TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS - 12/12/09

• CT: John Mertens challenges Chris Dodd on the Lieberman line, to what end?
• ME: Independent Gov candidate Alex Hammer speaks for small business and Obama's party dilemma
• Don Campbell thinks it's time for independents to 'rise up'
• NC: Repubs vote to keep open primary
• AL: Alabama Files Brief in 11th Circuit in Ballot Access Case (Ballot Access News)
• PA: Partisan redistricting helps pols elect themselves
• GA: Kasim Reed certified as Atlanta's mayor (recount reveals 1 extra vote - how's that for accuracy???)
• NY: Charles Barron unveils NYC Council reform platform

Independents Reaffirm Support for Reed in Atlanta Mayoral Campaign

November 30, 2009

Atlanta, GA --- Georgia Independent Voters held a press conference on Monday
morning, November 30th, on the eve of the December 1st city runoff election for
mayor. Before taking questions, GIV members gave a brief statement. Here is a
transcript of the statement:

Murray Dabby: “Good morning. Thank you all for coming. As representatives
of Georgia Independent Voters (“GIV”), part of a grassroots network of
independents around the country who are giving voice to the growing strength
of independents, we are proud to have endorsed Kasim Reed for mayor of
Atlanta in the general election. GIV first met with Kasim Reed during the
summer and endorsed him in the weeks prior to the general election. With
this press conference, we are re-affirming that endorsement in this run-off
election.

“GIV sees Kasim as part of a new generation of Democratic party leaders who
see and appreciate the importance of independents in shaping the political
landscape across the country. Independents played a critical role in the
election of Barack Obama, over and above more partisan candidates, and were
instrumental in shaping the presidential race overall. In NYC, independents
just elected an independent mayor giving Mike Bloomberg the support to be
victorious in his recent difficult election. There are also important
actions being organized by independents for independent political
initiatives, and for open primaries and non-partisan elections in states
around the country. We see Kasim Reed as the kind of leader who can
understand the importance of this national debate and who has expressed a
willingness to add his voice to these efforts.”

Mike Pickering: “Over the course of our extensive screening process, and
since then, of all of the candidates in the campaign, Kasim has shown the
greatest level of support and engagement with the concerns and questions
independents are raising nationwide and here in Georgia. In addition he has
demonstrated an awareness of the nature of the developing independent
movement. While Kasim is a strong and progressive Democrat, in our
conversations he clearly committed to working with independents to
understand, address and bring the influence of the mayor’s office to bear to
advocate on issues of importance to independents. In a statement to GIV
several weeks prior to the general election, Kasim stated "I am very grateful
to receive the endorsement of Georgia Independent Voters. A political
process that is open to all is a major concern of mine. Too many voters are
disillusioned and kept out of the political process. As Mayor, I will work
with the Governor and the state legislature towards opening Georgia's
electoral process, and making it more accessible to all voters."

“In Georgia, key electoral reforms discussed with Reed include instituting
same-day or automatic voter registration to streamline the voting process and
increase voter participation; drastically lowering Georgia’s ballot-access
restrictions in order to level the playing field for independent and nonmajor-
party candidates in Georgia; and creation of an independent
redistricting commission for the important upcoming redistricting effort in
response to the 2010 census. Reed’s effectiveness as a legislator and his
openness to these issues of democracy and fairness are a primary basis for
our endorsement.”

Jamel Thigpen: “In addition to these concerns, we are endorsing Reed because
during our second interview with him he stated would move “muscularly” on
youth development. Now, when he said muscularly I think of Hulk Hogan coming
in flexing his 24 inch pythons! Seriously though, Kasim feels youth
development is key and a very important issue. Re-opening the recreation
centers in Atlanta is part of Kasim’s move on youth development. As someone
who has taken part in both city-funded afterschool and independent out-ofschool
programs, I understand all too well the importance of community
recreation centers. By turning Atlanta’s recreation centers into Centers of
Hope, Kasim will give young people a place they can go to be constructive
participants in society.”

Thyrsa Gravely: “A non-partisan election is an important aspect of voting to
independents. Georgia Independent Voters placed priority on candidates who
are independent as well as those who agree with some voting rights issues
important to independent voters. A decision-making factor for GIV in this
mayoral race was not only the candidate with respect for independents but
also the candidate with the most effective platform to implement a strategy
to improve Atlanta. One reason GIV endorsed Kasim Reed is his action plan to
resolve issues of Atlanta. Kasim Reed has laid out a plan to fight crime,
improve our youth, and address budget issues. We believe Kasim is the better
leader whose plan will be implemented and result in positive change for
Atlanta.”

Murray Dabby: “The alliance between Kasim Reed and Georgia Independent Voters
is another example of the ways that progressive major-party politicians, and
grassroots organizations of independent voters can work to generate creative
ways to reinvigorate our democracy. We are proud to throw our support behind
Kasim Reed for mayor, and will be proud to work shoulder-to-shoulder with him
once he is mayor toward the development of the City of Atlanta.”

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS - Gaining Influence in Atlanta, Utah and NYC

Atlanta Mayoral candidates Mary Norwood and Kasim Reed fight for Tuesday's African American, gay and independent vote. Utah is 39% independent. And the New York "All-The News-That-Money-Sees-Fit-to-Print" Times chooses to report the NYC Independence Party's 150,000 vote in the mayoral race on Nov. 3 in a Sunday editorial yesterday about NY state campaign finance laws... Go figure! Oh - plus, NY press continues to go after the WFP...


ATLANTA MAYORAL

• Georgia Independent Voters Announces Support for Kasim Reed in Atalanta Mayoral Race (Press Release) Georgia Independent Voters (GIV) – a state-based association of independent voters will hold a press conference announcing endorsement of Atlanta mayoral candidate Kasim Reed. Monday, November 30, 2009 - 10:00 a.m., Atlanta City Hall, 68 Mitchell St SW, Atlanta, GA.
• Atlanta runoff neck and neck (By Errin Haines, Associated Press, Philadelphia Inquirer) "What it comes down to is if she gets more black votes than he gets white votes," said political strategist Tom Houck. "When people say race doesn't matter, obviously it does. There is no dominant issue that distinguishes these two other than she's a white woman and he's a black guy." While the folksy Norwood, 57, contrasts with the more serious and polished Reed, 40, both have focused in their campaigns on public safety, transparency, and accountability. Norwood, who says she is an independent, has been accused of being a closeted Republican, and Reed, a Democrat, has challenged her for the votes of another key minority, gay Atlantans.
• Black-white turnout key in Atlanta mayoral runoff (By ERRIN HAINES (AP)
• Debunking Some Runoff Myths As Atlanta Prepares For The Next Round (By Dr. Charles Bullock, Insider Advantage Georgia)
• Atlanta Mayoral Hopefuls in Dead Heat (By COREY DADE, Wall Street Journal) Meanwhile, Mr. Reed and his supporters have ratcheted up their attacks on Ms. Norwood, highlighting her inability to get a single of her proposals passed by the council in eight years as a member, challenging her record of supporting gay rights, and forcing her to defend her political affiliation as independent (and not Republican, as the Reed campaign and state Democrats have alleged).
• Atlanta mayoral candidates appeal to gay vote (By Richard Fausset, LA Times)

GOVERNORS RACES

• UTAH: Peter Corroon a step closer to race for governor (By Lisa Riley Roche, Deseret News) Only 13 percent of the respondents identified themselves as Democrats, while 39 percent said they were independent voters and another 39 percent, Republicans. 

NYC POLITICS

• It’s All About the Money (NY Times Editorial) Mr. Bloomberg won by a scant 50,000 votes, and he got at least 150,000 votes on that Independence line. That is very tidy housekeeping.
• Still Outnumbered, but Council Republicans Count on More Clout (By DAVID W. CHEN, NY Times) The new Council is expected to be more unpredictable, given the prospect of new, loosely fitting blocs like the Republicans and the candidates who opposed the rewriting of term limits and were powered by the Working Families Party.
• All In The Family Part 1 (By Edward-Isaac Dovere, City Hall) Using The Working Families Organization, The Working Families Draws Uncapped, Unrestricted Money And Lobbies The People It Helps Elect
• Oddo Still Top Dog (Strictly Political, By Tom Wrobleski, Staten Island Advance)

Georgia Independent Voters Announces Support for Kasim Reed in Atalanta Mayoral Race

Georgia Independent Voters (“GIV”) – a state-based association of independent voters will hold a press conference announcing endorsement of Atlanta mayoral candidate Kasim Reed. Monday, November 30, 2009 - 10:00 a.m., Atlanta City Hall, 68 Mitchell St SW, Atlanta, GA.

Independent voter organization, Georgia Independent Voters (“GIV”), screened mayoral candidates over the summer and endorsed Kasim Reed who won a spot in the runoff election with 36% of the vote in the general election. GIV activists will reaffirm their support and urge Atlanta independents to vote for Reed in the runoff scheduled for Tuesday, December 1st.

Reed won the endorsement of GIV because of his commitment to work with independent voters if elected, as well as his support for political and electoral reform issues that are the primary concern of independents. Independents comprise 39% of the electorate nationally according to a recent Pew research poll.

For more information, contact Mike Pickering, Co-founder, Georgia Independent Voters
Cell: 404.513.9074 - Email: mike.pickering@georgiaindependentvoters.org
Website: www.GeorgiaIndependentVoters.org

Grading the Media on Coverage of Independent Voters

I've decided to give out grades today on the media coverage of independent voters.

John Fund gets a D for his midterm paper. While he recognizes that independents are in revolt, he simply regurgitates Repub spin about independents' lack of support for Dems and draws a questionable conclusion: But independent voters are clearly swayed by arguments that the Obama administration and Democratic Congress are moving too far to the left too quickly. Mr. Fund needs to think harder about this and possibly get some help. 

John Zogby gets a B+ on his paper for drawing attention to the fact that ""Moderates" and "Independents" are not the same thing". This is a very good start to correcting some of the misinformation that Mr. Zobgy has been spreading about who independents are.

And Wendy Kaminer gets an F for anti-independent thinking for her piece in The Atlantic today and for referencing Nancy Rosenblum's claim that "partisanship, not independence, is the morally distinctive political identity of representative democracy."

Overall, this is a mediocre class of journalists this year who don't seem to understand that independents have an agenda of political reform and just don't like parties. Period.
-NH

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Poll: Anti-incumbent sentiment surges (By KENDRA MARR, Politico) “Independents have taken a much more negative view of Congress than they did earlier this year,” said Doherty.
• Oregon voters increasingly none-of-the-above (By Jeff Mapes, The Oregonian) What's striking is that all of that loss - and a little bit more - has come from the two major parties, each of which had a drop of a little over 2 percentage points...
• Revolt of the Independents - The newest Gallup numbers show independents leaning to the GOP by 52% to 30%. (By JOHN FUND, Wall Street Journal)
• Gridlock and Indecision Spur Polling Shift from Obama to Republicans (By Peter Roff, US News & World Report/Thomas Jefferson Street blog)
• The big confusion: "Moderates" and "Independents" are not the same thing -- a Zogby poll (By: By John Zogby & Zeljka Buturovic, Detroit Lakes Online)

ATLANTA MAYORAL

• Barnes Backs Fellow Democrat for ATL Mayor (By Susanna Capelouto and John Sepulvado, Georgia Public Broadcasting) Party affiliation has become an issue during this non-partisan election runoff election, scheduled for December 1... “The party machine system is dead,” Barnes told GPB after the rally. “It’s been headed that way for a long time, and it’s not [a motivating factor for my endorsement].

COLORADO'S JOELLE RIDDLE

• Colorado Independent Candidate Will Sue to Overturn Ballot Access Law (Ballot Access News)
• Riddle takes on state election law (The Durango Telegraph/Quick and Dirty)
• Press Release Announcing Lawsuit (Joelle Riddle, Independent Commissioner blog)

MEDIA

• Independent Voting: Virtue or Vice? (The Atlantic, Wendy Kaminer)
• Anything but Partisanship: Anti-partyism, Bipartisanship, and the Luster of Independence (Nancy Rosenblum, Dissent Magazine)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS 11/9/09

A round-up of the most recent stories over the past week or so reveals a heavy emphasis on the performance of independent voters in the Gov races in NJ and PA and a striking omission of the election of the first independent mayor of New York City on the Independence Party line. Clearly organized independents, such as the NYC IP, are a danger to the status quo, so much so that almost all the media, including the blogosphere, is ignoring them.

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Serious as a Heart Attack: The Independent’s Story (By Jackie Salit (new deal 2.0, A Project of the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute)
• Sucking Sound - Tuesday’s groundswells were less about a GOP renaissance than the return of the Perotistas. (By John Heilemann, New York Magazine/Intelligencer) Yes, that’s right, the Perot voter is back with a vengeance... “If there’s a trend, it’s that independents are anti-incumbent; all sitting leadership officials are polling poorly with independents,” says Daily Kos’s Markos Moulitsas.
• Both parties feel independents' wrath (By DAVE HELLING, The Kansas City Star) “Independents want more direct participation in the policymaking process,” Salit said. “They want leadership that makes decisions based on what’s good for a community, a city, a state, a country.”
• Obama transformative? Or Clinton-Lite? (JOHN BRUMMETT, Pahrump Valley Times, Nye County NV) Today's independents tend to be results-oriented, impatient and disdainful. So the nation hangs on to a seesaw they control.
• Obama's So Speedy, It Looks Like He's Hardly Moved. (Tim Fernholz, American Prospect/Tapped) David Brooks has a column on the independents in the wake of Tuesday's election, deploying his usual technique of communing with them via stereotypes -- "They’re looking for a safe pair of hands." NOTE: While I don't share the political perspective of this article or the American Prospect (far from it), I do appreciate Tim Fernholz calling David Brooks out on relating to independents as some Idealized Form (in DB's mind?) rather than as the real people they are...
• Is David Brooks Punking Me? (Noam Scheiber, The New Republic) So yesterday I posted an item complaining about the line of argument that attributes Tuesday's election results to the fact that Democrats had strayed too far from the center, had done too much to quickly, were expanding government too far, etc., etc. I argued that it was much more plausible that voters--particularly the independent voters who decide elections--were just pissed off about the economy. To believe the former, you'd have to believe that these voters have well worked-out views about the proper size of government, and that they're supremely self-aware about where they stand on the ideological spectrum, and where politicians stand relative to them at any given moment, which strikes me as a bit implausible.
• We cannot tolerate intolerance, but how do we avoid the trap of Liberalism? (GBH, Cannibal Planet - Where the Rich Eat the Poor) I've been standing out in Left field for a long time. Watching the game. The infield dominated by the Dems and Repubs. Watching them throw the ball back and forth. The Dems just are trying to keep the game alive while the Repubs just want to keep the ball. Me? Sitting here with the Outfield - Cynthia McKinney, Ralph Nader, Noam Chomsky, and Lenora Fulani among others.
• Like the British in 1775: Empire before citizens (LETTER: Free Lance Star - Fredericksburg VA) As for me, frankly, I'm just plain tired of the partisanship and hypocrisy of both parties.
• Independent Voters and Empty Explanations (by Nate Silver, FiveThirtyEight.com) Independent voters are treated as a cause, when all that they really are is a symptom. 

GOV RACES

• Obama cedes the center (By Michael Gerson, Washington Post) Obama won just under half of Virginia independent voters last year. On Tuesday, McDonnell carried 66 percent.
• Dems see lessons in defeat of Deeds (By: Jonathan Martin, Politico) Kaine was also an advocate for not watering down the message. “I don’t think there’s a problem with just [saying], ‘Hey, gosh I’m a Democrat, and I’m proud of it, and let me tell you why,’” he said. “I don’t think you need to back away from it at all.” But, seeing swing voters flee the Democratic Party, that’s not what Deeds did.

BLOOMBERG 09

• New York City Independence Party Breaks Records (Donklephant)
• Tuesday’s results on top and down ballot: The closer you look, the worse it was for Democrats (Posted by Brad Smith, RedState) They even gained a couple seats on the New York City Council (in addition to the re-election of their sort-of Republican Mayor Bloomberg). NOTE: Mike Bloomberg is a registered nonpartisan (independent) and ran on the Independence Party line, where he got 26% of his vote.
• This ‘change’ wasn’t what many expected (Douglas Turner, Buffalo News) Disillusioned independents voted overwhelmingly for Republicans Bob McDonnell in Virginia and Chris Christie in New Jersey, and nudged Bloomberg across the line for the third and last time. 
• Incumbents bear brunt of voter anger (By IRENE JAY LIU, Capitol bureau, Albany Times Union) In New York City, Bloomberg received the lowest five-borough vote total of any mayoral winner in a generation, with an estimated 25 percent voter turnout.
• The New Power Generation-Bloomberg may have squeaked back in as king—but now he has two ambitious princes to contend with. (By Chris Smith, New York Magazine) Bloomberg will also face, for the first time in eight years, a sustained challenge from the other two citywide officeholders, De Blasio and John Liu, the comptroller-elect
• For Judges Standing By, a Quiet Election Day (Corey Kilgannon, The New York Times/City Room) Featuring Ed Brady at the BoE...

ATLANTA MAYOR RACE

• Kasim Reed has been endorsed by Georgia Independent Voters and is now in a runoff against Mary Norwood

WORKING FAMILIES PARTY

• Former top judge to lead Working Families Party probe-The labor-backed political organization hires former New York state Court of Appeals Judge Judith Kaye to review its operations after critics charged it skirted certain laws. (By Daniel Massey, Crains New York)

KINSTON NC

• Anatomy of an upset-B.J. Murphy's victory Tuesday night still surprising observers (Bryan C. Hanks, ENC Today) Following the DOJ’s controversial decision to keep Kinston’s municipal elections partisan in August, Cousins easily defeated political newcomer Ronnie Isler in September’s Democratic primary and moved on to Tuesday’s election.  NOTE: Murphy supported nonpartisan elections and spoke out during the campaign against the DoJ decision
• Power to the party--ELECTION '09: Democrats and Republicans in Kinston, N.C., plan their next move against a federal veto of nonpartisan elections (Jamie Dean, World Magazine - Today's News Christian Views) In the small town of Kinston, N.C., B.J. Murphy did something extraordinary on Election Day: The 29-year-old sales director for a local real estate company became the first Republican elected 

MEDIA

• Failing the Midterms -- Press overplays election results (FAIR - Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting) Republican candidates won gubernatorial races in New Jersey and Virginia on Tuesday; meanwhile, Democratic candidates won two special elections for the U.S. House of Representatives in New York and California. But it was very clear which set of elections corporate media wanted to portray as sending an important message about national politics--that voters were discontented with the White House and wanted Democrats to move to the right.

Atlanta Mayoral Race: New grassroots video for Kasim Reed

There is a new grass roots support commercial that has been released in support of Kasim Reed.
New video:  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PnauZD2FNhA


Sincerely,
concerned citizens

LETTER: Incredible grassroots support for Kasim Reed in Atlanta Mayoral Race

The Hankster received this email:


Hello All,

I am a concerned citizen of Atlanta and have been following the Mayoral election closely. Out of all the candidates, the incredible grass roots support that Kasim Reed is receiving has particularly struck me. Please take a moment to view these grass roots video that I came across supporting Kasim Reed. Help to spread the word about this support by passing on these videos. Thanks!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Dz1kCTEd2s (From the little people of Atlanta)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsK_2JycWhc (From Atlanta voters)

- Concerned Citizen


GO Little People of Atlanta, GO! -NH

Independents Endorse Kasim Reed in Atlanta Mayoral Campaign

Atlanta, GA --- Georgia Independent Voters (GIV), a state-based association representing independent voters, announced today its endorsement of former State Senator Kasim Reed for mayor of the City of Atlanta.

“We’re proud to announce our support for Kasim Reed for Mayor of Atlanta,” said Thyrsa M. Gravely, a long-time independent political organizer and a key player in GIV’s candidate screening process. “Reed has been on the just side of important electoral issues here in Georgia, and in our conversations he indicated a willingness to address our concerns regarding political reform by being a spokesperson at the state and national level.”

"I am very grateful to receive the endorsement of Georgia Independent Voters. A political process that is open to all is a major concern of mine," said Reed. "Too many voters are disillusioned and kept out of the political process. As Mayor, I will work with the Governor and the state legislature towards opening Georgia's electoral process, and making it more accessible to all voters."

GIV’s endorsement came as a result of candidate screening sessions and numerous dialogues over the course of the summer. In July the group met with nine of the hopeful candidates, but elected not to endorse at that time. “We wanted to see how the field would shape up after the filing period closed in early September,” said Murray Dabby, a co-founder of GIV. “We wanted to endorse when we thought we could have the biggest impact.”

Numbers of independents continue to grow, and independents currently form 39% of the electorate according to a recent Pew Research poll. As a result, independents have played an increasingly important role in elections around the country. In the 2008 presidential election, independents tipped the scales for Obama, helping him secure the Democratic Party nomination over Clinton.

“Kasim Reed is a part of a new generation of Democrats, like President Obama, who appreciate independents. Reed is very conversant on issues of concern to us and is clearly the most independent-minded, and most reform-minded candidate in the race,” said Dabby. “Issues of political reform are a mystery to many old-guard, traditional politicians, but things like lowering ballot access barriers, making voter registration easier, and making the redistricting process less political are issues that are important to independents, who are left out of the political process in so many ways.”

Georgia Independent Voters is a grassroots organization working to reform the political process and develop the voice of independent voters around Georgia.

http://www.georgiaindependentvoters.org