TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Jacqueline Salit: "We supported Obama, but we did not become Democrats!"
  
• Lousiana Repubs: No independents need apply! Seems the opposition was missed the meeting...
  
• Is Obama abiding his promise of nonpartisanship?
  
• The Clinton legacy lives on through Obama cabinet -- consolidating the Reagan Revolution... And wtf is a Bilderberger???
  
• Obama's first quick minute a burden...
  
• Jon Stewart vs. Jim Cramer -- more opinions...
  
• California open primaries will "destroy the 2 party system" -- and that's a "bad" thing???
  
• Can Mayor Bloombags get over on NYC voters?
  
• Unity '09 is NOT your dad's Unity '08!
  

Jon Stewart and Jim Cramer: Where's the Independence???

I guess I can't resist.... Jon Stewart's interview of Jim Cramer --the full episode...

I thought Cramer was incredibly non-defensive, meaning he accepted Jon Stewart's challenges gracefully and thoughtfully. Believe me, nobody in 21st century America thinks the media -- whether it's CNBC or the Comedy Channel -- is speaking for the people! Ha Ha! Only the people speak for the people. We get to do that on Election Day, and then everything goes back to clever reparte on cable tv.... 

I watch Jon Stewart as often as I can and really enjoy the show. But is Jon Stewart a watchdog of democracy? Hardly. If he was, he'd have some independents on, and I haven't really seen that yet. I view Stewart, as attractive as he is, as partisan as the 2 parties when it comes to political views--namely duopolistic. Of course there's always another tomorrow night at 11pm.... Jon, get with it!! There's more going on than 2 sides to every issue!!! Where's your independence, man?

Hankster Top 10 Posts Since Obama's Election

Since Election Day, November 4, 2008

If you can imagine that independent voters are this eclectic, have a nice adventure:

#1

swing vote!

189 visits

#2

How the Independent Movement Went Left By Going Right by Jacqueline Salit

72 visits

#3

The Black Independent: A new political category (and a cultural revolution)

66 visits

#4

AFRICAN-AMERICAN PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATES

56 visits

#5

Voting YES on Measure 65 is one step toward opening up the political process to all voters. by David Ellis and Nancy Cunningham

28 visits

#6

A Sign of the (New York) Times by Dr. Phyllis Goldberg

27 visits

#6

BlogTalkRadio/Hankster: Dr. Omar Ali on Independent Black Politics and Barack Obama

27 visits

#7

Scientific Formula for Measuring Uncertainty

25 visits

#7

Scientific Formula for Measuring Uncertainty

25 visits

#7

Cudos to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart (featuring the Gitmo puppet)

25 visits

#8

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS September 13 Obama, the postmodernist

22 visits

#9

Gioia Bruno says: "Change the World"

21 visits

#10

Community Meeting to Support Dr. Lenora Fulani

19 visits

#10

Reviewing Naomi Wolf's "Give Me Liberty", By Jeffrey M. Freeman

19 visits

Cudos to The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

The Daily Show was particulary funny tonight, I thought. What with the fake Obama clips, the Gitmo puppet, the Bush gaffe on how he's going to bring about peace in the Middle East in his last few months in office -- I tell you, I was laughing out loud...

I wanted to send Jon Stewart an email to say how much I liked the show, but didn't see any way to do that.... Anyway, I have nevertheless linked The Daily Show with Jon Stewart on The Hankster sidebar. Enjoy! -NH

A Political Junkie's Confession: Cat/Rooster/Dog Fight Obsessions of a Lesser God

Ok, I admit it. I'm a political junkie. I'd rather talk politics than almost anything else. I confess that for the past number of weeks, I spent my days planning my evening rendevoux with CNN and MSNBC.

Sure, I'd go to work. I'd answer some emails, return a few phone calls, write a few memos... But I was always plotting: If it's 7pm, It's Anderson Cooper 350. Or do I check in with Wolf Blitzer in the Situation Corner. A bite to eat, a cup of tea, and I fall asleep after a lighter and much needed dose of Jon Stewart and the Daily Shore..... But I have to say, the current level of punditry is a bit much!

Anderson Cooper seems to be particularly upset tonight that we have black people in America, that African Americans have cultural institutions beyond his control who speak to historical issues in historical language that he hasn't heard and doesn't understand. Anderson Cooper, a white male paid presumably by CNN, takes it upon himself to interpret historical statements he knows nothing about. He doesn't seem to have any understanding of our history as a nation or our developing multi-racial culture. Likewise for Morning Joe, which I have recently been watching. Love the show, getting a little iffy on the "coverage".....

It's hurtful to America to see intelligent people sit in a tv studio, bringing on more and more pundits, who have less and less to say about what's really going on in this country.

Again, Anderson Cooper, Joe Scarborough, Jessica Yellin, Wolf Blitzer, et al, should get off their duffs and get out there and see what's happening in America! Talk to people!

The Hankster received an email from a reader who was really upset about the level of attacks in the campaign, particularly directed at Barack Obama. The lies and rumors. I advised him to go out and do some grassroots organizing.


CNN and MSNBC CHOOSE not to go out and talk to voters. They would rather talk to themselves. They insist on running "stories" among each other about such things as:

Geraldine Ferraro talking about Barack Obama being lucky to be black (or whatever she said) and Jeremiah A. Wright, pastor of Barack Obama's church in Chicago, sermonizing about racism in America...

And who cares what's what and who's who because the real issue is to set up some kind of cat/rooster/dog fight among the American people who have worked so hard to overcome these divisions....

Below is a sample of some of the inflamatory articles:
Democrats Do Not Agree With Ferraro that Race was a Factor in ...PR Newswire (press release), NY ....... Geraldine Ferraro's comment was racist? ... A Ferraro Postscript [Ramesh Ponnuru]National Review Online Blogs, NY - It is also true, for example, that Obama wouldn't be in this position if Clinton were a more inspiring figure, compelling speaker, or talented campaigner. ... I'm Not Racist. Some of my Best Friends Are Black.Yahoo! News - But when they feel challenged by blacks, as the Clinton campaign does by the Obama campaign, we're not so fresh after all. In essence, what Ferraro is ... Obama Denounces His Pastor’s Statements New York Times Obama repudiates ex-pastor's remarks Boston Globe Sen. Obama condemns his pastor's comments Detroit Free Press WSJ: Obama's church may be breaking IRS rulesChicago Tribune, United States ...... Barack Obama's home church, Trinity United Church of Christ on Chicago's South Side, activities that may violate IRS rules against churches advocating for ... Clinton As Racist Machiavellian Black Star News, NY - Former Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro is the latest foot soldier to make a fool of herself in the Clinton cause, this by speculating, “If Obama was a white ... Obama blames '60s for pastor's comments Chicago Tribune, United States - Ferraro recently stepped down from Clinton's campaign after saying that Obama enjoyed an electoral advantage over Clinton in the Democratic presidential ...)


We the people, however, CAN CHOOSE to do something about the dismal state of politics in this country. If you thought politicians would help, think again. If you thought the MSM would pick up our statement, think again....

It's up to us. Do something positive!

Conversations on Political Insanity

If you didn't catch Obama on Jon Stewart's The Daily Show when the Senator was in New York last week, you can see the video on RealClearPolitics. Stewart, who is often a brilliant political comedian, reads some increasingly sensationalist headlines on Obama's campaign against Hillary and then poses the question: "Has the insanity of this process sunk in on you yet?"

Being an independent, I thought that was a great lead-in for a statement about our corrupt partisan political process and how we need to change how politics is done in this country if we are to create a new direction for the country. Obama answers that we need some "normalcy", and relates a story about preparing for an 8:30 am debate, "It's always a shock to the system when, Sunday morning, you wake up and you're face-to-face with Mike Gravel." (titter, titter... you know the drill...)

Hmmmm..... Well, not so funny. If a candidate for US President is not so game to come face-to-face with Mike Gravel, how willing would he be to come face-to-face with independent candidates who aren't under the constraints of a partisan dictatorship? (see Larry Reinsch and Co. for Rock The Debates asking Barack Obama The Question: whether he would debate independent candidates after the primary. Obama decries the "winner-take-all system" and claims "general sympathy"...)

Or how willing would he be to come face-to-face indeed with the American people and make a statement against the partisan good ol' boys (and girls) club? Apparently not so much... Word is, Obama still has not scheduled a promised meeting with New Hampshire independents, and from what I'm hearing in New York, his Brooklyn Marriott rally was packed with real people (hell - only a couple of New York pols have had the muster to go up against the Clinton machine to endorse Obama) but he didn't really go for it. Hey -- it's New York. Take on Clinton-the inevitable? Appeal to the 47% of the black vote in New York City that went outside the Democratic Party and voted for a nonpartisan mayor in 2005? Apparently not...

It's beginning to look a lot like Obama is running for VP.