straight talk from the candidates (EDITORIAL LA Times) Last week's party primary could be the last state election for quite some time in which a Democratic front-runner like Jerry Brown can secure an issues-free ride to the general election by using his fundraising prowess to scare off opponents, or in which a Republican front-runner like Meg Whitman need only dominate the airwaves and repeat platitudes that cater to her conservative base to win a spot in the final.
• An un-American attack: California's dangerous 'reform' will empower people who want to buy democracy (ERROL LOUIS, NY Daily News)
• Editorial: Hand grenade (Gainesville FL Sun)
• Would California's new election system fly in Florida? (By Howard Troxler, Tampa Bay.com - St. Petersburg Times) In fact, Winger said, independents generally tend to mirror the dominant attitude in their area anyway. They're not registered in a party, but they tend to produce the same kind of election results.
• Governor Schwarzenegger Discusses New Era Of Government With Passage Of Proposition 14 (by Imperial Valley News)
• Thomas D. Elias: Voters serious about reform (Appeal Democrat)
• Primaries should be open to all (LETTER HERALD NEWS NJ)
• California is showing the way with open primaries (LETTER Daily Record)
• The great race, stay tuned (By DAVID S. BRODER, Seacoast Online) An impromptu transcontinental race has begun, with nothing less at stake than the future of the American political and governmental system.
• Voters are trying to make government work - Legislative redistricting and open primary measures have become law. Congressional redistricting is on November ballot and legislative term limits probably will be too. (By George Skelton, LA Times/Capitol Journal)
• TWIPC: Will California’s Prop 14 make for more civil elections? (Joe Anello, College News) If it goes the way its supporters hope, however, then California will be the guinea pig for the rest of the nation. An election with an open primary would give voters a legitimate choice between candidates and adequate information about each of them.
• Schwarzenegger, Congressman Waxman say Prop 14 will boost bipartisanship (Kitty Felde, 89.1 KPCV Southern California Public Radio) L.A. Democrat Henry Waxman, head of the U.S. House Energy and Commerce Committee, agrees. He says Prop 14 reminds Republicans that voters want movement on issues — like more Medicaid money for California — and that voters will punish them on Election Day for just saying “no.”
• Proposition 14 challenged, for good and better reasons (posted by Mark Landsbaum, OC Register/Orange Punch) Moreover, the everyone-in-the-pool primary approach will result in marginalizing ideological candidates and encouraging compromise candidates to pander to as wide an audience as possible. That, ladies and gentlemen, is a prescription for easier-to-impose taxes.
• Schwarzenegger says he would not have been able to win a Republican primary (LA Times/PolitiCal)
• Schwarzenegger: Open Elections Can Change Politics (NPR) "If there would have been no recall election, I wouldn't have been able to win, because I would not have been able to win a Republican primary because I'm too much in the center and I'm not that far to the right."
• Arnold Schwarzenegger Contemplates His Legacy (Marc Ambinder, The Atlantic)/
• Daniel Weintraub: Prop. 14 is triumph for state centrists (By Daniel Weintraub, Sac Bee) The victory for the open primary, Proposition 14, represents the second time in two years that voters have blessed one of the governor's proposals to change the way we elect legislators and other state officials. In 2008, at his urging, voters took the job of drawing political boundaries away from the Legislature and gave that task to an independent commission. The two measures combined, if they survive court challenges and politicians' attempts to undo them, will leave the state with a system that should elect more moderates like Schwarzenegger and fewer politicians who come from the far left and far right of the ideological spectrum.
• California Notes: Proposition 14 (Blue Wave News) More to the point, the state of Washington has an identical system now, whose legality and Constitutionality was upheld by the Supreme Court in 2008. For that reason, I do not think Prop 14 is likely to be struck down by any legal challenge. As this takes effect in January of 2011, its effects won’t be tested until 2012, but it will be very interesting to see what will happen then. Whatever Abel Maldonado thinks, I don’t think it will be the end of polarized politics in California. However, it may very well shift the focus from party affiliation to personal political views. 
• Prop 14 Opponents Look at Options (KCBS - San Francisco/Oakland) ”The Supreme Court said we do not think it violates freedom of association on its face, but it might, as applied,” said Winger. “But in order to have an as-applied challenge you have to use it first and gather evidence.”
• Results Summary SAN FRANCISCO June 8, 2010 Consolidated Statewide Direct Primary Election
•  CLICK HERE FOR MORE COUNTY RESULTS 
• A Disaster for the Republican Right (By Tony Quinn, Political Commentator and Former Legislative Staffer, Fox & Hounds Daily) Start with the long term: Proposition 14, the top two open primary. This measure will have a bigger impact on Republican candidates, because there is not a single district in California with a Republican registration majority.  
• Cooling partisan gridlock in the Capitol (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Under the radar: Another view of Election Night (By Anthony York, Capitol Weekly)
• Five lessons learned from Tuesday's election (LA Daily News) 2. Voters are tired of the status quo.

BALLOT ACCESS

• Minor Party/Independent Candidate Constitutional Lawsuits Pending in 21 States (Ballot Access News)
• Twelve Independents and One Minor Party Candidate File for Alabama Legislature (Ballot Access News)

COLORADO

• Prosecutor: Greif e-mail not bribery (by Shane Benjamin, Durango Herald)
• Curry still awaiting ruling on ballot-access claim (John Stroud, Post Independent, Glenwood Springs, CO Colorado) “I've always said my job is to move forward with my message regardless of what the Democrats decide to do,” Curry said. “If I'm in write-in mode, it does put the bar even higher for me to get that message across.”

ILLINOIS

• Bill Brady Leads Governor Pat Quinn in New Poll (The State Column) The poll also shows Brady leading Quinn more than two to one among independent voters while 10 percent of those polled remain undecided on a candidate. The poll also shows 57 percent of voters disapprove of Quinn’s job performance as governor.
• Cohen says he has enough signatures (Southtown Star) Scott Lee Cohen said he isn't having trouble collecting the 25,000 signatures he needs to get on the November ballot as an independent candidate for Illinois governor.

MAINE

• Maine voters showed us their wisdom (Opinion, Sea Coast Online) But it could well be that the average Mainer, including that wide swath of independent voters, will find problems with both LePage and Mitchell and seek a third choice in one of the three independents who will be on the ballot. One of these, Eliot Cutler, could present a formidable challenge. Cutler's background is as an environmentalist, helping Sen. Edmund Muskie craft the Clean Air Act and then working on energy related issues in the Office of Management and Budget and for President Jimmy Carter.

NORTH CAROLINA

• SEIU drafts independent candidate against Kissell (By Kevin Bogardus, The Hill/Ballot Box) SEIU submitted more than 34,000 signatures in North Carolina to qualify Wendell Fant as a candidate against Kissell. Only 17,000 were needed to qualify Fant to run this coming November. 
• Union-Led Group Turns in NC Candidate Signatures (By Associated Press Writer, WNCT Greenville)

SOUTH CAROLINA

• S.C. Strikes Again (By GAIL COLLINS, NY Times)

OREGON

• The Independent Party of Oregon is a Force to be Reckoned with in the State's New Fusion Voting System (Damon Eris, Poli-Tea) Third party voters and activists disappointed by the passage of Proposition 14 in California may be heartened by consideration of the new electoral fusion system that has gone into effect this year in Oregon.

NEW YORK

• New York's Third Party Mess (Daniel Collins, Huffington Post) The Independence Party, which was born out of the Ross Perot movement in the 1990s, is currently divided between an upstate and a New York City faction. The New York end is run by Fred Newman, a psychotherapist who spent years as the head of the New Alliance Party, which began as Marxist, flirted with Lyndon LaRouche, and was frequently accused of being a cult centered around Newman's psychotherapy.
• Working Families Party future in doubt - Cuomo rejection, federal probe could erase left-wing group from ballot (By Nick Reisman, Gannett Albany Bureau) "Some political parties are more like social movements," said Hank Sheinkopf, a Democratic Party strategist. "Their time may just have passed." Formed in 1998, the Working Families Party was meant to push mainstream Democrats to support left-leaning policy stances favored by unions.
• Cuomo's rejection of Working Families ballot line a blow to the movement (By Nick Reisman, Albany Bureau, Ithaca Journal)
• D.A. Cy Vance steps up criminal probe into mystery $750,000 from Bloomy's campaign last fall (BY BARBARA ROSS AND ADAM LISBERG, DAILY NEWS)
• DA: Independence Party Slowing Probe of Bloomberg Donation (By MICHAEL HOWARD SAUL, Wall Street Journal) Mr. Haggerty is the target of the probe, but prosecutors could still consider filing criminal charges against the party and its operatives, a person familiar with the case said. Mr. Bloomberg has said he's been told he is not a target of the investigation. According to court documents, the party has failed to comply with 19 of the 23 subpoenaed-document requests from prosecutors.
• NEW POLITICAL PARTY IN THE WORKS (by Mary Alice Miller, Room Eight)
• Even with donations to Independence Party under scrutiny, there's no stopping Mayor Bloomberg (ADAM LISBERG, NY Daily News)
• Bloomberg: BP Exec ‘Didn’t Exactly Blow Up the Well’; Pelosi: ‘BP Is Not Paying’ (NY magazine)
• State's minor parties can play a major role (By WILLIAM STEVENSON, Albany Times Union)
• NY judge orders party lawyer to testify in probe (AP - Albany Times Union)
• Independence Party’s Lawyer Is Ordered to Testify (By JOHN ELIGON, NY Times)
• MacKay: Oneida Indy Case ‘A Local Issue’ (Liz Benjamin, Capital Tonight.com)
• Working Families Party's future clouded by Cuomo snub (By Nick Reisman, Ithaca Journal Albany Bureau)

NYC CHARTER REVISION

• Charter Revision Commission forum tonight in New Dorp to focus on local control of government (Staten Island Advance)
• Charter panel meets at Staten Island Tech: Local control proving elusive (Peter N. Spencer, SI Advance)
• Quinn Defends Council's Clout Before Charter Commission (By: Grace Rauh, NY1)
• Commission's voter dilemma (Riverdale Press) Mr. Diaz also noted that allowing for non-partisan elections, something also rumored to be considered by the commission, would not help increase turnout, and said he would not support them.
• De Blasio Wants Office Strengthened (By MICHAEL HOWARD SAUL, Wall Street Journal)

BOOK REVIEW

• Wingnuts: How the Lunatic Fringe is Hijacking America (POSTED BY JOE GANDELMAN, EDITOR-IN-CHIEF IN AT TMV. The Moderate Voice) But that’s the way it goes for centrists, moderates and independents: when people on the left or right agree with them, then they are moderates, independents and centrists. But if they disagree they MUST be “really” on the other side, or liars. If they agree with them, then they have principles; if they don’t, well, then they are “mushy” or “wishy washy.”

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

Continued look at who independent voters are/are not and Obama's poll numbers...

• A reminder: Most 'independent' voters aren't (LA Times/Top of the Ticket)
• Sick and Tired of Republicans and Democrats? New Parties Say They Offer Alternatives (By James King, Phoenix News Times)
• Poll: Pennsylvania ranks 20th most Democratic state in the nation (Erik Westervelt, Phildadelphia Opinion Polls Examiner)
• Political Party Affiliation: 30 States Blue, 4 Red in '09 So Far (by Jeffrey M. Jones, Gallup)
• Zogby/O'Leary Poll Reveals Majority of Voters Will Oppose Senators Who Vote to Confirm an Anti-Second Amendment Supreme Court Nominee (Press Release) NOTE: Included here because the Zogby/O'Leary poll purports to speak for independents...
• Obama's Ratings Slide Across the Board - The Economy, Health Care Reform and Gates Grease the Skids (Pew Research)

SCHWARZENEGGER/OPEN PRIMARIES

Calif Gov Arnold Schwarzenegger is determined to leave a legacy of reform -- particularly open primaries, which would give more power to voters

• Schwarzenegger is unpopular but undaunted (George Skelton, Capitol Journal, LA Times)
• A State of Confusion editorial: State needs fixes to avoid a repeat (Sac Bee) As for the Legislature itself, an open primary in place of the partisan nominating system we have now might help elect more moderate lawmakers and lead to a more consensus-oriented body.

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.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

Why political insiders don't like Gov. Schwarzenegger....

And for the record, Michael Bloomberg doesn't want to end up in "ballot Siberia"...

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

OPEN PRIMARIES
Open primaries another path to moderation? (Contra Costa Times) "The next thing is open primaries," Schwarzenegger told a crowd during a late October rally in San Diego. "That's how we have to walk down that road and create the real change."

ELECTION ANALYSIS

• Analysis: What does NM's Democrat shift mean? (Silver City Sun News) Nearly three-fifths of independent voters backed Obama in the presidential race and Democrat Tom Udall for the U.S. Senate.
• Prop 8 Myths (FiveThirtyEight.com) At the end of the day, Prop 8's passage was more a generational matter than a racial one. If nobody over the age of 65 had voted, Prop 8 would have failed by a point or two.
• Obama The Uniter - Three ways Barack Obama can quickly prove his bipartisanship. (Forbes)
• Don’t Exaggerate Election Impact in Dixie -- "The Deep South white vote for Obama was generally not too different than that in Alabama, where nearly nine out of ten whites turned out for McCain." (A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford)
• Editorial: A generations influence can be felt through votes (Baylor University/The Lariat Online) An analysis from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press reported, "Without a doubt, the overwhelming backing of younger voters was a critical factor in Obama's victory."
• Have We Witnessed a Revolution? (RealClearPolitics) The electoral evidence at least suggests that something big is happening to America's ideological moorings

NEW YORK POLITICS/INDEPENDENCE PARTY
The Long View On Term Limits: Not About Bloomberg (Daily News/Daily Politics) Sources close to the mayor have suggested that he will run as an independent. But there has also been speculation he will seek another line - the most likely candidates, of course, being the GOP and the Independence Party, but both might present problems to him this time around.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS
Schwarzenegger vetoes voter-information bill (San Jose Mercury News) It would have required poll workers to notify independents in writing of their right to a ballot from any party that allows decline-to-state voters.


CAMPAIGN

• An informed Gen Y may decide this election (Denver Post)
• Barack Obama shows independent side, ’burbs like John McCain (Boston Herald)
• Public Disapproves of Politicians' Bailout Plans (CQ Politics/Polltracker)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Arizona Democrats narrow gap with GOP in latest voter-registration count (White Mountain Independent) "The other thing that's taking place in this country is long-term partisanship means less than it once did, so we're becoming more independent," Solop said. "We're not as linked to political parties as we once were."
• New Mexico voters show Independent streak (KOB News 4) "I think it's a continuation of a long term trend of the two parties - being replaced by very independent voters who won't want to be identified with either of these brands," Monahan said.

CAMPAIGN

• Schwarzenegger on Sidelines as RNC Begins (Capitol Public Radio KPBS, San Diego State University)
• McCain Must Add Democrats To Make Math Work (by Ronald Brownstein, National Journal) In 2004, And Bush won the election while narrowly losing independent voters, also a first for a Republican president.
• Last Man Standing (The Hill) John McCain's maverickness

SARAH PALIN AND THE ALASKA INDEPENDENCE PARTY

• Palin And The Alaska Independence Party (Marc Ambinder/The Atlantic)
• McCain's Palin Problem (The Nation/Campaign '08)
• Was McCain's VP Pick Ever An AIP Member? (Daily Kos)
• ABC News attacks Sarah Palin for ties to Alaska Independence Party (Libertarian Republican)
• Sarah Palin Debated Her Minor Party Opponents in 2006 (Ballot Access News) Perhaps there will be an opportunity for “Rock the Debates” activists to ask Sarah Palin if she will debate any of her minor party opponents for vice-president, when she debates Joe Biden.

Talk/Talk: Arnold and Donna

Sunday, July 13, 2008

Below are excerpts from this week's Talk Talk, Arnold and Donna. Every Sunday CUIP's president Jacqueline Salit and strategist and philosopher Fred Newman watch the political talk shows and discuss them. Here are excerpts from their dialogue on Sunday, July 13, 2008 after watching "The Chris Matthews Show" and "This Week with George Stephanopoulos".

Salit: Something else that I liked about Schwarzenegger was his commentary on flip-flopping. He said he was pro-flip-flop. Part of the story here is that more traditional progressives are saying that Obama's flip-flopping on the issues is going to undermine his base. They're really talking more about themselves than they are talking about Obama, it seems to me, meaning that Obama's changes undermine their position. In any event, Schwarzenegger says, 'I love flip-flopping. Flip-flopping is a good thing. You're allowed to change your mind.' It was a welcome change from the usual.

Newman: The last thing the Democratic Party gets upset about is its left wing being upset about flip-flopping. The Democratic Party left has never displayed that it has the courage to vote for what it says it stands for anyhow. They're strategic flip-floppers, so to speak

Read Talk Talk in its entirety here.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

CAMPAIGN

• Setting the Barr: Presidential bid by ex-rep. may hurt McCain (The Hill) Since leaving Congress in 2002, Barr has bucked the party line in opposing the warrantless wiretapping program and calling for a withdrawal of American troops from Iraq.
• I Was a Clinton Volunteer (Philadelphia City Paper) The one unifying sentiment among all Hillary volunteers, besides the obvious, is their disdain for Obama supporters, whom they see as both delusional and impossibly peppy. Clintonites don't hate them per se, they just think they're not smart enough to think on their own.
• Price, Watt endorse Obama (News Observer) Both suberdelegates Watt and Price had previously endorsed John Edwards for president. In a conference call, Price said Obama can help bring independent voters to the Democratic column in November.
• ABC/Washington Post Poll: Campaign Against Obama Gives Clinton Her Highest Negatives Since 1992 (JOE GANDELMAN, The Moderate Voice)
• Democrats Willing to Let Battle Continue-Poll Shows Gains in Key Areas for Obama (By Dan Balz and Jon Cohen, Washington Post) Clinton's favorability rating has dropped among both Democrats and independents over the past three months, although her overall such rating among Democrats remains high. Nearly six in 10 independents now view her unfavorably.

NORTH CAROLINA

• Early voting begins today (Winston Salem Journal) Unaffiliated (independent) voters can vote in either primary
• A letter to the senator (Greensboro News Record) Please debate on April 27: Almost 110,000 Democrats and 69,000 unaffiliated voters (who can choose to vote in the Democratic primary) have been added to the rolls this year. The N.C. Democratic Party has been swamped with requests for tickets to the proposed April 27 debate at the RBC Center in Raleigh. It has received requests from about 20,000 and will hold a drawing to see who gets tickets.
• Time to vote: Starting today, you can cast your ballot in the N.C. primary election. (Fayetteville Observer) Overall, the new voters are 53 percent Democrat, 37 percent unaffiliated and 10 percent Republican

REFORM

• Reform sorely needed in reshaping state's districts (San Joaquin Record)
• Nodler fails to mention personal bias in stance on independent candidate bill (The Turner Report) This legislation obviously does not "level the playing field," but adds to the already substantial advantage Democrats and Republicans have over anyone who tries to get elected as an independent.

SCHWARZENEGGER/BLOOMBERG * Fundraising, alliances on agenda during Schwarzenegger trip to New York (Mercury News) At the Thursday luncheon, talk show host Charlie Rose will ask Schwarzenegger and Bloomberg to address issues "that affect cities and states nationwide, regardless of partisan politics"

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

PENNSYLVANIA: Obama, Clinton, to court Pa.'s 1 million independent voters (Philadelphia Inquirer)


INDEPENDENT VOTERS:

• Name Actors Get Presidential (Backstage) Scarlet Johansson also recorded a phone message supporting Obama, directed at independent voters.
• Strange Bedfellows (Seattle Post Inteligencer) Poll: Good news for Gregoire, Obama-Obama picks up 60 percent of those who describe themselves as independents, for a 3-2 lead over McCain. Clinton scores only 44 percent of independents, and runs virtually even with McCain.
• McCain vs. Obama: 'Watch and learn' campaign (MSNBC) Last para: Independents: They both want them. But they each face different hurdles to win them over.
• Schwarzenegger: "Party of One: Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Rise of Independent Voters," (By DANIEL WEINTRAUB, Modesto Bee)

WISCONSIN: Editorial: Wisconsin joins call for change (Sheboygan Press) ..... * Why Obama is beating Hillary (Boston Globe)

OPEN PRIMARIES: Open Primaries in Oregon? (BlueOregon)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• The failure of the Clinton administration and the Democratic Congress to pass a major health care bill in the early 1990s left politicians on both sides wary of the issue. (Washington Post)
• The New York candidates -The name of New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg keeps showing up as a possible independent candidate. (Chicago Tribune)
• How would an endorsement from Gov. Schwarzenegger affect '08 race? (Sac Bee)
• MRS. OBAMA TO CO-HOST 'THE VIEW' (NY Post)
• BlackAmericaWeb.com Launches Survey to Gauge Views on Issues in ’08 Presidential Race (BlackAmericaWeb.com)
• Obama: Don't 'swift boat' me (By: Mike Allen and Ben Smith, Politico)
• North Carolina: Instant runoff proves a good idea (Blue Ridge Times News) and Exit poll: Hendersonville voters understood ballot (Ashville Citizen Times)
• Illinois: Green Party spreads wings (ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH)
• ELIZABETH KUCINICH: Essex girl on the road to the White House - Elizabeth Harper was an idealistic, tongue-pierced 27-year-old when she moved to the US in 2005. Now married to a top Democrat politician, she aims to become First Lady. (The Independent - UK)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• New Oregon Independent Party is state's fastest-growing (Statesman Journal)
• 1994 Redux: The Consequences of Dems' New NAFTA (David Sirota-Huffington Post)
• Clinton's Familiar Third Rail-AARP debate report (Washington Post)
• Schwarzenegger says independent voters are key (SAN DIEGO UNION-TRIBUNE)
• Schwarzenegger tells GOP faithful to court independents (KGET - San Diego)
• Polls look bad for Kinky Dem run (Waco Tribune)
• Minnesota stands out in the Midwest for the strong showings third party candidates (Hometown Source)
• Ohio Court Ducks Issue of Who Can Circulate Petitions (Ballot Access News)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

Repubs should lose their intransigent approach to health care reform (Mercury News Editorial)
Dan Walters: Dems lost even more ground (Sac Bee)
Illinois Ballot Access Bill Sent to Governor (Ballot Access News)
Ohio: Voted in a partisan primary? You can't run as an independent... (The Vindicator)
Maine: Introducing a new nonpartisan blogger (The Ellsworth American)
Oklahoma: Party coalition seeks easier access to ballot (The Journal Record)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

Fulani Is Calling For Hillary Vs. Obama (New York Sun)
Giuliani moves in to The Valley (LA Daily News)
Why America's Mayor will not be the GOP's candidate (by Doug Schoen - NY Daily News)
Obama superior choice (Baltimore Community Times)
Schwarzenegger veto of Iraq ballot measure (Sac Bee)
John Georges' independent run for Louisiana Gov (LSU Daily Reveille)
Independent Frohnmayer to run against Gordon Smith in Oregon (CQ Politics) (Oregon Statesman Journal) (The Oregonian)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Sen. Chuck Hagel's retirement will leave opening in Nebraska, and possibly in national independent politics (Politico)
• Schwarzenegger to Repubs: Open primaries to independent voters or die (Daily Breeze) * State GOP needs independents, says Schwarzenegger-Governor cites falling voter rolls (San Diego Union Tribune) * Schwarzenegger Asks California Republican Party to Let Independents Vote in Presidential Primary (Ballot Access News)
• Obama draws 4,000 fans, $200,000 in campaign funds on Portland visit (The Oregonian)
• Oregon: Frohnmayer to Run for Senate as an Independent (Blue Oregon )
• Louisiana: Georges signs up as independent candidate for Gov (Leesville Daily Leader)
• Tennessee: Sproles eyes running as Independent (Knoxville News Sentinel)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Independent Texans: Top 10 Reasons to impeach Gov Perry (Waxahachie Daily Light)


• Sam Nunn talking with Unity 08 (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)


• California healthcare reform or return to business as usual (By David Lesher-LA Times)


• A black candidate could win (Fosters Daily Democrat-NH)


• Clarence Page: Is Obama black enough or too black? (Daily Journal)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• New Hampshire independents choosing Dem primary since McCain's defection...
• Georgia independents coming out of the woodwork
• Indiana Elections board removes Highland town councilman from fall ballot
• Cindy Sheehan to lead rallies in Charlotte (News 14)
• Arnold's independent card, California's voters
• Minnesota Independence Party's Dean Barkley toying with the idea of running

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Oregon Senate nixes open primaries: "We have created a system of exclusion." (Statesman Journal)
• The wooing of N.H. independents (Politico, by Ben Smith)
• Blacks debate impact of Obama's race on campaign (Chicago Tribune)
• Mike Bloomberg "California Schemin'" (New York Post)

California independents: The fastest growing segment goes left...

* While Arnold grabs the center and gets props, California’s GOP bosses rush right-The rightward swing follows a period of several years in which California’s GOP leadership embraced appeals to independent voters — the fastest-growing segment of voters in the state (LA Weekly)