An Open Letter to Sen. Charles Schumer: End Partisan Primaries, Save America

Dear Senator Schumer,

Thank you for writing “End Partisan Primaries, Save America” in the July 21st edition of The New York Times.  You are right---closed party primaries do “poison the health” of our democracy, and we need to move to Top Two Open Primaries all across the country, including here in New York.  As you described, in a Top Two open primary system, all voters can vote and choose from all the candidates.  The top two vote getters would then appear on the November ballot. 
 
In your oped, you call for the formation of a national movement to bring this reform to all the states in the country.  There is one, led by forces such as IndependentVoting.org, Endpartisanship.org, and many others across the country.  This fall, a Top Two Open primary initiative will be on the ballot in Oregon.  Plans are underway to put it back on the ballot in Arizona in 2016.

Here in NYC, the NYC Independence Party, former Mayor Bloomberg, and the Citizen’s Union have championed this reform.  Right now in NYC, there are more than a million voters independent of the two major parties who are locked out of our primaries, where most elected officials are actually chosen.  In New York State that number is over 4 million.

We applaud and welcome you to the movement for nonpartisan primary reform, Sen. Schumer.  Yours is an important voice.  We call on you to help make Top Two nonpartisan primaries a reality here in New York.

Yours truly,
The Hanksteristas

Hankster News of the Day for Independent Voters - August 22

PARTIES VERSUS THE PEOPLE
Mickey Edwards Urges Congress, Before Party Affiliation Be 'an American First' (PBS News Hour with Judy Woodruff) Mickey Edwards, former Republican congressman, rails against political division in Washington in his new book, "The Parties Versus the People." Edwards talks to Judy Woodruff about his suggestions to reform party hostility and create "one congress serving one country. [SEE VIDEO BELOW]

INDEPENDENT VOTERS
Young Voters Becoming More Independent (By Eric Sharp, IVN) If the major parties want to survive they are going to have to play a different ball game. But judging by how the Republican Party establishment has responded to Ron Paul’s revolution within the party to bring libertarian and independent policies to the forefront, the GOP is not yet ready to accept the new political paradigm.

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Primary election laws unfair to independents (LETTER Post Standard/ syracuse.com) In 18 states, independent voters cannot vote in the primary caucuses, but yet make up about 40 percent of the electorate.
• Friday was a big day for registered independent voters in Arizona [Open elections open government] (by Dee Dee Garcia Blase, Tucson Citizen) Friday was a big day!  The Arizona Supreme Court issued an order declaring that the Open Elections Open Government Act is not unconstitutional and cleared the way for it to progress towards the ballot.

Watch Mickey Edwards Urges Congress, Be 'an American First' on PBS. See more from PBS NewsHour.

Hankster News of the Day for Independent Voters - July 11

RISE OF INDEPENDENTS

• More Arizona voters going independent (by Alex Stuckey, The Republic) Of the 3.1 million registered voters in Arizona, about 36 percent are Republican, about 30 percent are Democrats and about 33 percent are independents, according to the report.
• Independent Voter Surge Cuts Democrats’ Swing State Edge (By John McCormick, Bloomberg) The collective total of independents grew by about 443,000 in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire and North Carolina since the 2008 election, according to data compiled by Bloomberg from state election officials. During the same time, Democrats saw a net decline of about 480,000 in those six states, while Republicans -- boosted in part by a competitive primary earlier this year -- added roughly 38,000 voters in them, the analysis shows.
• Analysis: Independents jump in key swing states (By Catalina Camia, USA TODAY) In the 2008 election, Obama won 52% of the independent vote, according to surveys of voters as they left their polling places. He and Republican John McCain both handily won the vote of their party faithful, but the exit polls show it was the independents that made the difference.
• Swing states poll: Amid barrage of ads, Obama has edge (By Susan Page, USA TODAY) To be sure, Obama's ads have done more to win back Democrats than to win over independents or Republicans: Thirteen percent of Democrats say their minds have been changed by ads, compared with 9% of independents and 3% of Republicans.

NEW YORK POLITICS
Working Families Party Begins to Weigh in on City Council Races (By Colin Campbell, NY OBSERVER/Politicker) With a huge number of term-limited council members leaving open seats behind them, control of the Council’s powerful speakership hangs in the balance, creating a possible opportunity for the WFP to secure the position for a labor ally if they can win enough of these races. Which is likely why they’re weighing in so early.

Hankster News of the Day for Independent Voters - July 3

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• What do independent voters want? More say in our government and an end to partisanship, gridlock (By Cynthia Carpathios, Special to The Canton Repository)
• Jacqueline Salit: What went wrong with third party movement in 2012 (By Jacqueline Salit, Sun Sentinel) In this, Ackerman and company misread independent voters, the self-declared engine for a new direction in American politics.  Independents want to root out systemic partisanship.  They don’t want to ameliorate it with appeals to centrism, bipartisanship or a better brand of candidate.
• Independent and swing voters: What’s the difference? (msnbc VIDEO aired on June 27, 2012) MSNBC’s Thomas Roberts speaks with Linda Killian, author of “The Swing Vote” about the differences between swing and independent voters, and what independent voters are looking for in 2012.
• Poll: Most Hispanics independent voters (CNN's Kevin Liptak, CNN Political Ticker) The USA Today/Gallup poll indicated 51% of Hispanics identifying as independents, compared to 32% who called themselves Democrats and 11% who said they were Republicans.
• Your voting habits have included changing, or dropping, parties (By Gayle Beck, CantonRep.com opinion page editor) Female Canton voter: “I am a lifelong independent. My main allegiance has been to supporting what’s best for our country and our communities, not to a political party.”
• This 4th of July: The dawn of a new 'independents' day - A record-high 38 percent of Americans now describe themselves as independents. Republican and Democratic party leaders ignore this growing lack of party allegiance at their peril. Whichever party shifts to accommodate more moderate voters first will survive and even thrive. (By Amy E. Black, Christian Science Monitor)

OHIO CITIZEN REDISTRICTING

• ‘Voters First’ Initiative on Redistricting Sends Mixed Signals (By Timothy Troutner, IVN) If the campaign receives 385,000 signatures by July 3, a constitutional amendment can come before Ohio voters. This campaign has correctly diagnosed the problem. When the ones being elected are allowed to draw up districts, they will do so in a way that favors their interests. Our current system allows the fox to guard the henhouse.
• Politicians don't like redistricting-commission proposal (Thomas Suddes, OPINION Columbus Dispatch) Some Ohioans see politics as just a wimpy version of the Browns-Steelers or Ohio State-Michigan rivalries. But lopsided districts have real-world consequences for real-world voters. In a Statehouse or Capitol crammed with self-righteous partisans from safe districts, debates become manhood contests. That signals who claims the most testosterone, but solves no problems.

CALIFORNIA TOP TWO

• Voter Says 'Top Two' Law Disenfranchised Her (By MATT REYNOLDS, Courthouse News Service) A black woman claims in Federal Court that California's "Top Two" primary law has left her, unconstitutionally, with no Democratic congressional candidate to vote for in November.
• Abel Maldonado dividing point among Republicans (OPINION By STEVE BARTOWSKI, Cal Coast News.com) Until his run for Congress and even up through the primary, Maldonado was cool to even receiving his own party’s support, declaring “I’m not looking for the endorsement of any small political groups that are out there, I’m looking for the endorsement of the people of the 24th Congressional District.” Maldonado even went as to rally behind New York’s mayor Michael Bloomberg in his campaign for a “No Labels Party”, and drafted Proposition 14 intentionally in hopes of muting partisan politics and ushering in a new era of moderate politicians. It was a move that drew the ire of the California Republican Party, which unsuccessfully fought Prop 14 during the 2010 election.

OKLAHOMA CLOSED PRIMARIES
Oklahoma voters can go to polls Tuesday for state and county primary elections -- Democrats and Republicans have the same number of primary races across Oklahoma; Republicans dominate the state-level races with the most primaries, while Democrats dominate the county-level races with the most primaries. Independent voters cannot participate in Tuesday's election. (By Megan Rolland, The Oklahoman)

NEW YORK POLITICS

• Incumbents Charles Rangel*, Orrin Hatch Beat Back Primary Challenges (John Avlon, The Daily Beast) Utah Sen. Orrin Hatch easily defeated a Tea Party challenge. Left-wingnut and Mugabe-aficionado Charles Barron was decimated by New York Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries, despite the support of big labor in his Brooklyn congressional district. And in Harlem, Charles Rangel survived the most serious primary challenge of his 42-year congressional career. So much for the anti-incumbent narrative of 2012. Somewhere in exile, Nicolas Sarkozy must be feeling a bit jealous. But in the essentially one-party states of Utah and New York, the Republican and Democratic primaries produced results that reflected the strength of the establishment and the power of financial advantage.
• Familiar Face to Run Espada's Clinic (By JACOB GERSHMAN, Wall Street Journal) For Dr. Calman, the takeover of Soundview is something of a reunion. He was Soundview's first medical director when Mr. Espada opened it in 1981 and worked there until 1984, when he co-founded the Institute for Family Health.

* Breaking News: Too close to call

Hankster News of the Day for Independent Voters - June 26

VIRGINIA INDEPENDENT CANDIDATE
Howell Vows to Wear Name Tag Until Election (by Katie Pyzyk, Arlington VA Now) Howell believes part of the problem with campaigning, particularly as an independent, is the lack of name recognition. To remedy that problem, he’ll wear a name tag every time he’s in public until the election. Howell hopes he’ll get enough exposure so people will recognize his name by the time they get to the polls. He said there’s only one exception to the name tag rule: “When I’m wearing a campaign t-shirt in the gym.”

CALIFORNIA INDEPENDENTS
California GOP sinking into third-party status -- 'There's no middle,' says a longtime Santa Cruz County Republican who has joined the more than one-fifth of registered voters who have no party preference. (By George Skelton Capitol Journal, LA Times) More than one-fifth of registered voters, 21.3%, are listed with no party preference, according to the Secretary of State. That's double the 10.7% in 1996 and more than quadruple the 5% in 1972.

WASHINGTON STATE INDEPENDENTS
All eyes on Washington's independent voters -- Even though Washington state has gone Democratic for every governor since 1980 and every presidential candidate since 1988, more Washingtonians have considered themselves Independents than either Democrats or Republicans (By H. Stuart Elway, Special to The Seattle Times) Unlike in most states, voters here do not have to register by party. Nearly every month for the past 20 years, The Elway Poll has asked Washington voters what they would choose to do if they registered by party. The 20-year average is: 33 percent would register as Democrats, 28 percent as Republicans and 39 percent as Independents.

UTAH PRIMARIES
Independent voters may be shut out of GOP primaries - Lawmakers may allow law to expire, ending Election Day party switch. (By Lee Davidson, The Salt Lake Tribune) Utah law allows voters to switch party affiliations anytime, except for 30 days before an election when all voter registration temporarily ceases. So if the current law expires, unaffiliated voters wishing to vote in a GOP primary would have to register as Republicans at least 30 days before the election.

OHIO INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING
Let's take politics out of redistricting process (Mary Kirtz Van Nortwick, Cleveland Plain Dealer) Petitions are being circulated now, and 386,000 valid signatures must be gathered by July 3. For a more detailed look at the proposed constitutional amendment, go to votersfirstohio.org. Learn the facts about the consequences of partisan redistricting and find out what you can do to help change the system for the good of all voters, regardless of party affiliation.

ARIZONA PRIMARIES
Arizona Libertarian Party Opens 2012 Primary Election to Independent Voters (by Hot Off The Press, Press Release, Tucson Citizen) Libertarian Party files paperwork with the Arizona Secretary of State’s office requesting an open primary on August 28th, 2012. The Chairman and Board of the Arizona Libertarian Party have voted to open the August 28, 2012 Libertarian Primary Election to members of political parties that are not entitled to continued representation on the ballot pursuant to section ARS 16-804, and to voters who are registered as independent or no party preferred.

NY POLITICS

• New Endorsements Announced For 2012 Candidates Across The Empire State (BY James Arkin, Daily News/Daily Politics) State Sen. Toby Ann Stavisky took home two endorsements on the day - one from the Independence Party of New York State and leaders of the Working Families Party in Queens.
• As Queens Looks to Fill a Congressional Seat, the Democratic Race Is Wide Open (By DAVID W. CHEN, NY Times/ NY Region) In an interview, the low-key Ms. Meng vowed that she would be an independent force in Washington who would focus primarily on transportation, infrastructure and economic issues. “When I’m drafting or supporting legislation, no one is whispering in my ear except constituents,” she said. “I’ve never had political rabbis.”
• New York Congressional race pits ex-Black Panther vs. Obama-lite moderate (Opinion by David A. Love, NBC News/The Grio)

Hankster News of the Day for Independent Voters June 14

OBAMA IN PA

• Women, Indies give Obama PA lead in new poll (Philadelphia Inquirer) In Tuesday’s poll, women back Obama 51 percent to 36 percent in Pennsylvania, while men narrowly favor Romney, 44 percent to 40 percent. Obama is leading 43 percent to 35 percent among independent voters, the poll finds.
• June 12, 2012 - Women Give Obama 6-Point Lead In Pennsylvania, Quinnipiac University Poll Finds; Gov. Corbett Job Approval At Lowest Point Ever (Quinnipiac) With strong support from women and independent voters, President Barack Obama leads Gov. Mitt Romney 46 - 40 among Pennsylvania voters, according to a Quinnipiac University poll released today. Romney would do a better job on the economy, voters say 49 - 41 percent.
• Quinnipiac: Obama up 6 in Pennsylvania (By ALEXANDER BURNS, Politico/ Burns & Haberman) Winning women by a big margin, leveraging likability, keeping the jobs debate close — that's the formula we've repeatedly seen in polls that show the president ahead. Of course, Pennsylvania is also a Democratic-leaning state, so Obama can accomplish all those goals and still end up in a toss-up race in a place like, say, Virginia.

CALIFORNIA INDEPENDENTS
Independent Voters Crucial To SD Mayor Race -- Movement To The Middle Group Endorsed Independent Candidate Nathan Fletcher (10 News - San Diego) In April, a group of local businessmen and women announced they were changing their political affiliation to independent. This came after Fletcher left the Republican Party.

MAINE INDEPENDENTS
Maine independent out to shake up U.S. Senate -- Former Gov. Angus King is bringing a stridently anti-partisan message to the battle for control of the U.S. Senate — and going into Tuesday's primary, polls show he's leading all potential rivals. (By Ed O'Keefe, The Washington Post in Seattle Times) It will depend on the terms, however. "What does 'join a caucus' mean? Does it mean casting one vote to organize the Senate and then you're on your own? Or does it mean you have to truly join the caucus, go to the meetings and participate fully or you lose your committee assignments?" he asked. "How the parties handle that with me is going to have a significant influence on my decision." And if a voter insists he needs to pick a party before November, King said, "I'll tell them to vote for someone else."

NEW YORK INDEPENDENTS

• NY’s conservative triumph (New York Post) Tonight [Wednesday], the nation’s most successful third party, the Conservative Party of New York, celebrate its 50th anniversary with a gala dinner at the Sheraton in Manhattan.
• Meng Joins Vallone To Go After ‘Untouchable’ Antennas (John Toscano, Queens Gazette) State Independence Party Chairman Frank MacKay said in his endorsement of Ulrich: “He has been an outstanding representative in the city council and I know he will take the same independent leadership to Albany.”… Halloran stated, “I ask the president to take time away from his busy schedule raising thousands to actually address the issues that New York City faces. But I’m sure that he’ll spend his time on Broadway raking in cash from Manhattan elites instead of crossing the bridges into the outer boroughs.”

LAST WORD - STUDYING INDEPENDENTS IN OHIO AND PENNSYLVANIA 
Shifting the Economic Narrative (Democracy Corps - Carville Greenberg Focus Group) With the economy faltering, we conducted fairly open-ended focus groups among white non-college-educated voters in Columbus, Ohio and college-educated suburban voters in suburban Philadelphia.  We excluded strong partisans from both camps.  These were all independents or weak partisans and ticket-splitters—swing independent voters—and the groups included an even mix of 2008 Obama and McCain voters.

New York Redistricting Mess Changes Little

New York will have two different primary dates for state legislative and congressional primaries. A judge has moved the congressional primary to June 26. While the Democrat-controlled Assembly favors moving the legislative primary to June 26 as well, the Republican-controlled Senate prefers to keep the primary on September 11, so as not to disrupt the legislative calendar.

And P.S. - check out the Atlantic's article on Mayor Mike Bloomberg's health agenda...

New York Legislators Say No to Independent Redistricting

INDEPENDENT REDISTRICTING
Lawmakers Pledge to Reform, But Gerrymandering Keeps Getting Worse (by John Avlon, Daily Beast) In New York, 186 state legislators swore to support non-partisan redistricting efforts when they ran for office in the angry, anti-incumbent year of 2010. Most came down with convenient amnesia when they got back to Albany. The brinksmanship has continued despite promises by Governor Andrew Cuomo to veto nakedly partisan district lines and the efforts of good government group coalitions like ReShapeNY (on which, full disclosure, I serve on the advisory board.) Not only are New York’s redistricting maps still not set, initial glimpses have shown the same old partisan games, with potential rivals drawn out into different districts by incumbents seeking to preserve their power at almost any cost. Mediators and judges are now looming over the legislative impasse. One key dynamic to watch is whether a deal is struck that would at least try to move a state constitutional change forward to create an independent commission in ten years’ time. The principle of short-term self-interest predictably outpaces ethics or honor. New York is one of only two states in the nation to have not yet even voted on lines that will be on the ballot this fall.

New York Partisan Redistricting Fight Continues

NEW YORK REDISTRICTING

Reform defeated; so now what? - Most proponents of independent redistricting stop short of ‘no’ vote (Queens Chronicle) The new lines would set Queens Democrats Mike Gianaris (D-Astoria) and Jose Peralta (D-East Elmhurst) against each other, as well as Toby Ann Stavisky (D-Whitestone) and Tony Avella (D-Bayside).

Donald Trump Is Now in the Lock Box

New York election law makes the term 'byzantine' seem like a good thing. The Empire State has what's called a "lock box," which is a rule that requires voters to register in a party almost a year before the next primary election -- actually the rule sets registration time by the general election, but in fact the biggest impact in on the ability of voters to vote in a primary election. If you change parties, you must wait until after the next general election to be recognized as a member of your new party.

Trump leaving the GOP?...not in a New York minute (By Kerry Picket, Washington Times) Trump could run as an independent, even if he was still a registered Republican. He would just need that party's permission and meet that state's particular requirements from whatever line he chooses to run on. For example, if he wanted to run on the Independence Party line in New York state, he would need a Wilson-Pekula (a New York legal term granting permission to run on a party's line that you are not a member of) from that party.

Maloney Could Replace Frank on Finance Committee; Williams Might Challenge Rangel

NEW YORK

• Carolyn Maloney could get Barney Frank's job, even at risk of 'Armageddon' (By Azi Paybarah, Capital New York) Maxine Waters of California has the most seniority, but is under investigation for allegedly violation House ethics rules. Next in line is Carolyn Maloney, whose district is in Manhattan and Queens. One Waters supporter within the Congressional Black Caucus said there'd be "Armageddon" if she doesn't get the spot, according to The Hill.
• Potential Rangel Foe Claims Strong Poll Position (BY Celeste Katz, Daily News/Daily Politics) Clyde Williams, a former adviser to President Bill Clinton with ties to President Obama, didn't want to blindly challenge the 42-year incumbent. So Williams hired one of Mayor Bloomberg’s pollsters, Whitman Insight Strategies, to ask 600 likely Democratic primary voters in the district if they would re-elect Rangel.

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.

Independent Redistricting: Needed Now More Than Ever

REDISTRICTING

• Eyes on Ariz. as redistricting panel shaken up (By Gregory Korte, USA TODAY) Brewer, a Republican, accused commission Chairwoman Colleen Mathis of putting a priority on making congressional districts competitive at the expense of a "grid-like" map required by the law… Mathis has sued to keep her post, but her removal as the panel's only independent brings a 2-2 deadlock between Democrats and Republicans, who likely won't be agree to enact a map.
• Independent panel needed for redistricting - Despite Justice Department OK, Republican plan still partisan. (Charlotte Observer) Regardless of the outcome, there's a better way to do redistricting. A nonpartisan, independent commission drawing the lines seems the best way to get a voting map that's fair and designed with the voters, not the politicians, in mind.
• New York and Utah (Salt Lake Tribune) Substitute Utah for New York and Gov. Gary Herbert for Gov. Andrew Cuomo and note how this Oct. 26 New York Times editorial applies… Such [independent] commissions exist in Idaho, Montana and Arizona. When will our citizens insist on this?

235 Years Later, One Man (and Now Woman), One Vote Achieves Judicial Legitimacy in New York!

Congratulations to the minor party coalition Conservative Party, Working Families Party and the Taxpayers Party that brought the lawsuit that reviewed the double-count "glitch" --  it took a lawsuit to correct a computer glitch? Ahh, the world we live in!

NEW YORK

• State Heeds Minor Parties on Voting-Machine Complaint (By SAM ROBERTS, NY Times/City Room) Under a consent decree signed approved Thursday by Judge Jed S. Rakoff of United States District Court in Manhattan, the board agreed to reprogram voting machines before the 2012 general election to prevent people from voting more than once for the same candidate.
• Editorials - The Daily News endorses Jesus Gonzalez to represent Brooklyn's 54th District in the Assembly
• Forget Rome: Jesus Gonzalez Takes on Brooklyn (Village Voice) Gonzalez, meanwhile, has the Working Families Party line, which is working to reestablish its political potency ahead of the 2013 citywide cycle after a rough few years with nearly losing its ballot line amidst an investigation of its apparent collaboration with Data and Field Services, a nominally independent private company that seemed to only work for WFP picks and at remarkable discounts.
• Democrats now likely to lose Anthony Weiner's seat (By Alex Pareene, Salon/New York City) Siena college now has Turner at 50%, with Weprin at 44%. That's within the margin of error, but it's obviously a bad sign for Democrats.
• NY-9: A referendum on Obama? (By Jennifer Rubin,Washington Post/Right Turn) Whaa?
• Turner blows past Weprin, leads by 6 points in latest NY-9 Siena poll (by Colby Hamilton, WNYC/The Empire)

The Politics of Charity

NEW YORK
Charity Probe Questions - State Inquiry Could Scrutinize Pay at Nonprofit Overseen by Governor's Sister (By JACOB GERSHMAN, Wall Street Journal) The agency paid its chief executive, Laurence Belinsky, $546,000 in 2008—including a $157,000 bonus—and $508,000 in 2009, according to IRS filings. His salary is more than 40% higher than the median salary of chief executives of nonprofits based in the Northeast with operating budgets of more than $13 million, according to Charity Navigator, a prominent charity database.

New Yorkers Want Independent Redistricting; Pedro Espada Fights State Efforts to Close Soundview

NEW YORK

• Poll: More Women Pols = Fewer Shenanigans (BY Celeste Katz, Daily News/Daily Politics) The poll also found that 50% of state voters wanted an independent commission to draw new district lines for congressional and state legislative seats, 13% wanted the state Legislature to continue to do it and 26% wanted and independent redistricting commission with some input from lawmakers.
• Espada Vows Funding Fight (By SUMATHI REDDY And PERVAIZ SHALLWANI, Wall Street Journal) More than 75 community members and clinic board members gathered at a news conference Tuesday in the Bronx to support Mr. Espada, who accused Gov. Andrew Cuomo, a fellow Democrat, of using the clinics in a political fight against him.
• Pedro Espada, Jr: Soundview Clinics Not Closing (Updated) (BY Celeste Katz, Daily News/Daily Politics) “It is our stance that Mr. Cuomo has a personal vendetta to wage against Mr. Espada and we recognize that Mr. Cuomo has a personal stake in this as he brought the charges against Mr. Espada while he served as attorney general, but now he wants to act as judge and jury and as a destroyer of vital health services,” Soundview spokesman Rachel Fasciani said later.
• Espada gets ill will - Medicaid dumps Bx. scandal clinic (By FREDRIC U. DICKER, State Editor, NY Post) In a letter to Soundview board chairwoman Constance Bruno, the Health Department noted that the clinic's Medicaid service delivery system was managed by Espada and his son, Pedro G. Espada, both of whom were excluded from participation in the Medicaid program by Medicaid Inspector General James Cox earlier this year.

NY: Can We Make Progress Over Partisanship?

NEW YORK

• Working Families Party Demands More Probes Into News Corp.'s "Criminal Activity" (BY ALEX KATZ, Daily News) "It's time for the political class in New York to stand up to these bullies," he added. "The New York Post, Col Allen, and Roger Ailes have set the agenda for our state for far too long. It's time to move on."
• UPDATE: Bloomberg gives $10,300 to Independent Democrat Conference members (WNYC/The Empire) “He’s been very supportive of us when we formed and what we stand for, and certainly what we’ve done this session,” Azzopardi said. “Above all else we [all] value progress over partisanship.”
• Cuomo Plays Both Sides In Political Duel (By HENRY STERN, Queens Tribune) The reform movement in New York State public affairs, which consists of traditional, well-regarded government organizations, joined by Mayor Ed Koch’s New York Uprising, has made independent redistricting a priority for 2011. So far the legislature has ignored their wishes, instead convening its own instrument for redistricting, called LATFOR, an acronym for Legislative Task Force on Demographic Research and Reapportionment.

NY 9: Partisan Picks for Anthony Weiner's Seat - Very Slim

NEW YORK

• Blow against O in Weiner race - Koch: Vote for GOPer a vote for Israel (By CARL CAMPANILE, NY POST) In "a shot across President Obama's bow," Democratic former Mayor Ed Koch yesterday urged voters in Queens and Brooklyn to make "history" by voting for the Republican candidate to replace randy ex-Rep. Anthony Weiner in the Sept. 13 special election -- as a protest against the White House's policy on Israel.
• Bob Turner Launches Congressional Campaign (By: Grace Rauh, YNN Central NY) On Monday, Weprin picked up support from the Working Families Party. He also has the backing of the Independence Party. The Conservative Party has endorsed Turner.
• Cuomo has plenty of work left: From education to redistricting, many fights loom (BILL HAMMOND, NY Daily News) Cuomo should give lawmakers an ultimatum: If they won't create an independent, nonpartisan redistricting commission at once, he will do it on his own.

Pennsylvania On the Way to Open Primary

PENNSYLVANIA
Nonpartisan participants - Not sold on independents voting in primaries (EDITORIAL The Tribune-Democrat - Johnstown PA) But we oppose [open primaries] because it would undermine the purpose of primary races, which is to set the field by political party for the November general elections.

CALIFORNIA
Blurry Lines - California’s redistricting commission draws an uncertain map of the Golden State’s electoral future. (JOHN J. PITNEY, JR., City Journal)
Dan Walters: The big stakes? Two-thirds margin (Modesto Bee) Combined with the new "top-two" primary system, more swing districts would probably mean more moderate legislators who would not move in lock-step with right- or left-wing pressure groups.

NEW YORK
Redistricting reform, now (by Jay Jochnowitz, Editorial page editor, Albany Times Union) Here, in case any of them misplaced their pledge, is what they signed on for: “Ensuring that redistricting pursuant to the 2010 Census be constitutional and fair … the creation of an independent, non-partisan Redistricting Commission to draft advisory maps for the Legislature to review and approve.”

2012
Ron Paul says appeal to independent voters gives him an edge (JENNIFER JACOBS, Des Moines Register/2012 Iowa Caucuses) At the Stone Cliff Winery in the riverfront area, Paul drew whistles and hearty applause from a crowd of about 160, a more robust crowd than expected for a weekday, his staff said… Paul said he is especially attractive to independents “since Obama’s not trusted on the economy. And actually the progressives are very annoyed with him, too, because he was really supposed to wind those wars down.”

New York: Liberal, Conservative, Working and Independent

NEW YORK

• Former NY Liberal Party boss avoids prison (Associated Press, Wall Street Journal) It was Andrew Cuomo who ultimately sunk the Liberal Party. In 2002, Cuomo walked away from his race for governor for lack of support and money. However, he already had the Liberal Party line, and without campaigning Cuomo failed to get the 50,000 votes needed for the Liberal Party to secure its automatic line on state ballots. The progressive branch of the Democratic Party is now the Working Families Party.
• Data and Field Services Pushes Back Against Judge’s Order (By Jon Lentz, City Hall News) DFS also changed some of its board members to strengthen their independence. Ed Ott, former head of the New York City Central Labor Council, which gave the WFP a small donation in 2006, resigned from the board; so did Professor Francis Fox Piven of the Graduate Center of the City University of New York. United Nations worker David Carter joined the board.
• In Final Marriage Push, Cuomo Faces Increased Pressure (BY PAUL SCHINDLER, Chelsea Now) On the Republican side, the role of the state’s Conservative Party, a small but sometimes influential minor party, is always a concern on gay rights questions. As Gay City News reported two weeks ago, 12 of the 32 Republicans elected last year, including six of the seven freshmen, relied on the Conservative and Independence Party lines to bring their vote totals over 50 percent. When the state’s gay rights law passed in 2002, however, 11 of the 12 Republicans who voted yes had been endorsed by the Conservative Party in their previous election. Of the eight who sought reelection in 2004, seven had the Conservative line again. Only Joe Bruno, the Republican leader, was punished for his yes vote by being denied the Conservatives’ endorsement. Still, he faced no primary challenger –– and no general election opponent, from either the Conservative or Democratic Party.
• Despite Scant Results, Bloomberg's Anti-Poverty Project Goes National (by Glenn Pasanen, Gotham Gazette) Despite minimal local impact, the center has just received a federal grant to replicate some of its New York programs in other neighborhoods in the five boroughs and in cities across the country. There is, it seems, a fundamental disconnect between the poverty commission's goal and what it has actually done to change anti-poverty policy and practice in the city.