Independents support Barack, Does Barack support independent voters???

Don't get me wrong -- I will most likely pull the lever at my school in New York City for Barack Obama and his running mate (I would think Joe Biden is THE likely the best choice of the hour!)

Obama's campaign and the Democratic Party will depend on support from independent voters to win the Presidency.

My gut instinct from my personal interactions with many independents across the country is that independents are supporting Obama with reservation.

Again, independents are not partisans. Independents are not Democrats or Republicans who LEAN independent. We are not independents who LEAN Dem or Repub.... We are voters who are ANTI-PARTISAN. We support a platform of open primaries, open debates, fair process for third parties. We support democracy and a voice for the American people.

Our best to Barack. Without political reform, it won't make a difference. But give it your best shot!!
-NH

Wyoming goes for Obama

According to CNN (Jessica Yellin reporting from Cheyenne) -- Obama has 4,138 caucus votes representing 58% of the vote with 91% of the polls reporting. (Live-blogging CNN's coverage at 6:00pm EST)

10% of Wyoming voters are independent....

Conversations on Independence

Candidates, candidates, candidates everywhere.... Daily Kos has an interesting poll going that is currently showing 265 votes for Al Gore (is he running? Djneedle83 points to a "strengthening volatility" among the "democratic/independent electorate"... ), 88 for John Edwards and 61 for Barak Obama. Hillary comes in at 15.... Meanwhile An Ordinary Person and Politics in America "Fixing a Broken System" points out that one of the big problems in the approach that Unity 08 takes is that it only appeals to people who identify with one of the major parties.

Battle for Barak's Soul (part 1)

Will the Black establishment or even the Black anti-establishment establishment back Obama? A Black President?

Virginia Governor Doug Wilder says “The civil rights movement was over 50-something years ago…” Preeminent civil rights leader cir. 2007 Rev. Al Sharpton says “Just because you’re our color doesn’t make you our kind…” “Hollywood Abandons Hillary”… Sen. Daschle backs Obama… Two South Carolina black state legislators back Hillary…

And what about the independents?

It’s no secret that independent voters set the agenda (the war in Iraq) for the mid-term elections in 2006 and were responsible for the change-over of party control in Congress. For weeks before and after the November 7th election, it was all about the independent voter.
And Black independents? Invisible? It’s no secret that Barak Obama needs independent voters in order to move ahead in this protracted 2008 presidential race. Dr. Lenora Fulani, the first woman and first African American to make it onto the ballot in all 50 states running as an independent for president in 1988, and America’s preeminent black independent, cautioned Obama in her statement on Feb. 10th, that following a behind-the-scenes piece of advice from Dem higher-ups telling him “Don’t put anyone in your statement who isn’t a Democrat,” would be unfortunate. “Being black is not synonymous with being a Democrat anymore, as much as the Clintons – and others – would have us believe…”

(cont. on next post)

Battle for Barak's Soul (part 2)

(cont. from previous post) The future of America depends on independents. It’s clear that the two-party system has yielded more and more corruption and that “bipartisanship” is just another word for partisan collusion. What we need is leadership. Does Barack Obama want to be the one?

In the ‘50s and ‘60s, ordinary black leadership from the streets caught the imagination and creativity of all Americans. Call it the Civil Right Movement. I would caution Governor Wilder and other beneficiaries of a grassroots movement for integration in the ‘50s and for voting rights in the ‘60s, that the civil rights movement is maturing. A reminder – the Democratic Party came late to the demand for equal rights and de-segregation. It took ordinary people, sitting in at Woolworth’s or refusing to go to the back of the bus, who’d “had enough” (and by the way, many of them were white) to force a change in official policy. The Democratic Party had the smarts to take ownership of the civil rights movement, not because they were concerned about civil rights. It’s all about the votes for them.

It will take a similar resolve among independents to move beyond the current crisis in democracy in America. Just as the abolitionists who were at work before the Civil War, or the trade unionists who worked overtime to bring workers’ rights to America and gained social security for all Americans after World War II, our time is now.
This is not a party-driven movement. Movements never are party-driven. Movements come from the people. The people must be heard – if not now, when?- NH

Obama in Austin and Virginia

* Doug Wilder applauds Obama for staying clear of civil rights history (Washington Times)

* Obama was well-received in Austin (20,000 audience attends in local Dallas Morning News news; call for withdrawal of troops from Iraq in Dallas Morning News; "as exciting as JFK" in San Antonio Express; "slap at Cheney" in the New York Post; rock-star reception in Dallas Fort Worth Star Telegram)

Yes, Barak -- There ARE Black Independents!

Listen Up, Barack – Black Presidential Candidates from Years Past Have Good Advice Galore
Date: Friday, February 23, 2007
By: Sherrel Wheeler Stewart, BlackAmericaWeb.com

....Fulani, now a developmental psychologist, got her name on the ballot in all 50 states as an independent and qualified for matching federal election funds. She said Obama must reach out to the independent voters to be successful.
"More than 35 percent of young African-American voters identify as political independents," Fulani told BlackAmericaWeb.com. "Some want to ignore us in the polls. We want to be the ones who not only swing, but also sway the vote."
And there are plenty of reasons to court black independent voters.
In the most recent election for mayor of New York, 47 percent of blacks who voted did not vote for the Democratic nominee, Fulani said.
“Many Democrats don’t want to recognize the black independent voters. They would rather keep black voters under their thumb,” she said.
With the backing of independent voters, a candidate can stand up and address issues that relate the needs of a broader segment of America, she said....

Is Hillary Black Enough?

From Craig Crawford's Trail Mix in CQ Politics: ...At a town hall in Miami’s predominantly black Liberty City neighborhood, Clinton warmed up a crowd torn between longstanding loyalties to Bill Clinton and fascination with Obama (who spent the day courting elite celebrities in California). ...

Obama drama: Another political sleeping pill for Black people

by James Clingman
Chicago Defender, February 21, 2007
Here we go again. Will the euphoria sweeping through our ranks over the possibility of a Black President eventually dominate our collective psyche? Will it overwhelm us with notions of equality and victory, and ostensibly cause us to subordinate our primary interests and abandon the pressing issues that negatively impact Black life in America? With more than 21 months to go before we vote and one year before the first primaries and caucuses, Black folks are spending a great deal of time and resources following each episode of the Obama Drama. Been there, done that....

Barak Obama, let's see your baggage?

Mike Robinson, Associated Press Writer chronicles Barak Obama's civil rights background (here in the Boston Globe) "...Obama was part of a team of attorneys who represented the Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now (ACORN) in a lawsuit against the state of Illinois in 1995 for failing to implement a federal law designed to make it easier for the poor and others to register as voters.... "

Is this the beginning of "cleaning up" Obama -- or in his case, the "dirtying down"? 'Barak, let's see your baggage, meager as it may be!'... Did somebody at The Top decide that it's not smart to alienate the Old Guard civil rights movement (which is about 2/3 of the country)? -NH

Lenora Fulani: "I don't think black people will vote for Hillary just because she's married to Bill"

Bill Clinton acts as stand-in
Former president campaigns for Hillary at annual lawmakers dinner
Yancey Roy, Albany bureau ...Not everyone at the Albany event was convinced the former president could help his wife win minority voters. "I don't think black people will vote for Hillary just because she's married to Bill," said Lenora Fulani, a former top official of the Independence Party. ... (Democrat & Chronicle)

From Sunday's New York State Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators

Virginia Gov endorses Obama

Virginia’s governor endorses Obama
RICHMOND, Va. (AP) – Gov. Timothy M. Kaine endorsed Illinois Sen. Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign Saturday within sight of the former Confederate Capitol.
Obama picked up his second gubernatorial endorsement.
Before Obama announced plans to run for president earlier this month, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich said he would back the Democrat’s candidacy.... (Northwest Herald - IL)

Dallas Mayor endorses Obama

Obama reshaping politics in Texas
Elections: In fast-moving race, black leaders must decide on choice early, By GROMER JEFFERS JR. -- Former Dallas Mayor Ron Kirk is usually deliberate, even cautious, about his endorsements.
In Texas and elsewhere, the phenomenon is causing an early and unexpected split among the party's most loyal supporters: black voters.... (Dallas Morning News)

Obama, race, slavery and winning the Presidency

Obama's candidacy sparks debates on race; Is he African American if his roots don't include slavery? by Leslie Fulbright, ...The Rev. Al Sharpton of New York, who ran for president in 2004, was also upset. "We cannot put our people's aspirations on hold for anybody's career, black or white," said Sharpton. "Just because you are our color doesn't make you our kind."
The two major parties have fielded five black presidential candidates over the years -- Shirley Chisholm, Jackson, Carol Moseley Braun, Sharpton and Alan Keyes. But the issue of race didn't rise in those campaigns to the degree it has this year, perhaps because Obama is the first black person viewed as a possible winner.... (San Francisco Chronicle)

Sloppy journalism?

Barak Obama: Independent legacy?

'News Worth Noting' Obama Knows Novelty Goes Only So Far
Fresh Face in Washington in the ‘08 Race Who Still Must Report to Day Job
WASHINGTON--There is always, it seems, a fresh new face breezing into a presidential race, offering himself as the person to change the tone, eliminate the vitriol and transform the old ways of politics. U.S. Sen. Barack Obama (Dem., Ill.) is auditioning for that role in the 2008 campaign. He said so himself, leaping into the Democratic contest the other day on a promise to “advance the cause of change and progress that we so desperately need.” A long line of Democrats, Republicans and independents have gone before him, casting themselves as the sparkling candidate of the new politics only to find that their freshness withers well before the balloting begins. Think John Anderson, Gary Hart, Ross Perot.... (Black Chronicle)

Walk the Walk with Talk/Talk: Is Barak Obama Black Enough?

Salit: On the roundtable on “Meet the Press,” Gwen Ifill brought up the dialogue that’s going on in the media about whether Barack Obama is black enough.
Newman: Her position was wrong. It’s not an issue ‘not to be discussed.’ It’s very much an issue to be discussed.
Salit: Tell me why you think that.
Newman: Why isn’t it an issue for debate? It’s a very important issue and she’s trying to close it down in a nod to traditional liberalism. I think it has to be raised, not as an attack on Obama but as an examination of the dynamics in black politics and the connection between the black political scene and the larger world. But no one responded to Gwen when she raised it.

Have Talk/Talk?

Black President?

Mr. Obama has chosen to make a bid to become the 44th President of the America. None of this is or should be shocking, but it is a truth that has not seen the light of day in this particular fashion since the founding of this Republic.

Let us talk about unusual for a moment. It is not unusual because Mr. Obama is a Black man. Jessie Jackson, Alford Sharpton, Shirley Chisholm, Lenora Fulani and others not so familiar and not quite as popular have run that race, as well. It is not unusual that this new Black candidate is not being considered a stalking horse for some other candidate in order to measure the temperature going in.... (Amsterdam News)

Political advertising: going for independents

Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.) needs his message to match his appeal, and Sen. John McCain’s (R-Ariz.) campaign may be in trouble if troop escalation continues to be an unpopular policy, according to Wilson Research Strategies Inc. ...On the bright side for McCain supporters, the ad got average marks from Republicans and independents surveyed for strength of message, effectiveness, appeal, memorability and credibility.
When the ads were compared side by side, 67 percent of those surveyed thought the DraftObama ad was more effective, compared to 27 percent who thought the MoveOn.org ad was more effective.... (The Hill)

Independent voters favor Hillary, Obama over Rudy and McCain

Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) and Barack Obama (D-Ill.) are more popular among independent voters than any single Republican candidate, according to a national poll released yesterday. A Harris Interactive Poll found that 40 percent of independents would consider voting for Clinton and 35 percent would consider voting for Obama. Former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani (R) and Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) each garnered the consideration of 27 percent of independent voters.... (The Hill)

2 South Carolina legislators back Clinton

2 key black SC leaders throw support to Clinton
JIM DAVENPORT
Associated Press in Myrtle Beach online
COLUMBIA, S.C. - Two key black political leaders in South Carolina who backed John Edwards in 2004 said Tuesday they are supporting Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's bid for the Democratic presidential nomination.
State Sens. Robert Ford and Darrell Jackson told The Associated Press they believe Clinton is the only Democrat who can win the presidency. Both said they had been courted by Illinois Sen. Barack Obama; Ford said Obama winning the primary would drag down the rest of the party....