Analysis by a Pundit Does Not an Independent Voter Make

PUNDITS VIEW INDEPENDENTS

• The incredible, changeable independent voter (or not) (By Chris Cillizza and Aaron Blake, Washington Post/The Fix) Thousands of hours are spent by political strategists and reporters (read: nerds) pouring over what makes them tick and how best to court them. (Both the Post’s Dan Balz and Fix mentor Charlie Cook have terrific recent pieces on what independents really want.)
• Getting a Political Life (Charlie Cook, National Journal/Charlie Cook's Off to the Races) Independents and moderates are watching how Democrats and Republicans conduct themselves in the debate over government spending.

Independents have been arguing for years for direct democracy -- you speak to the people, you hear what the people are saying...

Recommended listening: Jackie Salit, President of independentvoting.org:

THEY WANT OUR VOTES. BUT DO THEY WANT TO LISTEN TO US?

A Campaign For Congressional Hearings Into The Second Class Status Of Independent Voters

A National Conference Call for Independents  Monday, March 28th 8:30 pm EST (5:30 pm PT, 6:30 pm MT, 7:30 pm CT) Led by Jackie Salit, Independentvoting.org President  If you have not registered for this call click: YES

Check out Independentvoting.org's Facebook Page for regular updates For more information, contact Nancy Ross or Gwen Mandell at 800-288-3201 or emailnational@cuip.org.

Conversations on Independents and the Sunday Talk Shows

Every Sunday, Jackie Salit (President of the Committee for a Unified Independent Party and long-time consultant to independent grassroots organizing efforts) and Fred Newman (the brilliant and some folks think "outrageous" philosopher and architect of the current progressive American independent movement) get together and talk about the talk on the Sunday Talk Shows. They call it Talk/Talk. This Sunday, there's a stellar line-up on NBC's Meet the Press with Tim Russert:

• BILL CLINTON Former President of the United States
• DAN BALZ Chief Political Reporter, Washington Post
• PATRICK BUCHANAN Conservative Commentator (and independent candidate for a minute in 2000)
• DAVID GREGORY Chief White House Correspondent, NBC News
• TAVIS SMILEY Host, PBS's Tavis Smiley Host, PRI's The Tavis Smiley Show Moderator, PBS's All-American Republican Forum

What could Tim Russert possibly thinking?
We'll find out....

And next Sunday, join a CUIP National Conference Call, led by Jacqueline Salit , Editor of the Neo-Independent magazine and president of CUIP, Sunday, October 7th. For more information, please contact Nancy Ross at national@cuip.org or call 800-288-3201/212-609-2800.

Giuliani: Credible path to the nomination?

Dan Balz has an interesting commentary in Sunday's Washington Post , "Giuliani Has No Real Chance With GOP Voters . . . or Does He?", about the viability of the Repubs picking Rudy Giuliani as their nominee.

"...The former mayor's campaign team believes it has found a credible path to the nomination. Its foundation is a conclusion that while the overwhelming majority of Republicans differ with Giuliani on abortion, gay rights and gun control, a much smaller percentage of GOP primary voters -- perhaps no more than a quarter -- are single-issue voters who would never vote for him because of his views on those issues, a percentage borne out by the latest Post-ABC News poll..."

While the Dems and Repubs scurry to define themselves and the candidates look for "credible paths" to major party nominations, independent voters can do likewise. Independents are allowed to vote in various forms of primary structures in 22 states. For them and for the rest of us, what we independents do now will determine what influence we will have come the general election.

Independents can define ourselves and create the path to the Presidency for 2008 for the American people.

Changing our political culture isn't easy by any means. But independents have an increasing capacity and responsibility to lead the way in 2008 for a new direction for our country. Certainly one thing we have in our favor is that we're not interested in partisan (or bi-partisan) politics. -NH