Voter Registration Down, Independents Up, National Scene -- Look At the Independents

What's up? Independent voter registration and identification. What's down? Partisan politics and partisan registration.

NATIONAL

• CNN Poll:Obama Expands Lead To 7 Points, Independent Voters Cool On Romney (Kyle Leighton, TPM) “Among independent voters, the poll indicates President Obama has a 53%-42% lead,” CNN Polling Director Keating Holland told CNN.com. “The president holds a nine point advantage among women voters and a smaller six point edge among men.”
• Ann McFeatters: Watch the rise of independent voters (Newsday) A record number of us now say we are political independents, swiveling our heads right and left as we watch the Democrats and the Republicans try to govern -- and fail. Forty-four percent of Americans insist they are neither Republican nor Democrat, according to Gallup polling. That is about 9 percentage points higher than surveys showed at the same period in 2008, the last presidential election year.

NORTH CAROLINA

• Independentvoters make up a larger share of North Carolina's registry (Fayettesville Observer) Since 2000, the number of unaffiliated voters has grown by 77 percent in Cumberland County and 112 percent statewide, according to an analysis of voter records by The Fayetteville Observer.
• See same article, different version here Inside Politics: Number of independent votersgrowing fast in Cumberland County and North Carolina.

SOUTH DAKOTA

• Voter registration down from four years ago (Ryan Lengerich, Rapid City Journal) Voter registration in South Dakota has dipped since 2008 for Democrats and Republicans, but more voters are declaring their independence. Independent voters increased 7.5 percent since the 2008 general election, to 88,726.
• Same article: Voter registration down in South Dakota, but more residentsregistering independent (The Republic,  Indiana)
• Same article Voter registration down in S.D., but independents up (Sioux City Journal) 

Hankster News of the Day for Independents May 24

Today's Hankster picks for independent activists. Take a look at the latest attack on California's new Top Two Open Primary by Ernest Canning on Brad Blog, meander around the independent voter polls in Florida, and end up on Staten Island where challenger Michael Grimm has been tossed off the Independence Party line...

The title of the article contains the link to the original, followed by the author and publication, and then a snipit from the article. You can subscribe to this briefing by email at FeedBlitz or choose your favorite newsreader... 

• Will CA's New 'Cajun Primary' System Allow Minority GOP To Capture Congressional Seats? - CA-26 House race exemplifies anti-democratic potential of 2010's voter-approved 'Top Two' open primary system... (Guest blogged by Ernest A. Canning, Brad Blog) At the time it passed, then CA Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger (R) touted the Prop 14 "open primary" (also known as the "Cajun Primary") as a means to assure democratic accountability. The philandering actor-turned-governor said it would eliminate "the ideological traffic jam in Sacramento." But, according to Richard Derham, a Research Fellow of the Washington Policy Center, the "Cajun Primary" was developed in the South, at a time when it was dominated by a one-party system of segregationist Democrats. It was not meant, says Derham, to assure (small "d") democratic accountability, but rather to eliminate "the influence of Republican and Black voters".
• Quinnipiac poll: Mitt Romney leads in Florida (Posted by Rachel Weiner, Washington Post/ The Fix) Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney leads President Obama by six points among registered voters in Florida, according to a new Quinnipiac survey, a marked change from two months ago that, the poll suggests, could be linked in part to Obama’s recent statements in support of gay marriage.
• May 23, 2012 - Romney Up 6 Points In Florida, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Rubio Has Little Impact As GOP Running Mate (Quinnipiac University) Gov. Mitt Romney holds a 47 - 41 percent lead over President Barack Obama in Florida, where 63 percent of voters say the president's support of same-sex marriage will not affect their vote, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Another 25 - 11 percent of voters, including 23 - 9 percent among independent voters, say Obama's support of gay marriage makes them less likely to support his candidacy.
• Romney rocks the independent vote (By Christian Heinze, The Hill/ Ballot Box) In the seesaw battle between presumptive Republican nominee Mitt Romney and President Obama, there’s one surprising and rarely discussed constant — Romney is consistently beating the president among voters who consider themselves independent… According to Talking Points Memo’s poll tracker, there have been 14 major surveys measuring independents’ support over the past two months (excluding the Democratic-leaning Public Policy Polling and conservative-leaning Rasmussen Reports).
• Charlie King Next Top Dem To Move On (BY Ken Lovett, NY Daily News/ Daily Politics) The Democratic insider said King will leave after the national Democratic convention in September to seek private sector job opportunities.
• Paperwork miscue costs Staten Island Rep. Michael Grimm court battle over Independence Party line (Tom Wrobleski, Staten Island Advance) That means Independence voters will be deprived of voting for the candidate of their choice, Molinari said. "A phenomenon like that, which is so widespread, cries out for relief," said Molinari, an attorney. "You cannot disregard that."
• Sources: Judge Rules Against Grimm on Independence Party Appeal [Update] (By Colin Campbell, Politicker) Update: Mr. Murphy’s campaign confirms the result with the following comment from their spokesman Nathan Smith: “Hopefully, this ruling will end Michael Grimm’s sloppy and doomed effort to stay on the Independence line by wasting the court’s time and the taxpayers’ money.

Hankster News of the Day for Independents May 23

Today's Hankster picks for independent activists. The title of the article contains the link to the original, followed by the author and publication, and then a snipit from the article. You can subscribe to this briefing by email at FeedBlitz or choose your favorite newsreader... 

• The Texan (Semi-) Open Primary (By Shawn M. Griffiths, IVN) If all of the candidates in a race were on one ballot and the top two candidates, regardless of party affiliation, go on to the general election then it doesn’t disenfranchise any demographics. Republicans would vote for the Republican candidate they want. Democrats would vote for Democratic candidate they want, and independent voters would be able to vote for whoever they want.
• California's Ballot Experiment (Chris Weigant, Huffington Post) While the option will still exist to vote for a Libertarian or Green presidential candidate in November, they'll likely be the only representatives from their respective parties on the entire ballot, which, as I said, doesn't really sit right with me, because it smacks of second-class status for anyone not a member of the Democratic Party or Republican Party.
  Obama up 8 in Pennsylvania (Public Policy Polling) In a state where Democrats have a large registration advantage Obama wins if that holds true. It's a departure from some past polls that found him under even 70% of the Democratic vote, but conservative whites seem to be moving back toward him just as they did after supporting Hillary Clinton in the 2008 primary. Obama's also up 48-24 with Pennsylvania's small contingent of independent voters.
• Poll: Obama up big in swing-state Pennsylvania (By Jonathan Easley, The Hill) Independent voters have helped buoy Romney in recent national polls, but that’s not the case in Pennsylvania, where Obama leads 48 to 24. Obama also th edge among two of his most important constituent groups — women, with whom he leads 56 to 36, and young voters, with whom he leads 64 to 28.
• Pennylvania Poll: Obama Up 8, Doubles Romney With Independent Voters (TPM) A new poll of Pennsylvania from Democratic-leaning firm Public Policy Polling shows President Obama with an 8-point overall lead, 50 percent to 42 percent, built on large leads with women and independent voters.

Check out Independent Pennsylvanians!

Hankster Sunday Morning Chronicle November 6, 2011

Hey hey Hanksteristas!

Most recently I have tried to "segment" my posts so that they are more specific to the particular topics of the day for followers of the independent movement. Hope you have found this helpful.

However, today I present some of the most pertinent news and opinion articles for independents.

Enjoy!

-NH

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Books: Tom Brokaw writes about changes in America (By ROBMERRILL, AP, Fayetteville Observer NC) Each chapter of "The Time of Our Lives" begins with a box divided into two sections, FACT and QUESTION. Some sample facts: Independent voters make up about 30 percent of the electorate...
• New Louisiana Voter Registration Figures for Each Qualified Party (Ballot Access News) Independent voters, plus those registered in unqualified parties, equal 23.41%.
• Ind. candidates ditch party labels on campaign material as voters claim their independence (TOM LoBIANCO  Associated Press, Daily Reporter - Greenfield IN) Indiana politics expert Andrew Downs says ditching the party ties may be as much about appealing to the state's growing pool of independent voters as about the simple logistics of keeping campaign signs easy to read.
• Unaffiliated voters remain key part of South Jersey electorate (By STEVEN LEMONGELLO, Press of Atlantic City) Political parties go to great lengths to get their message across to an important segment of the electorate — the unaffiliated voters, or those not registered with a particular party.
• Ohio voters can strike a better balance (BY DAVID KUSHMA, THE BLADE EDITOR, Toledo Blade) More recently, we've seen nakedly partisan efforts by Columbus Republicans to cement their political dominance by working to disfranchise voters who aren't likely to support them, and by drawing new maps for Ohio's U.S. House delegation and General Assembly that mock the idea of fair representation. And much of this has occurred without any pretense of allowing political opponents -- or citizens -- a piece of an open, inclusive policy-making process.
• People’s Veto is move in wrong direction (By Doug Rooks, Sun Journal - Maine) Hearings on LD 1376 yielded no evidence that the 38-year practice of Election Day registration, or EDR, caused any problems… Is there evidence, at least, that banning EDR would benefit Republicans? Sadly, yes. In 2008, Democratic EDR registrations (13,910) surpassed Republican (5,452) by better than 2-1. But both parties were dwarfed by independent voters (22,210). Independents are those, by and large, the GOP would shut out.

2012

• A year from election, Obama faces tough road ahead (By Dan Balz, Jon Cohen and Chris Cillizza, The Washington Post in the Denver Post) Independents, whose allegiances have shifted rapidly, hold the key. But Obama's hopes also depend on rebuilding the coalition of African- Americans, Latinos, younger voters and suburbanites that elected him. NOTE ASSUMPTION:  AAs, Ls, YVs and "suburbanites" are not independent, they are Democrats, because all liberals are Democrats. NEXT!
• SUNDAY ISSUE: Obama not winning over Pa., but beating GOP foes (By Marc Levy, Associated Press, Meadville Tribune) When Obama is not lined up against a named opponent, 52 percent of those surveyed by Franklin & Marshall said Obama doesn’t deserve re-election next year, versus 42 percent who say he does. Independent voters, an important swing group, broke along similar lines: 51 percent to 42 percent.
• Romney, Perry target independent voters with bipartisan, cooperative tone amid political risksIn GOP campaign cooperative tone arises amid risks (By STEVE PEOPLES, Associated Press, Newser, Washington Post) "This is not the Democrats' country or the Republicans' country. This is our country," Perry said during a recent campaign stop in Iowa, arguing that the country's troubles are ideologically blind and not Democratic vs. Republican.
• Legislators trying to get down to most basic issues (Kevin Landrigan, Nashua Telegraph) Still, there’s little doubt today that [McCain's] crushing victory over Bush in New Hampshire’s primary was in no small part linked to that anti-deficit, anti-party partisan message resonating especially with independent voters.

OCCUPY WALL STREET
'Move Your Money' march winds through downtown Saturday with support of Occupy Portland (Mike Francis, The Oregonian) Roughly 200 people marched through the drizzle Saturday morning in a noisy but peaceful demonstration supporting "Move Your Money" day. Chanting "Banks got bailed out, we got sold out," the marchers left citizens' arrest warrants at downtown branches of Wells Fargo, U.S. Bank and J.P. Morgan Chase banks, all of which were closed.




LOOK FOR a Hankster Special Report on OWS, coming soon!

Testing Open Primaries in Idaho and South Carolina

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Obama Opens 2012 Campaign, With Eye on Money and Independent Voters (By JEFF ZELENY and JACKIE CALMES, NY Times) He may not be on the ballot until November 2012, but aides said they were eager to reach out to independent voters before Republicans do.
• Charlie Cook: Warning Signs Among the GOP - It’s not inconceivable that Republicans might start seeing things go against them in the court of public opinion, starting with the current spending debate. (National Journal/Charlie Cook's Off to the Races) But among independents, 51 percent thought government should do more, with 47 percent saying government was trying to do too much.

OPEN PRIMARIES PUT TO THE TEST IN IDAHO AND SOUTH CAROLINA

• by Damon Eris (CAIVN) On the other side of the issue, attorney Harry Kresky said, "It's a great day for independents. It's a great day for all voters in South Carolina."  Kresky is co-council for the Committee for a Unified Independent Party, which intervened in this suit as well as the case in Idaho.  In 2008, a majority of candidates for the state’s legislature ran unopposed in the general election, as reported at the Greenfield Daily Reporter.  If Independents were barred from voting in the state’s primary elections, they would be effectively disenfranchised from the political process.
• South Carolina editorial roundup (NECN.com) In tossing out a lawsuit by Republicans seeking to close party primaries in South Carolina, a federal court judge turned voters into winners in this important political process. With her decision, U.S. District Judge Michelle Childs has protected voters' rights while also preserving the integrity of the election process in our state.
• Allen: ‘Can’t believe partisan registration more important than funding schools, medical care for needy’ (Posted by Betsy, Spokesman Review/Eye On Boise) Gary Allen, attorney for independent voters who are appealing the federal court decision overturning Idaho's current primary system, told the House State Affairs Committee this morning, “My clients are concerned with the requirement for mandatory registration for two reasons:…" 

NEW YORK
Will Marty Golden Be Next Year’s Frank Padavan? Senate Dems Are Banking On It (By Laura Nahmias, City Hall News) Over a year in advance of the 2012 races, Democrats are already plotting a robust challenge to State Sen. Marty Golden, and the man at the top of the list of possible candidates is Carlo Scissura, chief of staff to Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz.

Obama Targeting Indies

Obama's last news conference makes it obvious that he's trying to win back independent voters by targeting topics such as Libya, the Budget and rising gasolin prices.

OBAMA AND INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Obama keeps his eye on independent voters (Dan Balz, Washington Post/Post Politics

GOP Has Major Work to Do For 2012

Although President Obama's approval rating has dropped overall and significantly with independents, Republicans have a lot of work to do as all their potential candidates are strongly unrecognized by the public.

INDEPENDENTS IN THE POLLS

• Reuters/Ipsos poll: Potential Republican candidates not quite household names (Reuters/Front Row Washington) President Barack Obama’s job approval rating fell to 49 percent in March from 51 percent in February, and dropped among independent voters to 37 percent from 47 percent over the same period, according to a Reuters/Ipsos poll.

Kentucky Open Primaries Gains Ground

A proposal led by Senator Jimmy Higdon R-Lebanon, passed through legislation yesterday that would allow 200,000 independents to vote in open primaries in the state of Kentucky. Although similar bills have been rejected in the past for fear that voters would switch to independent to sabotage an opposing party's election, a December 31 deadline for registration has been put into effect to avoid this.

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Independents could win right to vote in primaries (NECN) The Senate has passed legislation that would allow registered independents to vote in Democratic and Republican primaries. The proposal, championed by Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, was approved 23-13 on Thursday.
• Back To The Future In Louisiana (By Sean Sullivan, National Journal/Hotline On Call) It's not often that Republicans and Democrats agree, but the Department of Justice has officially signed off on Louisiana's return to open primaries for federal elections, a move both parties in the state have opposed, albeit for different reasons.
• IT'S OPEN SEASON FOR JANE HARMAN'S SEAT IN THE 36TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT (by Bob Morris, CAIVN) So there you have it, a wide open race for a left of center Democrat to win (Sorry Republicans, but you have no chance in the 36th). I lived in Venice for ten years up to 2005. In my opinion, if Bowen runs, she will be very difficult to beat. This will also be one of the first elections in California under the new Top Two open primary system, whereby the two highest vote getters regardless of party face each other in the general election. This could very well mean it will be Bowen vs. Hahn in both the Democratic primary and the general election.

PROPOSITION 14

• On a rail out of town (By Cosmo Garvin and Hugh Biggar, News Review - Sacramento) Daniel Frederick, a Peace and Freedom Party candidate for the 4th Assembly District. is suing the state claiming Proposition 14, approved by voters last year, is unfairly keeping him off the ballot.
• Not an ‘open’ primary - Re “After Doolittle” by Jason Probst (LETTER from Rich Winger, News Review - Sacramento) Proposition 14 sets up a system in California in which the parties don’t have nominees.
• After John Doolittle, the Placer GOP can’t quite get it together (By Jason Probst News Review - Sacramento) “The general gist of it is, for a long time, Doolittle had a very good handle on the district,” said Aaron Park, former member of the Placer County Republican Central Committee. “McClintock is hands-off. He doesn’t want to involve himself in local politics.” The result? A special election to succeed Assemblyman Ted Gaines featuring seven Republicans and one Democrat, Dennis Campanale. The race is even more unpredictable for Republicans because of the state’s newly passed open-primary law, which will select the top two vote getters in the primary to contest the May 3 general election. It’s unlikely, but possible in a heavily Republican district like this, for two GOP candidates to face off in the general.

OBAMA

• Communications Breakdown: Obama Urges World to 'Witness History Unfold' in Egypt and... Mubarak Stays (John Nichols, The Nation)
• A Fork in Road to the White House (By MATT BAI, NY Times) Which path the Republican hopefuls will take depends, perhaps, not only on whether they have an actual governing vision to offer, but also on whether they think the party needs to work to reclaim independent voters at all. Some Republican activists would argue that their huge gains in 2010 prove that, unlike the beleaguered Democrats whom Mr. Clinton rose to lead, they are already philosophically in sync with the broader American electorate.

NEW YORK

• Disgraced former state Sen. Pedro Espada still has to clean up Sanitation summons fines (BOB KAPPSTATTER, NY Daily News) $62,580 - That's the amount in Sanitation summons fines and late fees remaining for illegally slapping 598 campaign posters on light poles during last September's primary campaign, in which Gustavo Rivera clobbered him.
• New Yorkers Hold Rally In Support Of Soundview Clinic (By: Josh Robin, NY1) Espada says for some mysterious reason, $3 million he was promised to relocate across the street has been held up -- maybe because of all the negative attention he's getting.
• Winners & Losers (EXCERPT City Hall News) Charles Barron, Pedro Espada, Kevin Sheekey...

New Independents - Change You Can Believe In

Joelle Riddle will change the makeup of politics in Colorado. The former county commissioner of La Plata County and founder of Independent Voters for Colorado is leading the charge for reform in the Centennial State. Riddle says that she is "tired of the government not running well" and the first task on the agenda; ballot initiative to open primary elections to all voters.

If Riddle's efforts are successful, then perhaps it will open the door for many to become more politically active, leading to national change. Jackie Salit, president of Independentvoting.org states that almost 40% of voters do not consider themselves Republican or Democrats.

With these statistics the efforts in Colorado might just start a domino effect of change.

INDEPENDENT VOTERS:

• Change to believe in - Former Commissioner Riddle takes on major parties (By Heather Scofield, Durango Herald) Independentvoting.org's Jackie Salit said voters’ desire to see the parties’ grip on the political process loosened has sparked reform efforts in 43 states. Riddle: “Everyone can be an independent vote.”
• THE HILL POLL: Voters oppose raising the $14.3T debt ceiling (By Erik Wasson, The Hill) Only 40 percent of likely voters say the $787 billion stimulus package helped. While 69 percent of Democrats say it boosted growth, 56 percent of independents think the stimulus hurt or had no impact on the economy.
• Liberals Unhappy With Obama's Business Outreach - The White House reset upsets some old allies. (By George E. Condon Jr., National Journal) Just as unhappy is Adam Green, leader of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. He said the White House is miscalculating if it thinks “Obama is picking up some niche of voters by sucking up to Wall Street while dragging progressives along. That’s just not true. What voters is he picking up? None.” In an e-mail, Green added, “If some political strategist thinks that independent voters are turned off by holding Wall Street accountable, for the sake of the entire Democratic Party, that strategist should be fired. Immediately.”
• No surprise, Americans divided on whether to help Egypt (Written By Jon Griffin, Indie Pro Pub) The poll found that 48 percent of both Republicans and Democrats were in favor of U.S. involvement in Egypt, while 40 percent of Republicans and 37 percent of Democrats felt that, along with 47 percent of Independents, the U.S. should not do anything about the ongoing turmoil in Egypt.
• Graham: Obama 'beatable' if GOP wins indies (By JENNIFER EPSTEIN, Politico) Sen. Lindsey Graham is confident that a Republican can beat Barack Obama, so long as the candidate appeals to independent voters.

NO LABELS

• New Political Movement ‘No Labels’ Rallies in (By James Lomuscio, Westport Now.com) No Labels also calls for open primaries, not separate Democratic and Republican ones. Walker pointed out that California recently enacted a law providing open primaries for state elections.

PROP 14

• Harman Special Election To Test Out 'Top Two' Election System In California (Eric Kleefeld, Talking Points Memo DC) In a referendum held during last year's primary, California's voters approved Proposition 14, which replaced the conventional party primaries with a different system known as Top Two, which has already been in use in Washington state for the past few years. (A similar system has been used for a long time in Louisiana, sometimes called the "jungle primary," but Washington state's version was the model used for California -- and in fact, Louisiana has scrapped the use of the jungle primary for federal races.)

• Race already underway for Jane Harman's seat (Kitty Felde, KPCC Southern California Public Radio) This will be the first Congressional election under the rules of Proposition 14. Voters can choose any candidate, regardless of party, with the top two vote-getters meeting in a runoff if no one gets a majority.

BALLOT ACCESS

• Alabama Ballot Access Bill Introduced (Ballot Access News) Senator Cam Ward (R-Alabaster) has introduced SB 17. It lowers the number of signatures for statewide independent candidates from 3% of the last gubernatorial vote, to 1.5% of the last gubernatorial vote.

NEW YORK

• Independent Democrats Explain Rules Vote (Posted by: Nick Reisman, Politics on the Hudson) At the news conference, the independents said they backed the rules because it should be up to the lawmakers to pick their leader.

Kentucky SB 41: A Dent in the Armor

Semi-open primaries are better than completely closed primaries, and that's what independents in Kentucky are going to have to settle for for now as Kentucky's SB 41 was approved in the Senate allowing independents who are registered the year before a primary to vote. Not quite there yet but it is a crack in the wall.

Headway is being made in Utah as well, as prominent Utahans such as their former Gov. Olene Walker are calling for redistricting reform for the upcoming drawing, specifically, an independent commission to do the job. Utah has been long considered to be one of the least competitive states due to favorable GOP districts.
OPEN PRIMARIES

• Kentucky Bill for a Semi-Closed Primary Passes Committee (Ballot Access News) On February 2, the Senate State and Local Government Committee passed SB 41, by Senator Jimmy Higdon (R-Lebanon). It says that independent voters, and also members of unqualified parties, may vote in partisan primaries.

ELECTION REFORM

• Don’t make it harder to vote in Wisconsin (Cap Times editorial - WI) Thanks to open primaries and a tradition of ticket splitting, our parties have historically been more ideologically and regionally diverse than in other states. Thus, Republican governors like Tommy Thompson and Scott Walker have been able to find former Democratic legislators to serve in their administrations.

OBAMA

• Prez tops Palin, Newt in S.C. — not Mitt, Huck (By JUANA SUMMERS, Politico) Obama doesn’t do well with South Carolina’s independent voters, who make up 22 percent of the electorate. Obama has a 39 percent approval rating with unaffiliated voters, compared with 54 percent disapproving.

UTAH

• Group proposes independent panel to study Utah redistricting (BY LADD BRUBAKER, The Salt Lake Tribune) A nonpartisan group of prominent Utahns is calling on the Legislature to create an independent commission as part of the upcoming redistricting — a redrawing of political boundaries that happens every 10 years… Buoyed by a recent Salt Lake Tribune poll indicating that 73 percent of Utahns support an independent redistricting commission, organizers plan to draw up their own redistricting proposals and hold statewide public meetings to generate pressure on legislators.
• Don't Count Out Moderate Republican Jon Huntsman (By Solomon Kleinsmith, WNYC/It's A Free Country - Read. Argue. Listen. Act.) The trick will be getting those voters to the primaries and caucuses in enough numbers to at least keep him in the game, and use the open primary states, where independents can vote for him without changing registration, to put him over the top. With no contest going on for the left or moderate independents, those states will be much more likely to make their voices heard for him.

NEW YORK

• Gresham and Mulgrew, two top labor leaders, broken faith with Gov. Cuomo and New Yorkers (EDITORIAL NY Daily News) Gresham and Mulgrew joined fully aware that Cuomo was committed to closing the state's $10 billion deficit by cutting out-of-control spending, and without resorting to tax hikes. But when Cuomo kept his pledge Tuesday, Gresham and Mulgrew abandoned theirs.A Senate flashback (Albany Times Union) Why, it was June of 2009, the summer of the coup and the counter-coup. Richard Ravitch had yet to be appointed lieutenant governor. So Sen. Pedro Espada -- remember him? -- was claiming that, as president pro tempore, he effectively could cast two votes on behalf of the Republicans to whom he'd temporarily defected. He would vote as a member of the state Senate. And then he would vote again, as the acting lieutenant governor. The GOP would rule, all right.
• Independence Party Chimes In On Budget (Posted by: Nick Reisman, Politics on the Hudson) The state Independence Party Chairman Frank MacKay gave his thumbs on the budget proposal released by Gov. Andrew Cuomo this week.
• Big money, small issues (By Dylan Matthews, Washington Post/Ezra Klein) Tom Golisano isn't a particularly big name with people who aren't New York political junkies. He's basically Ross Perot writ small. He's a billionaire who founded a third party (the Independence Party), ran for governor a few times and did surprisingly well, and holds idiosyncratic but generally center-right views. His latest project has more national ramifications. He's apparently bankrolling efforts to implement the National Popular Vote plan, a work-around meant to abolish the Electoral College without amending the Constitution.
• A Senate flashback (Albany Times Union) Why, it was June of 2009, the summer of the coup and the counter-coup. Richard Ravitch had yet to be appointed lieutenant governor. So Sen. Pedro Espada -- remember him? -- was claiming that, as president pro tempore, he effectively could cast two votes on behalf of the Republicans to whom he'd temporarily defected. He would vote as a member of the state Senate. And then he would vote again, as the acting lieutenant governor. The GOP would rule, all right.

EDUCATION REFORM

• CHAVOUS: The new Rosa Parks - A parent risking jail for better schools signals a time for choice (By Kevin P. Chavous -The Washington Times) Clearly, something is happening in the push to reform American schools, and it is not going away. Slowly, but ever so surely, parents are injecting themselves into the discussion.

Independent Hotspot: Arizona

It's common knowledge that independent voters decide elections. Lately the number of independents is growing, and not just those who recognize themselves as independents, but voters who register as independents. Arizona, specifically, will be a hot state in 2012. Independents in the state have reached an historical milestone in having more registered independents than the other major parties this year.

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Obama, not Clinton, favored over McCain (Des Moines Register) Barack Obama would carry Iowa if he were the Democratic nominee running against McCain, if voters feel in November the way they do now. But McCain would carry Iowa in an election matchup with Democrat Hillary Clinton if the election were held now, according to the new poll.
• Independents could change tone of voting (BY TERRY ROSS, Yuma Sun) There is a complication, however, in the independent movement. Under our election process candidates are picked by the parties. The choices available to voters — including independents — mostly come from the two major parties. Independents are outside this system.

NEW YORK

• Weaseling Families Party? Labor leaders backtrack on budget cut promises to Gov. Andrew Cuomo (EDITORIAL NY Daily News) The labor-backed party's leaders pledged to support Cuomo's fiscally austere agenda back when there was something in it for them - space alongside his name on the November ballot.

EDUCATION REFORM

• Charter Schools Behind NYC School Closures (Examiner.com NY) In short, the closing schools were at the epicenter of the economic crisis that ensued in 2008 and reflect the particular kinds of damage it did to communities of color in NYC. This crisis accelerated the already deteriorating conditions in the schools creating an opportunity for privatizers looking to intensify the dismantling of public education.
• Scholar Ronald Ferguson To Speak on Racial Achievement Divide at Brown (GoLocalProv Features Team)

A Great Divide...

There is a great divide in our country between elected officials and those who put them in office--the voters. In New York and Massachusetts, ordinary citizens voted for non-partisan redistricting 72% and 66% respectively. Yet in Massachusetts, the concept was completely butchered by the state legislature 34-5--makes sense? No...

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Tomblin Comments on Judiciary Committee's Vote Supporting Primary Election (WBOY 12 - West Virginia Media) To not allow for a primary would disenfranchise all independent voters as well as eliminate the opportunity for our military serving overseas to express their choice.”

REDISTRICTING

• Massachusetts Senate rejects implementation of independent redistricting commission (Ballot News) On January 12, 2011, a poll was released showing that 66 percent of Massachusetts residents support putting an independent commission in charge of redistricting. Only 23 percent of respondents said the legislature should continue to be in charge of redistricting.
• New Yorkers strongly disfavor state legislature handling redistricting, according to poll (Empire State News) Support for independent redistricting is strongest, 70 – 21 percent, among independent voters and is over 60 percent among all other groups.
• Back to court - Another questionable question (EDITORIAL Tulsa World - OK) On Monday Clark W. Duffee, an Edmond man who ran for Congress as an independent candidate, filed a lawsuit that argues that the new process stifles the voices of Oklahoma citizens who aren't members of either party, and it does. At last count there are 240,855 registered independent voters in Oklahoma - more than 11 percent of the total.

OBAMA

• Obama gets second chance from independents (By Michael Maslansky, Special to CNN, CNN Opinion) Independents seem willing to give the president the benefit of the doubt. Almost on cue, independents reacted positively at the mention of bipartisanship, so he was wise to fill this speech with examples of government doing what's best for the people, not just what's best for the party.

EDUCATION REFORM

• The politics of Rhee (Ben Smith, Politico) Now Rhee is in the process of a shift from political naif to full-fledged power broker. She has created an emphatically political new organization, StudentsFirst, and she told POLITICO she hopes to raise and spend an astonishing $200 million annually – a large sum even in the deep-pocketed world of education philanthropists.

2012: It's All About the Independents

Six states and the District of Columbia have already passed the "National Popular Vote Plan", a plan in which the presidential candidate who wins the popular vote in all 50 states and the District of Columbia would win the election. Discussion below by FairVote ED Rob Richie of a 2012 scenario where the election gets thrown into the House of Representatives. Who would you rather picks the President of the United States?

Speaking of which, President Obama's re-election campaign in 2012 might be easier than everyone thinks. Why? Nate Silver of FiveThirtyEightBecause says because he has far fewer crucial decisions to make and now can refocus his efforts towards the independent voters who will determine the next president.

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Tennessee Bill to Establish Registration by Party, and Also to Lower Petition Requirement for New Parties (Ballot Access News) Tennessee State Senator Stacey Campfield (R-Knoxville) has introduced SB 129 which provides that the voter registration form ask voters if they wish to register into a party, and provides that voters would not be allowed to vote in a primary unless were registered members of the party. Currently, Tennessee doesn’t have registration by party.
• Charter panel OKs 10 proposals (By Nick Dutro, Tiffin OH Advertiser Tribune) They also discussed open primaries, which would allow candidates to run with or without party affiliation. Under the proposal, the top candidates who garner the most votes in the primary would move on to the General Election regardless of party affiliation.

NATIONAL POPULAR VOTE

• Ties Go to the Loser: A 2012 Electoral College (Rob Richie - Executive director, FairVote, Huffington Post) Earning bipartisan support in states around the country and grounded in constitutional powers given to the states, the National Popular Vote plan would guarantee election of the president who wins the most popular votes in all 50 states and the District of Columbia. Every president, every election, would be determined by the votes of ordinary Americans.

REDISTRICTING

• Shuler to introduce bill mandating bipartisan redistricting commissions in each state (By Aaron Sarver, Washington Independent) Detractors of the bill say redistricting commissions just shift the political process into different hands. But in the Knoxville News Sentinel article, Shuler decries the partisan nature of the process, saying, “you have elected officials whose jobs are to make sure their political party gets more of an advantage over the next political party.”
• Rep. Shuler introduces Fairness and Independence in Redistricting Act (Posted by David Forbes, Mountain Xpress blog - Asheville and Western NC) An equal number of commissioners would be appointed by the minority and majority floor leaders in each state’s legislatures. The appointed commissioners would then elect, by majority vote, the commission chairperson.

OBAMA

• Obama’s Paradox of Choice (By NATE SILVER, NY Times/FiveThirtyEight) But here is the worry that I would have if I were a Republican. Precisely because there aren’t likely to be as many pressing political decisions before Mr. Obama in the next two years as there were in the last two, he will have more time to attune his message to independent voters and to concentrate on his re-election efforts, all the while branding them as bipartisan comity.

DEMOCRATS

• Haven't the Democrats been here before? (By: Mark Tapscott, Washington Examiner) What is disturbing about the Democrats' present condition is that America needs two healthy, vibrant major parties capable of attracting moderate and independent voters. But there is nothing moderate or independent about the agendas of the Four Horsemen of Big Labor, Big Green, Big Lawyers and Big Insiders.

NEW YORK

• New York State Sen. David Valesky: 'Frustration with leadership' led to split (video) (Oneida Daily Dispatch, By MATT POWERS) New York State Sen. David Valesky, D-49 said the “hyper-partisan nature” of the Senate has not served the people of the state well. “So this Independent Democratic Conference gives us a much greater ability to work in a bi-partisan fashion — in this case with the new Senate Republican majority,” he said. “It has an opportunity to create a new way of doing things in the state Senate.”
• Diaz Wonders: Where's The Outrage? (By David Freedlander, NY Observer) "I'm listening hard but I don't hear even a whisper from any Democratic leader of their criticism of those Senators who have abandoned the Democratic Party. Is the snow muffling any outcry? Will the Daily News' Mr. Bramhall render this new caucus as the new Cosa Nostra? Are the actions of Hispanic legislators held to a different, higher standard? Has the Democratic Party decided those non-Hispanic Senators should determine what's best for all New Yorkers with no accountability?"
• Maziarz is number three (by Jimmy Vielkind, Albany Times Union/Capitol Confidential) Maziarz was a principal legislative architect of the Republicans one-month alliance with Democratic Senators Pedro Espada Jr. and Hiram Monserrate, who sparked a stalemate with their defection on June 8, 2009.

POLITICAL THEATER

• Lenora B. Fulani Makes Her Acting Debut At The Castillo Theatre (By Deardra Shuler, Black Star News) "Mr. Hirsch Died Yesterday” at the Castillo Theatre, located at 543 West 42nd Street in Manhattan, but lives on spectacularly through the lively cast consisting of Lindsay Arber, Dana Berger, Zoe Geltman, Ben Prayz, Debbie Buchsbaum, Joseph Mallon, Katya Pucci, Moshe Yassur, Reynaldo Piniella and community activist Lenora Fulani, in her debut role. Renowned producer Woodie King, Jr., also makes his debut as director in this production. King skillfully etches a course through history and the nature of human kind which makes the show a thought provoking piece of theatre.

The First Test of Prop-14

The special election in California is fast approaching and will test Prop-14 for the first time although a small turnout is expected. News continues to roll in on Obama's gear up for his 2012 campaign as his approval rating rises to 50 %. It seems to be pretty obvious that his approval is dependent by the eyes of many on the health of the economy. Speaking of the economy and the budget crisis, Michelle Rhee of the Wall Street Journal discusses and interesting point on how this could be an opening for school reform, where cuts should be based on the quality of the teacher, not their seniority.

OPEN PRIMARIES

• North Dakota Bill for a Blanket Primary (Ballot Access News) The bill would change that, so that any voter could vote for any candidate in any party’s primary. This is the system that California used in 1998 and 2000, and for all special elections 1967 until 2010.
• SSP Daily Digest: 1/11 (by: Crisitunity, Swing State Project)

OBAMA

• Obama approval rises as economy improves: poll (CNBC - Reuters) Independent voters who abandoned Democrats in November 2 elections and who Obama will need to win a second term in 2012 are willing to take a second look. In this poll, independents backed him 50 percent to 45 percent.
• Obama Begins Gearing Up Re-Election Bid (By JONATHAN WEISMAN And LAURA MECKLER, Wall Street Journal) After a disastrous midterm election for his party, Mr. Obama recently has been seeking to re-establish himself as a unifying figure who can appeal to independent voters. Now, some Democratic strategists close to the White House fear the return of Mr. Obama as a candidate could harm the repositioning effort.

CALIFORNIA

• Feb. 15 to mark 'short, brutal affair' in California (Becky Yeh - OneNewsNow California correspondent, American Family News Network) Pres. of Calif. Repub Assembly: "You will see the first time -- and that's why this was a big mistake -- it drowns out voices," he notes. "You will absolutely see that probably the top two vote-getters will be Democrat[s]."
• Brown sets special election for Assembly vacancy (The Associated Press, Mercury News) Under California's new open primary law, the top two vote-getters in a March 8 primary will advance to a May 3 runoff election, regardless of party affiliation. Brown set the dates Tuesday.
  

KENTUCKY

• Willie Nelson in tune with Galbraith for governor (By Jack Brammer, Lexington Herald Leader) Nelson formed the Teapot Party last November after he was arrested for possession of marijuana. He said its motto is “We lean a little to the left.”

EDUCATION REFORM

• Dr. King and the Achievement Gap (Brian Jones, Teacher and activist, Huffington Post) If we truly want to close the achievement gap, we should remember Dr. King's words. At the end of his life, his perspectives were diametrically opposed to those of today's political elites. Yet, come Monday, they will all line up to praise his dreams of equality. They will quote his famous speech from 1963, but not his perspectives from 1967: "If the society changes its concept by placing the responsibility on its system, not on the individual, and guarantees secure employment or a minimum income, dignity will come within reach of all."
• In Budget Crises, an Opening for School Reform - School systems can put students first by making sure any layoffs account for teacher quality, not seniority. (By MICHELLE RHEE, Wall Street Journal)

LAST WORD

• Jared Lee Loughner a Registered Independent; Didn't Vote in 2010 (Posted by Stephanie Condon, CBS News/Politics Hotsheet
  Jared Lee Loughner was a registered independent, didn't vote in 2010 election (By Chris Cillizza, Washington Post/The Fix)
• Right rejects left’s charges on Palin (By Shane D’Aprile 
and Sean J. Miller, The Hill) Commentator Bill Kristol called the attacks on Palin “McCarthyism.”

California: The Good, The Bad, The Ugly; Without the Good

The economic disarray continues in California, which faces a $28 billion deficit. They aren't the only ones in the "red", so to speak, as Bloomberg's approval rating reaches the lowest since his initial election in 2002 and President Obama faces similar disapproval as he finds himself in the precarious position of trying to prove his body of work over the last three years to set himself up for re-election next year. All this however takes place in the midst of tragedy; the deadly shooting in Arizona which killed six, one of which was U.S. District Judge John Roll, and injured 12, including Rep. Gabrielle Gifford (D-AZ-8)

OBAMA

• New, big challenges confront Obama the candidate (By LIZ SIDOTI, By The Associated Press, Bloomberg.com) Obama owns the slow-to-recover economy and is the face of a Washington he once campaigned against. Polls show his diverse voting coalition from 2008 cracked and his support among independents weakened. His path to Electoral College victory in 2012 is tougher. And he doesn't have George W. Bush's unpopularity paving the way for a Democratic victory.

IDAHO

• New York Times Publicizes Idaho Republican Party Lawsuit on Primaries (Ballot Access News)

LOUISIANA

• Federal approval of Louisiana open primaries expected within a month (By Cathy Hughes, The Times-Picayune) State lawmakers voted overwhelmingly during the 2010 regular session to switch from party primaries for the 2012 election cycle, and Gov. Bobby Jindal signed the measure over the opposition of both the Louisiana Democratic and Republican party committees.The move would return Louisiana's federal elections to the same system the stat used for decades until opting for party primaries in 2008. State, parish and municipal elections have continued under the open-primary system.

CALIFORNIA

• Personal Politics (By David Mas Masumoto, Fresno Bee) We face a maturity test: how to frame problems in the context of real life and daily impact. We will now need to do the dirty work of determining how to live with less, pay for what we want to keep and fix broken political structures. We started the process years ago by lowering the school bond passage threshold to 55%, then with redistricting reform and, in November 2010, with open primaries and legislative budget vote reform.

• Make That 8 Candidates for the State Senate Seat (By Paul Chavez, Manhattan Beach Patch) Two candidates for the vacant seat in the state Senate's 28th District have been disqualified from the Feb. 15 special election, cutting the field to eight candidates.

RHODE ISLAND

• A second act - Four years after losing his US Senate seat, Lincoln Chafee returns to lead R.I. as its governor (By Brian C. Mooney, Boston Globe) Chafee called for an end to political finger pointing and the beginning of “an era of political collaboration, of cultural and ethnic acceptance, of shared sacrifice, and, most importantly, of faith and trust in each other."

NEW YORK

• Bloomberg's Reputation Takes a Hit (By MICHAEL HOWARD SAUL, Wall Street Journal) Some critics, though, have begun to compare Mr. Bloomberg with former California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who left office this week with mixed reviews. Three years ago, Time Magazine lauded Messrs. Bloomberg and Schwarzenegger as "The New Action Heroes." But time appears to have hurt both men's images.

LAST WORD

• Violent Political Language Did Not Cause Representative Giffords' Shooting (By Solomon Kleinsmith, WNYC/It's a Free Blog) People like Sarah Palin and Markos Moulitsas Zúñiga (the founder of Daily Kos) are political firebrands that stoke the flames of the insane culture war that is causing so much damage to our great nation. But they are no more responsible for the violence of an insane listener who takes their hyperbole literally than the Pope is for some insane Catholic who thinks he hears Jesus tell him that his neighbor needs to be sent to hell.