The Time for Structural Political Reform is Now

RECOMMENDED READING ON OPEN PRIMARIES:

But the quantitative success of independent candidates is still minimal, while the obstacles remain high. Even if they can win over voters and donors, independent candidates face huge institutional hurdles. Most states don’t have open primaries, in which the top vote-getters advance to a general election regardless of party. Instead, primaries are open only to voters registered in one of the two major parties, while independent candidates have to clear often-insurmountable barriers to get on the ballot. Runoffs are another issue in most states. As the system is set up now, a voter who doesn’t pick a Democrat or Republican risks essentially throwing away a vote for a distant third-place finisher….

...An instant runoff system essentially offers insurance. A voter could choose an independent first; if no candidate passed the 50 percent threshold, the last-place finisher would be dropped, and a voter’s second choice would count, alleviating the fear that one’s vote would be wasted. California’s Proposition 14, passed in 2010, creates a single primary from which the top two vote-getters go on to the general election. It’s a big step in the right direction, says Anderson, who hopes it will encourage others states to pass similar reforms. 

(From Did Joe Lieberman Screw Independents by David A. Graham, The Daily Beast) SEE BELOW

REDISTRICTING

• Redistricting commission is all about partisanship (EDITORIAL Central Jersey.com) Redistricting should be a nonpartisan effort — since the bipartisanship being manufactured by the 5-5 split of Democrats and Republicans on the commission isn't a cooperative venture. Instead it's a system of two parties trading off chips and balancing partisan demands. In the end, deadlock is virtually inevitable, and a 11th-member to serve as tiebreaker is appointed by state Supreme Court Chief Justice Stuart Rabner. But even if that 11th member is genuinely independent, the negotiations leading to that tiebreaking decision will have already tainted any final product.
• Endangered Dems sound alarms about redistricting (AP, The Review - Ohio) But Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich is making the most noise as he enters his eighth term by actively shopping around for a new district… Several legislators, as well as new Democratic Gov. Andrew Cuomo, have endorsed an effort by former New York City Mayor Ed Koch to create an independent redistricting commission. Such efforts have generally flamed out in the past, but widespread public disgust with New York's dysfunctional state government has given new credibility to Koch's crusade.

BALLOT ACCESS

• US Supreme Court Declines to Hear Ballot Access Case (Written By: MATTHEW CARDINALE, Atlanta Progressive News) As previously reported by APN, the Coalition for Free and Open Elections (COFOE), the Center for Competitive Democracy, and Free & Equal, filed a friend of the court brief with the SCOTUS in support of Coffield's final appeal, in which they outlined the failed attempts of all nine of Georgia candidates in 2010.
• U.S. Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Georgia Ballot Access Case (Ballot Access News)

CITIZENS UNITED

• Scalia, Thomas and Citizens United (By: Jeanne Cummings, Politico) To mark Friday’s anniversary of a court decision that allowed corporations to sink millions into politics, Common Cause, a reform group, is asking the Department of Justice to investigate alleged conflicts of interest involving two Supreme Court justices – in hopes of forcing the court to vacate the 5-4 ruling.

DEMOCRATS

• The trouble with Joe (By: Charles Mahtesian, Politico) The speed and arc of his political decline is stunning: In 2000, Lieberman won reelection to a third Senate term in a landslide, even as he spent the bulk of his time campaigning outside his home state as Al Gore’s running mate. By 2006, Lieberman couldn’t even win the Democratic nomination for his own seat. He was forced to run as a third-party candidate, winning with a bare 50 percent of the vote.
• Did Joe Lieberman Screw Independents? (by David A. Graham, The Daily Beast) The retiring senator suggested that free-thinking elected officials are doomed. But maybe Lieberman himself is the problem? Newsweek’s David A. Graham reports on the lawmaker’s record and the stacked deck against unaffiliated candidates.

REPUBLICANS

• Boehner touts poll citing Independent support for repeal (By Jason Millman, The Hill) A majority of registered Independent voters support the GOP’s effort to repeal and replace the healthcare reform law, according to a new survey from a Republican pollster.
• Independents Remain Steady In Support For Republican Plans To Repeal Health Care Reform Law (Resurgent Republic) Recent public polling has shown a slight positive bump in President Obama’s job approval, yet that increase has not closed the gap he faces among Independents on his signature domestic initiative.

NEW YORK

• A call for larger share of the pie (By JIMMY VIELKIND Capitol Bureau, Albany Times Union) "We are proud of the progress we made and we want to make sure we don't go backwards," said Sen. Liz Krueger, D-Manhattan. She was a strong proponent of rules enacted in July 2009 at the end of a month-long stalemate caused by the defection of two Democrats -- Pedro Espada and Hiram Monserrate -- to Republicans.
• The Union Threat to the Democrats' Future - Unless the party confronts its allies in the public-employee unions, it will continue to lose credibility with voters around the country. (By DOUGLAS E. SCHOEN, Wall Street Journal) If the Democrats want to be competitive in 2012, they must move decisively back to the center.

POLITICAL THEATER

• Local resident appears Off Off Broadway (North Jersey.com) Playing with philosophy, theatrical forms and storytelling, "Mr. Hirsch Died Yesterday" explores human identity and shared history when a Jewish writer named Fred meets an African-American woman named Freda and find they share more than childhood memories.

Independent Redistricting and Open Primaries May Help California's Woes

Californians continue to look forward to the first election under the new Top Two open primary system voted in by referendum last June. And in the meantime, Repubs in Utah ponder ways to get around the state's open primary system...

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Opinion: Gov. Brown's budget and a path forward (By Bob Hertzberg, Tom McKernan, Capitol Weekly) From our beginnings, California Forward has encouraged ways to improve governance and bring about changes that restore the public’s trust. Redistricting reform and open primaries hold the promise of restoring the Legislature’s ability to solve problems.
• Hatch Places Third in New GOP Poll (By Kyle Trygstad, Roll Call) Utah has open primaries, However, it’s possible the Republican nominee will be decided in the state party convention, where only locally elected delegates are eligible to vote — something Chaffetz noted to the Deseret News. “The only poll that will matter is of Utah state delegates in May of 2012,” he said.

OBAMA

• Is Obama Another Reagan? (ABC's Amy Walter reports, ABC/The Note) Forty-six percent of independent voters approve of the job Obama is doing, while 42 percent approved of Reagan.
• The new Clintonian Obama is playing offense, and building momentum (By Sam Youngman, The Hill/Ballot Box) The White House wants to let Republicans beat their chests and take their shots at Obama’s healthcare legislation while the president can look presidential and, the White House hopes, attract independent voters.
• CNN Poll: Palin unfavorable rating at all-time high (By the CNN Political Unit) among independent voters, her unfavorable rating has grown a whopping 14 points.
• Obama Orders Review of Business Regulations - The order of President Obama, shown last month, reflects an effort to regain support from centrist and independent voters. (By JACKIE CALMES, NY Times)

DEMOCRATS

• Goodbye Enthusiasm Gap (Public Policy Polling) If I had to name the two biggest factors that cost Democrats the 2010 election cycle it would be 2 e's- economy and enthusiasm. A huge part of the party's problem was the bad economy, which drove independent voters strongly toward GOP candidates. But just as important was the enthusiasm gap and the fact that Republicans turned out at a much higher rate than Democrats in almost every state in the country.
• Lieberman, Conrad Retiring: Who's Next? - Former Democrat Is One of the Few Remaining Moderates in the U.S. Senate (By JONATHAN KARL, ABC)

NORTH CAROLINA

• State GOP lawmakers face uphill chore with redistricting (Written by Jeff Hamlin/David Horn, North Carolina News Network) Coble said Independent voters now factor into elections more than ever before.

NEW YORK

• Mayor Bloomberg Suddenly Stumbling (Ron Hart, Yahoo News) While he has repeatedly denied any plans to run for president, New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg, 68, may be the perfect candidate for many 'purple' parts of the electorate. He has been a Democrat. He has been a Republican. He is now an independent.
• Medicaid pulls plug on Pedro's Bronx clinics (By CARL CAMPANILE, NY Post) State Medicaid Inspector James Sheehan's Office notified both Espada and his son, Pedro Gautier Espada, that they've been "excluded" from receiving or handling Medicaid dollars from the Soundview Healthcare Network.

Who's Triangulating Whom?

Let's face it: in order to triangulate, you've gotta have a third element. For my money, I just don't think independents are available for that kind of maneuvering, try as the parties might. That's the very kind of partisan manipulation for "all power to the parties" that independent voters don't  like.


INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Triangulation, Republican-style (By Chris Cillizza, Washington Post/The Fix) Much has been made of the idea that President Obama will use Congressional Democrats as a foil over the next two years -- triangulating against his own side to grab the ideological center and appeal to electorally critical independent voters. But, there's been almost no focus on how potential 2012 Republican presidential candidates may do that same sort of triangulation against the new GOP House majority.
• Victory Alone Does Not a Mandate Make (By MATT BAI, NY Times) Even so, leveling an indictment of government only gets you so far, even when it resonates.

OPEN PRIMARIES

• FIRST ELECTIONS TO BE HELD UNDER "TOP TWO" OPEN PRIMARY (by Damon Eris, CAIVN)

2012

• Sen. Joe Lieberman says he can win re-election (THE STATE COLUMN)

BALLOT ACCESS

• North Carolina Ballot Access Bill Ready for Introduction (Ballot Access News) Newly-elected North Carolina State Representative Stephen LaRoque (R-Kinston) is ready to introduce a ballot access reform bill, as soon as the legislature convenes on January 26

NEW YORK

• Bill Samuels Praises Newly Independent Democrats (By Reid Pillifant, NY Observer/Politicker)
• Senate Dems Bolt Democratic Caucus (By David Freedlander, NY Observer/Politicker) "We are Democrats, but we can no longer in good conscience support the present Democratic leadership," said Senator Jeff Klein, who is leading the new group. He was joined by Diane Savino of Staten Island, upstater David Valesky, and newcomer David Carlucci from the Hudson Valley.

EDUCATION REFORM

• Ed reform and Race to the Top offer chance for improvement (Boston Globe) Now the Patrick administration must use the new law and funds to close the achievement gap between low-income and middle-class students, redeem underachieving schools, and expand school choice in Massachusetts.
• Meaningful Bipartisan School Reform (by Richard Kahlenberg, Century Foundation/Taking Note) If implemented correctly, the conservative idea of school choice can advance the liberal goal of reducing the economic school segregation that lies at the core of our education challenges.
• The Nixon-Obama Compromise (Richard D. Kahlenberg, BOOK REVIEW The New Republic) But the various solutions to improve high poverty schools—more money, charter schools, and federal accountability measures—have not worked. Some liberals, frustrated with integration, argued that “we should concentrate on desegregating the money,” as Derrick Bell put it.
• Not So Fast, Secretary Duncan (The Heritage Foundation/The Foundry) As rumors of an NCLB reauthorization float around, the most important question is: What is the proper role of the federal government in education?

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Nobody likes Joe Lieberman
  
• Arlen Specter likes open primary
  
• sleazy Illinois political skullduggery on open primary bill exposes extreme partyism
  
• liberals and progressives
  
• Michael Bloomberg woos NYC Independence Party
  

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Open primary sytem is a good idea (Contra Costa Times) Passage of Proposition 11, creating a bipartisan panel to draw legislative districts, is a step in the right direction.
• Prop. 11 support signals voters' mood for reforms (LA Times)
• Daniel Weintraub: Prop. 11 paves the way for more reform (Sac Bee)
• New California political landscape comes into focus (PolitickerCA.com) "The Democrats allow independents to participate in their primaries and the Republicans don't," Gerston said. "An open primary might be a way for Republicans to draw more independents back into their fold."
• Some surprises on election day (Southside Pride - MN) One way to avoid electing people to office with less than a majority of votes would be to have open primaries with the top two going to the general election.
• Backers see more competitive state Senate, Assembly races (San Diego Union Tribune) Maybe California voters finally figured it out, the purported wisdom of having someone other than legislators draw the districts in which they run for office.

ELECTION FALLOUT

• Political World's On Joe Watch (The Hartford Courant) "We'd be happy to have Sen. Lieberman caucus with the Democrats. We don't hold any grudges," said Stephanie Cutter, a spokeswoman for the Obama transition team.
• Response from a “far right shrieker” (Perham Enterprise Bulletin & New York Mills Herald - MN)
• The GOP Must Change or Die (The Daily Beast)
• Wick to organize third party (Town Times/zwire - CT)
• Jackie Salit on the Election (Marcia Ford, We the Purple)
• 18 Million Independents Vote for Barack Obama (The Independent View)

Talk/Talk: Slick About Oil?

Sunday, July 6, 2008




Below are excerpts from this week's Talk Talk, Slick About Oil?. Every Sunday CUIP's president Jacqueline Salit and strategist and philosopher Fred Newman watch the political talk shows and discuss them. Here are excerpts from their dialogue on Sunday, July 6, 2008 after watching "The Chris Matthews Show" and "This Week with George Stephanopoulos".

Newman: OK, let's take one soldier. He or she is over there, and they are fixing a bayonet and heading towards a building to go kill someone. Now, if you take that same soldier, have her or him over there standing in front of an oil refinery to make sure that someone from Al Qaeda doesn't come and blow up the oil refinery, that's still having an American troop there. It's the same soldier. But it's a different mission and it means something different. I really don't understand what it is that McCain is saying. He seems to be saying that the surge worked because fewer American troops are being killed.

Salit: They're trying to make the point, I guess, that this reflects well on the underlying mission.

Newman: How does it reflect well on the underlying mission? Was the mission to have fewer American troops killed? If that was the mission, why go in at all? You'll have no casualties. I don't get the logic. What if we had 10 times as many troops killed in the most recent period of the surge, but they captured or killed Osama bin Laden? Is that a success or a failure by virtue of the current McCain argument?

Read Talk Talk in its entirety here.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Idaho independents file intervention in closed primary lawsuit (Associated Press - KTVB)
• Committee for a United Independent Party Asks to Intervene in Idaho Republican Closed Primary Lawsuit (Ballot Access News)
• Shifting Stands: Is That Real Change? (LETTER NY Times) Independent activist Fran Miller in response to Krugman oped
• Independent voters can lead (LETTER Florida Times Union Jacksonville) doesn't want Democrats in office
• Joe not the boost McCain needs in state (Connecticut Post) Strikingly, Lieberman appears to hurt McCain among independent voters in the state.
• Joe Lieberman's Potential 2012 Dilemma (NY Observer/Politicker)
• Catholic voters: A somewhat contradictory statistical look (The Tidings) The CARA study of 1,007 Catholic voters found 41 percent unaffiliated with either the Democratic Party or Republican Party
• Voter registration surges in Georgia, North Carolina (Southern Sudies/Facing South) Democrats have gone from 44.8% to 45.3%, and unaffiliated voters from 20.9% to 21.4% since January.

CAMPAIGN * Obama's Move to the Center (Examiner.com)

PARTY BUSINESS

• Minnesota Independence party enlists Mayor Bloomberg (Minnesota Public Radio)
• Bloomberg brings taste of Big Apple to Independence Party fundraiser (Associated Press - Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• Rochester Billionaire Targets Silver With New PAC (NY Sun)
  

What's Wrong With This Picture?

Have you noticed Jesse Ventura on the talk shows lately posing as the "independent"? He's got a book out.... And then there's Dean Barkley who's being backed by a major party consultant... Meanwhile a little-known upstate New York pol (the one trying to dictate to NYC independents) posing as the "leader" of a national network of independents, meets with McCain and waits for Mayor Bloomberg to weigh in on who he should endorse..... Hmmm... And lest we forget, there's still Joe Lieberman.... --NH

Conversations on Obama, Michigan and Lieberman

"(Obama) is the first candidate since Robert Kennedy, who is able to reach across partisan and racial divides," said Troy Zukowski, of Portage, Michigan.


Sen. Joe Lieberman, the Republican in Democratic clothing with a hastily drawn "independent" sign hanging around his neck, "got some tough talk" from Sen. Barack Obama

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Independent Voters in Profile (By Marcia Ford - Donklephant) The few independents I knew personally were evangelicals disenchanted with the Religious Right and its close association with the GOP who considered themselves to be conservatives or moderates.
• W.Va. Voters Still Can Change Parties (The Intelligencer/Wheeling News Register)
• PA Lawmaker would open primary election (Lebanon Daily News) Independents and third-party voters don’t have a say in Tuesday’s red-hot primary elections, but a handful of lawmakers say they should.
• WA 'Top two' primary: new ballots, new headaches? Proposed rules call for listing a candidate's party preference, not affiliation, and at least one lawmaker thinks only confusion will result. (Daily Herald - Everett WA) It's the Parties vs. the People...

CAMPAIGN

• Poll highlights: Obama's gain, Clinton's pain (By The Associated Press-Yahoo) Many independent voters wish they had other choices, such as, say, a Nobel Peace Prize-winning maker of environmental films. Take an independent presidential poll here.....
• A New Role for Al Gore’s Running Mate (By The Editorial Board, New York Times) Hint: Independents don't like Joe Lieberman Poll Results
• Grits (Southern Political Report) According to Raleigh’s News & Observer, 53% registered Democratic, 37% were unaffiliated, and a lagging 10% were Republicans. That contrasts with the numbers at the end of 2007 for the entire voter pool, when the Democrats led with 45%, the Republicans were second with 34% and unaffiliated was third with 21%. More grits with grit here....

NORTH CAROLINA EARLY VOTING

• Early voters: Let's get started (News Observer) KNOW YOUR RIGHTS: If you ruin your ballot, you can ask for another one. If you're registered as unaffiliated, you can ask to receive the primary ballot of either party. If you're an ex-felon, you can register and vote if you've served all parts of your sentence, including probation. If you have a disability, you have a right to a voting machine that allows you to vote on your own. Anyone also has a right to receive assistance from a friend (not your employer) or an elections official.
• Obama in state; speaks to News 14 (News 14 Raleigh)
• Obama helping stimulate local voter interest (Mount Airy News - Surry County) As of Thursday, the updated registration totals in Surry show Democrats outnumbering Republicans 18,336 to 17,345. There are 8,146 unaffiliated voters in the county. [That's a margin of victory...]
• Early birds flock to polling spots (Rocky Mount Telegram) More than 5.7 million North Carolinians are registered to vote, state officials said, which includes 2.6 million Democrats, 1.9 million Republicans and 1.2 million unaffiliated voters – all record totals heading into a primary election.
• Early voters may cast ballots now (The Lexington Dispatch) Unaffiliated voters can choose to vote for nonpartisan races or in either the Republican or Democratic primary but not both.

FEATURE * What Happened to the [Harold] Washington Coalition? (Chicago Daily Observer) A big question that emerges at many meetings has to do with why the Washington Coalition—consisting of virtually the entire black community, a cadre of Latino warriors and a small but active band of progressive whites—did not continue as a political force.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• The fastest-growing political party around is no party at all. (Daytona Beach News Journal)
• North Carolina Repubs want independent voters (LETTER to BlueRidgeNow)
• Say It Ain't So, Joe (Time/Swampland) Lieberman goes Repub
• The Bee’s Weintraub Fronts Latest G.O.P. Redistricting Plan (By Bill Cavala-California Progress Report)
• Let the parties party (LA Times)
• The Body Politic-From finger pointing to fist pumps, how nonverbal cues brand the candidates (AdWeek)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Jason Olson of Independent Voice in California, an advocacy group that helped launch IndependentPrimary.com, says open primaries result in more voters going to the polls--something the major parties don't care for... (Amador Ledger Dispatch)
• "Too Independent To Vote" -- Arizona independents can vote in the primaries unless it's a presidential election (KOLD News 13- AZ)
• Mike Huckabee makes Wall Street nervous (Bloomberg News)
• It's true that the Lieberman endorsement will help McCain - but with conservatives more than independents. (BY JAMES KIRCHICK, Be Our Guest column - NY Daily News)
• Clarence Page says Andy Young should stay away from microphones... (Daily Journal - Kankakee IL)
• Texas Independence Party tells Secretary of State it will try to qualify (Ballot Access News)
• Maine Green Party WANTS YOU! (Ellsworth American)
• "Just say maybe" -- I think, therefore I punditize... (By John Brummett, Arkansas News)
• Who's Wrong On Race? -- interesting discussion of Dem and Repub history relative to race (By Steve Benen, CBS News)
• "If you want to pull the major party to what you're thinking, YOU MUST, YOU MUST show them that you're capable of not voting for them..." - Lawrence O'Donnell from "Gitlin, Alterman and the Anti-Nader Democrats - Two Unreasonable Men" (By JOHN WALSH, CounterPunch)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

The hunt for independents in freshly blue New Hampshire (Providence Journal) --be sure to watch the video from hankstertube at the top of The Hankster to hear from Betty Ward of the influential New Hampshire Committee for an Independent Voice.....

• They hear freedom ring when he speaks-RON PAUL: An eclectic group of supporters rallies around the presidential candidate. (Alaska Daily News)
• Clinton gets lots of help from her friends-Emily's List, AFSCME, AFT foot the bill (Los Angeles Times)
• The Ron Paul Movement Makes Polls Irrelevant (by True American blog)
• Democrats need to jettison Lieberman as a troublesome traitor (The Enquirer-Cincinnati)
• Political match dot com.... (Seattle Times)
• Primary incompetence-Michigan primary SNAFU (Toledo Blade)
• McCain closing gap with Romney-In N.H. poll, Obama inches ahead of Clinton (Boston Globe)
• Nashua Telegraph endorses Barack Obama
• Sen. Barack Obama is a formidable alternative to Sen. Hillary Clinton, the prospect of whose presidency he describes, though using kinder terms, as "been there, done that." (Concord Monitor)
• Obama reaches deep into S.C.-His political machine could break through the state's longtime barrier to black candidates. (St. Petersburg Times)
• New Orleans North shore voters likely to decide congressional race-politics of the white affluent district of N.O., 24% independent (Times Picayune-NOLA online)

More NEWS HEADLINES FOR INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Call It Independents' Day-Unaffiliated voters can take either party's ballot in New Hampshire (US News & World Report)
• Let's End This Two-Party System! (by Timothy V. Gatto-OpEdNews)
• Boston Herald lines up with Joe Lieberman's choice for Prez (Boston Herald) -- we'll find out who the real independents in New Hampshire support on Jan. 8
• Who'll be the maverick in 2008? Obama, Edwards Go Long (Wall Street Journal)
• McCain surging up on Romney, polls in New Hampshire show (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Clinton losing ground in California, but Obama isn't gaining (Mercury News)
• New Georgia poll: Obama, Clinton even; Huckabee far ahead (Savannah Morning News)
• Clinton Lands Seasoned Operative for S.C. Effort (The Fix Washington Post)
• James Pinkerton: The case for Michael Bloomberg--"satire" (Dallas Morning News)
• Mike Gravel Announces Third Party Bid; Why Ron Paul Will be Next (OpEdNews)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Why This Independent May Not Sway the Ones that Matter -- quotes Jacqueline Salit and Donna Richards (Campaigns & Elections)
• Cracks In The Facade Of A Vaunted Voting Bloc (Washington Post reprinted in Hartford Courant)
• Independents may lift McCain, not Obama, in N.H. (Boston Globe)
• Pennsylvania voters -- including independents - shut out (Editorial, Pocono Record)
• McCain endorsed by Lieberman (Union Leader)
• What "Independent" means --NOT Joe Lieberman...(NJVoices blog)
• Paul credits stance against war as sparking fundraising boost (Mason City Globe Gazette)
• Is America Ready for an Independent President? (By Harry C. Alford, Louisiana Weekly)
• Feb. 5 primaries could decide between Clinton and Obama (By Hazel Trice Edney, NNPA Louisiana Weekly)
• Entrance surveys and how the Iowa caucuses work (Politico)
• Term-limits turmoil debate between Steve Poizner and Steve Westly (LA Times)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

Ron Paul's 2007 Boston Tea Party--instead of dumping tea, he raised another $5 mil (Boston Globe) and while you're at it, check out the godwhacker graphic....



Obama, Paul, Gravel active in Alaska (Anchorage Daily News)



Liz Halloran says the war in Iraq momentarily not The Issue for candidates... but don't count on that after the primaries or if the casualty count goes up... (By Liz Halloran, US News & World Report) I agree voters are increasingly wary and weary of the rhetoric, having been taken through the wash by the Dems after the 2006 midterms. Personally I think the electorate is not responding so much to individual issues--whether foreign or domestic policy--but rather is making a statement about how policy gets made. American voters seem to be saying "Insider partisans beware!"



Lieberman has apparently come full circle in his political meanderings... (The Trail - WaPo) and love this headline in Alaska Report



Dan Abrams welcomes change in Justice Dept Civil Rights Division saying "from 2001 to 2006, not one voting discrimination case was brought on behalf of African-American voters." (Huffington Post) and that includes a complaint filed in 2005 by Lenora Fulani and others from 11 states on the voting rights of independent black voters. See Rob Redding's report from 2006 here....

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• New N.H. residents tend to be Dems or independents (Boston Globe)

• Don't mistake Lieberman for a Democrat (LETTER to Roanoke Times)



• THE END GAME: Clinton Hits Rough Patch As Iowa Showdown Nears; Rivals Strike From Left As She Courts Center (Wall Street Journal)



• Michelle Obama says Barack is best hope for blacks (Lexington Herald News)



• Ron Paul could remake the Repub Party for the future by running as a third-party candidate (Southern Political Report)



• Bloomberg Crams On Foreign Policy: Proof That He's Planning '08 Bid? (Huffington Post)



• Michigan primary voters must declare party (Grand Rapids Press)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• How to appeal to independents -- Indianola steak fry talk (IowaPolitics.com)
• Voters don't sway with celebrity endorsements (The Caucus)
• McCain lost New Hampshire independents, touring in a refurbished bus (US News & World Report)
• Chuck Hagel's retirement--a centrist vacuum in Nebraska? (Seattle Post Intelligencer)
• Bloomberg's nonpartisan and nonprofit foundations (Associated Press from Google)
• Following Frohnmayer, Novick to call for impeachment look (The Oregonian)
• Lieberman registers to vote as a Democrat, wife and daughter unaffiliated (The Stamford Times)

Conversations on Independence

• Connecticut regrets fake Independent Lieberman (Rob Shvern)
• Local and national media refused to report on Lieberman's actual positions (Connecticut Blog)
• Lessons from the new Lamont/Lieberman poll (David Sirota, OpenLeft)
• We urge Black Missourians to be independent voters. Why are we beholden to only one party? It is hurting us. (Re-Elect Governor Blunt in 2008)
• New Hampshire might very well go to Obama since it has many independent voters (The Essence of Politics)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• 43% in the new survey identify as independents (Susan Page-USA Today)
• Latino group aims to mobilize voters (Miami Herald)
• New Mexico Election Reform (OpEd News)
• Boxborough resident runs for Congress as independent (Bolton Common - GateHouse News Service)
• NAACP Forum: Obama, Clinton in a tight battle for black vote (Boston Globe)
• Sec of State nixes protest over Lieberman party (Stamford Advocate)
• It's Not Easy Being Green -Pennsylvania discrimintes against independents (WFMZ )
• Virginia - a top tier swing state with lots of indies (Hotline)