Conversations on Primaries and Caucuses and Independents

The first votes of the 2008 presidential election will soon be cast and we all know that there's more than a bucketful of manure about to hit the fan soon thereafter. Just under the 2-party-winner-take-all system however, something else is brewing. An independent presidential candidate? A grassroots primary where everyone can vote? A national system of ballot access for regular people? If it wasn't politics, this just might be "fun"!

As part of the "Draft Mike Bloomberg" movement, here's a new site called Unite for Mike

IndependentPrimary.com is running an online presidential primary for independent voters until Dec. 18... Word is that Ron Paul and Dennis Kucinich are in a dead heat.... Results will be sent via email to all participants and released to the media after the end of the primary. Log in and vote!

National Presidential Caucus held about 17 grassroots caucuses around the country yesterday.

New Hampshire independents are sticking to their guns

Independent Voters Alliance has a national design for equal and fair ballot access for all citizens

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• New Hampshire activist Betty Ward invites independents to participate in IndependentPrimary.com where you can vote for your favorite candidate online until Dec. 18 (Concord Monitor)


• FAIR.org says "The Lou Dobbs Primary" is a media forum for immigration issue, not a dialogue for voters ( Media Advisory)


• Ron Paul supporters make strong showing at National Presidential Caucus in Winston Salem (WINSTON SALEM JOURNAL)


• New Jersey legislature will consider a bill to require county committees of political parties (D & R) to have consitutions, bylaws (NY Times)


• Obama rocks the Apollo (by HERB BOYD, Special to the AmNews)


• The Oprah Factor (The State)


• Carl Romanelli was removed from the 2006 ballot in his campaign against Democratic Sen. Bob Casey and then Republican Sen. Rick Santorum, after enough of the more than 95,000 signatures were ruled invalidated by the board of elections. Romanelli needed 67,000 to get on the ballot as an independent candidate during that race. He's still fighting. (Citizens Voice)


• In spite of dismissal of indictment, Oklahoma 3 charged again in TABOR petition drive case--no surprise there (The Journal Record) and (KTEN Local News)


• Azi Paybarah reports on the "media scrum" where Bill Clinton lauded Mayor Bloomberg (The Politicker)