Arizona Open Primary Appeal: Independent Should Not Have to Pay for That

OpenPrimary Appeal Reaches Arizona Supreme Court (By Kymberly Bays, IVN) “If the initiative passes, it is entirely up to [the political parties] how they would like to run elections. They can gather signatures, set up online voting, hold a convention,” says Open Government committee member and co-author of the Open Elections/Open Government Act, Karen Schroeder. “The key point is Arizona independents should not have to pay for that.” “1 in 3 Arizona voters are independents. It’s very unfair to expect those voters to fund partisan primary elections,” she adds.

IndependentVoters Rule Congressional District 9 - Arizona's newest district (AP, KFYI Phoenix) At 34.6 percent of the roughly 362,000 voters in the district, more are registered as independents than either Republicans or Democrats. About 34 percent are listed as Republicans and 30 percent are listed as Democrats.

Hankster News of the Day for Independent Voters - July 31

NATIONAL
Political parties turn to independent voters for edge in November (By Jim Angle, FoxNews.com) David Winston, a Republican strategist, said such independents made up 22 percent of voters in 2002. "In 2010, they had grown to make up about 29 percent of the electorate," he said. "So clearly as the exit polls have shown, they've grown quite a bit." And a Gallup poll recently reported that independents account for 35 percent or more of voters in most recent elections.



ARIZONA
Opponents ask court to toss out initiative on Arizona open primaries (Howard Fischer, Arizona Daily Star) A judge will hear arguments next week on whether Arizona voters get to decide if they want to scrap the current system of partisan primaries. Maricopa County Superior Court Judge Mark Brain will consider claims by foes of the open-primary initiative that it unconstitutionally asks voters to make too many changes in the law with a single vote.

FLORIDA

• Florida voter registrations: a rising tide of independence (By Christine Stapleton, Palm Beach Post) The number of independent voters has climbed steadily in Florida since 1972 — when Democrats had an overwhelming majority with 68.5 percent of voters, Republicans had 28.2 percent and independents, only 3.4 percent. But since since the infamous November 2000 election, the number of independent voters in the state has swelled more than 75 percent, from 1.5 million in 2000 to 2.7 million today, making up 23.8 percent of the statewide voting electorate.
• All voters should elect leaders (EDITORIAL News Chief) In Miami-Dade County two voters have gone to federal court in an attempt to force the Democratic primary for state attorney to be open to all voters. In their lawsuit, Republican Armando Lacasa and independent Vincent Mazilli claim that close to 700,000 Republicans, independents and third-party voters should have say in the election, not just the county's 525,890 registered Democrats. We hope they win -- and that the ruling comes down before the Aug. 14 primary.
• Judge Rules SAO Race Will Be A Closed Primary (CBS Local) A federal judge has ruled that only Democrats will be able to cast ballots in the Miami-Dade State Attorney race in the August primary. On Wednesday, U.S. District Judge William Zloch denied a motion from two voters who sought to open up the election by becoming “write in” candidates, according to CBS4 news partner The Miami Herald.
• Write-ins used to close Florida primary elections (Written by BILL KACZOR, South Florida Times) If the winner of a Democratic or Republican primary in Florida won't face opposition in the general election, then that primary is open to all voters without regard to party registration under a state constitutional amendment passed overwhelmingly in 1998.

COLORADO
Former state Rep. Kathleen Curry makes HD 61 ballot as an unaffiliated candidate (By Tim Hoover, The Denver Post) Former state Rep. Kathleen Curry of Gunnison, who famously bolted from the Democratic party in 2009 to become unaffiliated, has made the ballot for House District 61, a seat that sprawls across several mountain counties, as an unaffiliated candidate.

OHIO
Redistricting overhaul would ensure that each vote counts (BY MARILOU JOHANEK, Toledo Blade) To stop the remapping by Republicans in Ohio, who gamed the system to their advantage, a coalition of nonpartisan organizations, known as Voters First Ohio, came up with a sane solution. It's a constitutional amendment that would put district mapmaking in the hands of a 12-person citizen commission.

Hankster News of the Day for Independents - July 14

"CIVIL POLITICS"
SHERMAN: Film explores civility in politics (By LOLA SHERMAN For the North County Times) Last year, the college staged a public-issues symposium on the subject of "Civility in Our Civic Discourse." It explored what often has become a lack of civility, both in politics and media. A guest speaker was former U.S. Congressman Mickey Edwards, R-Okla., who spoke to a full house at the college's Community Learning Center in Oceanside.

OBAMA AND THE INDEPENDENT VOTE

• Clear And ‘Independent’ Danger (The Note) (By MICHAEL FALCONE and AMY WALTER) Digging into the crosstabs of this week’s ABC News-Washington Post poll it’s clear that Obama has a significant problem with independent voters. On every measure, independents are significantly more disappointed with the President and more open to a Romney message.
• Obama holds ‘significant lead’ over Romney in new national poll (By Paul West, Boston Herald/Tribune) A similar shift was reflected among independent voters, a prized target for both candidates, who are now almost evenly divided on who would best improve the economy. In June, Romney enjoyed a 13-point edge among independents on that question. The latest survey, like most polling at this stage of the campaign, did not attempt to narrow the contest down to likely voters. Obama’s lead, Pew found, stemmed from the fact that more voters currently identify themselves as Democrats than Republicans, and that virtually identical proportions of each say they will back their party’s nominee. Put another way, the results of the survey are yet a further indication that voter mobilization will be crucial in determining the winner of this year’s election.

FLORIDA
Judge holds off on ruling in Miami-Dade State Attorney election write-in issue (By DAVID OVALLE, Miami Herald) A federal judge said he will decide Friday whether to force Miami-Dade County to open up the State Attorney’s Aug. 14 primary election to more than 700,000 Republican and independent voters. U.S. Judge William Zloch heard arguments Thursday, but stopped short of deciding immediately. Two voters are suing Miami-Dade’s election supervisor, saying that a “loophole” in the state’s election law that allows write-in candidates to close primary elections is disenfranchising thousands of voters.

ARIZONA
BREAKING: Independent voters surge while Democratic voters in Arizona drop by 52,000 in 2011. (by Dee Dee Garcia Blase, Tucson Citizen/Hispanic Politico) On the other hand, this is good news for the independent voters — and despite fraudulent misconceptions that are out there, indeed independent Arizona voters are able to vote and participate in the Arizona primary election process. As an independent voter, I left the Republican party for good due to their extremism, however, the Democratic Party leadership is also turning off Latino Democratic voters, too, because they are walking a dangerous line.

OHIO
Attempt to Overturn GOP Redistricting Moves Forward  - Organization submits 450,000 petition signatures to Ohio Secretary of State (City Beat - Cincinnati) On July 3, Voters First, a coalition established after HB-369's inception to combat the bill's Republican-led efforts to deliberately have congressional and legislative districts drawn in their favor, submitted 450,000 petition signatures to the Ohio Secretary of State — significantly more than the 385,000 signatures necessary to obtain a spot on the November ballot. At the end of the month, the Secretary of State will review the signatures and determine which are eligible, after which the coalition will have another set period to obtain more signatures, should the 385,000 not be met.

COLORADO
Unaffiliated candidate running for Colorado House (LETTER Snowmass Sun by Kathleen Curry) The overwhelming positive response and encouragement I received while completing the ballot petition process has energized the campaign and convinced me that voters are ready for the current political system to be reformed and improved.

Hankster News of the Day for Independent Voters - June 18

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Obama Could Lose Independent Voters This Time (Posted by JOE GANDELMAN, Editor-In-Chief, The Moderate Voice) So Obama has to win these voters back — and the issue is clearly the economy. There’s an opening, too, for Romney if he can build on the general impression voters have of him as a good businessman, and “make voters feel comfortable that he’s not going to dismantle everything we have,” says Hart, when it comes to health care and other social support programs. And this anecdotal finding has to be the most utterly devastating one at all for Obama — something he’ll need to fix soon (if he can)
• As Oklahoma’s June 26 primary nears, GOP and Independents surge, Democrats’ registration advantage continues to erode (Patrick B. McGuigan, CapitolBeatOK) Ziriax’s staff has unveiled new data for the Sooner State’s 2,030,073 registered voters. In all 46.45 percent of voters are Democrats, 46.45 percent of the total. Republican strength is now nearly 42 percent of the electorate – 851,759 voters, or 41.96 percent of the total. Independents are 11.59 percent of voters, a total of 235,321.
• In Focus Group, Independent Voters Souring on Obama (by Eleanor Clift, The Daily Beast) “The whole platform was hope—I don’t feel any more hope today,” he said. Pressed by Hart as to which candidate he was leaning toward, Jeffrey said the tenor of the campaign turned him off, that he felt like he was in the middle of a weird argument between a husband and wife, and all he wanted to do was leave the room. “I don’t even know if I’m going to vote this time,” he said glumly.
• Politics over democracy (By the Sierra Vista Herald) Once again we find the Arizona Legislature at odds with both the principles of the Republican party and putting its priority on political power over democratic representation...
• Redistricting Primer: Why New Lines Matter in Battle for House Control (By: Christina Bellantoni, PBS News Hour) The decennial redistricting phenomenon might sound boring, but it's not. Roll Call's longtime politics editor Lauren Whittington tried to convince me of that when I first joined the paper as her deputy in 2010. I was doubtful at first, but it turned out she was right.
• Let voters have a say in redistricting reform (By DICK DADEY, Commentary, Albany Times Union) Opportunities to enact redistricting reform have been squandered time and again, regardless of which party controlled the state Senate. Despite 184 legislators claiming to support an independent process for 2012, we learned that for too many legislators, where they stood on the issue of redistricting reform depended more on where they sat — in the majority or the minority — than on any true desire for reform. Had an independent redistricting commission been in place before lines were drawn, with appointees balanced among the four legislative leaders, we might not have seen the partisan action of the state Senate increasing its size to 63 seats or drawing lines that divide minority communities on Long Island.
• The Wrong Way to Fix California (Steven Greenhut, Bloomberg/View) California desperately needs courageous leaders with innovative ideas. Unfortunately, the new “top two” primary system, which went into effect for the June 5 election, is a step toward rewarding careerist politicians who tout the same old status-quo solutions.
• INDEPENDENT SPARK FLARES AT BALLOT BOX (By Ted Waitt,UT- San Diego NOTE: This article ran on IVN 6/14/12) A vote for an independent candidate is no longer mere symbolism. icPurple.org congratulates California’s courageous independent candidates Linda Parks, Chad Condit, Chad Walsh and Nathan Fletcher. Through each of their campaigns, these leaders proved one common reality: Independent, nonparty candidates are now legitimate competitors in American politics. The “centrist majority” has been awakened, and the match has been struck. Each race from California’s June 5 primary election tells this story in a different way: In the case of Chad Walsh for California Assembly, Walsh will advance to the November general election by pulling a truly remarkable showing of 45 percent of votes against his entrenched party opponent, a longtime politician with enormous name identification.
• King wants pledge against superPACS - Other candidates give cool response (By Tom Bell, Kennebec Journal) Maine's U.S. Senate candidates apparently won't follow the example being set in Massachusetts' high-profile Senate race for diminishing the influence of third-party groups. Independent candidate Angus King sent a letter to his five opponents Wednesday morning asking them to forgo the benefit of expenditures made by outside organizations on their behalf.
• DSCC chairwoman won’t say which Maine Senate candidate she backs (By Josh Lederman, The Hill/Ballot Box) Democrats continue to play coy about their plans in Maine, where former Gov. Angus King — an independent — is the early front-runner in the race. Snowe’s unexpected announcement in February that she would retire created Democrats’ strongest pickup opportunity — until King jumped into the race. Both parties suspect King will caucus with Democrats if elected, but King has adamantly refused to telegraph his intentions. His decision could determine the balance of power in a closely divided Senate in 2013.
• Candidate Steve Woods Offers Endorsement to Angus King (By Steve Woods For US Senate, Sac Bee) teve Woods, an Independent candidate now certified to appear on the November 6th, election ballot for the United States Senate representing Maine, announced today that he will be joining Angus King in publically stating that he will not play the "spoiler" in the November election.
• Maine Senate Race Scrambled by Strong Independent Candidate (ABC News, Elizabeth Hartfield) Two candidates emerged victorious from a crowded field in Maine’s Senate primary on Tuesday. Republicans nominated Charlie Summers, the Secretary of State, from a group of six potential candidates, and Democrats nominated Cynthia Dill, a state Senator from the South Portland area, from a group of four potential candidates. But the frontrunner is generally considered to be Angus King, a former governor who is running as an Independent.
• Independent voters on the rise nationwide (The Oklahoman Editorial) However, in Oklahoma voters are moving to the Republican Party more than they are to independent status. Democrat numbers are declining. As of June 1, around 46 percent of Oklahoma voters were Democrats, nearly 42 percent were Republicans and 11 percent were independents.

More Hankster News of the Day for Independent Voters - June 11

• With Political Polarization at All-Time High, Americans Say 'Listen to Me' (TRANSCRIPT PBS NewsHour - Judy Woodruff, Andrew Kohut, Linda Killian and others) ANDREW KOHUT: Almost all of the increase that we see occurred not gradually over the past 25 years, but in the past 10 years, that is to say during the administrations of George W. Bush and now Barack Obama.
• Hyper-partisanship dragging down nation (By John Avlon, CNN Contributor) It's not your imagination: Our politics are more polarized than at any point in recent history. That's the conclusion of a new survey from the indispensable Pew Research Center for the People and the Press. And if you needed more evidence of the passionate and sometimes poisonous polarization afflicting our nation, you didn't have to look further than the crowds in Wisconsin on Tuesday night after the recall attempt.
• Why Everyone Under 40 Should Be an Independent Voter (Bill Hillsman, Huffington Post) It's sad to say, but if you're under 40, you've probably never experienced functional American politics since the time you started to pay attention to politics... if you pay attention to politics. (And it's hard to blame you if you don't).
• Politics 2012: Partisanship at 20 paces (United Press International, Equities.com) Independents also have become more diverse since 2000, with 67 percent of independents saying they are non-Hispanic whites, down 12 percentage points from 2000. The proportion of independents who are Hispanic has nearly doubled -- from 9 percent to 16 percent -- in the same period.
• Open primary 'business as usual,' observers say (Stephanie Snyder - North County Times/California Watch) "It's business as usual," said Scott Lay, a political blogger and Community College League of California president and CEO. "If you look at the actual results in most districts, it could have been a regular primary." Although the strict definition of moderate, liberal and conservative often is difficult to pinpoint, in some races it was clear that the most ideological candidates advanced to November. That was the case in the Assembly districts that cover San Bernardino County and Irvine.
  GOP Lawmakers Sue Redistricting Commission (Story By Andrea Kelly, Arizona Public Media) In the lawsuit, the top Republicans in the Arizona House and Senate say the Redistricting Commission is in violation of the U.S. Constitution because it removes part of the Legislature’s authority to conduct congressional elections.
• The Rise of the independent voter revolution and what Arizona can learn from California Open Primary elections (by Dee Dee Garcia Blase, Tucson Citizen) The California Open Primaries has helped a much needed Mexican-American candidate of California via Abel Maldonado.  I like Abel.  He didn’t demonize Mexican immigrants in order to get ahead and am especially glad to see more Mexican-American leadership. WITH JASON OLSON'S ARTICLE
• IndependentVoting.org pleased with independent candidate Mike Stauffer shedding light for open primaries (by Dee Dee Garcia Blase, Tucson Citizen) Dear Mike, I was very pleased to learn that you are a strong supporter of the Top Two Open Primary initiative, and wish you luck in your independent campaign for Maricopa County Sheriff. As you know, Independentvoting.org is a training and strategy center for the growing independent movement, working with independents around the country in support of structural political reforms that can bring more nonpartisan governance. We have been actively supporting the Top Two Open Primary initiative organized by the Open Elections/Open Government coalition.
• Redistricting lawsuit a slap in your face (Laurie Roberts, Arizona Republic) Politics is still front and center in the process. (It was probably naive to think that the parties -- both parties -- would behave themselves and butt out.) And clearly the committee is too small for today's Arizona, underrepresenting the independents who comprise a third of the state's electorate. But it's still better than having congressional and legislative districts drawn in the basement of the Capitol by legislators who, let's face it, have a lot riding on where those lines are drawn.
• Results of poll help to explain partisanship (Yuma Sun) The latest party registration numbers from the Office of the Arizona Secretary of State, which oversees Arizona election procedures, showed a similar breakdown as those recorded by the Pew center. According to numbers issued in March, there were 1,134,094 active Republicans registered in the state, 952,907 Democrats and 1,037,007 “other” — which means they claimed no preferred party and are therefore considered independent voters. A number of other minor political parties totaled less than 30,000.
• Kathleen Curry, Former Colorado Legislator Who Switched to Independent and was Barred from the Ballot, Will Try Again (Ballot Access News) She is running as an independent again this year, and she should have no trouble getting on the ballot.
• US Federal Justice Department Steps in to Stop Florida Voter Purge (By Timothy Troutner, IVN) The truth is somewhere in between, and it is not comforting. Election laws are not the unmovable guidelines voters believe them to be. They are tools in the hands of the party in power. Right now, the Republicans hold the power in Florida, and the Democrats hold the power at the Justice Department. This dispute is not about fair and just elections; it is about the power to determine who can vote. The reason the Florida voter purge is so contested is that it may affect the outcome of the election. Independent voters and voters in general are left behind as the two parties battle it out.
• King counts on Independent status to propel him to victory in November (Written by Craig Lyons,
  Portland ME Daily Sun) King said if Snowe left office to travel or try a new career, he wouldn't have thought much of it. But, he said, since she left because of the political climate in Washington, and complaints of partisan division, he couldn't sit back and do nothing.
  Given that partisanship has contributed significantly to the deadlock in Washington, King said he's in a unique position as an Independent.
• Primaries not energizing voters - Absentee ballot numbers suggest a very low turnout, even though U.S. Senate finalists are being chosen. (By John Richardson, State House Bureau, Maine Sunday Telegram) Although voters may still be trying to make up their minds, some election officials say the public just doesn't seem interested in the state and congressional primaries, even though Tuesday's vote is the first step in electing Maine's next U.S. senator. Ten Democrats and Republicans are on the ballots seeking their party's nomination for the seat.
• Is This Maine Independent the Solution to Our Partisan Woes? (By David Rohde, The Atlantic) King, a former Democrat who now rejects both Republican and Democratic dogma, is either an anachronism or a sign that some voters are tiring of partisanship. Keep in mind that a record number of Americans -- 40 percent -- identified themselves as independent in a January Gallup poll; 31 percent identified as Democrats and 27 percent as Republicans.
• Hakeem Jeffries Says 'No, Thank You' to Bloomberg-Backed Charter School PAC (By Jamie Schuh, Bed-Stuy Patch) Jeffries campaign spokeswoman Lupe Todd told the Daily News today that their campaign doesn’t believe that groups like StudentsFirstNY, which is run by a former Albany lobbyist for Mayor Bloomberg, should be involved in the race at all.

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...

Election Reform 2012: Virginia Loyalty Oaths, Partisan Redistricting Damage to Democracy, No Confidence in Congress, Rise of Independents

ELECTION REFORM DIGEST
Wednesday, January 4, 2012

VIRGINIA LOYALTY OATH IN PRIMARY

• Va. GOP will require loyalty oath in presidential primary (Andrew Cain, 12/29/11, Richmond Times Dispatch) Anyone who wants to vote must sign a form at the polling place pledging to support the eventual Republican nominee for president. Anyone who refuses to sign will be barred from voting in the primary. During a brief meeting Wednesday at the state Capitol, the State Board of Elections voted 3-0 to approve three forms developed by the election board's staff to implement the loyalty pledge requested by the state GOP.
• Virginia Republicans to require loyalty oath for primary voters (By Ben Pershing, Washington Post/ Virginia Politics) The pledge has no legal weight — voters are free to sign the form and then disregard it if they choose — but it is meant to discourage mischief-making by non-Republicans. Virginians do not register to vote by party, making it possible for Democrats and independents to show up and vote in the Republican contest.

REDISTRICTING

• Partisan redistricting damaging to democracy (LETTER Asbury Park Press) There should be a national election law that makes each congressional district in that state reflect the partisan makeup of that state. If a state has 35 percent Republicans, 25 percent Democrats and 40 percent independents, then that’s how the congressional seats should be determined.
• Lerner: Providing a fair alternative (By SUSAN LERNER, executive director of Common Cause/NY, Newsday) We are excited to work with Newsday to give New Yorkers the chance to participate in the redistricting process, by giving them a starting point to design their own fair, nonpartisan district maps for the Assembly, State Senate and House through the new, interactive UMAPNY website.
• Redistricting battles to continue in new year (By Josh Lederman, The Hill/ Ballot Box) New Jersey came in just under the wire, with a bipartisan panel picking a Republican-drawn map two days before Christmas that will likely pit Reps. Steve Rothman (D) and Scott Garrett (R) against each other. * Democrats in Ohio gave up their challenge in December to a GOP-friendly map that had prompted complaints against both parties. Democrats accused House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) of putting his thumb on the lever, but also faulted national Democrats for failing to intervene and help out in their fight. * And a bloody redistricting tug-of-war in Arizona between Republicans and the state's independent commission seems to have fizzled out after the GOP, led by Gov. Jan Brewer (R-Ariz.), ran out of feasible options for contesting a map that Republicans charge unfairly benefits Democrats.
• Federal judges block West Virginia redistricting (By Steven Allen Adams, Reuters) The panel said in a two-to-one decision that the plan drawn up by the state's Democratic-led legislature, which left West Virginia's three congressional districts virtually unchanged, did not provide equal representation in each district… In West Virginia, the court said the legislature had focused too much on maintaining the status quo rather than making each district as equal in population as possible. It gave the legislature until January 17 to submit an interim plan or said the panel would choose its own plan.

FRUSTRATION WITH CONGRESS

• Frustration with Congress Could Hurt Republican Incumbents - GOP Base Critical of Party's Washington Leadership (Pew Research Center report December 15) Independents, who have expressed great frustration with Washington gridlock over the course of the past year, are particularly critical of the Republican Party. By a 54% to 30% margin they say the Republican Party, not the Democratic Party, is more extreme in its positions, and they are twice as likely to label the Republicans than the Democrats as the less honest and ethical party (42% vs. 21%). Yet independents have few positive things to say about the Democratic Party either. Both parties’ leaders get poor approval ratings from independents (14% approve of GOP leaders in Congress, 23% of Democratic leaders). And when independents are asked which party can best handle the most important problem facing the nation, as many volunteer “neither” as say the Democrats or the Republicans.

RISE OF INDEPENDENTS

• Voters leaving Republican, Democratic parties in droves (By Richard Wolf, USA TODAY) A USA TODAY analysis of state voter registration statistics shows registered Democrats declined in 25 of the 28 states that register voters by party. Republicans dipped in 21 states, while independents increased in 18 states. The trend is acute in states that are key to next year's presidential race. In the eight swing states that register voters by party, Democrats' registration is down by 800,000 and Republicans' by 350,000. Independents have gained 325,000.
• California State Judge Expedites Hearing in Minor Party Lawsuit Against Top-Two System (Ballot Access News) The California Superior Court Judge who is hearing Rubin v Bowen has set a hearing date of February 7, 2012, for Rubin v Bowen, RG11-605-301, Alameda County.

Citizens Union Presents New York Redistricting Plan

REDISTRICTING

CITIZENS UNION PRESENTS COMPREHENSIVE CASE FOR REDISTRICTING REFORM (PRESS RELEASE, Citizens Union) The report entitled ReShaping New York: Ending the Rigged Process of Partisan Gerrymandering with an Impartial and Independent Redistricting Process highlights how uncompetitive elections have become because the two majority parties, the Democrats in the Assembly and the Republicans in the State Senate, have colluded for decades to draw safe districts that protect incumbents and maximize their seats in their respective house of the legislature.

The Good, The Bad and the Lamesauce

The Good:
It has been a positive month in Utah for the momentum of independent voters and fair open primaries.

Earlier in the month, the Salt Lake Tribune (http://www.sltrib.com/) reported that a legislator speaking on condition of anonymity indicated support for a direct primary. The same article reported that in January, 61% of Utahans polled supported a direct primary. Weekly letters to the editor in support of open primaries are showing up. Here are a few of the links:

The May 12th Tribune article:

http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/politics/51789351-90/among-caucus-direct-litvack.html.csp?page=1

The letters:
A Republic Indeed

And this gem by Dave Glissmeyer who ran for Utah's 2nd Congressional District as an independent: Glissmeyer

Plus an op ed:
I particularly love this love for independents who are being left out of redistricting considerations: Lundgren

These gems showed up in the Sunday paper on my porch this morning:

http://www.standard.net/topics/opinion/2011/05/21/our-view-voters-should-choose-candidates
be sure not to miss the embedded editorial cartoon
http://cdn3.standard.net/sites/default/files/imagecache/max_800/2011/05/20/story-22-calnet-82769.jpg which hails close to John Avlon's book "Wingnuts" (see my review of the same http://grassrootsindependent.blogspot.com/2010/06/wingnuts-book-review.html)

I can't put this at the end of this blog as it would show up under 'lamesauce'. Stay tuned, I have another editorial cartoon to publish in the morning.

The Bad:

An open fair election process is not a reality---yet.

The lamesauce:
http://www.sltrib.com/sltrib/opinion/51830757-82/vote-candidates-caucus-caucuses.html.csp

Democrat insider opposes direct open primaries: http://www.clippertoday.com/view/full_story/13352909/article-Party-Lines--What-should-be-done-about-the-caucus-system-?instance=lead_story_left_column

Republican insider opposes direct open primaries:
http://www.clippertoday.com/view/full_story/13352933/article-Party-Lines--What-should-be-done-about-the-caucus-system

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.

Salute to Abel Maldonado; Principles or Plots in NY State Senate?

A salute to California's out-going Lt. Gov Abel Maldonado, a leader who has continued to stand by his constituents -- THE VOTERS! -- and buck the party system. And now, what's all that jockeying going on in Albany NY???


INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Ruy Teixeira: Make government more effective, not smaller (Orange County Register) Voters in November, independents included, were primarily concerned with the state of the economy and the government’s perceived failure to improve it. This is particularly true of bona fide swing voters—independents who are not disguised partisans of one party or the other.

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Did Arnold deliver? (Chico News Review) Let’s first roll the credits: a $42 billion package of infrastructure improvements; the toughest auto-emissions law in the country; establishment of a redistricting commission and voter approval of an open-primary system...
• ‘Top-two’ isn’t ‘open’ (LETTER Chico News Review) This article would be improved if it referred to Proposition 14 as the “top-two” election system.
• Idaho GOP lawmakers have closed primary bill ready (Associated Press, KHQ - Boise) Idaho Republican lawmakers have a measure ready for the 2011 Legislature to close their primary elections to registered Democratic voters, but are still awaiting a federal judge's ruling in the case.

ELECTORAL COLLEGE

• Will the Oregon Legislature help abolish the Electoral College? (By Grant Schott, Blue Oregon) In 2009, the Oregon House voted 39-19 in favor, but the bill died in the Oregon Senate.

REDISTRICTING

• State Supreme Court to hear redistricting case (By HOWARD FISCHER, Capitol Media Services, Yuma Sun) The two GOP legislators contend that two of the Republicans on the list of nominees, Mark Schnepf and Steven Sossaman, are not entitled to serve because they are members of irrigation district boards. The 2000 law precludes anyone holding “public office” from serving on the redistricting commission.
• Cuomo calls for ethics reforms (Hudson Valley Times Herald-Record) Gov. Andrew Cuomo called for campaign finance reform that includes public financing for elections and contribution limits, an independent redistricting commission, independent monitoring and enforcement of ethics laws…

2012

• White Flight - President Obama’s path to a second term may rely on states shaped by the same social forces he embodies. (By Ronald Brownstein, National Journal) Minorities were almost exactly twice as likely as whites to say that life would be better for the next generation than for their own; whites were considerably more likely to say that it would be more difficult.
• POLITICS AND MOTHER NATURE (by LARRY MENDTE, Philadelphia Magazine/The Philly Post) The national press has been so bad for Bloomberg that his Independent run for president now seems doubtful. At least he made it back to New York from his home in Bermuda to deal with the blizzard.
• Memories of reform (LETTER News Observer - Triangle NC) Now in the minority, Hackney has suddenly gotten religion, jumping on a bipartisan bandwagon as he chastises Republican leaders and calls for enactment of redistricting reform.

CALIFORNIA

• Opinion: Maldonado did well – despite a miniscule staff and red-ink budget (By Amanda Fulkerson, CAPITOL WEEKLY) Everyone knows Maldonado is the god father of the open primary system, but couple that with his other successful proposition, 2009's 1F that chastised legislators by giving voters the opportunity to take away their pay increases while they fail to do their job and you can imagine the distain party bosses feel for him.
• Yes, Maldonado would become governor (By Malcolm Maclachlan, CAPITOL WEEKLY) “If Brown is struck by lightning, Abel would become Governor for his term,” said Amanda Fulkerson, Maldonado’s chief of staff. “By constitution, he’s still Lieutenant Governor and we’re still here toiling away.”

NEW YORK

• Savino throws New York Senate Democratic leaders a curveball, joins breakaway coalition (By Judy L. Randall, Staten Island Advance) Four maverick Democratic state senators -- including Staten Island's Diane Savino -- yesterday broke with their minority leadership to form an "independent" coalition, one that aims to work with Republicans in the majority.
• Ferrer Supports Indy Dem Caucus (By David Freedlander, NY Observer/Politicker) For one thing, as Dan Janison noted yesterday, the new group quickly earned the moniker "The Caucasian Caucus," since it featured only white members of a conference that is mostly Black and Hispanic. Ferrer, who aimed to the be first Puerto Rican mayor of New York can give them some ethnic cred.
• Four freshman stand by Senate Dem leadership (by Casey Seiler, Capitol bureau chief, Albany Times Union/Capitol Confidential) After Mike Gianaris, Tim Kennedy, Gustavo Rivera and Tony Avella introduced themselves to the assembled press, the first question was obvious: What’s it like to join a conference that just lost four of its members?
• Dissension in the Senate ranks (by Jay Jochnowitz, Editorial page editor, Albany Times Union/The Observation Deck) Today’s editorial: For a change, some constructive dissent in the Senate. If only all rank and file members held the leadership on both sides to account.

Partisans Grumble About Open Primaries

Open primaries became a national issue in 2008 when independents threw their support behind the anti-establishment candidacies of Barack Obama and John McCain in open primary states. Partisans are beginning to grumble now in the run up to 2012...


OPEN PRIMARIES

• 10 candidates file in 28th Senate race to replace Oropeza (By Eric Bradley, LA Daily Breeze) Critics of Proposition 14 feared that it would destroy California's minor parties and, for his part, Chamness said he was running partly as a response to the law that he said "disenfranchises third-party candidates."
• Plug up the primaries (By Markos Moulitsas, The Hill) Open primaries should be eliminated. Not only should members of political parties be allowed to select their own nominees, but open primaries provide too many opportunities for mischief by their political foes.
• Candidates for RNC post make their case at Washington forum (By Jo Mannies, St. Louis Beacon) During the forum, Wagner did take a stand that could put her at odds with Republicans back home. She came out against open primaries, long used in Missouri, which don't require voter registration by party and allow anybody to vote in any party's primary.
• Our View: Arnold yields the stage to Jerry (Appeal Democrat) Perhaps most destructive [accomplishment] is the open-primary election system championed by Schwarzenegger, which effectively eliminates the two-party system of primary nominations and general elections.
• Left ready to launch own version of Operation Chaos for Palin? (POSTED BY ALLAHPUNDIT, Hot Air) All things being equal, people like Palin and Huckabee want closed primaries to shut out centrist independents and maximize the impact of base voters; on the flip side, people like Romney and Daniels prefer an open primary for the opposite reason.

REDISTRICTING

• Fall into the GAAP (EDITORIAL Downtown Express) The New York Uprising reform pledge signed by a majority of members of both houses of the Legislature had three points: independent, nonpartisan redistricting; ethics reform; and, finally, the implementation of a GAAP budget process.

NATURAL LAW PARTY

• Michigan Natural Law Party Keeps Qualified Status for 2012 Election (Ballot Access News) In 2010, new parties in Michigan needed 38,024 signatures to get on the ballot; statewide independents needed 30,000; but a party could remain on (for 2012) with only 16,083 votes.

NEW YORK

• Vote probe gambit rejected by judge (By KENNETH C. CROWE II, Albany Times Union) An acting state Supreme Court justice has dismissed questions raised about the status of a Rensselaer County grand jury investigating ballot fraud and a judge overseeing it in a 2009 WFP primary in Troy.

Independents couldn't care less about red-blue fights -- want problems solved.

Independent redistricting is high on the list of reforms that independent voters want. Apparently the Texas state legislature has missed that boat -- and we'll see what Gov-elect Cuomo stirs up in Albany....

REDISTRICTING

• Editorial: Bush draws a point Texas GOP, Obama should heed (Dallas Morning News) As they start this chore, legislators should recall that the country just finished an upheaval of an election, where voters stated clearly that they're tired of politics as usual. Independents, in particular, signaled that they couldn't care less about red-blue fights and want problems solved.

NEW YORK

• Public Advocate hires Maloney Challenger (By Azi Paybarah, WNYC/The Empire) De Blasio – whose ties to the Working Families Party and labor movement – make him a contender for the 2013 mayor’s race, now, conceivably, has a bit more access to the Wall Street crowd...
• Nation's worst Legislature must mend its evil ways and follow Cuomo's reforms (EDITORIAL NY Daily News) Those same brief weeks must also bring dramatic reforms in Albany itself - to ensure that lawmakers stop shilling for special interests, stop grubbing for perks and protecting privileges and start putting the public first.
  

EDUCATION REFORM

• School reform: A chance for bipartisan governing (Arne Duncan, Washington Post) This common-sense agenda also reflects the quiet bipartisan revolution underway at the state and local level. With the incentive of the Race to the Top program, governors, states and districts across America are implementing comprehensive plans to reform education systems and boost student achievement.

Partisan Tyranny v. Independence, circa 2010

Not since 1776 has the cry for independence been so loud, so adamant and so sustained by the people of our country. This time it's the parties, not King George, who are the tyrants. They sit in office year after year, writing the rules and regulations that restrict voting to a select grouping of party loyalists through closed primaries, gerrymandering and partisan control of boards of elections; they keep insurgents and independent candidates at bay through unfair ballot access restrictions and media smear campaigns.

King George III wrote in his diary on July 4, 1776, "Nothing of importance happened today." That's a sign of a successful revolution in the making. The powers-that-be, whether the parties, the politicians, or the mainstream media, just don't get it. And that's in our favor. We're creating something entirely new that doesn't register on the established radar screens of today's authoritarian partisan forces.

Today's independent movement is an attempt to reform our less-than-perfect democracy through structural political reform. Independents, unlike the partisans, put the country first. Can we reform America?

And now for the news:


REDISTRICTING

• Hear citizen’s voice in redistricting debate (EDITORIAL Fort Wayne IN Journal Gazette) “Politically motivated redistricting turns democracy on its head,” Crooks said.

OBAMA

• Obama Reclaims Some Independence (By GERALD F. SEIB, Wall Street Journal) In that sense, the most important movement Mr. Obama has made since the midterm election hasn't been toward the ideological center, or toward Republicans. It has been to move toward his own independence—or, more precisely, back toward his own independence.

NO LABELS

• Left And Right Attack No Labels Movement (By LINDA J. KILLIAN, US News & World Report) Nearly 40 percent of American voters consider themselves not Republicans or Democrats but independents and they are particularly disgusted with the current state of politics in this country.

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.

Jackie Salit and Michael Lewis on Coffee Party USA BlogTalkRadio

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Jackie Salit & Michael Lewis of Independentvoting.org (Coffee Party USA BlogTalkRadio)

OPEN PRIMARIES

• LETTER: Party registration a good idea if voters can be Independent (Daily News Journal - Rutherford County TN)
• EDITORIAL: Close the primaries in Tenn.? (The Tennessean) Ironically, two years ago, it was the Democrats who claimed that Republicans crossed over in the State Senate District 22 primary and voted for then state Sen. Rosalind Kurita. Tim Barnes contested Kurita's 19-vote victory on several points. The state Democratic Party, and party leaders in the district's counties, supported Barnes, who then replaced Kurita on the Nov. 4 ballot and went on to win the election.
• Closed primary has little appeal - Changing the system would help loyalists (Paris TN Post-Intelligencer) The current system seems to work all right. If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.
• Some Conservatives Ready To Shrink State GOP (By Frank Cagle, Knoxville Metro Pulse)

REDISTRICTING

• Dan Walters: California's interior could gain under redistricting (By Dan Walters, Sac Bee) The greatest impact of independent redistricting may be felt in the 10-county San Francisco Bay Area, which has been particularly slow-growing but has retained its disproportionate political clout through the manipulation of districts.

BLOOMBERG 2012

• Bloomberg's Non-Campaign for President - If he ultimately decides to invest some of his vast fortune in an independent run for President, he will be entering dangerous terrain (By GABE PRESSMAN, NBC New York)
• Bloomberg 2012? Don't rule it out (Cullen Linebarger, DC Political Buzz Examiner)
• Mogul may try to Trump GOP White House hopefuls in 2012 (RBR.com TVBR.com voice of the broadcasting industry)
• Nader: Bloomberg Could Win (by Ralph Nader, The Daily Beast) 7. The percentage of voters registering as independent is at an all-time high. In some states there are more independently registered voters than those registering as Republicans or Democrats. Independent voters are more likely to shift their allegiance than loyal partisan voters.

EDUCATION REFORM

• Opinion: The Missing Link in Education Reform (Elanna S. Yalow, Special to AOL News)

What Obama Can Do to Get Out of the Partisan Clutches of a Polarized Congress

Lee Hamilton makes a good point when he says the President needs to "get in on the act" of changing the dynamics of polarization. "He must constantly remind people that the job of the policymaker is to put country first and politics second, and he must lead by example." [see below]

Jackie Salit offered this recent post-midterm analysis:

"Obama expressed a post-partisan vision in his 2008 campaign, which is why so many independents supported him. Need we add that the vote was to put him, not the Democratic Party, in the White House? To the extent that he has fallen into the partisan clutches of a polarized Congress with an unstable Democratic majority, independents are unhappy."

So, how can Obama extricate himself from those partisan clutches?

He can't. That's our job. We have to keep building the independent movement. However, what Pres. Obama could do is sit down with important independents like Salit and find out what our ideas are, what indies are looking for in terms of structural political reform -- in short, he could listen to independents.

And now for the news:

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Columnist: We can reconcile polarized politics (By LEE H. HAMILTON, Journal Star - Nebraska) Open primaries, along the lines of what Californians recently voted into place, would allow independents and moderates to exert more influence on primaries -- and to move party nominees toward the center… Next, the president needs to get in on the act. Changing the dynamics of polarization will require politicians to focus more on making the country work and less on maneuvering for partisan advantage. The president is the central actor in our governmental system, so much of the initiative has to come from him. He must constantly remind people that the job of the policymaker is to put country first and politics second, and he must lead by example.
• New Voices: Open primaries lead to open government (By James Poindexter, Orlando Sentinel)
  California GOP: Shutout in 2010, apocalypse in 2012? (By Ford O'Connell and Steve Pearson, The Daily Caller) Triggered by the passage of Proposition 14 in June 2010, this new primary system effectively removes the GOP’s guaranteed lines on California’s November ballots.

REDISTRICTING

• California redistricting panel takes shape with Esparto man on panel (By Jim Sanders, Sac Bee)
• Daily News editorial: Future of California rides on outcome of citizens' redistricting commission work (EDITORIAL: LA Daily News) The real impact is both long term and cumulative. Paired with other good government initiatives out there such as open primaries (the result of another ballot initiative in June of this year) the foundation has been laid for a slow but momentous shift in California's political structure.
• The time is now, New York (by Jim McGrath, Albany Times Union/The/Observation Deck)

2012

• Mayor Bloomberg's angling for President Obama's job: Gov. Paterson (BY KENNETH LOVETT AND GLENN BLAIN, DAILY NEWS ALBANY BUREAU)
• Gov. Paterson says he won't run for Rangel's seat (By Sean J. Miller, The Hill)
• MoveOn’s move against Obama (Posted by Paul Moses, Commonweal/dotCommonseal)

KENTUCKY

• Galbraith to run for governor as independent (By Ronnie Ellis, Richmond Register) Gatewood Galbraith, a frequent statewide candidate known for his support for decriminalizing marijuana, filed candidacy papers Wednesday with the Secretary of State to run for governor as an independent.

NORTH CAROLINA

• Pollster: N.C. might pick Obama in 2012, too (COMPILED BY ROB CHRISTENSEN AND MARY CORNATZER, NEWS OBSERVER/Under the Dome) PPP recently took a similar poll in Virginia, which also went for Obama in 2008, finding that Obama was leading all Republicans there by five points. The firm found that Obama had lost more independent voters in North Carolina than he had in Virginia during the past two years.

NEW YORK

• Why GOP can't turn tables in NY (By Greg David, Crain's New York) Speaking at an election postmortem event at Milano the New School, Mr. Tusk said his candidate would not have won even if Carl Paladino had not been such a disaster at the top of the ticket. Winning the Independence Party line would have helped, but only marginally. The simple truth, he said, is that Mr. Donovan couldn't win because he couldn't raise enough money. [By the way: BRADLEY TUSK WILL BE HONORED NEXT SUNDAY by the NYC Independence Party at its 11th Annual Anti-Corruption Awards -- scroll down here.]
• NY Conservative Party regains 'Row C' (By: David Freddoso, Washington Examiner)
  Dawidziak: Conservatives flexed muscles (By MICHAEL DAWIDZIAK, Newsday)

EDUCATION REFORM

• CMS turnaround plan: Bright spots, questions - Strategic staffing has limited success, and much work is ahead for 3-year venture. (By Ann Doss Helms, Charlotte Observer) Sterling is a pioneer in Superintendent Peter Gorman's strategic staffing plan, which puts teams of top administrators and teachers into struggling schools. National experts and media hail the plan as a model for urban reform.
• The keys to keeping education reform rolling in D.C. (By Susan Schaeffler, the writer is the founder and chief executive of KIPP D.C. public charter schools, Washington Post)
• Strange Bedfellows: The Politics of Education and the Future of Reform (by Andrew Kurtzman, The Citizen - The student newspaper of the Harvard Kennedy School) Rhee believes that politicians will be a harder sell than the public, because so many receive substantial campaign money from the teachers unions. “I am not anti-union at all,” Rhee said. “The unions are doing what they are supposed to be doing: protecting their members. The problem is that there is no organized interest group defending and promoting what is good for kids. Therefore, there is a risk that policies will be unbalanced or skewed as a result.”
• Time to pay attention to a reform that works (By Valerie Strauss: My guest is Marci Young, director of Pre-K Now, a project of the nonprofit Pew Center on the States that advances high-quality, voluntary pre-kindergarten for all 3 year olds and 4 year olds. Article By Marci Young, Washington Post/The Answer Sheet) voluntary, high-quality pre-kindergarten.

LAST WORD

• The Court vs. the Reformers - The First Amendment vs. an Arizona law. (Newsweek) The 1907 law forbidding direct corporate contributions to candidates still stands. Writing in The Weekly Standard, William R. Maurer of the Institute for Justice explains the actual significance of Citizens United: “Corporations and unions are not individuals, but they are made up of individuals who have banded together for common purposes … To hold that First Amendment rights dissipate the minute one person begins to act in concert with another would neuter the Bill of Rights.”

The Math of "Top Two"

The GOP is dead in California according Duf Sundheim; this statement comes in the wake of the drastic status change to blue this past November. The most obvious piece of evidence? Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley, who had a series of non-partisan election victories, but lost the 2010 state attorney general's race to San Francisco Democrat Kamala Harris, simply for the 'R' next to his name.

UPDATED: As California independent Jon Blankenship points out, it pays to "do the math" when it comes to statements by politicians and the media. And it certainly pays to "read between the lines." For example, what gets left out of most reporting and editoralizing about the new Top Two open primary system that Californians adopted last summer, amid all the chatter about party labels and giving the minority party a better shot at getting their candidates elected, is the simple fact that 3.4 million independent (decline-to-state) VOTERS will be able to have a voice. THAT is the change that's needed if we are to move forward as a country.
CORRECTION: Blankenship pointed out in his letter that people need to "do the math" when it comes to politicians, not top two.

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Jon Blankenship, Red Bluff: Do the math (LETTER to the Red Bluff Daily News) As an independent, I try to stay as informed as possible. Both major parties are prone to make mistakes, but sometimes they do it on purpose. I would like to correct mistakes by checking out the truth.

OPEN PRIMARIES

• GOP brand pronounced dead in deep-blue California (Carla Marinucci,Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle) Some believe the open-primary law California voters passed in November could breathe new life into the party. Under the law, the top two finishers in the primary - no matter what party they're from - will move on to the general election. Some believe the new system will allow more moderate Republicans to prosper in districts that now swing Democratic.
• With California election reforms, state GOP might rebound (By Tom Elias, LA Daily Breeze) The new system will let all voters opt for anyone they like in primaries, meaning Democrats can cast ballots for Republicans if there is no serious contest in their own party's race - as when Gov. Jerry Brown ran last spring - and Republicans can vote for Democrats. Party registration may not mean so much anymore, even in fall runoff elections, for study after study has shown that when people vote for a candidate once, they are comfortable doing it again and again. This bodes extremely well for two Republicans who lost last year: Steve Poizner and Abel Maldonado.
• Sample Ballot Released for First California “Top-Two” Election (Ballot Access News) In May 2010 CA Lt Gov Abel Maldonado was on television in New York city, being interviewed, and he said under the California top-two system that he sponsored, any candidate could choose any party label. He said, for example, that a candidate could prefer the Farmer Party. Also, in December 2010, when he received an award from IndependentVoting, he told the group that under his plan, all candidates can choose any label they wish.

REDISTRICTING

• Editorial: Let others in on the redistricting (The MetroWest Daily News) The advantage of an independent commission is that it can keep purely political considerations out of the process by ignoring certain factors, like party registration, precinct voting histories and the addresses of potential opponents. In Iowa, where an independent body has drawn the district lines for decades, such data cannot even be put in the computer.

OBAMA

• State of the Union a 'fundamental moment' for Obama (By Peter Nicholas and Christi Parsons, Washington Bureau, LA Times) Obama has been moving steadily to the political center since his midterm election drubbing two months ago, agreeing to extend tax cuts for the richest Americans, calling for business-friendly regulations and attempting to repair his relationship with the business community. His speech Tuesday is an opportunity to showcase that transformation, especially to independent voters.

REPUBLICANS

• Mitt Romney tops New Hampshire presidential straw poll; tea-party favorite Jack Kimball elected state GOP chair (By Felicia Sonmez, Washington Post/The Fix) The New Hampshire presidential primary is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 14, 2012 and is open to registered Republicans and independent voters. While straw polls such as today's set expectations and indicate early support, they're typically worth taking with a large grain of salt, as they sample a small cross-section of the New Hampshire primary electorate.

KENTUCKY

• Kentucky Independent Gubernatorial Candidate Invited to Forum with Major Party Opponents (Ballot Access News) Galbraith was the Reform Party gubernatorial nominee in 1999, when he received 15.42% of the vote.

BLOOMBERG

• Mayor Lashes Out at Judge (By MICHAEL HOWARD SAUL, Wall Street Journal) On Thursday, Judge Emily Jane Goodman issued a temporary restraining order preventing the city from laying off nine deputy sheriffs and demoting three supervising deputy sheriffs.

EDUCATION REFORM

• Education Secretary Duncan says Minnesota can do better to bridge achievement gap (AP, St. Cloud Times) He said Minnesota, like other states in the nation, was becoming more racially diverse but wasn’t doing enough to help students on the wrong side of the achievement gap catch up.

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

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

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

The Week in Politics (TIME Magazine) If most of those million fleeing Republicans have become tenuous independents, then who are those 700,000 new Democrats?


REFORM

• MI: Graduate the Electoral College-States should dump winner-take-all system and award electors proportionally (Detroit Free Press) Polls show that 70%-80% of Americans support abolishing the Electoral College in favor of direct, popular election of the president.


• PA: Proposed election board rattles Republican Party (Lancaster Online)


• REFORM MICHIGAN GOVERNMENT NOW! PROPOSAL


• Nixing term limits is key Capitol reform (Lansing State Journal editorial) Lansing pols want roll back of term limits in context of reform proposal


• A plot to rule state-Democrats' secret strategy aims to trick voters into one-party advantage in Michigan (DETROIT FREE PRESS)


• "Who's on First?" for the State Reform Proposal? (The Flint Journal)

CAMPAIGN

McCain hits Maine Monday for votes, money (Morning Sentinel/Maine Today) independent voters outnumber both Democrats and Republicans in Maine. About 39 percent of voters are unenrolled, 29 percent are registered as Democrats and 32 percent as Republicans


LOCAL INDEPENDENT NEWS

• Swing vote key to win in Congress (Zanesville Times Recorder)


• Do the math, Republicans-The rise of independent voters in California means a boost for GOP moderates. (LA Times)


• More News (Republican & Herald) Monday, Reps. Chris King and John Galloway, both Democrats from Bucks County, called for a referendum this November on whether to conduct a constitutional convention in 2009.

THIRD PARTY NEWS

• AK: 9th Circuit Sets Hearing Date in Political Party Rights Case (Ballot Access News)


• PA: Constitution Party allowed on ballot (Springfield MO News Leader)

MEDIA / NETROOTS / BLOGOSPHERE

Marcos Moulitsas' Daily Kos moults to Netroots Nation in an attempt to flex muscle on the scrawney left-wing of the Dem Party...

• Left-leaning bloggers flex muscle in Texas (Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle) "We knew that the Internet and Internet alone is not going to win elections. If our people on the Internet were not also organizing on the ground, we're not going to be effective," Obama's deputy campaign manager, Steve Hildebrand, a 22-year veteran of political campaigns, said Saturday. He urged the bloggers in Austin to talk about the 56 million unregistered voters in the United States, particularly people of color and youth, then get out and register them.


• Gore, Pelosi Address Liberal Bloggers at Convention (Associated Press/Fox News Election HQ)


• Texas Boot Camp for Bloggers on the Right (NY Times/The Caucus)


• LIVE from Austin:: From Dean to Obama - Four Years (Northwest Progressive Institute Advocate)


• Liberal Bloggers Rally, Drink in Austin (Wall Street Journal/Washington Wire)


• The War, Dems, MoveOn and The Uprising (Guerilla News Network) David Sirota now has a new book out: The Uprising: An Unauthorized Tour of the Populist Revolt Scaring Wall Street and Washington. In it he expands on his criticism of the Democratic Party and its partisan, professional antiwar activists in the leadership of MoveOn.