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 May 17

CA TOP TWO

• Previous CA Election Rules Stacked Against Independent Voters (By Chad Peace, IVN) In California, the Democratic Party initially resisted but eventually chose to allow independents to participate in its primaries. The Republican Party refused to allow independent voters to participate in its primaries. Interestingly, in that time, the Republican Party shrunk precipitously, the Democrats held steady, and the percentage of voters choosing to join no party increased by approximately 30%.
• San Diego group pushes independent politics statewide - Architects of “top-two” primary system seek to organize unaffiliated voters (By Christopher Cadelago, UT San Diego) Co-chaired by former state lawmakers Steve Peace, a Democrat, and Jeff Marston, a Republican, the group has launched a $1.5 million campaign to increase turnout among voters declaring no party preference — about 3.6 million people accounting for a record 21.3 percent of the statewide electorate.

AMERICANS ELECT
Americans Elect Failure to Find Candidate Threatens Third-Party Dreams (by John Avlon, Daily Beast) Perhaps the biggest obstacle was the basic fact of this particular election cycle—when a president is running for reelection, it tends to be a referendum. Third-party candidacies do best when there is not an incumbent on the ballot or after an extended period of one-party rule with weak opposition.

NYC 2013 MAYORAL

• Kelly 2013 goes cold, but Catsimatidis isn't warming up (By Dana Rubinstein, Capital New York)
• Ray Kelly won't run for mayor, ex-Staten Island BP Guy Molinari says (Judy L. Randall, SI Advance) If Kelly's decision to absent himself from the run proves true, it will be good news for the Democrats poised to make the race, including City Council Speaker Christine Quinn, former mayoral candidate William Thompson, Public Advocate Bill de Blasio and Manhattan Borough President Scott Stringer.
• So Many X Factors in Next Year's Race for NYC Mayor (Dominic Carter, Huffington Post) DeBlasio is someone who should not be underestimated. It is commendable how DeBlasio went from Hillary Clinton 2000 Senate campaign manager, to the City Council a year later, and now a citywide position from a crowded field of candidates, literally first in line to succeed the mayor should it be necessary.
• Ray Kelly’s Mayoral Dance Steps Back Toward ‘No’ (NY Mag/Daily Intel) Staten Island Borough President Ray Molinari, one of the biggest proponents of a Kelly run, came out of a lunch with the commissioner less than glowing yesterday.
• Quinn Confronts Banks in Bid to Become NYC’s First Gay Mayor (By Henry Goldman, Bloomberg) “She’s a throwback to the Irish-American political bosses in the history books,” said Maurice Carroll, director of the Quinnipiac Polling Institute in Hamden, Connecticut. Its May 10 survey found that she led a five-candidate Democratic field with 26 percent approval, twice as much as her nearest rival. “She’s always thinking, ‘What do we need to win?’”

PEDRO ESPADA
Espada Guilty of Stealing Clinic's Funds (By TAMER EL-GHOBASHY, Wall Street Journal) It marked an ignominious turn for the elder Mr. Espada, who in 2009 became the state Senate president when he and three other senators defected from the majority Democrats and helped Republicans take over the chamber. The chaotic period helped solidify Albany's reputation for dysfunction.

EDUCATION REFORM
Suit seeks to overturn 'outdated' teacher job protections (LA Times) The founder of Students Matter is Silicon Valley entrepreneur David F. Welch, a research scientist who went on to co-found Infinera, a manufacturer of optical telecommunications systems based in Sunnyvale. “We are challenging a system that was fashioned by special interests and has burdened our schools with an inflexible environment for hiring and retaining the best teachers," said Welch.

Pedro Espada Trial Ends Week With No Verdict

ESPADA
Espada Jurors End Week With No Verdict (By: Grace Rauh, NY1) "We are very confident all the way through of an innocent verdict, but we want people to know that they can decide this as the judge has instructed and that they can decide to not decide," Espada said. "That really is their decision. We hope for clarity."

Politics 2012: Watch Out for the Independents

TOP TWO OPEN PRIMARY
Lawsuit argues top-two open primary system is unconstitutional (By: Damon Eris, US Independent Voter Network) At this stage, mainstream and corporate media coverage of challenges to the top two system seem to be misinformed.  For instance, In its report on the lawsuit from November 23rd, The San Francisco Chronicle wrote that the plaintiffs in the suit are seeking the preliminary injunction “in hopes of preventing the new system from being used during next year’s presidential contest.”  In fact, there is no mention of presidential elections anywhere in the lawsuit’s complaint, and the top-two open primary system does not even apply to presidential elections.

BLOOMBERG 2012
Why it's worth paying attention to Michael Bloomberg, even when he's just posing (By Steve Kornacki, Capital New York) As rote as it seemed, it was still interesting to watch Bloomberg execute his latest gimmick, not because it suggested the 69-year-old mayor will actually seek the White House (he almost certainly won’t, next year or ever) but because the idea that he might seemed to generate an unusual level of interest from the political world. This is something you might want to get used to, at least for the next few months, not just because Bloomberg undeniably has the financial resources to mount a national campaign if he really wants to, but because for only the third time in 32 years it appears that next year’s election will feature the three ingredients that are most conducive to the emergence of a credible third party candidate.

RON PAUL 2012
Ron Paul Rising (Brian Doherty, Reason Online) "I could very well see Ron Paul coming in second place," said longtime pollster Andy Smith, who runs the University of New Hampshire Survey Center.

NEW YORK

• Bronx judge: Keep Pedro Espada’s Soundview clinic open to meet healthcare needs of the NYC’s poor. Judge: Health system will be burdened without Soundview (BY Kevin Deutsch, NEW YORK DAILY NEWS) In a separate development Monday, several patients and medical providers who work with Espada's network filed petitions in support of the clinics. They claim the shuttering of the clinics would leave 20,000 patients without affordable health care and lead them to overwhelm other Bronx doctors.
• A Court, Not Votes, Sustains a Political Machine in Queens (By MICHAEL POWELL, NY Times) “Surrogate’s Court is the play,” notes a well-connected Queens Democrat who remains that way by talking anonymously. “You can’t talk about what makes the machine tick without talking about surrogates.”

LAST WORD
Who Believes The U.S. Is Bailing Out Europe? (Forbes) “Since we’re controlling for partisanship and education, it seems like there really is something about watching Fox that makes people less informed on this issue than they would be otherwise,” said Dan Cassino, a political science professor at FDU. “Given that Fox’s ratings are well above their competitors, the findings are very troubling.”
Who is bailing out Europe? Independent voters are least likely to answer that correctly. While 36% of Republicans can, followed by 33% of Democrats.  Only 26% of political independents name Germany, with 30% of them thinking it is the U.S.

Pedro Espada's Soundview Wins Stay from Judge

NEW YORK

• Pedro wins a round in clinic fight (By CARL CAMPANILE, NY Post) In a court hearing yesterday, Bronx Supreme Court Judge Stanley Green issued a stay on any state action until the merits of Espada's legal challenge -- which was filed Tuesday -- are heard on Sept. 19.
• Time May Not Be Up For Espada's Soundview (BY Celeste Katz, NY Daily News/Daily Politics) Soundview Health Care Network won a stay that could delay efforts by the Cuomo administration to strip the clinics of Medicaid reimbursements, Espada told reporters.

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.

Open Primaries: Debate Over "Top Two"

Ken Bingenheimer (National Common Ground Examiner) hosts a series on Top Two open primaries with Nancy Hanks (yours truly) and Solomon Kleinsmith of Rise of the Center. Tell us what you think!


OPEN PRIMARIES

• Top Two voting: More democratic or not? (By Ken Bingenheimer, National Common Ground Examiner) While a variety of organizations are working for electoral reform that will give more sway to independent voters and voters in the political middle, there are sharp disagreements about Top Two in particular. We have asked proponents on both sides of this argument to state their cases. On the pro side is Nancy Hanks, who runs The Hankster blog and is affiliated with the Committee for a Unified Independent Party. Speaking for the con side is Solomon Kleinsmith, who operates the Rise of the Center blog.

2012

• They say they're not running in 2012 (By Candy Crowley, CNN Chief Political Correspondent) There are solid reasons to wonder if Bloomberg has appeal beyond his city limits. He's a billionaire and he's been a Republican, an independent and a Democrat. Can you spell coalition?
• Bloomberg's Presidential Campaign Doesn't Add Up (John Ellis, BUSINESS INSIDER.COM) The question on the table is: can it be done?  Does an independent presidential campaign with Michael Bloomberg at the top of the ticket have any chance of success? The answer is almost certainly no.

NEW YORK

• Mayor Testified in Case Against Campaign Aide (By MICHAEL BARBARO, NY Times/City Room) The indictment against Mr. Haggerty has riveted New York City’s political world. It charges that he set up a phony ballot security operation for the mayor’s 2009 re-election and stole the money intended to pay for it to buy a house.
• He's Back! Espada Plans Rally at Soundview Clinic (Bronx News Network) With him, according to a press release that describes the event as a "unity press conference," will be Espada's former nemesis turned number one supporter in the state senate, Ruben Diaz Sr. (we received the release from his communications person), as well as Assemblyman Marcus Crespo and Bishop Fernando Rodriguez of the Latin American Chaplain's Association, plus a whole bunch of other folks. 

Gallup: Indie Voters Up, Dems Down

Gallup reports that in 2010, the percentage of voters identifying as independents increased to 38%, on the high end of what Gallup has measured in the last two decades. This fact corresponds with an increased demand by indies to be able to vote in primaries. Independents joined an Idaho lawsuit last year to defend the state's open primary


INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• A polarized Congress in a US seeking pragmatism (By LIZ SIDOTI, The Associated Press, Washington Post) Today, more Americans are identifying themselves as independent while majorities of the country view both the Democratic and Republican parties unfavorably. Disaffected Republican and Democratic operatives are forming groups to advocate on behalf of - if not organize - unaffiliated voters, indicating that momentum may be building among the center for increased political action.

• Crony capitalism (By Jennifer Rubin, Washington Post/Right Turn)

• In race for political center, Obama has advantages - Obama already broke from his base; Republicans indebted to theirs (By Paul West, Tribune Washington Bureau, Los Angeles Times) Independent voters are now the largest voting bloc but they're not monolithic," said former Rep. Tom Davis (R-Va.). He said Boehner can't lose sight of the need to control the center, so he'll have to be careful not to get on the wrong side of independent voters.

• Beyond Repeal (BY CHARLIE COOK, National Journal) In three combined postelection Gallup polls, 31 percent of adults identified themselves as Democrats, 29 percent as Republicans, and a whopping 38 percent as independents.

• Nevada Voters Move to the Middle (Arianna Bennett, KTVN Reno Channel 2 News) The Nevada Secretary of State's office reported an increase in Nevadans registering non-partisan, instead of with one of the major parties. And some political analysts said this could mark a trend, with voters moving away from political extremes and finding a place in the middle.

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Idaho G.O.P. Seeks to Close Open Primaries (By WILLIAM YARDLEY, NY Times) “I don’t believe the Republican Party in Idaho has suffered here under an open primary,” said Ben Ysursa, the Idaho secretary of state, who has been put in the awkward position of defending the state against his own party.

• Bills an effort to reach out to independents (The Oklahoman Editorial) The increasing number of registered independents in Oklahoma don't vote in some elections because they can't. Political primaries and runoffs are off limits to them — not by law, but because the two major political parties have chosen to keep their primaries closed to independents… Independents? In Oklahoma, they've voluntarily waived the right to vote except in general elections.

REDISTRICTING
Guest Column: Democracy the loser in national redistricting (By Bob Edgar,

• SPECIAL TO Rockford Register Star) Thirteen states have established nonpartisan or bipartisan commissions to take the lead in redistricting. At Common Cause, where I serve as president, we’re particularly proud of our support of such panels, which generally are bitterly opposed by political party organizations.

NEW YORK

• Tax Charges to Be Added in Espada Case (By WILLIAM K. RASHBAUM)

• Bye bye, boomlet (WHYY NewsWorks - Public radio Philadelphia) It has become a tired ritual, at least within the Manhattan-centric media, to float the New York mayor as an independent candidate for the White House.

• Political Action: Bloomy should stick to being mayor, not eyeing presidency (By William Lewis, Your Nabe.com Queens) In terms of an independent campaign for president against the two major party candidates in 2012, Bloomberg seems to believe that the independent movement is growing in this country and more citizens will be leaving the two-party system to vote for independent candidates. That theory does not seem to hold up when we look at the recently concluded fall elections. The state Independence Party lost its ballot position of Row C, which it has held for more than a decade, and was moved back to Row E by the state Conservative Party, which advanced to Row C.

EDUCATION REFORM:

• CHSE Cites New Report as Cause for Concern in Road to Successful Implementation of Common Core State Standards (PRESS RELEASE PR Newswire Campaign for High School Equity) CHSE is a coalition of leading civil rights organizations representing communities of color that is focused on high school education reform.

2010: The Year of the Open Primary

As 2010 draws to a close, open primaries remains front and center among political reform.

OPEN PRIMARIES

• ‘Candidate’ has a vision for Pennsylvania (John R. Ingram II, president and CEO of Ingram Real Estate Group, Allentown, Centre Daily Times/Focus o Harrisburg) CALLS FOR: The elimination of closed primaries in Pennsylvania, to be replaced with open primaries, where any registered voter would be allowed to vote for any candidate, whether Republican, Democrat or independent.
• Moving to the center (EDITORIAL Press Democrat - Sonoma County CA) These two changes — redistricting and the open primary system — offer the best hope in a long while that Californians will see Sacramento move more toward the center and toward progress. From that perspective, 2011 looks to be a promising year already.
• Party leaders out of step with voters (THE OLYMPIAN) The unanimous decision out of California is good news for Washington state voters, too, because it’s yet another legal decision on the right of voters to select the candidate of their choice regardless of party affiliation. 
• POLITICAL CHANGE IS COMING TO CALIFORNIA (by Greg Lucas, CAIVN) Both changes -- Proposition 14 in June and Proposition 20 in November -- were opposed by most incumbent politicians. Proposition 20 expanded the powers of an independent 14-person redistricting commission approved by voters in 2008 to include California's congressional delegation. Voters defeated a rival measure, Proposition 27, backed by the congressional delegation and incumbent state legislators which would have abolished the commission.
• Political reform/Looking back (By John Howard, EXCERPT Capitol Weekly) Big year for California political reform
• Open primaries could stymie tea party success (James Rufus Koren, San Bernardino Sun) Because of a change in how California's primary elections are conducted, candidates likely won't be able to win primary elections with so few votes, and tea party groups might not see any such victories in the future, said Jack Pitney, a political science professor at Claremont McKenna College.
• Top 2 primary system still standing (EDITORIAL Daily News - Lower Columbia WA) There's no mystery as to why party officials here and in California are so determined to scuttle or, failing that, change the Top 2 primary system. It's a system in which voters have the freedom to choose who they deem to be the best candidate, regardless of party affiliation.

REDISTRICTING

• CITIZENS REDISTRICTING COMMISSION REFLECTS GROWING INFLUENCE OF INDEPENDENTS IN CALIFORNIA (by Damon Eris, CAIVN) In his application for the Commission, M. Andre Parvenu of Culver City apparently first identified himself as a member of the Peace and Freedom Party but then sent a follow-up email stating that he is in fact a decline-to-state voter, not registered with a political party.

NO LABELS

• Brown: A time when "no labels" was a reality (By Fred Brown, The Denver Post) I can remember a time in the Colorado legislature when party labels really seemed not to matter so much. Legislators got elected and became more loyal to the legislature than they were to their parties. Party leaders were not often seen at the Capitol. Members of the Joint Budget Committee, in particular, became JBC members more than Republicans or Democrats.

2012

• Obama Can Win by Securing the Middle (Ronnie Shows-Former Congressman, Mississippi's 4th District, Huffington Post) The only way he can get back these independent voters that he won in 2008 is to adopt more centrist positions and reduce unemployment. If he cannot, the President will be vulnerable to a Republican challenger who will appeal to these independent voters by campaigning on conservative policies to end the current employment slump. To keep the White House, we need a President who appeals to moderate voters -- not just hope that Republicans nominate Sarah Palin.
• And the Tea Party's next target is ... Scott Brown?! (BY STEVE KORNACKI, Salon/The War Room) That said, if Brown is challenged, he should be boosted by the ability of independent voters to participate in Massachusetts primaries.

NEW YORK

• Regime change to put insiders out in the cold - State jobs to end for Pigeon, pals (By Robert J. McCarthy, Buffalo News) Pigeon was instrumental in the June 2009 coup that produced Senate gridlock for a month and eventually resulted in Espada becoming majority leader.

No Labels to Consentrate on Open Primary States

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Obama Boosts Image With Indies, GOP Moderates: Gallup (by FRANK JAMES, NPR)
• Obama's Overall Job Approval Steady at 46% - Dip in support from liberal Democrats offset by boost from moderate/liberal Republicans (by Lydia Saad, Gallup) Liberal Democrats' approval of Obama remained subdued, averaging 80% in the past week, similar to the 79% in the previous week and below the 88% found just prior to the midterm elections. This is based on Democrats as well as independents who lean Democratic.

NO LABELS

• No Labels: What happens next? (Ken Bingenheimer, National Common Ground Examiner) n the simplest terms, in the words of Nancy Jacobson, a founding leader and moderator on the call, "We're going to be spending 2011 building this organization." That will consist of setting up local groups in each of the 435 U.S. Congressional districts, as well as building teams in the 17 states that have open primaries.

OBAMA

• Obama’s Second Act? (Michael Tomasky, New York Review of Books) He cannot count on a continuation of this fortnight’s burst of bipartisanship, but the recent victories have probably replenished his capital with his own party, and to some extent with independent voters, putting him in a stronger position as he prepares for battle.

BLOOMBERG

• Mike Bloomberg's opinion section will feature only "ideology-free" opinions - The billionaire independent pays writers to explain that he's right about everything (BY ALEX PAREENE, SALON)
• Bloomberg Voice: Opinions, Yes, But Only Factual Ones (Jeff Bercovici, Forbes/MIXED MEDIA)

NEW YORK

• Bloomberg: No To Cash Back (By MICHAEL HOWARD SAUL, Wall Street Journal) "The Independence Party approached us with a suggestion of returning the money," Mr. Wolfson said. "We contacted the district attorney who said it was their very strong preference that any monies be given over to them. And we conveyed that back to the Independence Party."
• Indicted for embezzlement, Pedro Espada files retirement papers to collect state pension (BY GLENN BLAIN , DAILY NEWS ALBANY BUREAU)

EDUCATION REFORM

• What Newark Schools Need (Dana Goldstein, The Nation) But Furman's methods aren't magic, and they rely only partly on her innate talent for teaching. Her singalongs, read-alouds and writing lessons are all part of a research-backed system developed by the Children's Literacy Initiative, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that has won a $22 million grant from the Obama administration to bring its teacher training program to fifteen Newark elementary schools.

Open Primaries, Redistricting, No Labels, 2012 and Independent Voters

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Bucking open primary trend (JOAN BARRON, Casper Tribune - WY) A bill sponsored by Sen. Kit Jennings, R-Casper, and Rep. Amy Edmonds, R-Cheyenne, would make primary elections fully closed. It would require voters to declare their party affiliation 90 days before an election so they could not cross over on election day. If this bill passes, Wyoming will be bucking the national trend.

REDISTRICTING

• New approach to redistricting needed in Arizona (by James Huntwork, Arizona Republic) Perhaps the right question to ask is, which approach to competitiveness would be better for Arizona? As noted, after creating eight minority districts, the overall political balance in the remainder of our state would be approximately 42 percent Republican and 26 percent Democrat, a difference of 16 percent, with 32 percent independents. If this balance could be maintained, 58 percent of the registered voters in every district would not be Republicans, and candidates from both parties would need to build coalitions that includes independents and crossover voters in order to win the general election.
• Final six members selected for state's redistricting commission (Posted by Jim Sanders, Sac Bee/CapitolAlert) Members chosen today were Democrats Gabino Aguirre and Maria Blanco, Republicans Gil Ontai and Michael Ward, and two people not affiliated with either party -- Michelle DiGuilio-Matz and M. Andre Parvenu.

OBAMA

• Obama Approval With Liberals Dips: Gallup (NPR) The loss of some liberal support as the president moved to reconnect with independent voters was probably to be expected.
• The Populist Wave (By Daniel DiSalvo, RealClearPolitics) Obama was able to capture independent voters in 2008 but lost them in 2010. He has just declared that he will fight to win them over in 2012. To do that the President must grasp that this demographic has begun to develop its own political identity and that this identity is not congenial to liberalism. Rather than attribute such economic sorting to the impersonal forces of globalization, many independents and tea party affiliates think government has exacerbated the situation.
• White House Sees Deal as a Template (By LAURA MECKLER And JONATHAN WEISMAN, Wall Street Journal) The drive toward compromise is central to Mr. Obama's work to restore his image as someone who can change Washington, and to reclaim the independent voters who propelled him to office in 2008 but abandoned Democrats in 2010.
• Analysis: Obama may get political boost from tax-cut deal (By Steve Holland, Reuters) As a result, experts believe Obama helped his own prospects with independent voters as he prepares to set up his re-election campaign next year and look ahead to 2012.
• For President Obama, signing tax-cut bill makes for a good day after a bad election (By Dan Balz, Washington Post) The deal is also a reminder that, despite unrest in his party's base over the terms of the agreement, the Obama White House recognizes that the 2012 election will be won or lost with independent voters, who prize results and prefer to see Republicans and Democrats working constructively. Virtually every political calculation Obama makes over the coming months will be with that compass in hand.
• Tax Deal Is Template for Obama Course Correction (By LAURA MECKLER and JONATHAN WEISMAN, Wall Street Journal) One downside to the White House approach: Reaching for compromises may anger liberals, as was the case with the tax debate. But White House officials argue, and polling shows, that most core Democrats remain supportive. The more urgent need, Democrats say, is to reach out to independents.

NO LABELS

• The political fantasyland of the 'No Labels' movement (By George F. Will, Washington Post) The perpetrators of this mush purport to speak for people who want to instruct everyone else about how to speak about politics.
• Around the Sphere Blog Roundup (POSTED BY JOE GANDELMAN, The Moderate Voice) A group called “No Labels” has formed which tries to underscore the fact there is a center and that political labels are not what (should) matter. This is a threat to some who feel anything that does not have a D or R or L or C label is either a lie or threat.
• ‘No Labels’ movement places consensus over partisanship (By MAGGIE HASSAN, Guest Commentary, Nashua Telegraph) We will advocate for “open” primaries – New Hampshire already has them – allowing a broader cross section of voters to help choose party nominees.
• The trouble with No Labelers (E.J. DIONNE JR., Washington Post) My attitude is moderately supportive and moderately critical - accented by a moderate touch of cynicism… Indeed, there is no far left to speak of anymore. Even among socialists - I'm talking about real ones - almost all now acknowledge the benefits of markets, no longer propose state ownership of the means of production, and accept the inevitability of inequalities in wealth and income.
• Avlon: Why No Labels Threatens Rush & Olbermann (FRUMFORUM NEWS) Rush’s core concern seems to be that there is no such thing as the center or independent voters. He believes that America is divided between the far-right and the far-left, and he likes to offer only that false choice because he believes it’s a fight he can win. But an emphasis on swing voters or independents—the largest and fastest-growing segment of the electorate—makes the math more complicated. It screws an inflexible ideologue up.

BLOOMBERG

• Bloomberg is on the stump, but not (By GERALDINE BAUM, Los Angeles Times, in Sac Bee) In his second term, he began focusing on national problems. He launched a coalition of mayors and business leaders to overhaul immigration policy; he stormed Washington with Govs. Arnold Schwarzenegger, R-Calif., and Ed Rendell, D-Pa., to raise awareness about the country's crumbling infrastructure. He led a national effort to improve public health.

CALIFORNIA

• New redistricting panel takes aim at bizarre political boundaries (By Patrick McGreevy, Los Angeles Times) In the districts drawn by the Legislature the old way, every incumbent member of Congress and the state Legislature on the California ballot was reelected Nov. 2 — even as a survey by the Public Policy Institute of California found that only 21% of voters approve of the job being done by Congress and 12% like what state lawmakers do.
• CALIFORNIA STATE SUPREME COURT UPHOLDS PROP. 14 (by Chris Hinyub, CAIVN) Defense attorney Marguerite Leoni said plaintiffs are trying to undermine the legislative process by coming at Prop. 14 through the back door.
• California Secretary of State Construes Top-Two Rules to Increase Number of Signatures in Lieu of Filing Fee Twenty-Fold, for Minor Parties (Ballot Access News)

NEW YORK

• Redistricting will be key issue next year (By Nick Reisman •Albany Bureau• Elmira Star Gazette) If a non-partisan panel is approved, questions remain as to how the districts will be drawn - including how to fairly represent minority groups and whether bodies of water should separate districts.
• N.Y. State Senate Majority Leader Charged with Embezzlement (by AFRO Staff)
• Several minor parties to rise in ballot position (NICK REISMAN, Rochester Democrat & Chronicle)
• Liu versus de Blasio: Who's ahead? (Crain's New York) Insiders say Public Advocate Bill de Blasio has had a better first year in citywide office than Comptroller John Liu as the two maneuver for position in the 2013 mayoral race. Both were elected with strong support from labor and the Working Families Party, but that coalition is likely to support de Blasio for mayor, insiders say.
• Bill Samuels: Pedro Espada Shouldn't Use Campaign Cash For Self-Defense (BY CELESTE KATZ, NY Daily News/Daily Politics) Bill Samuels, head of the New Roosevelt Initiative and onetime ponderer of a run for lieutenant governor, put a lot of effort into rallying the troops to get state Sen. Pedro Espada, Jr. out of office.
• Espada and Son Plead Not Guilty to Embezzling From Health Network (By NICHOLAS CONFESSORE and COLIN MOYNIHAN, NY Times) They each face five charges of embezzlement and one count of conspiracy. If convicted on all counts...

LAST WORD(S)

• Michael Bloomberg, American God - He speaks. You listen. (By Jack Shafer, Slate) By grooming himself as a sensible yet iron-fisted ruler who doesn't want to transform your life—just to nudge you for your betterment—Bloomberg excites no negative passions.
• "Can We Tell It Like It Really Happened?": Race and The Scottsboro Boys (Tom Matlack, Huffington Post -- NOTE: Matlack, who is white, helped finance the play in honor of his parents' role in Freedom Summer 1964) None of the protesters had seen the play. The group's leader, Charles Barron, a one-time gubernatorial candidate, organized the protests to raise his own personal profile, while attacking artists who are asking tough questions about racial injustice -- the same racial injustice that the Freedom Party claims to be fighting. My question to the protesters is the one I ask you: When are you going to stop the minstrel show that is race in America, wipe away the blackface, and start telling the truth, no matter how uncomfortable that might be? It will always be easier to lie when the system reinforces myth.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS 9/30/10

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• The Sweep: Vikings, voters and the charge of the Militant Middle (By Tom Foreman, CNN) Part of the problem cited by everyone I talked to is the primary voting system. Despite some highly publicized upsets, in most cases the parties still steer the early selection process toward faithful partisans. Such candidates are easier to raise money for, easier to differentiate from the opposition in ads, and more likely to do precisely what moderates do not want: Toe the party line. [piece quotes Kathleen Curry]
• National Review: The GOP Can Win The Northeast (by ANDREW STILES, NPR) Interestingly, more Northeast independents are breaking for Republicans than their counterparts in the Midwest or the West.
• More Voters Likely To Vote Independent This Year (Fox New York) Republicans are in a more rebellious mood than Democrats. Thirty-seven percent (37%) of GOP voters say they are more likely to vote for an independent candidate this November, compared to just 17% of Democrats. Perhaps not surprisingly, 47% of those not affiliated with either major party are more inclined to vote for an independent.
• GOP agenda lacks punch - Both parties too often feign commitment (The Tennessean)
• An Increasing Number of Voters are Registering as Independents (Alexandra Hill, WJHG Channel 7 -  Bay County FL) Bay County election officials say countywide they’ve also seen a recent rise in the “no party affiliation.” in 1988, voter registration logs show just under 5 percent were registered outside of the two party system. Now, the statistic is close to 18 percent , which factors out to mean almost one in five of Bay County voters. 

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Our Opinion: Rauschenberger case shows need for open primary (THE STATE JOURNAL-REGISTER - IL) Rauschenberger in 2009 had voted in a Democratic primary because his sister was on the ballot in a township race. This, the Democratic Party said, made Rauschenberger a Democrat and ineligible to run as a Republican.
• Al Hein calls on state to rule on ballot integrity (News Record, Bluff Country Newspaper Group - WI) "It's so unfortunate that the recent stories have diverted attention away from the issues - term limits, open primaries and the elimination of special interests' participation in elections," said Hein.

THE WHITE HOUSE

• Obama gives Stewart's rally a boost (By KENDRA MARR, Politico)
• Michael Bloomberg a 2012 no go (By ANDY BARR, Politico) “I think we should all pull behind Barack Obama,” Bloomberg said. “He’s our president.”

COLORADO

• Write in Kathleen Curry (LETTER Aspen Times) However, being affiliated with a party does not stop me from being an independent thinker and educating myself on issues and candidates prior to casting my vote each election. 

NEW YORK

• Post-Espada, Jockeying Begins For Latino In Legislative Leadership Position (Andrew J. Hawkins, The Capitol)
• Indys Back Schneiderman (Updated) (Joseph Spector, Politics on the Hudson)
• Indys Behind Schneiderman ’100 Percent’ (Liz Benjamin, YNN/Capital Tonight)
• Last Indy lap: DA's party probe to end by Elex Day (By CARL CAMPANILE, NY Post)

LAST WORD

• International Performance Conference Joins Artists from 31 Countries (Broadway World) NOTE: The Hankster is presenting a session at this year's Performing the World conference. Watch for video!!!

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS 9/29/10

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Runoff elections wave of the future?  (LETTER The Republican - MA) As the political parties decline in power and favor, the day may come where we see one ballot with all the names for each position and the voter makes his choice of one for each office and after votes are tabulated there will be a runoff for the two top vote-getters. The day that comes, politics as we know it will be gone. 

NATIONAL

• Young People And Minorities Are All The President Has Left (By Jim O'Sullivan, National Journal/Congressional Connection Poll) While fully 72 percent of voters 65 and over saying they are dissatisfied with the direction of the country, only 39 percent of those under 30 share that dissatisfaction.
• Blue Dog Research Forum and Zogby Partner to Survey Key Voter Demographic: Likely Independent Voters (PRESS RELEASE PR Newswire)
• The Trouble With Obama’s Rolling Stone Interview (by Paul Hogarth‚ Beyond Chron) But I want to zero in on the part where Obama says his election made the Democrats a “bigger tent” – a wider coalition that makes it harder to keep together when you govern. It’s true that Obama won many Republican and independent voters in the last election, but they knew how progressive he was going to be. Obama did not win Indiana because they expected him to govern like Evan Bayh. George Bush had failed them, and these “red-state voters” were fully ready to accept a President called Barack Hussein Obama.
• Obama in Command:  The Rolling Stone Interview (By  Jann S. Wenner)
• Analysis: GOP's 'Pledge to America' aimed at independent voters (Analysis, Salem News - MA)

MAYOR BLOOMBERG

• Bloomberg to address House GOP (By Molly K. Hooper, The Hill) Bloomberg, considered a possible presidential candidate, will speak at the weekly House GOP Theme Team meeting on Thursday morning.

NEW YORK

• NRI and Gustavo Head Upstate (Bronx News Network) the anti-Pedro Espada group
• Political Group Launches Anti-Espada Campaign; Gets Behind Rivera (by Jeanmarie Evelly, Norwood News.org - Published by the Mosholu Preservation Corporation)
• Freedom Party Fills a Void in Governor's Race (By Ginger Geoffery, WKBW Channel 7)
• Long’s And Long Island’s Hold On Conservative Party In Play As Conservatives Nominate Paladino (By Andrew J. Hawkins, City Hall News)

BLOGOSPHERE

• W.H. scorecard: MSNBC up, bloggers down (By: Keach Hagey, Politico) Glenn Greenwald: “As we head into a November election that looks more and more like Democrats are going to get slaughtered, I think they are trying to set up a villain, someone to blame other than Obama,” he said. “And that villain will be the left.”

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES FOR INDEPENDENT VOTERS 9/20/10

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Democrats see opportunity in "Tea Party" rise (By Will Dunham, Reuters) "I think it's become very clear now ... that the control of the Republican Party is in Tea Party candidates who do not speak for independent or moderate voters at all," Democratic Party Chairman Tim Kaine said on CNN's "State of the Union" program.
• Unaffiliated voters deserve to have their voices heard in primaries (EDITORIAL Washington Post) we think the council was wrong to treat unaffiliated voters differently than those who have never registered. Why is it okay to register and vote on Election Day, but not okay to join a party and vote on Election Day?
• In Md., independent voters are disenfranchised (LETTER Baltimore Sun)
• Oklahoma sees rise in registered independents (By CURTIS KILLMAN, Tulsa World) Although the state GOP has made headlines for its continued increase in voter registration numbers in the state, independent voter registration has quietly climbed to unprecedented numbers. Independent voters now make up 11.3 percent of the total of registered voters - an all-time high percentage in Oklahoma, recently released figures from the state Election Board show. 
• Republicans Gain Ground Among Independents - But a new poll shows independents still don't trust the GOP on spending. (DOUGLAS E. SCHOEN AND HEATHER R. HIGGINS, Wall Street Journal) A new comprehensive national survey shows that independent voters—who voted for Barack Obama by a 52%-to-44% margin in the 2008 presidential election—are now moving strongly in the direction of the Republican Party. The survey, conducted by Douglas E. Schoen LLC on behalf of Independent Women's Voice in late August, raises the possibility of a fundamental realignment of independent voters and the dominance of a more conservative electorate.

OPEN PRIMARIES

• From Britain, a thumbs up on US open primaries (By Matthew Triggs, Guest blogger, Christian Science Monitor) If Britain adopted American-style open primaries, candidates would more closely reflect their constituents' views.

MIDTERMS

• More on Murkow Ms. Murkowski’s Math (By NATE SILVER, NY Times/FiveThirtyEight) Ms. Murkowski -– although she will surely run toward the center to differentiate herself from Mr. Miller –- might also have more access than Mr. Crist does to voters on her right. This is because, according to the Public Policy Polling survey, 32 percent of likely Republican voters have an unfavorable impression of Mr. Miller, as do 54 percent of independents. In contrast, only 11 percent of Republicans in Florida have a negative view of Mr. Rubio, according to last month’s Quinnipiac poll.
• House District 61 — Wilson vs. Korkowski vs. Curry (Colorado Statesman) Rep. Kathleen Curry, U-Gunnison, is trying to defend her HD 61 seat by the toughest way possible: as a write-in candidate.
• Twenty-Year Old Labor Party Runs its First Candidate for Partisan Office (Ballot Access News) Unlike the Working Families Party, the Labor Party does not believe in ever cross-endorsing major party nominees.
• SC's DeMint bursts onto national stage (WASHINGTON Herald Online) "I really think she's got a good chance of winning," DeMint said. "Independent voters, who represent about a third of Delaware's voters, are looking for somebody who's not tied in with any party establishment. The best pick on that list is going to be Christine."
• Tea Party Victory Opens Rift Between Moderate and Conservative Republicans (By DAVID M. HERSZENHORN and CARL HULSE, NY Times) The ascendancy of the right is forcing even some of the most loyal Republicans, like Senator Lamar Alexander of Tennessee, the No. 3 Senate Republican, to defend their conservative bona fides. And it seems to be dashing the hopes among moderates that the prospect of winning a majority in the House, and a pursuit of independent voters, would push Republican leaders to the middle.
• As November nears, voters turn backs on both parties (By Chris Cillizza, Washington Post) Whit Ayres, a Republican pollster who has conducted a series of House race surveys for the conservative-aligned American Action Forum, insisted that the coming midterms will be a referendum on the party in power, not a choice between the two sides - particularly among electorally critical independent voters.
• The ten most important House races of 2010 (San Francisco Chronicle)

NEW YORK

• Voters oust 2 faces of NY's political dysfunction (By Associated Press, TMCnet.com) Espada was at the heart of a raucous year in notoriously partisan and dysfunctional Albany, going from Democrat to Republican back to Democrat over the course of several weeks, flipping majority control of the Senate each time and each time collecting lucrative leadership posts.
• Michael Barone: Dems at war: Public unions vs. gentry liberals (By: MICHAEL BARONE, Washington Examiner) In each there was a split between the public employee unions that do so much to finance Democratic campaigns and the gentry liberals who provide Democratic votes in places like Manhattan, the Montgomery County suburbs of Maryland, and Northwest Washington, D.C. And in each case the public employee unions won.
• Paladino the next in line of upstate businessmen running for governor (BY JOSEPH SPECTOR •ALBANY BUREAU, Ithaca Journal) As Paladino embarks on trying to become first governor from outside the New York City-area since Cortland native Nathan Miller in 1921, he will try to follow the same broad strategy as Golisano -- win big upstate and stay competitive in New York City and its suburbs.
• Bloomberg campaigns for center (UPI Tracker) In an extensive interview, he told the Times the anger displayed by many voters this year is understandable: "Washington isn't working," he said. "Anger, however, is not a government strategy," he added. "It's not a way to govern."
• Primary analysis on BronxTalk (Bronx News Network) Mr. King and Mr. Perez will take calls from viewers about the defeat of Pedro Espada, Jr. and the victory of all other Bronx incumbents.
• New York Likely to Have Eleven or Twelve Parties on Statewide Ballot (Ballot Access News) Therefore, these parties will be on the ballot for statewide office:  the five qualified parties (Democratic, Republican, Independence, Conservative, Working Families), followed by these parties:  Anti-Prohibition, Freedom, Green, Libertarian, Rent is 2 Damn High, Tea, and Taxpayers.  Although the Taxpayers Party is on the ballot now, a lawsuit is pending on whether that petition is valid.  The Taxpayers nominee for Governor is Carl Paladino, who is also the Republican nominee.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS 9/15/10

CALIFORNIA PROP 14

• Capitol: Judge's ruling keeps Prop. 14's top-two primary system alive (Sac Bee) Judge Catherine Woolard wrote that while plaintiffs can proceed to a full trial, their arguments "fail to show a likelihood of success on the merits" to grant their motion for an injunction blocking the state from proceeding with implementing the new measure.
• California's gubernatorial candidates should read these books (BOOK REVIEWS California Watch) It's not a simple question of "can't we all get along," says Bagley. Real structural reforms will be required – modifying term limits, open primaries – to bring moderation and bipartisanship back to Sacramento.
• Prop. 14 open primary survives first challenge (Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writer)

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Voters need real choice in state primary elections (Superior Telegram) Primary voting rules incorrectly assume all voters cast ballots along party lines. Many Wisconsin voters are not Republicans or Democrats, or some other party, and cast their ballot irrespective of party lines. They vote for candidates and their ideals, rather than old-horse political parties. Yet, Wisconsin primaries still align themselves with a party system.
• Hannemann: Rival should identify program funding (By HERBERT A. SAMPLE, Bloomberg Businessweek) Hannemann's criticism of the cost of Abercrombie's proposals in the days leading to Saturday's primary election could help him attract votes of conservatives and Republicans. In Hawaii's open primary, registered voters can request any party's ballot.

TUESDAY PRIMARIES

• The Morning After: Whose Party Is It? (By MICHAEL D. SHEAR, NY Times/The Caucus) Tea Party-backed insurgents in the primaries of 2010 have toppled two of the party’s incumbents and six candidates who were supported by GOP insiders in Washington – ending with the surprise ouster of Rep. Mike Castle, who had won 12 statewide campaigns in Delaware over four decades in public life.
• Voters Deliver a Reminder to Republicans (and Pundits) (By NATE SILVER, NY Times/fivethirtyeight)
• 'This Changes Everything' (By Robert Stacy McCain, American Spectator (right-wing) Of course, not all of the people have yet spoken. Turnout was unusually high in this year's primary, but O'Donnell's Tuesday total of more than 30,000 votes will have to be increased if she is to win in November. However, as one staffer said, their own polls indicate that independent voters -- who couldn't vote in the closed GOP primary -- favor O'Donnell over the Democrats' little-known nominee, Chris Coons.
• Christine O'Donnell, Tea Party Favorite, Stuns Mike Castle in Delaware (PATRICIA MURPHY, Politics Daily Capitol Hill Bureau Chief) With so much noise surrounding her candidacy, GOP guru Karl Rove predicted Tuesday night what Democrats are hoping for: that O'Donnell will lose the general election in November when Democratic and independent voters get into the voting booths. "There's just a lot of nutty things she's been saying," Rove said in an appearance on Fox News. "This is not a race we're going to be able to win."
• Tea Party favorite wins in Delaware; race close in N.H. (By Matt Viser, Boston Globe) But the GOP hopes hinge on whether conservative insurgents are able to translate their grass-roots momentum into independent votes, whether Democrats are able to motivate their base, and whether President Obama can once again be an effective campaigner.
• Senate: Ayotte, Lamontagne in tight race (By JOHN DISTASO, Senior Political Reporter, Union Leader)
• Avedisian beats back challenge from Langseth (By BARBARA POLICHETTI, Providence Journal Staff Writer)
• G.O.P. Insurgents Win in Del. and N.Y. (By JEFF ZELENY, NY Times)
• The Morning After - What's next for Fenty? (By P.J. ORVETTI, NBC Washington) Fenty did not deserve Tuesday’s result. Though Gray is an accomplished man who could be a consensus-builder as mayor, and though Fenty merited a stiff warning from voters, his rejection by a margin of about 8 points was a sad result for a mayor who has moved the city forward. The District fired Fenty after one term. It re-elected Marion Barry three times.
• Fenty vs. Gray: How I voted (Joel Achenbach, Washington Post/Achenblog) Could he still run as an independent in the general election? Wouldn't make much difference. People tend to be loyal to political parties, and there just aren't very many independents in the District of Columbia from which Fenty could rally support. This is a one-party town in which the Democratic primary is the decisive election.
• Primary Voter Turnout Stays Low, but More So for Democrats (By BRIAN J. MCCABE, NY Times/FiveThirtyEight)
• Democratic voters casting Republican ballots (WFRV News) Madison WI (an open primary state)

MIDTERMS

• NYC’s Mayor Bloomberg to campaign for Chafee Thursday (By Katherine Gregg, Providence Journal State House Bureau) “Since I’ve been one of everything in my career at one time or another, I don’t think that party matters,” he said in that interview. “What you want are people who are independent in their views. That they don’t listen to the party bosses. That they listen to the issues. They’re smart enough to analyze it.”

COLORADO

• Female energy permeates Girl's Night Out (Durango Herald) The finalists for the leader award were Cindy Cortese, Paulette Church, Stephanie Moran and Joelle Riddle. Riddle, who is finishing up her term as a La Plata County commissioner, was honored for her education work with Planned Parenthood, the various constituencies she has represented as a commissioner and founding the independent Voters for Colorado.
• Curry's against all odds write-in campaign (LETTER Glenwood Post Independent) Kathleen Curry, our state representative for District 61 (five counties), has recognized the deficiencies of political party influence and has had the courage to say she wants to represent us directly — to listen, look at the real problems and develop and support practical legislation based on logic, respect and doing what is best for our children and for all of us vs. what the parties dictate.

NEW YORK PRIMARIES

• Scene From Outside the Polls at Amalgamated Houses (Bronx News Network) Several yards away stood two Espada volunteers: Harry Kresky (pictured, left) of Manhattan and Kirsten Fulda (pictured, right) of New Jersey, both members of the Independence Party who said they admired Espada for his, well, independence. "He doesn't do what the parties tell him to do," said Kresky, a lawyer who, interestingly, once represented Dr. Lenora Fulani, a radical former presidential candidate, who endorsed Espada last week.
• Primary Night: Pedro Espada Keeps the Faith (By Ricardo Bilton, NY Observer)
• As the Smoke Clears After Primary Day … (By THE NEW YORK TIMES/City Room)
• The Man Who Beat Espada (by David King, Gotham Gazette) Less than an hour later Espada has conceded. The crowd at the Monte Carlo on Jerome Avenue explodes. Rivera takes the stage thanking unions left and right. "Union power," men on stage shout. Rivera gives his victory speech. The campaign confirms that Espada did not place a congratulatory call to Rivera -- they roll their eyes. Sen. Liz Krueger dances to Jay-z's "New York." She says she expects Rivera’s victory will give Democrats a boost. "Did you expect this to be over so quickly?" I ask her. She looks at her watch, "Yes!" she exclaims.
• Paladino Wins GOP Primary, Rangel, Schneiderman Also Win As Monserrate, Espada Concede (By: NY1 News)
• Bronx voters send state Sen. Pedro Espada packing; Hiram Monserrate loses Assembly bid (BY BOB KAPPSTATTER AND GLENN BLAIN, DAILY NEWS STAFF WRITERS)
• Paladino Sends Lazio to Sidelines (By JACOB GERSHMAN, Wall Street Journal)
• Paladino, Schneiderman Win, Espada Doesn't (by Gotham Gazette Staff)
• Newcomer Ousts Espada; Monserrate Loses Political Return (By SAM DOLNICK, NY Times)
• The Andrew Effect (By Reid Pillifant, NY Observer) It's not clear this year that voters will be inclined to vote straight party lines, but it will be up to Mr. Cuomo to draw Democrats and Democratically inclined independents to the polls, particularly in parts of the state that don't have any particularly competitive down-ballot elections happening.

WORKING FAMILIES PARTY

• WFP & Cuomo, sittin' in a tree: But there's no real love in this odd marriage (Bill Hammond, Daily News)

NY Primary - Pedro Espada, Jr.: "He doesn't do what the parties tell him to do"

From Bronx News Network:
"Scenes From Outside the Polls at Amalgamated Houses"

Several yards away stood two Espada volunteers: Harry Kresky (pictured, left) of Manhattan and Kirsten Fulda (pictured, right) of New Jersey, both members of the Independence Party who said they admired Espada for his, well, independence.

"He doesn't do what the parties tell him to do," said Kresky, a lawyer who, interestingly, once represented Dr. Lenora Fulani, a radical former presidential candidate, who endorsed Espada last week.

Both Kresky and Fulda said they were impressed with Espada's record of creating a string of health clinics in the south Bronx.

NEW YORK Primary News of the Morning, Tuesday, September 14, 2010

NEW YORK
NOTE: New York is a closed primary state, meaning that only party registrants can vote in the primary. The NY Independence Party allows unaffiliated voters to vote in its primaries. 

• It’s a Busy Day for Voters as They Narrow the Fields (By DAVID W. CHEN, NY Times) The most anticipated race involves State Senator Pedro Espada Jr., a Bronx Democrat who is facing civil corruption charges. A wide array of groups is backing Mr. Espada’s opponent, Gustavo Rivera.... In a bitterly contested race to represent the East Side of Manhattan, Representative Carolyn B. Maloney, a nine-term Democrat, is favored against a young and well-financed hedge fund lawyer, Reshma Saujani....
• Primary Day: Paladino smells upset in GOP governor's race; Schneiderman, Rice in bitter Dem AG duel (BY KENNETH LOVETt, DAILY NEWS ALBANY BUREAU CHIEF)
• Morning Read: Zero Day (By David Freedlander, NY Observer) links online
• New Yorkers Head To The Polls On Primary Day (CBS NY )
• Affiliated voters to weigh in on county and state races in today's primaries (Saratogian)

ESPADA
NOTE: New York independents are supporting independent reformer Pedro Espada for re-election. Don't be fooled by the machine! Re-elect Pedro Espada.

• Rivera Confident of Victory, But Concerned About Espada's Campaign Tactics (Bronx News Network)
• Reports of dirty tricks in race between Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada and Gustavo Rivera (BOB KAPPSTATTER, EXCERPT Ny Daily News)
• DC 37 Won’t Bother Embattled Espada, Opting for Neutrality (By DAVID SIMS, The Chief) [subscription only]
• Vote today to boot out scoundrels (By CARL CAMPANILE, NY Post)
• Samuels plugs away on primary day (by Rick Karlin, Albany Times Union/Capitol Confidential)
• NOTE: This is a good example of machine media cynicism and one of the reasons the independent movement is growing like wildfire - carry on, foolish ones!: Make our day: Cast your vote to start throwing the bums out and cleaning up Albany (EDITORIALS Daily News) Rivera towers over Espada in integrity and in a knowledgeable commitment to working-class issues. Major plus: Rivera also lives in the district, unlike Espada, a carpetbagger from Westchester.
• Does Breslin have to worry about challenger Martland? (WTEN, By JOHN McLOUGHLIN) Martland, however, says Breslin is part of the problem because he simply follows the Democratic leadership and does not do enough to rid the Capitol of lawmakers such as Pedro Espada, who is under investigation for alleged corruption.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS 9/13/10

James Madison by Gilbert Stuart

• Independence as Independents (By: Charlie Brenner, The Quad - Univ. of West Chester University) As long serving Representatives and Senators return to their home states to face a largely bitter American public, we can expect to see many incumbents joining their constituents in the unemployment line this November. Voters on both sides of the political spectrum are disenfranchised with the status quo bureaucracy of Washington, and neither Republicans nor Democrats have a solid platform from which to campaign. That is why I have proudly registered myself as an Independent voter, and remain convinced that the key to fixing our broken Washington system comes from the American public depolarizing and voting from a neutral, unpartisan perspective.   

• Few voters may be key factor on Tuesday (Ted Nesi, WPRI Providence RI) Unaffiliated voters can choose to cast a ballot in either the Democratic or Republican primary. The deadline to register for the November general election is Oct. 2. More information on where to vote is available at  rhodeisland.onpolitix.com .

• Paging Dr. House: Pro-Gustavo Rivera Docs Diagnose Espada-Itis (BY CELESTE KATZ, Daily News/Daily Politics)  Espada, who has been attacked from all sides as he tries to hold on to his office, recently received the backing of former state Independence Party chief Lenora Fulani and a group of Bronx clergy and says he's not giving up.

WFP

• With DFS Quiet In 2010, DSCC Helps Fund New WFP Campaign Account (By Edward-Isaac Dovere, City Hall News) According to the WFP Campaign Committee’s expense allocations, that money was spent so far on Suzi Oppenheimer (for $153) and primarily on Gustavo Rivera, who is trying to unseat Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada in Tuesday’s Democratic primary. According to campaign finance disclosures, Rivera is one of the other big funders of the WFP Campaign Committee, transferring $30,000 to it from his own campaign account in August—though the campaign committee’s filings only show $20,000 received.
• Working Families Party To Endorse Andrew Cuomo For Governor, Cuomo Accepts: Updated x 3 » (BY CELESTE KATZ, Daily News/Daily Politics) "While some of our members have differed in the past on some of the specific issues in the New NY Agenda, the Executive Committee unanimously takes this position because we understand and accept Andrew's point that this is a pivotal moment in the history of this state, similar to the 1975 New York City fiscal crisis, when leaders in the labor, civic, business and political arena must put aside their individual agendas for the good of the entire state.

I'm an Independent Voter - Can I Vote in the Primary in New York?

No! Absolutely not! Why? Because the party bosses say so, that's why! -- Which is why New York independents are fighting for open primaries.

See IndependentVoting.org

From What Is an Open Primary on eHow:

The following states have closed primaries:
Alaska, Arizona, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Florida, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Nebraska, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota and Wyoming.

• 2 Insurgents Could Hurt G.O.P. Chances for Senate Takeover (By NATE SILVER, NY Times/FiveThirtyEight)

Lenora Fulani is supporting Pedro Espada for State Senate - see here and here:

Pedro Espada, Jr.: Independent Reformer for New York

NOTE: Every politician and their brother is attacking Pedro Espada. That's because he's independent. The parties don't control him and he went up to that cesspool in Albany - aka the New York State Assembly - as a real reformer. The Hankster, for one, will be volunteering for Pedro's campaign this weekend. 

NY Daily News: Lenora Fulani Endorses Sen. Pedro Espada, Jr.

Lenora Fulani Endorses Sen. Pedro Espada, Jr. For Re-Election »

BY CELESTE KATZ

Who says everyone's running to endorse Gustavo Rivera in The Bronx's 33rd SD? State Senate Majority Leader Pedro Espada, Jr. now has the public backing of Lenora Fulani....


Read the full text of Fulani's endorsement here.