New York City Local Round-Up: John Liu Down, Charles Barron Iffy, Independent Redistricting Nowhere to be Found

NEW YORK

• New fundraising arrest raises more doubts about Liu’s future (By Colby Hamilton, WNYC/ THE EMPIRE) “It doesn’t look good for a city comptroller to now have two sets of investigations going on over his campaign fundraising,” said Dick Dadey, the executive director of the good government group Citizens Union. “For a citywide elected official, and an aspiring mayoral candidate, it raises questions that he can’t afford to have asked.”
• Towns Faces Opponents in 2012 Primary (by Harold Egeln, Brooklyn Daily Eagle) Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries (D-Crown Heights/Bedford-Stuyvesant), who has already started a campaign web site and a fund-raising effort, and Councilman Charles Barron (D-East New York/Brownsville/Canarsie), who is just now exploring a possible run for Congress, are his contenders at this point.
• Charles Barron has already decided where to announce his run for Congress (By Reid Pillifant,
  CAPITAL NEW YORK) After a "very positive" meeting on Friday night, Councilman Charles Barron said he's "moving closer and closer" to running for Congress, and he's already settled on when and where he might announce a second challenge to Representative Ed Towns.
• Lawmakers Already Drawing Up Special Session Wish Lists (By Andrew J. Hawkins, NY Capitol News) Sen. Joseph Addabbo, who has been advocating for a special session since the regular session ended in June, said redistricting during the special session amounted to “wishful thinking” at this point, especially since it lacked budgetary implications.

Capitalism 101: Joyce Purnick Remarks on NYC Political Corruption

NEW YORK

• Analysis | Close Friends in City Government: Money and Politics (By Joyce Purnick : WNYC Political Analyst) New York City has some of the country's most stringent laws and rules to limit the influence of money in politics. But they do only so much, as we were reminded yet again recently by revelations about questionable practices by Comptroller John Liu and Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowitz. Even Mayor Michael Bloomberg, who finances his own campaigns, cuts corners — different corners, but corners nonetheless. 

Gary Byrd to replace Gil Noble on "Like It Is"?

NEW YORK

• Like It Is: Activists Seek Gary Byrd to carry torch from Gil Noble (Special To The Black Star News) Members of CEMOTAP, DECEMBER 12th Movement, National Black United Front, The Original Black Panther Party, Board For the Education of People of African Ancestry, People's Organization for Progress, Black New Yorkers for Educational Excellence and The Freedom Party  were there in full force. They were united in their demand that Byrd be given the opportunity to replace the recently retired Gil Noble, host of  the award winning series "Like It Is."  Noble holds the copyright to the title "Like it Is”, so the station was planning to change the title of a new show to "Here and Now."
• The pension deal: What does John Liu walk away with? (By Colby Hamilton, WNYC/ The Empire) That being said, the most interesting thing is that the agreement essentially strips the Comptroller’s office—this or future ones—of one of its main duties.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS 10/29/09

As we head to Election Day 2009, everyone is talking about the Yankees and the Phillies. And a few people are talking about the Mayoral race in NYC, where independent candidate Mike Bloomberg is poised to become the first independent mayor of New York, running on the Independence Party (Column C) and Republican lines. But not Karl Rove. Kind of a big omission, don't you think? Check out Jon Noltie's Examiner article. However, other independent and Independence-backed candidates in New Jersey, New York and Virginia are soaking up the ink. See today's news for independent voters below:

POLITICAL REFORM

• New York Improved One Ballot Access Law In July, 2009 (Ballot Access News)

STATE RACES

• Tuesday's Elections and the Democratic Agenda (By KARL ROVE, Wall Street Journal) A year ago, Democrats crowed that Mr. Obama had reshaped the political landscape to their advantage. Voters have lived under Democratic rule for nine months, and many of them, especially independents, don't like what they're seeing.
• Strength of independent candidates indicates GOP missing opportunity (Columbus Republican Examiner, by Jon Noltie) In 2 of the 3 most watched electoral races this year, the GOP stands a good chance of losing due to the strength of independent candidates, in addition to not even fielding a candidate in the New York City mayoral race.
• Dividing And Conquering In State Races (John Zogby, Forbes)
• Quinnipiac Sees a Different New Jersey Race Than Rasmussen, PPP (National Review)
• Corzine Up 5 Points In New Jersey Gov Race, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Governor Tops Christie On 'Honesty' Score (Quinnipiac) Corzine leads 79 - 8 percent among Democratic likely voters, with 10 percent for Daggett. Christie leads 79 - 7 percent among Republicans, with 9 percent for Daggett, and 45 - 30 percent among independent voters, with 20 percent for Daggett.
• NJ Gov Poll: Corzine Takes 5-Point Lead (RealClearPolitics)
• Daggett: Republican urged him to quit gov's race (The Associated Press, Philadelphia Inquirer)

BLOOMBERG 09

• Queens Gazette Endorses Bloomberg, Other Candidates (Queens Gazette)

LOCAL RACES

• Bloomberg, Liu Favored In Tuesday Voting; Some Close Council Races Expected (BY JOHN TOSCANO, Queens Gazette)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

REFORM

• Open the Debates! (Diary Entry by David Barboza, OpEdNews) Americans should denounce our debate inclusion criteria for what they are: a partisan sham.
• Voter is restricted in primary contest: Open primaries needed (Tulsa Beacon LETTER)
• OSU political expert to talk about election (Corvallis Gazette-Times) Bill Lunch says “If [Measure 65] passes it will not make the system less polarized, but more so,” he said. He said he’ll spend more time explaining Measure 65 than any of the other measures.
• Don't cross over when you vote: Stay on one side of the ballot from top to bottom (Pacific Daily News) Guam voters face voided ballots if they vote across party lines in primary
• Child's play (Press Democrat Santa Rosa CA) this year's performance [by the State Legislature] is one more good reason to support Proposition 11, which would strip state legislators of the ability to draw their own districts. The next good step would be restoring the open primary, so legislators truly could be held accountable at the polls.
• A brand new system: It's popular and it works - WA Top Two (Tri-City Herald/Mid-Columbia news) Herald reporter Chris Mulick said that the survey of 500 voters, conducted Aug. 22 through Aug. 24, indicated 71 percent preferred the top two while just 20 percent preferred the pick-a-party primary.
• Editorial: Open Primary offers opportunity for meaningful votes (Post Bulletin Rochester MN) because Minnesota has an open primary, you don't have to be a member of a political party to participate.

CAMPAIGN

• Obama, McCain vie for ‘reformist’ mantle (Kansas City Star) With the back-to-back conventions over, the fall race for the presidency took off Friday in states teeming with the independent voters each needs to win the White House.
• Zogby: McCain-Palin Got 'Small Bounce' After Minn. (By: Newsmax)
• Are Evangelicals Really Sold on Palin? (Time) But with fewer than 60 days until Election Day (and a month before the start of early voting in many states), the McCain campaign's continued courting of the more traditional base spells trouble for any efforts to expand his appeal to independent voters and less conservative Evangelicals.
• Historic White House race enters final stretch (AP/Houston Chronicle)
• Debate schedule (SF Gate)
• Keep the change (Trenton Times Editorial) McCain's call for an end to the "constant partisan rancor" was ludicrous. Unless, of course, he was speaking directly to his running mate, Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin, and the former foes he'd assembled the night before to mock, deride and dismiss the Democratic ticket on his behalf.
• EDITORIAL: Stealing Obama's rhetoric (Washington Times/AP) In the blink of an eye, the party of national security, limited government and family values has become the party of "reform."
• E. J. Dionne Jr. Straight talker's convention was full of derision-It's sort of hard to come away from that thinking "nonpartisanship." (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• An Apostle of Alaska - We know the outlines—the moose-hunting mom who juggles BlackBerrys and kids. But what does she believe? The real Sarah Palin. (NEWSWEEK)
• Will they ever get it right? (Conservative Republican Discussion forums by Dacabeti, Christian Conservative Pitbull) I am so tired of hearing about Obama being the first black Presidential Candidate. Or Hillary being the first women to get serious consideration.

NEW YORK POLITICS

• Queens Councilmembers Liu, Comrie support overturning term limits (Queens Times Ledger) HINT: This is not a good thing! Do New York City politicians REALLY think they can get away with this because Bloomberg is leaving office? Yes, they really do. Apparently they didn't take the black and independent alliance seriously! - NH
• POLITICS & POWER: LI McCain backer gets his due (Rick Brand, NY Newsday) Boyle's immediate job will be to help McCain lock up the backing of the national Independence Party that state and Suffolk party leader Frank MacKay originally organized for New York Mayor Mike Bloomberg's now-scotched presidential bid. HINT: Who will be the highest bidder for the corrupted state Independence Party of New York??? Democrats -- ponie up or you might be out of luck in upstate New York!!! - NH