TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS - Independents have a lot to be thankful for!

Thanksgiving is this week. Time to clear out the leftover stalks from the harvest. All those dried leaves from the NJ and VA gov races and the NY-23 congressional race... And the pods from the NYC mayoral (by the way, the final count including paper ballots is 150,000 votes on the Independence Party line). Do we pile them up, burn the field, or mulch and wait? Some of the most interesting things in the field right now are the roots -- nonpartisan elections, open primaries and independent candidates in local races -- as independents prepare for the next season. We have a lot to be thankful for -- let's celebrate a bountiful harvest!

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Economy Is Weak, Voters Are Angry -- Time for Third Party? (By Mort Kondracke, RealClearPolitics)
• Voters' disgust is mere illusion (Daily Record - Morristown NJ)

OPEN PRIMARIES/ NONPARTISAN ELECTIONS

• Local African-American voters weigh in on nonpartisan voting (David Anderson, ENC Today) “When I vote I look at the person, listen to their views, then I compare them to the person they’re running against; that’s how I make my decision.”
• Republicans decide to retain the "open primary" system (Beaufort Observer - NC)
• State GOP is wise to keep primaries open (Stanford Herald)

2010 GOV RACES

• Candidates for governor spar over local aid cuts (By John R. Ellement, Boston Globe) State Treasurer Timothy Cahill, an independent candidate for governor, spars with Republican gubernatorial hopefuls, Charles Baker and Christy Mihos, over cutting local aid.
• Poll shows Michigan voters lack enthusiasm for party politics (BY DAWSON BELL, DETROIT FREE PRESS)

2012

• Mark McKinnon Suggests Bloomberg Could Win Presidency as an Independent in 2012 (Ballot Access News)

WORKING FAMILIES PARTY

• Labor's love lost for Working Families Party (David Seifman, NY Post/Inside City Hall)
• Pressure on Region’s House Democrats to Back Health Care Overhaul (By RAYMOND HERNANDEZ, NY Times)
• Vote for Business! An anti-labor party. (By Jacob Gershman, New York Magazine/Intelligencer) NOTE: This is a terrible article, but I include here because it's part of how the media continues to "cover" third parties like WFP and NYC Independence Party -- i.e. like they don't know what they're talking about. Clearly, Jacob Gershman doesn't know what he's talking about...

LOCAL INDEPENDENT POLITICS

• Independent Fiala declared winner of Kent mayoral election after coin flip (Tom Gallick, Kent News Net)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• * Protack added to Independent ballot, Gubernatorial hopeful intends to pursue GOP nomination as well; critics call foul (Delaware News Journal)
• * Third party deserves a voice (Greensboro News Record)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

"INDEPENDENCE"
Old Media’s Election Centrism-It’s not their party and they’ll cry if they want to (FAIR)

CAMPAIGN

• McCain's Declaration of Independence (Washington Post) Analysis of environment ad
• Democrats Call for Campaign Finance Probe (Campaigns and Elections Politics Magazine)
• Poll: Independent Voters Even on McCain, Obama (by FOXNews.com)
• Poll: Obama leads McCain by 6, ties among Independents (Raw Story)
• Poll shows Americans see McCain as more of the same (The Carpetbagger Report) Losing his reputation for independence could prove particularly costly this year.
• The Independent Voter (National Catholic Weekly) in 2004, many Independent voters repeated the same refrain: "I vote for the person not the party."
• Pro-Obama groups defy senator's wishes (CNN Political Ticker)
• ALL ABOUT THE INDIES. (American Prospect)
• Independents' Day (Time/Swampland)

IDAHO

• Our View: Open primaries respect Idahoans' independence (Idaho Statesman)
• CLOSED/OPEN PRIMARIES: NOT SO FAST (The Idaho Affiliate of the American Family Association)
• Beck: Changes due for ID primary, despite GOP confab vote (Fox News KTRV)

REFORM

• FL: Interest In Primary Election Runs High (The Tampa Tribune)
• CA: Initiative 26, partisan alternative head to ballot (Auburn Reporter) Nonpartisan elections gets 80,000 signatures
• PA: In Letter to Legislators, Rendell Endorses Redistricting Reform Legislation (Gant Daily PA)
• CA: Changing method of redistricting makes ballot (San Francisco Chronicle)
• PA: Redistricting reform bill voted out of committee (Pocono News)
• CA: Redistricting: Ballot Measure #11 (KQED Capital Notes)
• FL: Kenric Ward: Hometown Democracy petitions for grievances (Treasure Coast Palm)

Quit working. Start thinking.

I have decided to quit working and start thinking. I want to invite all independent readers to do the same.

In fact, I'd like to start an Americans Against Working/For Thinking program. I hope the Ford Foundation and the Carnegie Corporation will support this effort. But if you're just a regular person and you think this is important, let me know...

When you think about it, we've been working for a long time. Hasn't seemed to work... Let's start thinking.

Let me know what you think, and what you want to do.....
Independent voters are making a difference.
Where will the country go?

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

Every day, The Hankster runs at least one post called "TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS", a comprehensive aggregated source for news articles from around the country for independent voters, about independent voters.

Super Tuesday is upon us and independents are key. Most states with primaries or caucases on Feb. 5 have "open primaries" in which independent voters will be able to choose their ballot. Below is a selection of articles that talk about independents and the weight they carry for the 2008 presidential election:


LEDE

• 2008 is shaping up as the year of the independent (By Daniel Weintraub, Sacramento Bee)

CALIFORNIA

• Video: California Independent Voters Can Swing Democratic Presidential Primary (Think On These Things) with video: Independent Elouise Joseph on CBS Channel 5 VIDEO LINK
• Poll: Obama, McCain gain in Calif.-Obama and Clinton in statistical tie (Mercury News) Field Poll numbers and link: Shows statewide independents go for Obama 54%, Clinton 32%, Others 3%, Undecided 18% NOTE: James Carville on Meet the Press today says there's something "wrong" with this poll....
• Breaking News: Pro-Clinton push poll erupts in California (LA Times Top of the Ticket)
• California dream team: Oprah, Caroline, Michelle (Lynn Sweet blog, Chicago Sun Times)
• Independents cast ballots in Democratic primary (Ventura County Star)
• Californians need to think Ohio (Ventura County Star) NOTE: Can't we just vote for who we want???
• Early voters find they don't get a do-over--independents got nonpartisan ballots, want Dem ballots (Sac Bee)

COLORADO

• Independent voter says: Obama offers change (LETTER to The Coloradoan, Ft. Collins)

ALABAMA

• In the wake of Super Tuesday, no clear winners may emerge (Tuscaloosa News)

NEW YORK

• Obama has captured strong local attention (Rochester Democrat & Chronicle)
• New York voters have primary fever (Elmira Star-Gazette)
• In primary, it's all about the delegates (Glenn Falls Post Star)
• More Mixed Bloomberg Messages (Elizabeth Benjamin, Daily Politics)
• In the Clinton Home Field, an Effort for Obama - Westchester Obama Women (New York Times) NOTE: Who said middle-class white women can't jump?! -NH

MASSACHUSETTS

• Independents to play key electoral role (By Karen Jeffrey, Cape Cod Online) Exercising political power: "It's all about bottom-up politics, about us deciding what is important and what direction our country should take," says Diane Whitehouse, Massachusetts Coalition of Independent Voters.
• Mazzaglia: Voters do not approve the message-independents confused (By Frank Mazzaglia, GHS Daily News Tribune, Waltham)
• Mass., Conn. vote in Super Tuesday primaries (Providence Journal)

NEW JERSEY

• McCain changing the balance of the campaign (Tom Moran, NJ.com)

WISCONSIN

• Scott Milfred: McCain and Obama bank on Wisconsin (Wisconsin State Journal)
• Milfred: Wisconsin is ripe for Bloomberg bid (Wisconsin State Journal Dec. 30)

MISSOURI

• African Americans: Black voters in a swing state like Obama, but national polls so far haven't picked up a South Carolina-like wave. (By Perry Bacon Jr., Washington Post)

ILLINOIS

• Barack Obama and John McCain lead rivals 2-1 in Illinois, poll shows (Chicago Tribune)

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Independents should be able to vote in primary (LETTER to Salem Statesman Journal)

THE CAMPAIGN

• Yepsen: Betting here is Obama, McCain (Des Moines Register)
• Editorial: Nader redux: A spoiler then and a spoiler now (Sacramento Bee)
• Bill Clinton to catch the game with governor (Houston Chronicle)
• Give me that old-time conservatism (Brad Warthen's Blog, The State)
• McCain's Success May Be Upsetting N.Y. Mayor's Plans (Washington Post)
• Clinton Campaign: Hillary Better to Beat McCain (ABC News, Power Punch blog, Jake Tapper)

POLLS

• Super Tuesday Wrap-Up: Competitive Races in Tenn., Ala. And Mo. (CQ Politics)

Nancy Hanks, a 30-year independent grassroots activist based in New York City ,has been building The Hankster since April 2006. The Hankster is America's leading non-partisan, non-centrist independent blog.

Do Independent Voters Matter?

Thanks to The Flying Circus for this interesting post called "Do Independent Voters Matter?" with a nice outline of some of the issues facing the independent movement. "Until the system becomes more accommodating to the Independent voter, it appears their importance will continue to be linked solely to an ability to get other mainstream candidates elected."

This is not a small issue. Independents are working to challenge the culture of politics, the WAY politics is done. But I agree that a danger that independents face is being seen as and seeing themselves as merely victimized voters in a 2-party system.

I don't think the restrictions on independents makes their importance cursory. In fact, it points to a rather central importance -- if independents aren't important, why all the fuss and restrictions against them???

An Independent Look at the Presidential Process

What's new, what's developing post-Iowa, post-New Hampshire?

If you're an independent, you might be interested in this CUIP Conference Call:

How's it Going? An Independent Look at the Presidential Process
Led by Jacqueline Salit
Editor of the Neo-Independent magazine and president of CUIP.

When: Sunday, January 27th
Time: 7:00pm EST 6:00pm CST 5:00pm MST 4:00pm PST


Call Nancy Ross at 800-288-3201 - or email your name, state and phone number to national@cuip.org

Tell her The Hankster sent you!

Independent Voters in Iowa Caucus tell all!

Ever the brave one, We Could Be Famous is making this prediction for tonight's Iowa caucus:

Dems
1. Barack Obama: 40%
2. Jon Edwards: 33%
3. Hillary Clinton: 27%

Repubs
1. Huckabee: 27%
2. Romney: 27%
3. McCain: 20%

Email The Hankster and let us know who you voted for and why! We really want to know!!!

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Michigan voters prefer open primaries with no party declaration, but the parties want names and addresses (Battle Creek Enquirer)


• Without term limits in California, there'd be no competition at all -- but not without nonpartisan redistricting.... (Daniel Weintraub in Sacramento Bee)


• Who's standing for Perot Voters? Not Lou Dobbs.... (Ben Smith, Politico, in CBS News)


• New Hampshire Adwatch: McCain--too little too late--Courts Independents (AP Google)


• Virginia voters will have to sign loyalty oath to vote in Repub presidential primary (WVEC Hampton Roads)


• Oklahoma pols seem worried: For I&R issue, collect 160,000 signatures in 90 days, and make sure your petitioners reside in the state -- and there's no residency requirement for orgs that oppose the issue (National Review)


• Bloomberg appeals, but won't run the race (Huffington Post)


• Barack Obama: Live at the Apollo!! (Amsterdam News), Obama speaks with the Amsterdam News and November 29th Community Board meeting conflicts with Obama Apollo appearance (UPTOWNflavor)

pq

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• California early voting: 42% voted by mail in 2006 (San Diego Union Tribune)
• Hillary Clinton's downfall? (NJ.com blog)
• Will 2008’s Choice Be Between “Fear And Loathing?” (By Joe Gandelman - The Moderate Voice) Andrew Sullivan's article here in The Atlantic)
• Paul Expects to Raise More Than $12 Million in Fourth Quarter (Bloomberg.com)
• In the Frontrunner Game, is it good to be Second? (The Caucus/New York Times)
• Was Ross Perot Right about NAFTA? (By David Sirota - TruthDig)
• lib*er*tar*ian (Washington Post by those guys at reason magazine)
• Obama vs. the Icon (By David S. Broder - Washington Post)
• Minnesota: Ritchie dispute cloaks a deeper partisan enmity-"I found him to be very supportive of nonpartisan stuff. I just feel like he's done a very good job of reaching out to all the parties," said Craig Swaggert, head of the Independence Party of Minnesota. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• Virginia Independent to Run for Congress (ABC 7 News - Fredericksburg Free Lance Star)
• A nonpartisan political race for Lance Armstrong? (The Dallas Morning News)

pq

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Those who don't usually vote can make a big difference in 2008 (Fond du Lac Reporter)


• The Swing Voters Who Count First (CBS News - reprinted from CSM yesterday)


• A third-party candidate still a wild card? (Ashville Citizen Times)


• Independent voters give Obama hope in 2008 race (Reuters)


• Wonder why the Dems aren't getting us out of Iraq? Six of the top 10 senators in defense campaign contributions in the 2006 election cycle were Democrats (Seattle Post Intelligencer)


• FEC OKs Naming Candidate Names in Pre-Election Issue Ads (CQ Politics)


• The Buzz: More Iowans also say “new direction and new ideas” are more important to them than “strength and experience.” (Kansas City Star blog)


• Arizona: 3rd District independent Annie Loyd [Photo above] says “From the two-party system, the political spin has been independents don’t care, that they’re not active, that they’re not affiliated because they don’t want to make a commitment. That’s not what they’re saying at all. They’re saying, ‘Neither party represents fully what I believe.’” (East Valley Tribune Phoenix)


• Florida: Former Orange County Undersheriff Malone Stewart will seek to replace independent Beary in election for sheriff - Beary left the Republican Party last fall, saying he was tired of partisan politics.(Orlando Sentinel)


• Barnum & Bailey & CNN (Los Angeles Times)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Alabama poll: 34 percent of likely voters say they are Democrats, 33 percent say they are Republicans, and 31 percent identify themselves as independents. (Tuscaloosa News)
• Romney's chances: Should he be found to have drifted too far to the right, he runs the risk of losing the GOP center and — if nominated — the growing bloc of independent voters, the majority of whom will be vital to win the 2008 general election. (Laconia Citizen)
• Can Bloomberg Fill JFK-Sized Hole in American Politics? (By Mort Kondracke, RealClearPolitics)
• Debates: Hofstra hosting presidential debate next fall-A third-party candidate would need to have a 15 percent support level in national polls at the time of the debate to be included, according to the commission's rules. (NY Newsday) and U.S. commission schedules 2008 presidential debates (Reuters - Washington Post)
• Political Realignment in 2008? (Zogby)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Massachusetts voters tuning out both parties, 50 percent now independent (Milford Daily News)
• We're all sick and tired of party politics (Fredericksburg Free Lance Star LETTER)
• Retail politics in New Hampshire (Miami Herald)
• Craig Crawford’s Trail Mix: Will Edwards Want to Stop Clinton Enough to Quit? (CQ Politics)
• Americans Review Third Party Choices for 2008 (Angus Reid Global Monitor)
• Tennessee: Mike Williams of Maynardville was elected as a Republican but has become an Independent. (Knoxville News Sentinel)

Oregon: New Independent Party qualfied

From Willamette Week Online: Oregon has a new political party, and the state's top elections official is getting an earful from one of his now-familiar foes about it.

In January, the Independent Party qualified as a minor party by collecting nearly 19,000 signatures of support, joining the Constitution, Pacific Green, Libertarian and Working Families parties as challengers to the hegemony of the big two—the Republicans and the Democrats....

Independent Party Platform - Coming (David Remer)

Independent parties are springing up like dandelions after a warm Spring rain. Some are very religiously based spin offs of the Constitution Party like the Independent American Party and the American Independent Party of California. Some take a very non-ideological approach like the oldest Independent Party which has been around since 1934. And some are very democratic (small ‘d’) oriented, focusing intensely on restoring democratic processes and principles, like the Independence Party of New York. ....

Connecticut: Independent Party in Norwalk

Scott Merrell, a homeowner in the Wilson Point section, is collecting signatures to start a new Independent Party in Norwalk and expects to finish by the week's end.... (Stamford Advocate)