Jackie Salit: Something's Rotten In...

...New York State politics?

No! That couldn't be! "...Don’t miss the latest drama about the Independence Party in which Governor Cuomo is cast as Hamlet, deciding whether “to IP or not IP.”  Independents must consider our alternatives.  Here’s the backstory..."

Independence Party founder, Jacqueline Salit weighs in on

the Governor's race and

the fate of the Independence Party in

"Something's Rotten In..."

 

Jackie Salit just posted an opinion piece on the NYC Independence Party website calling for Lenora Fulani to challenge Gov Cuomo in 2014.  In it, you'll get her take on the Governor's race and the political gamesmanship and controversy currently surrounding of the New York State Independence Party.

Jackie Salit helped establish the Independence Party in 1994 and managed all three of Mayor Bloomberg's campaigns on the Independence Party line.  She is the author of Independents Rising.

 

This is all sad commentary on the Independence Party’s fate.  All the players in this drama, either directly or indirectly, propped up MacKay as he did their bidding, stripping away the party’s independence and vision.  Now, it’s time to kill it off, they say.  Just as the child who murders his parents and throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan, these anti-independent schemers beg for justice.
The climax will star the embattled Cuomo, who, in Hamlet-like fashion, must resolve whether “to IP or not to IP.”  Either he does business with MacKay or becomes a full-fledged Working Families Party-allied Democrat, even as the WFP is going through its own public handwringing.  He is caught between the Devil and deep blue sea.
- See more at: http://www.ipnyc.org/home/opinion-somethings-rotten-in/#sthash.6tGQcfte.dpuf

This is all sad commentary on the Independence Party’s fate.  All the players in this drama, either directly or indirectly, propped up MacKay as he did their bidding, stripping away the party’s independence and vision.  Now, it’s time to kill it off, they say.  Just as the child who murders his parents and throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan, these anti-independent schemers beg for justice.
The climax will star the embattled Cuomo, who, in Hamlet-like fashion, must resolve whether “to IP or not to IP.”  Either he does business with MacKay or becomes a full-fledged Working Families Party-allied Democrat, even as the WFP is going through its own public handwringing.  He is caught between the Devil and deep blue sea.
- See more at: http://www.ipnyc.org/home/opinion-somethings-rotten-in/#sthash.6tGQcfte.dpuf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Must read for independents everywhere!

 

 

- NH

 

Don’t miss the latest drama about the Independence Party in which Governor Cuomo is cast as Hamlet, deciding whether “to IP or not IP.”  Independents must consider our alternatives.  Here’s the backstory. - See more at: http://www.ipnyc.org/home/opinion-somethings-rotten-in/#sthash.6tGQcfte.dpuf

This is all sad commentary on the Independence Party’s fate.  All the players in this drama, either directly or indirectly, propped up MacKay as he did their bidding, stripping away the party’s independence and vision.  Now, it’s time to kill it off, they say.  Just as the child who murders his parents and throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan, these anti-independent schemers beg for justice.
The climax will star the embattled Cuomo, who, in Hamlet-like fashion, must resolve whether “to IP or not to IP.”  Either he does business with MacKay or becomes a full-fledged Working Families Party-allied Democrat, even as the WFP is going through its own public handwringing.  He is caught between the Devil and deep blue sea.
- See more at: http://www.ipnyc.org/home/opinion-somethings-rotten-in/#sthash.6tGQcfte.dpuf

Staten Island Rematch for DA - Donovan v. Ryan

NEW YORK
Staten Island DA: Donovan V. Ryan Rematch (BY Celeste Katz (Daily News/ Daily Politics) Ryan, a Democrat who ran against current District Attorney Dan Donovan in 2007, now has the backing of the Staten Island Conservative Party – and he will run on both ballot lines in tomorrow's election. Donovan, the Republican standard-bearer, has the support of the Staten Island Independence Party.

John Haggerty Convicted in NY Ballot Security Scam

HAGGERTY TRIAL

• After Conviction, Haggerty Posts Bail (WALL STREET JOURNAL/ Metropolis, By Michael Howard Saul) The judge said he was unconvinced the e-mail about the Irish passport was a joke and lashed out at Haggerty for misrepresenting himself on his passport application. On the application, Haggerty was asked to list an emergency-contact person; he listed a friend and incorrectly described that person as his uncle.
• Jury Convicts Consultant of Stealing Campaign Money From Bloomberg (By JOHN ELIGON, NY Times) The jury determined that although Mr. Bloomberg had lost legal control of the money, the party was technically acting as the mayor’s agent, authorized to spend the money on his behalf, one juror, Mr. Conroy, said. So it was the party that was duped, Mr. Conroy said, because its leaders gave money to Mr. Haggerty that he said he would use for ballot security, but did not. Asked about Mr. Conroy’s suggestion that the Independence Party was an agent of the mayor, Mr. Vacco laughed. 
• Consultant convicted of stealing from mayor Bloomberg (By Joseph Ax, Reuters) Several jurors told Reuters it was actually the money trail that caused them to convict, citing two instances in which Haggerty received payments of $83,000 and $50,000 from the Independence Party for alleged Election Day expenses, only to wire the money that same day as payments on the house.
• 'Volunteer' day: What is the meaning of Haggerty's guilt, and Bloomberg's independence? (BY HARRY SIEGEL, Capital New York) The Independence Party, which has traditionally profited from the confusion of actually “independent” or unaffiliated voters, still has about $100,000 of Bloomberg’s stolen “gift” that it’s never been asked to return, the defense noted. (Presumably, that loose change was the "wash in" that Haggerty referred to in an email to then-deputy mayor Sheekey discussing the transfer). For years, Bloomberg also funneled campaign and “charitable” money to the New York City branch of the party controlled by Lenora Fulani, the lunatic longtime acolyte of recently deceased psychiatrist-cultist Fred Newman. The pair dominated the city party until 2006, and Fulani continues to control its Manhattan branch. Their rented party line proved crucial to Bloomberg’s tight wins in both 2001 and 2009.

Tom Connolly Testifies at Haggerty Ballot Security Trial

HAGGERTY TRIAL

• Haggerty Contract Is Said Backdated (By MICHAEL HOWARD SAUL, Wall Street Journal) Under cross-examination, Mr. Connolly said the mayor lost all control of the $1.2 million once he sent it to the party. Asked if the mayor could earmark the money specifically for ballot security, Mr. Connolly said he "can make a request" but whether that is "honored or not" is up to the party.
• NY party official testifies at operative's trial (Associated Press, Wall Street Journal) Haggerty approached Connolly in August 2009 to say that "a donation would be coming from the mayor, and it would be their wish that they would use that toward a ballot security operation" that would run up to $1.1 million, Connolly told jurors. He said he checked with some people he didn't name to ensure the arrangement was legal, and then went ahead with it, relying on what Haggerty had told him about the planned operation.
• Testy Mayor Stays Cool on the Stand, Avoiding Potential Fallout (By Jill Colvin, DNAinfo) “How many principals of campaigns really understand campaign finance law?” he said. "No one expects the mayor to know what the money is used for in the end."

Mayor Bloomberg Might Testify in Haggerty Case

NEW YORK

• Prospect of Bloomberg in court makes picking jurors tricky (Thomson Reuters News & Insight) "Is there anybody here that feels that because a person is wealthy -- very, very wealthy, as we all know Mayor Bloomberg is -- that it's okay to steal from him?" Assistant District Attorney Eric Seidel asked. The prospective jurors shook their heads.
• Jury Selection in Case Involving Mayor Bloomberg and the Independence Party May Take a Week (Ballot Access News)
• How to salvage N.Y. redistricting reform (By Susan Lerner and Sean Coffey, Albany Times Union) The redistricting process should be driven by demographics, not the needs of the incumbent.

New York Politics: Haggerty, Turner, Weprin, Gonzalez and Towns

NEW YORK

• Trial of ex-aide Haggerty, accused of pocketing $1 million from mayor, is still Bloomberg's problem (BY Melissa Grace and Erin Einhorn, DAILY NEWS) "The mayor violated [campaign finance rules], and Haggerty is going down for it," said one prominent campaign finance lawyer. "[Bloomberg] signed a form that said that he would only spend money on his campaign through his campaign committee....If [the money] wasn't for his campaign, then Haggerty couldn't have defrauded him."
• Vito is a bloc 'blocker' (By AARON SHORT, NY Post) Jesus Gonzalez and Deidra Towns say the Ridgewood Bushwick Senior Center, a Lopez-founded charity that manages several senior facilities in the district, has made it nearly impossible for them to meet constituents in those buildings.
• Guide for the Last Minute Voter: 2011 Primary and Special Election (by Gotham Gazette) The political parties, though see this contest as a chance to show their strength -- or, more accurately, the other side's weakness – and have dumped in money and resources. Over the weeks, both candidate seem to have readily adopted the role as their party's standard-bearer. At a recent debate in Howard Beach -- complete with Tea Party hecklers and a pack of noisy Weprin backers in the rear of the church meeting room -- the two epitomized a left/right split.
• Independence Party endorsements raise questions (By BRYON ACKERMAN, Utica Observer-Dispatch) Dozens of candidates will be on the Independence Party line in elections this year in Oneida County, but there have been questions about the nomination process used in two of the highest profile local races: the Assembly and the Utica mayoral races… Ernie Sanita is running for mayor on an independent line and said he wasn’t interested in screening with any political parties.
• Turner up by six, just two days before New York special election (By Alexis Levinson, The Daily Caller) Turner has a strong lead with independent voters, 58 percent of whom say they will vote for him. Just 26 percent plan to vote for Weprin. Turner also has the majority of the Jewish vote, a demographic that makes up 36 percent of the district according to PPP’s results. Fifty-six percent of Jews say they will vote for Turner, while 39 percent say they have chosen Weprin.

Huntsman to Follow John Anderson Example? Does Tea Party Take Over Repubs?

2012

• Handicapping the Republican Field: Part II, the Wild Cards (By NATE SILVER, NY Times/FiveThirtyEight) Or perhaps the better comparison for Mr. Huntsman is  Representative John B. Anderson in 1980 — a moderate who beat expectations in the Republican primaries and then ran as an independent against a very weak Democratic incumbent in Jimmy Carter and a very conservative Republican candidate in Ronald Reagan. If Mr. Huntsman is on the ballot in November 2012, I find it almost as plausible that it will be as an independent  than as the head of the Republican ticket.
• In the Spotlight: Et tu, Brute? Obama’s liberal base in Congress fires away (By Dana Milbank, Sac Bee) On top of that, Obama has little to show for his intramural squabbles. Clinton's heresies earned him the support of independents (the expanding economy certainly helped) but, according to the latest Bloomberg poll, only 23 percent of likely independent voters support Obama's re-election, while 36 percent say they will definitely back another candidate.
• Can The Tea Party Survive A Debt Ceiling Deal? (Benjy Sarlin, TPMDC) But unlike many Tea Party lawmakers and activists, every top Republican is against default and facing heavy pressure from their friends in the bond business to come up with a plan before they get anywhere near the ledge. If their choices are between a default crisis that could wreck their standing with independents, a short-term fix that satisfies nobody and boosts the Democrats, and a deal that achieves most of their goals while alienating the Tea Party, then it's a lot easier to pick the latter if they know that the right will oppose any deal, period.

NEW YORK

• New Ethics Rules, Same Old Albany (By Larry M. Elkin, CPA, CFP®, Palisades Hudson Financial Group LLC) Independent oversight would be a good thing, but the Joint Commission on Public Ethics will not be independent. As  a result, it will most likely provide little oversight.
• MacKay offers observations on gay marriage (by James M. Odato, Albany Times Union/Capitol Confidential) Chairman Frank MacKay of the New York State Independence Party is wandering the Capitol with aide Tom Connolly.
• If gay marriage fails in New York, Mayor Bloomberg's money is partly to blame (BY ALEX PAREENE, Salon) While the "independent" mayor selectively donates to politicians on both sides of the aisle, Bloomberg clearly intended Republicans to retake the Senate, giving almost a million dollars to the Senate Republican campaign just before the election.

New York Kind of Opportunists

NEW YORK

• For Congress: Jane Corwin (ENDORSEMENT: NY Post) The self-funded Davis sounds like a conservative populist -- especially on free trade. But he's more opportunist than anything: He's run three times for the seat as a Democrat before trying to gain the GOP nomination this year.
• APNewsBreak: Chairman of New York's Independence Party backs gay marriage (By The Associated Press, Syracuse Post Standard) The party is New York’s third largest. It has made important cross endorsements in tight races that provided ballot lines for Senate Republicans. Republicans have benefited from having the line that allows Democrats, with a nearly 2-to-1 enrollment advantage over Republicans statewide, to vote for a Republican without having to use the GOP line.

New York Ballot Shuffle; Money Incoming, Money Outgoing

NEW YORK

• In Recent Elections, WFP and Greens Leave Their Mark (By Azi Paybarah, NY Observer/Politicker) After the 2010 governor's race, which determines permanent ballot positions for political parties in New York, the WFP moved up from Row E to Row D (after they grudgingly endorsed Cuomo). But the Green Party, who went with the surprisingly compelling Howie Hawkins, got more than the 50,000 votes needed to establish a permeant ballot line, landing them on Row F.
• Reshuffling the ballot in NY: WFP and Conservatives moves up, Indys drop (By Azi Paybarah, WNYC/The Empire)
• David Koch and Wife Gave Gov. Andrew Cuomo $87K (Chris Good, The Atlantic)
• David Koch Continues NY GOP Support (Capital Tonight on YNN) Koch has spread his campaign cash around in New York. He and his wife, Julia, contributed $87,000 to Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo as he ramped up his 2010 gubernatorial bid.
• Koch scolds Senate GOP leader on redistricting (Posted by: Cara Matthews, Politics on the Hudson) New York Uprising, a reform group founded by former New York City Mayor Ed Koch, is taking Senate Majority Leader Dean Skelos, R-Nassau County, to task over comments he made on NY1 last night. Skelos told NY1 that redistricting reform is a dead issue and would not be taken up by the GOP-controlled Senate now that a budget agreement has been reached.
• Dadey: Don’t Fund LAFTOR In State Budget (Posted by: Nick Reisman, Politics on the Hudson) Citizens Union Executive Director Dick Dadey is disappointed that the 2011-12 tentative budget includes funding for the Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment, also known as LAFTOR, which is the traditional mechanism for redrawing legislative districts.

Money Talks, Nobody Walks in New York

NEW YORK

• Council Progressives Say Tax Millionaires To Stave Off Cuomo Cuts (By David Freedlander, NY Observer) The Progressive Caucus of the City Council—a bloc of 12 members elected with the support of the Working Families Party—is out with a statement today reiterating their call for Mayor Mike Bloomberg to institute a tax on the city's wealthiest in light of Albany budget that will greatly reduce New York City's operating expenses.
• Former Bloomberg campaign adviser accused of stealing millions not keeping a low profile (NY Daily News/GATECRASHER) Haggerty has refused to cop a plea in the case, and our source says he and his legal team are preparing a "spirited" defense in which quite a few lawyers could take the stand to testify that he ran an effective Election Day operation for the Independence Party and had discretion to spend the mayor's money as he saw fit.

NY State Independence Party: Something Doesn't Smell Right

NEW YORK
Judge: Evidence aplenty vs. NY political operative (Wall Street Journal/AP) 

There is "overwhelming" evidence against a political operative charged with bilking New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg out of more than $1 million, and the billionaire mayor's wealth and stature don't make the case a victimless crime, a judge said Tuesday...

NY IP Chair Frank MacKay [photo from The Capitol]

...The Independence Party, the state's third-largest political party, hasn't been charged with any crime but has taken heat from prosecutors and a civil-court judge over Haggerty. Prosecutors have said in a lawsuit that the party "knew or should have known about" Haggerty's alleged scheme; a civil-court judge has frozen the party's bank accounts and said its conduct "doesn't smell right."

Right. For an interesting backgrounder on NY State IP Chair Frank MacKay, see Chris Bragg's The Capitol article from last November "The Real MacKay - A glimpse into the Independence Party chairman’s mind, and into his castle"

New York State Independence Party Questionable Campaign Finance Process

Bloomberg testified in campaign cash case (By MAGGIE HABERMAN, Politico) Seidel revealed the testimony from Bloomberg, a rare move for a public official, in response. Bloomberg aides later declined to specify when he testified.

Good news for independents: Open Primaries Stays in California

Good news for independents --  the California Supreme Court unanimously denied a request to block the Top Two Open Primary measure, Proposition 14, which takes effect in January. The launch on Monday of a new anti-party organization No Labels is stirring up lots of partisan rancor. The New York Independence Party is downgraded to Column E (5th place on the ballot) after holding Column C (ballot placement immediately after Dem and Repub) since 1999.



OPEN PRIMARIES

• Primary election overhaul clears state high court (Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle) The justices unanimously denied a request to block the measure, Proposition 14, which takes effect in January.
• Governor Schwarzenegger Statement On Supreme Court Denying Request To Block Open Primaries (Written by Imperial Valley News)
• Sen. Lamar Alexander rejects idea of closed primaries for TN (BY BILL THEOBALD • TENNESSEAN WASHINGTON BUREAU) "It would be saying to tea party voters, 'Sorry, we don't want you. Go form a third party,' " the Republican former governor said.
• Editorial: Reconsidering closed primary - GOP takes a second look: The arguments are strong against limiting voting in the primary to party loyalists. (Memphis Commercial Appeal)

OBAMA

• Might Makes Right Win Over Voters (John Zogby, Forbes/Data Place) By August of this year, Obama’s overall approval dropped to 43% , and to 32% among independents. Among Democrats, his approval in that poll dropped seven points to 83%. Since then, any fluctuation in the President’s approval has been due mainly to Democrats. On Dec. 10, 73% of Democrats gave the President their approval.
• Obama needs a shutdown, not a Clinton (by Dr. Jason Johnson, Chicago Defender) Let’s be honest about history, Clinton’s first term was pretty much defined by his capitulation to the right, his penchant for frustrating his own base and his tendency to betray his friends. Does that sound like a formula for Barack Obama to follow?

NO LABELS

• As Electoral Ground Shifts, Bloomberg Could Skip the Party (By MATT BAI, NY Times) Those who think Mr. Bloomberg would want to build a similar kind of organization, be it No Labels or something else, are assuming that the growing power and disaffection of independent voters who identify with neither Democrats nor Republicans make a third party more viable than it has ever been. In fact, though, the rise of the independents represents a movement in exactly the opposite direction — away from party organizations altogether.
  
• Lamm: No Labels is the anti-party (By Dottie Lamm, Denver Post)
• 'No Labels' Wants to Deliver on Public's Cry for Change, but Will It Work? (LINDA KILLIAN, Politics Daily)
• Why No Labelism in America is a fail (BY NIALL STANAGE, Capital New York) But what such a party cannot do is exist merely to give voice to the kind of airy, ideology-free pronouncements about "a place where ideas are judged on their merits" (a direct quote from the No Labels declaration) that are currently the order of the day here….
• Events of the last week give centrists a big boost (By WILLIAM MCKENZIE - The Dallas Morning News, in Merced Sun Star)
• Moveon.org for the middle: Can Nolabels.org cure partisan politics? (By Linda Feldmann, Christian Science Monitor)
• The unseriousness of "No Labels" (By Alex Pareene, Salon)

BLOOMBERG 2012

• Is the New York Times trying to make us dumber? - The paper prints even more ridiculously ignorant political analysis from Matt Bai -- this time about Mike Bloomberg (BY STEVE KORNACKI, Salon)
• Bloomberg for president? Nolabels.org could be just the vehicle. (By Linda Feldmann, Christian Science Monitor)

NEW YORK

• Minor party shuffle: Conservatives claim Row "C", WFP moves to Row "D" (By Robert Harding, Auburn Citizen)
• 2010 General Election Results Certified by State Board of Elections (by New York State Board of Elections, ReadMedia)
• Lawyers Allege Mayor Tried to ‘Hide’ Election Money (By Michael Howard Saul, Wall Street Journal)
• Low turnout, but third parties fare well (BY NICK REISMAN, Ithaca Journal)
• Outgoing State Senate Leader, Son Plead Not Guilty To Embezzlement (By: Michael Scotto, NY1)
• Day Before Indictment, Pedro Espada Blasted “Politically Motivated” Cuomo (By Andrew J. Hawkins, City Hall News) “When you really look at my case, nothing that’s in the lawsuit had to do with Albany behavior,” Espada said. “It had to do with private business dealings. And they were used in a timely way to embarrass and tarnish me and really set up the political defeat that I suffered.”

California and Florida Voters: We Will Have Nonpartisan Redistricting!

California continues to lead the way in political reform. Back in June, passage of Prop 14, the Top Two Open Primary referendum, enfranchised 3.4 million independent decline-to-state voters in the state in the first round of voting.

And now, as Committee for a Unified Independent Party (IndependentVoting.org) Chief of Staff John Opdycke reported last week, voters in Florida are speaking out on the need for political reform:

Proposition 20-which expanded the California Redistricting Commission's mandate to include Congressional districts-passed by 20 points.  In addition, Proposition 27, a bi-partisan ploy to dismantle the Commission, was defeated by a similar margin.

And in Florida, the voters passed Amendment 5 by a 25 point margin. Its passage establishes clear, non-partisan guidelines for the drawing of legislative districts.

Opdycke goes on to point out the significance of these votes:

While the big story yesterday was the new Republican Congressional majority, the victory for redistricting reform in California and Florida was an important subtext.  The Democratic and Republican Parties have mastered the non-developmental game of capturing and recapturing the approximately 60 competitive Congressional districts.  But this back and forth blood sport-while making for good copy-does not provide the American people the opportunity to fully express their desire for change.  When voters have the opportunity to speak directly, as they did in Florida and California, without being filtered by the political parties, reform passes overwhelmingly.

REFORM

• Voters make right call on redistricting (LA Daily Breeze) itizen redistricting will be a huge improvement over Legislature-drawn districts, which were so gerrymandered in 2001 that it's almost impossible for any seat to change hands from one party to the other.

MIDTERMS

• What really happened in the 2010 election (By E.J. Dionne, Washington Post) Incumbent Democrats suffered a genuine backlash of voter discontent due to a weak economy with considerable concerns about job creation, deep skepticism among independents, poor turnout among key base groups, and strong enthusiasm among energized conservatives.
• Can the Tea Party endure? (CNN International) The midterm elections dealt a powerful blow to President Obama and the Democratic Party as the country appeared to shift decisively to the right, moved by mass anger, "due to a combination of two kinds of fear," historian Michael Kazin told CNN.

COLORADO

• Curry's write-in campaign creates confusion in HD 61 vote tally - Democratic officials call for recount (By Jessica Fender, The Denver Post)

BLOOMBERG

• Bloomberg to America: Lay Off The Chinese (By Peter Stein, Wall Street Journal/Metropolis)

NEW YORK

• Working Families Party To Row D? We'll See... (By Celeste Katz, Daily News/Daily Politics)
• Working Families Party Looks To Better Ballot Placement (By David Freedlander, NY Observers)
  Howie Hawkins Saves Green Party, loads trucks (By Nick Rizzo, Capital)
• New York Working Families Party Likely to Have Received More Votes for Governor than Independence Party (Ballot Access News)
• Schumer Passes On Leadership Speculation, Warns Against Independent Redistricting For Congress (By Edward-Isaac Dovere, City Hall)
• Charter Commissioner Launching Effort To Take Third Term Away From Electeds Grandfathered In (By Chris Bragg, City Hall)

Strong Showings by Independents and Third Parties on November 2

SELECTED INDEPENDENT ELECTION RESULTS

• Independent Lincoln Chafee Declared Winner for Governor (ABC Providence/New Bedford)

• It’s Leahy in Vt.; Maine up for grabs (By Glenn Adams, Boston Globe) Independent Eliot Cutler was leading Republican Paul LePage as results were being tallied in Maine’s race for an open governor’s seat late last night.

• GOP claims control of House, but Democrats still hopeful (By Lynn Bartels, The Denver Post) Democrats appeared to have picked up one seat after Rep. Kathleen Curry, an unaffiliated from Gunnison, lost her attempt to win through a write-in campaign, but she is likely to challenge the results in court.

• Wilson the apparent winner in District 61 race - Curry awaits Friday ruling on questionable ballots (John Stroud, Glenwood Springs Post Independent) Reports from Garfield, Pitkin, Eagle, Gunnison and Hinsdale counties gave Wilson 9,495 votes to incumbent write-in candidate Kathleen Curry's approximately 9,000 votes.

NEW YORK

• John Sampson and Dean Skelos must move state Senate forward to bipartisan cooperation (Editorials, Daily News)
• Mixed Bag For The Working Families Party (By David Freedlander, NY Observer)
• Incomplete Data from New York Gubernatorial Race Seems to Suggest that Independence Party Fell to Fifth Row on Ballots (Ballot Access News)
• Third Party ballot shuffle ahead (by Rick Karlin, Albany Times Union/Capitol Confidential) the Working Families Party is hoping to move up a notch from Line E to Line D, supplanting the Independence Party which didn’t do so well this year.
• "David Cuomo" Wins Despite Low Turnout; Senate Undecided (Gothamist)
• That "David Cuomo" Guy Is No Barack Obama, Young Voters Say » (By Celeste Katz, Daily News/Daily Politics)
• 2010 Election results (NY Post)
• The Rent May Be Too DAMN High, But Vote Totals Were Too DAMN Low -- UPDATED » (By Celeste Katz, Daily News/Daily Politics)
• Low Voter Turnout in New York (By Beth Fertig, WNYC)
• Jimmy McMillan “Rent Is Too Damn High” Candidate Gets 40,000 Votes For N.Y. Gov (Post by Associated Press, NewsOne)
• Big Margin for Cuomo, but Short of Historic (By SAM ROBERTS, NY Times)
• Green, Working Families survive (By Casey Seiler State Editor, Albany Times Union)

How Independents Used Their Votes on November 2

The Jim Crow of Bipartisan Rule (Dr. Omar Ali, The Public Professor blog) "Voting for candidates who offer a challenge to the rules of the game is a way of dealing a blow to the Jim Crow of bipartisan rule. It is also a way of building today’s independent movement and helping the nation move toward non-partisan governance. So, please, keep the movement and the long-term in mind when you cast your ballot this Tuesday."


Will Election Day be independents’ day? (By Susan Frick Carlman, Naperville IL Sun Times) "Four out of 10 voters would check “neither of the above” if asked to choose between Democratic and Republican loyalties, according to polls taken by CNN, ABC News, the Wall Street Journal and others. “It’s hovered around 40 percent since 2006, so it’s not spiked dramatically in the last year, but it hasn’t gone down,” said John Opdycke, an Evanston IL native and chief of staff at New York-based Independentvoting.org, the online presence of the Committee for a Unified Independent Party...“In general, independents are dissatisfied with partisan politics, and the way in which partisans have turned American civic and political life into a bloodsport,” he said. “And they express that dissatisfaction on Election Day, typically by voting against the party in power.”

Letter to the Editor/Staten Island Advance
By SARAH LYONS
ST. GEORGE

I applaud Borough President Jim Molinaro’s willingness to cross party lines and endorse Andrew Cuomo for governor.

Cuomo, of course, is not just running as a Democrat. He’s also on The Independence Party line. The more votes Cuomo receives on Column "C," the more pressure he’ll feel to govern in a non-partisan fashion.

That’s important because we’ve all seen the negative effects of party politics. Indeed, both major parties derive much of their power from the fact that voters have no other place to go. That’s why the independent movement, with its focus on structural political reform and opening up the process, remains so important and so relevant.

There’s another good choice in the governor’s race this year. It’s helping the fledgling Freedom Party win ballot status with 50,000 votes.

Launched by City Councilman Charles Barron as a challenge to the Democratic Party’s monopoly of the black and Latino vote, it’s an independent effort with the potential to bring much needed political options to a growing segment of New York City’s population.

Staten Island has vibrant minor parties in Independence, Conservative and Working Families. A minor party highlighting the interests of the African-American and Latino communities would be a welcome addition to the mix.

[The writer is chair of the Independence Party of Richmond County.]
Published: Thursday, October 28, 2010, 12:00 PM Updated: Thursday, October 28, 2010, 12:48 PM

Women, Independent Voters Show Biggest Swing From 2008 (FoxNews.com) Independent voters supported Democrats 51 percent of the time compared to 43 percent of the time for Republicans in 2008. But in 2010, the Democrats garnered only 39 percent of the independent vote compared to 55 percent for the GOP.

Lenora Fulani: Two Good Choices -- Charles Barron on Freedom Party Line or Andrew Cuomo on Independence Party Column "C"

Fulani  Says “We have Two Good Choices”

in Governor’s Race

Urges Vote for Charles Barron on Freedom Party line or Andrew Cuomo  on Independence Party’s Column “C”

Either Vote Advances “Twin Causes of 

Independent Politics and Black empowerment”

New York, NY—Dr. Lenora Fulani held a press conference Tuesday, October 5th, 2010 at 10:30 am at the Alhambra Ballroom in Harlem, 2116 Adam Clayton Powell Blvd., to recommend two choices in the November Governor’s race—Charles Barron on the Freedom Party line or Andrew Cuomo on the Independence Party’s Column “C.”  Both, says Fulani, will advance the “twin causes of independent politics and black empowerment.”

Dr. Fulani is a founder of the Independence Party of New York.  Cuomo received the state party’s endorsement for Governor in May.   Councilmember Charles Barron, also a candidate for Governor, needs 50,000 this November to obtain ballot status for the fledgling Freedom Party. 

“I welcome Charles Barron’s entry into independent politics and his bid to create the Freedom Party,” said Fulani.  “And I want to urge the Harlem community, together with independent-minded people across this state, to help the Freedom Party get the 50,000 votes needed for ballot status.”

“The Independence Party, of course, has a gubernatorial candidate this year, Andrew Cuomo, a traditional liberal who says he wants to reform Albany,” continued Fulani. “On the one hand, Democrats say that every year. But this year is different because Cuomo is not just running as a Democrat. He is running on the Independence Party line – New York’s premier pro-reform party. And in this, the voters of New York finally have a real choice.  They can vote for Mr. Cuomo on the Independence line, or they can vote for Mr. Barron on the Freedom Party line.  With either vote, the twin causes of independent politics and black empowerment will be advanced. “

Bringing independent options to the black and progressive communities has been a motivating principle of Dr.Fulani’s over the course of her 25 year career as a political activist.  Political independence is increasingly popular within communities of color.  Today, of the roughly 800,000 non-aligned independents in New York City, 20% are African American, 24% are Latino and 11% are Asian-American.  Nationally, 30% of African Americans between 18-29 consider themselves independents. 

An alliance between black and independent voters first appeared in New York City elections on a dramatic scale in the 2005 mayoral contest when Michael Bloomberg received 60% of the independent and 47% of the black vote running on the Independence and Republican Party lines.  In the 2008 presidential election, black and independent voters powered Obama’s upset victory in the Democratic primaries and cemented the coalition that carried him to victory in the November general election.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS 9/30/10

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• The Sweep: Vikings, voters and the charge of the Militant Middle (By Tom Foreman, CNN) Part of the problem cited by everyone I talked to is the primary voting system. Despite some highly publicized upsets, in most cases the parties still steer the early selection process toward faithful partisans. Such candidates are easier to raise money for, easier to differentiate from the opposition in ads, and more likely to do precisely what moderates do not want: Toe the party line. [piece quotes Kathleen Curry]
• National Review: The GOP Can Win The Northeast (by ANDREW STILES, NPR) Interestingly, more Northeast independents are breaking for Republicans than their counterparts in the Midwest or the West.
• More Voters Likely To Vote Independent This Year (Fox New York) Republicans are in a more rebellious mood than Democrats. Thirty-seven percent (37%) of GOP voters say they are more likely to vote for an independent candidate this November, compared to just 17% of Democrats. Perhaps not surprisingly, 47% of those not affiliated with either major party are more inclined to vote for an independent.
• GOP agenda lacks punch - Both parties too often feign commitment (The Tennessean)
• An Increasing Number of Voters are Registering as Independents (Alexandra Hill, WJHG Channel 7 -  Bay County FL) Bay County election officials say countywide they’ve also seen a recent rise in the “no party affiliation.” in 1988, voter registration logs show just under 5 percent were registered outside of the two party system. Now, the statistic is close to 18 percent , which factors out to mean almost one in five of Bay County voters. 

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Our Opinion: Rauschenberger case shows need for open primary (THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER - IL) Rauschenberger in 2009 had voted in a Democratic primary because his sister was on the ballot in a township race. This, the Democratic Party said, made Rauschenberger a Democrat and ineligible to run as a Republican.
• Al Hein calls on state to rule on ballot integrity (News Record, Bluff Country Newspaper Group - WI) "It's so unfortunate that the recent stories have diverted attention away from the issues - term limits, open primaries and the elimination of special interests' participation in elections," said Hein.

THE WHITE HOUSE

• Obama gives Stewart's rally a boost (By KENDRA MARR, Politico)
• Michael Bloomberg a 2012 no go (By ANDY BARR, Politico) “I think we should all pull behind Barack Obama,” Bloomberg said. “He’s our president.”

COLORADO

• Write in Kathleen Curry (LETTER Aspen Times) However, being affiliated with a party does not stop me from being an independent thinker and educating myself on issues and candidates prior to casting my vote each election. 

NEW YORK

• Post-Espada, Jockeying Begins For Latino In Legislative Leadership Position (Andrew J. Hawkins, The Capitol)
• Indys Back Schneiderman (Updated) (Joseph Spector, Politics on the Hudson)
• Indys Behind Schneiderman ’100 Percent’ (Liz Benjamin, YNN/Capital Tonight)
• Last Indy lap: DA's party probe to end by Elex Day (By CARL CAMPANILE, NY Post)

LAST WORD

• International Performance Conference Joins Artists from 31 Countries (Broadway World) NOTE: The Hankster is presenting a session at this year's Performing the World conference. Watch for video!!!

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS 8/31/10

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• With Increase in Partisanship, Fewer Surprises Likely in Governors’ Races (By NATE SILVER, NY Times/FiveThirtyEight) The pattern stems in large part from the long-standing decline in the number of voters, in all types of elections, who are willing to cast ballots across partisan lines. In 1980, some 27 percent of Democrats voted for Ronald Reagan (another 6 percent voted for the independent, John B. Anderson), whereas 11 percent of Republicans voted for Jimmy Carter. This means that a total of 21 percent of partisans (voters who identify themselves as either Democrat or Republican) voted for the presidential candidate of the “opposite” party. In recent elections, however, that percentage has been halved: just 10 percent of partisans crossed party lines in the presidential election of 2000, and just 9 percent did in 2004 and 2008. 
• Zogby: Romney Beats Bloomberg, Obama (By: Brad O'Leary, NewsMax) Among independent voters, 40 percent would choose Romney and 30 percent would vote for Obama. Just 11 percent would pull the lever for Bloomberg.

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Primary Concerns - Should D.C. change the way it chooses candidates? (By P.J. ORVETTI, NBC Washington) Fenty’s campaign made a last-ditch attempt to get the Board of Elections and Ethics to allow unaffiliated voters to vote in the Democratic primary, which would have upped the possible voter pool by about 72,400. That effort failed, but it did open a fresh debate about how the District chooses its elected officials.

GEORGIA

• Barnes, Deal search for ways to win independents (By Aaron Gould Sheinin, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution/Georgia Elections Central)
• Georgia governor's race 2010 won't be south of the 'Gnat Line' (By Matt Towery, Southern Political Report) If Barnes can push the African-American vote to anything between the 21-22 percent levels, a huge surge among independents in the greater metro-Atlanta area could make the election razor thin. Only then will his efforts “below the gnat line” help.

NEW YORK

• Bloomberg Cash Not Yet Returned (By MICHAEL HOWARD SAUL, Wall Street Journal) Mr. Messina confirmed Monday afternoon that he still has the money in his possession. "I believe that all parties are coming together in a desire to accomplish a goal, and I'm confident that that goal will be accomplished because of the good faith of the parties," said Mr. Messina, referring to the return of the allegedly stolen funds.

NYC CHARTER REVISION

• Charter-change choke (EDITORIAL NY Post) The New York City Charter Revision Commission concluded its work last week, delivering a final product that amounts to a sadly missed opportunity.
• City Is Shamed by Commission On the Revision of Its Charter (By HENRY STERN, Special to the NY Sun)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS 7/23/10

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• SURGING INDEPENDENT SENTIMENT, LESSER EVILISM, AND TEA PARTY POLITICS (by Damon Eris, CAIVN)

OPEN PRIMARIES

• IL: Open primary a step toward reform (Daily Herald Editorial Board)

GOV RACES

• Chafee's independent RI governor bid no easy road (By MICHELLE R. SMITH (AP) Chafee is one of several high-profile independents running in a year of voter discontent, including Florida Gov. Charlie Crist, who's leading in the polls after leaving the Republican Party for his Senate run; Massachusetts Treasurer Tim Cahill, a one-time Democrat running for governor; and Eliot Cutler, running for governor of Maine.
• Independent Nominee Cohen Visits Springfield (By Kevin Lee, Illinois Statehouse News, Fox News)

THIRD PARTIES

• Court Rules Against S.C. Green Party Candidate (By ANNIE YOUDERIAN, Courthouse News Service)

CALIFORNIA

• Repairing the initiative process - in CA and SF (Steve Hill, San Francisco Bay Guardian) Because of these dynamics, direct democracy in California has been captured by wealthy special interests. Proponents
• of Proposition 14, which was bankrolled by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and big business, outspent opponents by 50:1 to pass a "top two" primary that is deform masked as reform. Even when Big Money's measures lose — as PG&E's Proposition 16 did — they force everyone else to play defense. Ironically, this dynamic is the opposite of that envisioned by California Gov. Hiram Johnson, who in 1911 created the initiative to allow the people to counter powerful special interests like railroad tycoons.
• Fixing California (By Kevin Drum, Mother Jones) Bottom line: I don't know what to do. If Arnold is to be believed, our shiny new redistricting and open primary laws will change things starting in 2012. I can't wait.

GEORGIA

• Your Morning Jolt (Jim Galloway, AJC/Political Insider) Mary Norwood this morning announced that she’s filed a lawsuit in Fulton County Superior Court in an attempt to get her name on the ballot as an independent candidate for commission chairman.
• Mary Norwood files lawsuit to challenge Fulton County Elections Board, gain ballot access (Posted by Thomas Wheatley, Creative Loafing Atlanta)

NEW YORK

• DA to investigate $10K loan to Independence Party chairman's wife (By DAVID SEIFMAN, NY Post)
• Missing: Voice, money of Golisano - Billionaire lowers profile in politics (By Tom Precious, Buffalo News) Golisano also created the State Independence Party, the tiny but influential ballot line that he has wielded with considerable influence in the past.
• Commentary: Wanda Warren Berry, director of New Yorkers for Verified Voting, writes about unaffiliated voters in New York (Syracuse Post Standard, By Wanda Warren Berry) An important primary election looms in September and we can expect the usual protests about the fact that New York holds “closed” primaries, allowing only members of a party to choose its candidates.
• Senate Democrats Send Cash To Debi Rose, Councilmember In DFS Lawsuit (By Edward-Isaac Dovere, City Hall News)

NYC CHARTER REVISION

• In New York, Civics Fans Can’t Fill the Seats (By CLYDE HABERMAN, NY Times) There were other matters at hand, but some of the more contentious ones seemed destined to be pushed aside. They included questions like whether municipal elections should be nonpartisan and whether runoff elections should be replaced by a process known as instant runoff voting. This procedure tends to be condensed to the acronym IRV, making it sound like someone’s old uncle. It refers to a system that lets voters rank candidates in order of preference.
• Commission Conundrum (LETTER Queens Tribune)
• Government By The People, Money Matters & A Poem (By MICHAEL SCHENKLER, Queens Tribune)

LAST WORD

• Obama turns away from longtime Democratic supporters in N.Y. (By Jason Horowitz, Washington Post)