TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Clinton Stakes Claim To 'Electability' (Forbes) The party has a self-sabotaging affinity for "identity politics," which is anathema to U.S. moderate and independent voters.
• Crist: DNC should accept Florida delegates (Tallahassee Democrat) advocates for quick "do-over" mailed balloting — or risk losing independent swing voters in November.
• Counties see spike in party registration before primary (Standard Speaker - Hazelton PA) “It’s akin to taxation without representation,” Stephen Bouikidis, chairman of Independent Pennsylvanians
• Independent vote might benefit Barack Obama (Rapid City Journal - ND)
• Did Republicans give Hillary her victory in Ohio? (The Free Press) Likely shift of independents to Democratic candidate in general election
• Obama wins in Wyoming, adds 7 delegates (Kansas City Star) Plouffe cites independents

Wyoming goes for Obama

According to CNN (Jessica Yellin reporting from Cheyenne) -- Obama has 4,138 caucus votes representing 58% of the vote with 91% of the polls reporting. (Live-blogging CNN's coverage at 6:00pm EST)

10% of Wyoming voters are independent....

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• OH: Democrats came out in droves on Tuesday (The Chronicle-Telegram)
• The Two-Party Mass O’ Junk: My Hope! (The Moderate Voice by T-Steel) Independent voter T-Steel wants Obama to run independent -- he's probably not the only voter who does!
• McCain Must Attract Independents to Beat Clinton or Obama (By Liz Halloran, US News & World Report)
  

PENNSYLVANIA:

• Voters rush to switch political sides (Wilkes-Barre News Times Leader)
• Large numbers changing party registration for April 22 primary (Public Radio Capitol News)

MISSISSIPPI:

• Obama Slightly Ahead Of Clinton In Mississippi (All Headline News)
• Mississippi Going Obama, But Clinton Faring Stronger Than Expected (InsiderAdvantage and Southern Political Report)

TEXAS: Footnotes From the Texas Primary - One gay voter's change of heart leads him to a change of party. (Advocate)

WYOMING: STAT OF THE DAY (AP) Unaffiliated voters = 10% of electorate

NORTH CAROLINA: We’re in play (Blue Ridge Now)

OBAMA CAMPAIGN:

• Downside of Obama Strategy - Losses in Big States Spur General-Election Fears (Washington Post) NOTE: Spur General Election fears among WHOM?
• Playing by Clinton Rules (David Brooks, New York Times) "A candidate should never betray the core theory of his campaign, or head down a road that leads to that betrayal. Barack Obama doesn’t have an impressive record of experience or a unique policy profile. New politics is all he’s got. He loses that, and he loses everything. Every day that he looks conventional is a bad day for him."

HANKSTER two cents: David Brooks' point is well made. If you play by Clinton rules, Clinton rules. The ability to set the agenda is critical to any political campaign. If Barack Obama goes back to the issue of the war, he has a better shot at winning the Dem nomination. Forget her experience. Forget national security. Forget the economy (and apparently the establishment has forgotten about the economy in any serious way.... This is a political football now.)

This is a partisan election about the war in Iraq. The American people have turned against the war. Independent voters lead the charge in 2006. We are anti-war. This is the deciding factor of the election.