Texas: Immigration issue delicate for Repubs in Texas, Calif; Kinky close to Minuteman position

GOP risking Latino voters

Immigration proposals could reverse party's gains with Hispanics

Sunday, May 7, 2006 By GROMER JEFFERS JR. The Dallas Morning News

The volatile debate over immigration is creating numerous divides, but none may be more pronounced than the split in the Republican Party.
Conservative proposals that would criminalize illegal immigrants and those who help them – along with the huge demonstrations nationwide against such plans – threaten to isolate Republicans from a base of support that they have worked for years to court: the fast-growing Latino population.
If Hispanics bolt the GOP because of immigration, it would erase the inroads George W. Bush has made in opening the party to the group, both as Texas governor and president. What's more, a strong Latino turnout could help Democrats win control of Congress in the November elections and change the landscape in the next presidential race..... The presence of independent candidate Kinky Friedman in the race could give conservatives determined to make a statement on immigration an alternative. Mr. Friedman, who supports a guest-worker program but a much stronger border enforcement policy, has called Mr. Perry soft on the issue.
"Kinky Friedman is closer to the Minutemen than Rick Perry," said Mr. Hernandez of St. Mary's University, referring to a national group that has been monitoring areas along the border.
Mr. Perry notes that the issue is critical in a state like Texas.
"Texas has the longest continuous border with a foreign country of any state in the nation, so immigration will always be an important issue with Texans," he said.
Mr. Friedman said that Mr. Perry, "like a good politician, doesn't want to offend anybody. He sure doesn't want to offend any Hispanics after that big march in Dallas.".... more

Oregon: Independent opportunity

New voting bloc: the frustrated Election - A poll shows sour moods among likely primary voters have helped to keep the governor's race knotted

Sunday, May 07, 2006 JEFF MAPES The Oregonian -- Oregon voters have plenty of beefs this year. Zooming gas prices. Illegal immigration. Low-wage jobs and shaky health insurance. And don't even get them started about the politicians in the state Capitol.
So it may be no surprise that none of the candidates for governor has appeared to catch fire this year, according to a new poll for The Oregonian. Instead, voters seem largely united in the belief that something is wrong -- even if there is little agreement on what exactly is the problem. .....Portland pollster Tim Hibbitts, who conducted the survey, said he's seen regular ups and downs in voter moods over his 30 years of polling. But he said he's never seen such a sour mood at a time when the economy in both Oregon and the country is moving upward.
The upshot is that incumbent Democrat Ted Kulongoski is struggling to get more than half of his primary vote while the three major Republican candidates remain embroiled in a tight race.
"This result reflects more than anything else the frustration that Oregonians across the board are feeling about the state," Hibbitts said. "There is a huge amount of cynicism out there that nobody is going to make things better."
The April 30-May 2 survey of likely Democratic and Republican primary voters found that 66 percent of GOP voters said the state was going in the wrong direction. Among Democrats, 48 percent said the state was on the wrong track, while 41 percent had a positive view.
Independent voters were not surveyed, but Hibbitts said that other recent surveys he's done led him to think that independents would more closely resemble Republicans in their negative view of how the state is doing. .... more

Oregon governor facing difficult re-election bid

5/6/2006 By BRAD CAIN The Associated Press The Oregonian ...Kulongoski's real test could come in November, when he faces one of three major Republican contenders competing for their party's nomination. Another threat to Kulongoski is an independent candidate in the governor's race — state Sen. Ben Westlund, whose base of support seems to be growing.... more

Massachusetts: Have you heard of Christy Mihos?

Latest Suffolk Poll
Hub Politics blog 5/6/06 -- Some interesting information in the latest Suffolk University Poll... Kerry Healey, Chris Gabrieli, and Deval Patrick all have approving ratings in the 33% percent range. Tom Reilly has an approval rating of 40%. One third of those polled did not know Independent candidate Christy Mihos, and a whopping 64% have never heard of Green-Rainbow candidate Grace Ross..... more

NATIONAL: Independents are the ticket

One Last Thing Polls, for now, give Democrats big edge. But many numbers are self-contradictory. And the polls won't open for 184 days.

By Jonathan Last Philadelphia Enquirer May 7, 2006 -- In September of 1984, an ABC/Washington Post poll asked registered voters whether they preferred a Democrat or a Republican to represent their congressional districts. By a 15-point margin, respondents favored Democrats. On Election Day 1984, Democrats lost 14 seats in the House. In 1996, a similar question produced a 14-point edge for Democrats; in that election they gained 9 House seats. The lesson is that polls are important tools for understanding politics. Except when they're not. ...If the election were held today, Democrats would have a good chance to realign the House of Representatives for a decade. The only problem is that the polls won't open for another 184 days. And Democrats have shown time and again that they can blow a lead like nobody's business.... more

Pollster Suggests Bush Moves Might Be Too Little, Too Late

By Eric Pianin and Chris Cillizza Sunday, May 7, 2006 Washington Post -- The recent White House shake-up was an attempt to jump-start the administration and boost President Bush's rock-bottom approval ratings, but have those efforts come too late to salvage the presidency? A prominent GOP pollster thinks that may be the case.
"This administration may be over," Lance Tarrance, a chief architect of the Republicans' 1960s and '70s Southern strategy, told a gathering of journalists and political wonks last week. "By and large, if you want to be tough about it, the relevancy of this administration on policy may be over." A new poll by RT Strategies, the firm headed by Tarrance and Democratic pollster Thomas Riehle [shows]... ....Tarrance said it would be extremely difficult for any president to bounce back this late in his administration and reassert influence on Capitol Hill when his approval rating barely exceeds his party's base support and half of all adults surveyed said they "strongly disapprove" of his performance. An overwhelming 73 percent of independents disapprove of Bush's performance, and two-thirds of those "strongly disapprove.".... more

Voters Reject Guest-Worker Plan

USA Matthew A. Roberts New Media Journal May 6, 2006 -- A new Zogby poll of likely voters finds that Americans prefer, by two to one, the House of Representatives’ enforcement-only bill to the Senate’s plan to grant guest-worker status. Sixty-four percent of Americans support the House bill, with only 30 percent supporting the Senate plan. Support for the enforcement-only approach by itself also proves to be widespread, with 81 percent of Republicans, 72 percent of Independents, 57 percent of Democrats, and 53 percent of Hispanics supporting the enforcement-only House bill. .... more

Oil prices more political/psychological than economics

Has oil production peaked? Herrera: Statistics point to peak production; prices likely to go higher
Alan Bailey Petroleum News May 7, 2006 -- It’s well known that U.S. oil production has been declining for many years. And, in Alaska, oil production is well past its peak. But has worldwide oil production peaked? And what impact might worldwide oil production capacity have on already soaring oil prices?
On May 1 Petroleum News discussed these topics with Alaska oil industry consultant Roger Herrera. Herrera sees the current high oil prices as essentially a result of demand moving out of step with supply in oil markets......... I would argue that despite all the political rhetoric … that what we’re going through at the moment is purely supply and demand,” Herrera said. “… There is more demand than there is supply and I can’t really see anything geologically on the horizon which is changing that supply in any dramatically positive fashion.”
And Herrera sees the current furor over oil and gasoline prices as having more to do with politics and psychology than factual economics.
“In a way this is a huge psychological problem, rather than a real problem,” he said. “… The world is not falling apart.”.... more

PSYCHOLOGY: Freud dissenter Frederick Crews' new book "Follies of the Wise"

Freud remains iconoclastic professor's most worthy opponent
Reviewed by Michael O'Donnell San Francisco Chronicle Sunday, May 7, 2006
REVIEW: Follies of the Wise Dissenting Essays By Frederick Crews, SHOEMAKER & HOARD; 405 PAGES; $26

When Frederick Crews published his review essay "The Unknown Freud" in the New York Review of Books in 1993, he fired the opening shot in what has become known as the "Freud wars," a ferocious clash over the father of psychoanalysis and his legacy. Crews, a former English professor at UC Berkeley, was by no means the first or the only scholar to attack Freud as a fraud or psychoanalysis as a pseudoscience, but his voice was the loudest and strongest, so his critics responded in angry torrents. The debate raged through the 1990s, traveling through other heady publications such as the (London) Times Literary Supplement and the New Republic to university conferences and even the Library of Congress, which opened a contentious Freud exhibition in 1998. Few public intellectual battles have been bloodier, or more fun to watch. .... more

THEATER: Can theater offer us a better political performance?

"Could our political life benefit from allowing hatred to speak openly once again? Unlike theater, politics is a show that's on 24-7, and a politics dense with bigotry makes for an uncivilized and exhausting world for those who are bigotry's targets." Royal Shakespeare Company's Prioress's Tale from Chaucer presents anti-Semitism; Wooster Group's Emperor Jones presents racism (Washington Post)

Chaucer's Slurring Words RSC Offers Blunt Talk About Voicing Now-Taboo Hatreds
By Philip Kennicott Washington Post Staff Writer Sunday, May 7, 2006 ....The exciting thing about seeing the Prioress's tale or "The Emperor Jones" done in such straightforward fashion is that we can understand the psychology behind bigory -- and in the case of the Prioress, why some people found bigotry so attractive. And once you understand the psychology, it becomes just another entry in the catalogue of things that people used to think and say; it ceases (after the initial shock) to be obscene, and it feels, in the end, very old-fashioned.
Perhaps, then, we might try adjusting our response to ugly slurs in a way that mimics these theater pieces: Be curious rather than offended. Thus the words lose the power of obscenity, and the psychology of those who use them is laid bare. In the long run, they may end up with the status of most words one finds in Chaucer: relegated by dictionary-makers to "archaic."... more

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES

As Washtington fails, who will lead the movement for a third party?

Scott Rasmussen: Immigration issue could lead to third party candidate

New York: Suozzi backs Gianaris redistricting bill

California: Steve Westly has independent appeal

Texas: Independent politics is all the rage

Massachusetts: Independent candidate for gov Christy Mihos - who will he pick as running mate?

Oregon: Keisling backs open primary, still gettin' those signatures...

As Washtington fails, who will lead the movement for a third party?

Washington’s Deliberate Strategy of Non-Solutions Government
Chris Adamo May 5, 2006 -- Washington has been shaken by the recent Rasmussen poll indicating that a significant portion of Americans would support a third-party candidate for President in 2008. Perhaps most alarming to Washington’s current "ruling class" is the fact that such rampant discontent with the likely choices of either major party for President Bush’s successor is also reflected in the polling data indicating public disgust with the entrenched members of Congress as well.Most assessments of the poll attempt too deep (too "nuanced" if you will) of an analysis, and thus miss the basic point it highlights.
Ultimately, the Rasmussen poll shows that it is conservatism, hated by the Democrat insiders and abandoned by fearful Republicans, that is missing in Washington. Moreover, a truly conservative agenda would most certainly attract grassroots Democrats more than Republicans as it did in the 1980 and 1984 elections of Ronald Reagan.
Then, as now, they are not drawn to the "light-beer" version of liberalism advocated by GOP "moderates," but to truly conservative alternatives.
Reagan benefited from "crossover" voters, not by presenting himself a cheap imitation of Democrats, but by offering a real alternative to the "business as usual" climate in Washington. Even the presence of John Anderson, the "moderate" third party alternative in the 1980 race, did not take votes from Reagan, but from the perennially insipid incumbent, Jimmy Carter.
Americans are daily confronted by a host of impending crises, and they are aware that those inside the Beltway are fixated on achieving the best looking posture, but have no intention of making the difficult decisions necessary to truly address each situation. Yet like the terror war (the only national emergency about which it can be said that the government acted decisively and effectively), Americans recognize that platitudes and wasted money will not indefinitely delay the grim consequences of inaction.
Alarmingly, the two issues that best illustrate this are reaching "critical mass" at virtually the same time. In the past few weeks, Americans have borne the bitter fruits of both the criminal negligence of those in charge of protecting the nation’s borders, along with the lack of a worthwhile energy policy, and the consequent skyrocketing of gas prices.
Monday’s mass protests by open borders advocates, while hardly crippling the country as their planners had hoped, nevertheless demonstrated the presence of an increasingly coordinated and belligerent army massing within this nation’s boundaries. Aided and abetted by a Mexican president who claims an inherent right to the resources and wealth found here, this multitude holds no allegiance to our country or its heritage.
And as this force gains power and organization, its leaders seek to summon its clout on an expanding basis, in order to alter the political and social climate to their own greatest advantage.
Yet instead of admitting to the true nature of the crisis and dealing forthrightly with it, those in government charged with upholding the integrity of the nation and truly preserving its Constitution are still attempting to tap-dance their way around the enormity of the invasion, and steadfastly avoiding consideration of the magnitude of response necessary to truly secure the nation.
The disgraceful bill that nearly passed in the Senate last month would have imposed a token "fine" on the illegals, thereafter essentially granting them legal status. Whereupon the political class would have declared the problem "fixed" as readily and happily as Neville Chamberlain claiming "Peace in our time." But reality surged through the streets of America’s major cities on May 1.
Similarly, the gasoline situation should have been addressed more than a decade ago, yet aside from symbolism, nothing has been done to alleviate the impending problem. Democrats have been perpetually willing to demagogue the issue, knowing that unlike 9-11, the day of reckoning was some time away.
Well that day has arrived. Now they deflect criticism for their unwillingness to prepare, by stoking flames of class envy against oil producers. As long as they can keep this ruse going, they can avoid responsibility. And in all likelihood, they will continue to be abetted by Republican timidity.
In the face of threats of being painted as "anti-environment," Republicans are historically too afraid to press the issue of exploring and drilling for new sources of oil, which is the only real solution to the problem. Instead, Republican Senate Leader Bill Frist has proposed a "fix" that is sadly reflective of last year’s abominable spending binge in the aftermath of hurricane Katrina. Frist advocates a hundred dollar payoff to lower-income Americans, ostensibly to defray the higher cost of energy.
Meanwhile, the entire country suffers while Congress remains hopelessly crippled by the partisan bickering that offers wild Democrat accusations and Republican cowardice as a substitute for real action. The only thing worse for the nation is the occasional episode of "bipartisanship" by which Washington increasingly fortifies itself against real America.
Thus is the growing affinity with a "third party" easy to understand.

Christopher G. Adamo is a freelance writer and staff writer for the New Media Alliance. He lives in southeastern Wyoming with his wife and sons. He has been active in local and state politics for many years. link

Scott Rasmussen: Immigration issue could lead to third party candidate

April 27, 2006

Immigration Issue Could Lead to 3rd Party Candidate - by Scott Rasmussen

Over the past generation, Republicans and Democrats have battled to a draw on issues ranging from taxes to abortion. Both sides have poll-tested, focus-grouped, nuanced answers for these issues and supporters have lined up with the party of their choice.
Even the War on Iraq takes place against a political backdrop that all participants in the process understand--Democrats need to oppose the War while fighting a perception that they are weak on national security. Republicans want to focus on the global threat of terrorism rather than specifics in Iraq.
Immigration is entirely different.
It's not the most important issue to voters (except in a few Southwestern States) but it could shake up the nation's political equilibrium more than the economy, Iraq, or any other contemporary issue. Our latest polling shows that a pro-enforcement third party candidate could attract more support than a generic Republican presidential candidate in 2008 (and also be tied with the Democrats). Conservatives divide equally between Republicans and the third party candidate. Moderates divide equally between Democrats and the third party candidate. (This should be taken as an indication of the issue's power rather than a literal projection of election outcomes).
The issue has power because politicians from both parties have ignored it for a long time and haven't begun to figure out the nuances or context of the debate.
Most current discussion by elected officials starts with a focus on illegal aliens. For most voters, that's letting the tail wag the dog.
The best place to start is with the bigger picture where most Americans agree. We've been polling state-by-state on this issue all month and consistently find agreement on a few key points.
1. Most Americans in all states want a welcoming national immigration policy that lets our nation assimilate new people into the national melting pot. Our polls have consistently found strong support for a policy goal that welcomes everybody except criminals, national security, threats, and those who want to live off our welfare system.
2. Just as important, most Americans also want a policy that emphasizes enforcement first. They want the nation to gain control of its borders and enforce existing laws before other reforms are considered.
3. As a pragmatic step to support the first two points, most Americans want to build a barrier along the Mexican border.
These goals are not at all contradictory. In fact, they flow naturally from the fact that we are a nation of immigrants, a nation of laws, and a nation of pragmatic problem solvers.
Where does this leave the 11 million or so illegal immigrants living and working in the USA? Unfortunately, they are the pawns in the current debate, but not the central issue.
Let's hope there's a leader out there ready to focus on the bigger picture of the immigration debate... a picture that is welcoming, enforceable, and enforced.
If that person doesn't step forward, it's easy to envision an outcome that only a political junkie could love. Imagine that the nation remains bitterly divided between Republicans and Democrats. Then, a 3rd party candidate campaigns on immigration, picks up a few Southwestern states, and prevents either party's Presidential nominee from winning a majority of the Electoral College. Not a pretty picture. link

New York: Suozzi backs Gianaris redistricting bill

State government reformers target voting district reapportionment
AT A GLANCE Here is how the reapportionment panel would be picked under the Gianaris-Spano bill:
* The four legislative leaders -- two Republicans and two Democrats -- each pick two people to come up with a pool of 40 potential members of a commission to redraw lines: 15 Republicans, 15 Democrats and 10 of minor parties or unaffiliated.
* Each leader then picks two from that group to be part of the panel.
* Those eight panel members pick three more.
* If they can't agree on those, the chief judge of the state Court of Appeals decides who those members are.

By JAY GALLAGHER Albany Bureau Chief Press & Sun Bulletin, Binghamton ALBANY -- Advocates of reforming state government who plan to rally Tuesday at the Capitol think they have hit on the key to changing the status quo: End the gerrymandering of legislative districts that all but guarantee most incumbents easy re-election.... more

California: Steve Westly has independent appeal

Fight to run against Schwarzenegger bound to get ugly

By JIM BOREN Fresno Bee 05-MAY-06 ....But why then does Democratic newcomer Steve Westly hold a big lead over Angelides in the public opinion polls? Part of the reason is Westly's personal wealth, which has allowed him to do much more television advertising than Angelides. That's crucial in this race in which both Democratic candidates still are relatively unknown.
But much of Westly's success so far comes from being seen as a 21st century Democrat, sort of a party wobbler who doesn't always line up with Democrats on every issue. That is appealing to many California Democrats who are much more independent than party activists who control the Democratic machinery.... more

Texas: Independent politics is all the rage

Independents Try to Shake Up Texas Race
AUSTIN, Texas, May. 5, 2006 CBS News(AP) -- In a small, windowless room in an industrial part of town, with rock music softly thumping in the background and two mirrored disco balls spinning overhead, Kelley Lowes is working for a man who hopes to be Texas' first independent governor since Sam Houston, and its first ever named Kinky.
Humorist, author and songwriter Kinky Friedman is looking to oust Republican Gov. Rick Perry, as is fellow independent Carole Keeton Strayhorn, the state comptroller who bills herself as "one tough grandma." With 45,540 valid signatures apiece, they would set up a wild four-way race Nov. 7 in the nation's second-biggest state..... more

NOTE: This article ran internationally.

Massachusetts: Independent candidate for gov Christy Mihos - who will he pick as running mate?

Mihos Delays Running Mate Choice

Hub Politics blog May 5, 2006 -- Perhaps there is trouble in Christy's Market. The Boston Herald is reporting that Christy Mihos's campaign manager says not to expect a choice until the summer...... Gubernatorial candidates are not paired with running mates in primary election but in recent races candidates have designated their preferred partner. Before deciding to run as an independent, Mihos asked former lieutenant governor candidate Jim Rappaport to be his GOP running mate, a source close to the talks told the Herald. After he declined, Mihos is said to have considered former U.S. Rep. Peter Blute and Patriots quarterback Doug Flutie.
There can be no doubt that if Mihos held true to his alleged life-long Republican roots, he would have chosen a running mate by now. Had he done that, he might had a fighting chance, but as a third party candidate, it will be tough to recruit someone to go down with the ship..... more

Oregon: Keisling backs open primary, still gettin' those signatures...

Keisling touts open primary initiative

JOHN SOWELL News ReviewMay 5, 2006 ... Former Secretary of State Phil Keisling isn't ready to advocate that Oregonians should shuck their political labels at the elections office door. However, he would like to see the state broaden the appeal of its primaries by opening ballots to all registered voters. ....Keisling's group, which also includes former Republican Secretary of State Norma Paulus, has collected 50,000 signatures to get the measure on the November ballot. They have until toward the end of the month to collect another 50,000.
Sara Byers, a Roseburg Democrat, asked Keisling whether the initiative, if approved, would spell the end of the political parties in Oregon. ...Keisling said the Legislature would likely shift away from the deep-seated philosophical leanings of the two major parties if a number of independent candidates were elected because of the shift to an open primary. That would make it harder for party leaders to ensure their members toe the party line and would allow a better mix of ideas.... more

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES

Major discoveries that changed the world: 1)
Agriculture 2) The Earth is not the Center of the
Universe 3) It's possible for the President of the
United States of America to be an independent.

NATIONAL: Thomas Friedman ("The World Is Flat") projects independent president as bipartisan ship runs aground...
California: Open primaries and nonpartisan redistricting for better choices
Texas: Signatures secure for Strayhorn & Kinky...
Pennsylvania: Independent registration up; what's up with those polls?????
Georgia: Atlanta Youth Radio - we need independent choices!
Oregon: Ben Westlund and Open Primary Initiative ready to rock

From yesterday's post: Does "DLC" Stand for "Damned Little Cojones?"

NATIONAL: Thomas Friedman ("The World Is Flat") projects independent president as bipartisan ship runs aground...

Let's (Third) Party
By THOMAS L. FRIEDMAN
New York Times, May 3, 2006 Op/Ed
link
What would OPEC do if it wanted to keep America
addicted to oil? That's easy. OPEC would urge the
U.S. Congress to deal with the current spike in
gasoline prices either by adopting the Republican
proposal to give American drivers $100 each, so
they could continue driving gas-guzzling cars and
buy gasoline at the current $3.50 a gallon, or by
adopting the Democrats' proposal for a 60-day
lifting of the federal gasoline tax of 18.4 cents
a gallon. Either one would be fine with OPEC.

So, to summarize, we now have a Congress
proposing to do exactly what our worst enemies
would like us to do — subsidize our addiction to
gasoline by breaking into our kids' piggybanks to
make it easier for us to pay the prices demanded
by our oil pushers, so that we will remain
addicted and they will remain awash in dollars.

With a Congress like this, who needs Al Qaeda?

Seriously, there is something really disturbing
about the utterly shameless, utterly over-the-top
Republican pandering and Democratic point-scoring
that have been masquerading as governing in
response to this energy crisis. The Republicans
are worse, because they control all the levers of
power and could move the country if they proposed
a serious energy policy — but won't.

"We used to say the system is broken because it
won't respond until there is a crisis," said
David Rothkopf, author of "Running the World," a
history of U.S. foreign policy. But now it's
really broken, "because the system can't even respond to a crisis!"

What to do? I'm hoping for a third party. The
situation is ripe for one: America is facing a
challenge as big as the cold war — how we satisfy
our long-term energy needs, at reasonable prices,
while decreasing our dependence on oil and the
bad governments that export it — and neither
major party will offer a solution, because it
requires sacrifice today for gain tomorrow.

Combine a huge leadership vacuum on a huge issue
with an Internet that has proved itself as an
alternative platform for organizing, financing
and energizing a political campaign outside the
Washington establishment, and you have the makings of a credible third party.

I would not call it the "Green Party" — the
name's been taken, and it connotes an agenda that
is too narrow and liberal. Today's third party
has to be big, strategic, centrist and
forward-looking — something likee the "American
Renewal Party," something that frames the energy
issue as critical to restoring American strength
and wealth, not just conservation.

Energy really is key to American renewal — from
stimulating more young people to study math and
science, to bringing down the trade deficit by
decreasing our dependence on imported oil, to
bringing down the fiscal deficit by raising
gasoline taxes, to improving U.S. competitiveness
by making us leaders in clean technologies, to
restoring U.S. global respect by leading the
fight against climate change, to advancing
democracy by finding alternatives to oil and
thereby weakening some of the world's worst
regimes, who are using their oil windfalls to halt the spread of freedom.

"There is an opportunity here for someone who
will seize it," said Micah Sifry, author of
"Spoiling for a Fight: Third-Party Politics in
America." That someone would have to be a more
emotionally stable and energy-focused Ross Perot
type. Because, added Mr. Sifry, "if the issue of
the day in 1991-1992 was the ballooning budget
deficit that we were not dealing with, then the
issue today we are not dealing with is the energy
and environmental catastrophe that awaits the
next generation. It is as much a mortgaging of
our children's future as the deficit issue. It needs the right leader, though."

Like someone who will tell the truth: The only
way Americans are ever going to enjoy relatively
cheap gasoline again is if we raise the price now
with a gasoline tax— and fix it at that higher
level for several years — so investors know that
it is not coming down, and therefore it makes
economic sense for them to make the long-term
investments in alternative, renewable sources of
energy. That is the only way to break our oil
addiction and ultimately bring down the price.

Yes, our system is rigged against third parties.
Still, my gut says that some politician, someday
soon, just to be different, just for the fun of
it, will take a flier on telling Americans the
truth. The right candidate with the right message
on energy might be able to drive a bus right up
the middle of the U.S. political scene today —
lose the far left and the far right — and still
maybe, just maybe, win a three-way election.


And while we're thinking about this, have a look at last Sunday's Talk/Talk -- Every Sunday independent political consultant Jacqueline Salit and strategist and philosopher Fred Newman discuss the political talk shows. Here is an excerpt from their dialogue on Sunday, April 30, 2006 after watching “The Chris Matthews Show,” “Meet the Press” and “The McLaughlin Group.”
Salit: Gas prices and the oil crisis were the subject matter today. One way you could characterize the basic question in the roundtable discussion on “Meet the Press” is this: can you introduce any notion of limiting oil industry profits to try to make the industry more accountable and drive gas prices down?
Newman: Why not simply ask, at this stage of capitalism, can we limit profiteering? read more Talk/Talk

California: Open primaries and nonpartisan redistricting for better choices

Blanket primaries a step toward reform

Whittier Daily News May 5, 2006 -- RECENTLY, I have been talking with people about the upcoming primary elections. I've been finding that some are just not interested in participating in California's June primary. A common thread in these conversations is a feeling that choices are limited. Regardless of the individual's partisanship and given that the legislative districts in our area are so heavily gerrymandered to favor one of the two major parties, some think they don't have meaningful choices in the upcoming primary.
Unfortunately, my guess is that this is a common perception and might be why many voters don't participate in primaries.
This lack of clear choices in many primary elections is partly due to our current set of gerrymandered districts. But it is mainly due to a different problem: the lack of open primaries in California.
California experimented with truly open primaries in 1998. That experiment occurred after voters approved Proposition 198, which ushered in the so-called "blanket primary." In this version of an open primary, no matter the voter's party registration, he or she could cast a ballot for any candidate running in the primary, regardless of the candidate's party label. Candidates receiving the most votes within each party then advanced to the general election.
This type of open primary was unusual, but was effective at providing voters with real choices and producing more interesting primary elections. ... more

Texas: Signatures secure for Strayhorn & Kinky...

Independent candidates say they have the signatures to get on governor’s race ballot

Waco Tribune Friday, May 05, 2006 By Dan Genz--This week was expected to be the last dash before independent candidates submitted thousands of signatures to make the ballot for the Texas governor’s race in November.
But because Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn and celebrity Kinky Friedman report collecting well above the required amount of 45,540 signatures, their supporters will close petition drives across Central Texas on Wednesday with a sense of anticlimactic relief.
“We’re not doing a last-day push or anything,” said Will Lowrance, the Hillsboro mayor who collected more than 200 signatures for Strayhorn. “Her numbers are so far over the top.”
Strayhorn spokesman Mark Sanders reported at least 145,000 total signatures, while Friedman spokeswoman Laura Stromberg would only say the humorist and musician eclipsed the target by “tens of thousands.”
“We will be on the ballot. There is no question about that,” she said.
Despite the numbers, Waco pizza parlor owner and Friedman supporter Mary Duty wondered if it was enough as she prepared to send her last batch of signatures to the campaign headquarters Thursday night.....
more

Pennsylvania: Independent registration up; what's up with those polls?????

Democrats’ grip on Montgomery County tightens
Margaret Gibbons Special to The Mercury 05/04/2006 NORRISTOWN .....A total of 1,193 previously registered county voters switched their registration to Democratic since the last election, according to another county statistical report. There were 684 previously registered voters who switched to become Republicans. In addition, 2,272 previously registered voters switched registrations to non-partisan since the last election, according to the report. ... more

Incumbents Surging in Pa.
ABC Channel 6 HARRISBURG, Pa. (AP) - May 4, 2006 - A pollster that showed Republican challenger Lynn Swann nipping at the heels of Gov. Ed Rendell in February released new survey results Thursday that give the Democratic incumbent a double-digit lead.
In the U.S. Senate race, the poll showed Democratic state Treasurer Bob Casey's lead over Republican incumbent Rick Santorum tightening from double digits in February to six percentage points. Rendell led Swann 49 percent to 35 percent in the Keystone Poll by the Center for Opinion Research at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster. Russ Diamond, a critic of the legislative pay raise who hopes to run for governor as an independent candidate, attracted 3 percent. .... more

Georgia: Atlanta Youth Radio - we need independent choices!

Changing the System
Youth Radio - Atlanta --"If our country is ever to truly be the land for and by the people, then the people must be given all their choices." By Wesley Myrick
Last year I voted for the first time, but with mixed emotions. In an ideal election, each voter casts his vote for the person he truly believes is the best person to hold the office in question. However, in my brief personal experience I have found that far too often voters are picking between the lesser of two evils. I voted exclusively democratic - despite my concerns about the party’s centrist viewpoints.
As a person who truly considers himself an independent voter, I’m troubled by the current state of American politics. How can a country comprised of so many people, of varying cultures, religions, and beliefs essentially reduce itself to a two party system in which candidates sound more like running mates than opponents?
It is time for the American political scene to take third party candidates seriously. Sure, some third party candidates have had limited success over the years. But never before has an independent, or a libertarian truly been considered a formidable foe in a national campaign. If our country is ever to truly be the land for and by the people, then the people must be given all their choices. link

Oregon: Ben Westlund and Open Primary Initiative ready to rock

Exclusive Poll Shows Kulongoski Is Vulnerable
By Melica Johnsonand KATU.com Web Staff May 5, 2006 SALEM, Ore. - The results are in for our exclusive KATU News/Oregonian poll on the governor's race and the news spells trouble for the sitting governor.
It is no secret that Gov. Ted Kulongoski is vulnerable, but on Thursday we found out by how much. .... The poll spells good news for Ben Westlund, the Independent candidate running for governor.
The poll shows Oregonians across the state are really discouraged with government and that creates the perfect climate for an Independent like Westlund to pull an upset in November. ... more

For governor, let’s shake it up
Albany Democrat Herald May 5, 2006-- Registered Democrats and Republicans hardly need any advice concerning their choice of nominee for governor. But everybody in Oregon has an interest in shaking things up so that politics would once again be at least mildly interesting.
What would be interesting in the fall is a contest for governor featuring Pete Sorenson for the Democrats, Ron Saxton for the Republicans, and Ben Westlund for the independents..... Kulongoski has been an honorable governor with a long, long history in public service. But his three and a half years as governor have been without signal achievement in state government. Lately he has issued one proposal after another, including a promise to raise the school fund by $2 billion or so. But there are no ideas for fundamental reform.
That’s why, on the November ballot for governor, it would be encouraging to have names that haven’t been there before: Sorenson for the Democrats and Saxton for the GOP.... more

10 Proposals Top $100,000 in Spending
Peter Wong Statesman JournalMay 5, 2006 ...Open primary: $207,776 raised and $189,291 spent on a measure that would revamp Oregon's primary election so that the top two finishers, regardless of party, would go on to the general election. Top contributors were the Oregon Business Association, $10,000; state Sen. Ben Westlund of Tumalo, who is mounting an independent bid for governor, $6,000; Regence Group of Portland, $5,000.... more

Does "DLC" Stand for "Damned Little Cojones?"

I think this is an interesting dialogue in the Huffington Post on the Democratic Party's inability to win elections and the independent vote. Comedian/blogger Davis Sweet makes this serious statement:

McCurry, I'm sure, wants Democrats to win elections. And anger in the political arena, conventional wisdom tells us, drives down voter turnout, which helps Republicans. (I'm not sure that's more than a justification, but it's the standard calculus we hear about.) You know what else drives down voter turnout, though, aside from (racist) insufficient polling stations and (racist) rampant Secretaries-of-State corruption? Not standing for anything. Perhaps puzzlingly to those with the inside track on losing elections, voters choose candidates whose views align with theirs. If you have no views, or are too pissing-pants trembling to share any views you've accidentally absorbed, there's nobody left (ahem) with whom voters can identify.

Ignoring partisans, left and right, what about the "middle" that pols claim to be fighting over, and to whom McCurry seems to be drawing our attention? The folks who don't read The Huffington Post or the bazillion commentary sites on the Right (but are, mysteriously, affected by what people write and read on those sites)? People who are, through apathy or living real lives, just not tuned in? What makes them vote? (And, really, if you're in the few percent that makes up your mind the day of the election, just stay home. You're not doing your patriotic duty, honestly, no matter how many stickers they give you.) I'm going out on a limb here, but I'll posit that what makes independent voters pull your lever or pop your chad is NOT hiding in the corner hoping nobody asks you to dance.....

I agree - independent voters tend to vote for the person they feel is best for the position regardless of party affiliation. The fact that more and more Americans self-identify as independent is testament, however, not to any centrist or "middle of the road" politic, but to a strong "anti-partisanship" that is developing throughout the country in response to the extreme partisan (or bi-partisan) in-fighting that takes place during every election. The current political culture that keeps two "not-a-dime's-worth-of-difference" parties in office needs to be changed. I believe that independents must lead the way in the effort to have a substantive dialogue on real issues. -NH

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES

VOTING RIGHTS: Ike Brown's fight.
Stinking Water in Mississippi - the Justice Department works for who?

TEXAS
*LINDA CURTIS, INDEPENDENT TEXANS, COMMENTS ON: Strayhorn recommends abolishment of Texas Residential Construction Commission (Houston Chronicle)
* Kinky! (KFDX)

Pennsylvania
* Russ Diamond at 3% in polls (Phila Daily News) and 16% (Rasmussen)

NATIONAL
* Podhoretz says "real" independents down in numbers (Macleans)
* Partisan divide in media preferences? Independents are independent. (Washington Post)

INTERNATIONAL
* Venezuela's Hugo Chavez very popular (Venezuelanalysis)

MEDIA: Independent voters are well read.....

Red Media, Blue Media
Evidence for a Political Litmus Test in Online News Readership
By Shanto Iyengar and Richard MorinWednesday, May 3, 2006 -- Thirty years ago, you had to visit the public library to read something other than your local newspaper. Today, thanks to information technology, newspapers, radio and television networks the world over are no more that a keystroke away. Does this dramatic expansion of available news outlets mean that Americans -- and others worldwide -- will be exposed to a more diverse "marketplace of ideas," gain familiarity with new points of view and become more tolerant? Or will consumers stick with their preferred (politically compatible) news sources while screening out those sites offering unfamiliar or disagreeable information and perspectives?
...Finally, independents lived up to their designation. The effects of story labeling on their selections was miniscule. Most independents had no news preferences; they typically selected the "can't say" option.... more

NATIONAL: Podhortz-Rove say "real" independent voters percentage down... hmmmm...

Hilary Clinton: tougher than Bush?
If she wins, President Clinton may be less to our liking than we think
LUIZA CH. SAVAGEMacleans -St. Georges Univ (Canada) ...Podhoretz disagrees, arguing that Republican enmity could even help her cause. His analysis: the country is so deeply divided along party lines that any candidate of either party will automatically have 35 to 40 per cent of the country against him or her. So Clinton's inherent "high negatives" do not put her at a unique disadvantage. (Truly independent voters are down from 20 per cent in past decades to some seven per cent of the electorate today, he writes, citing George W. Bush's chief political strategist, Karl Rove.) Attacks from the right, he says, will encourage the left to coalesce around her..... more

The Debate Link: Stinking Water

Here's a link to The Debate Link's blogger David Schraub's response to an AP story about Mississippi local leader Ike Brown's fight with the Justice Department that I read about on the Redding News Review. The story goes: "For the first time, the U.S. Justice Department is using the 1965 law to allege racial discrimination against whites. The federal case against Brown is scheduled for trial this fall.
Brown, head of the Democratic Party in Mississippi's rural Noxubee County, is accused of waging a campaign to defeat white voters and candidates with tactics including intimidation and coercion. Also named in the lawsuit is Circuit Clerk Carl Mickens, who has agreed to refrain from rejecting white voters' absentee ballots considered defective while accepting similar ballots from black voters. Brown, 52, shakes off the allegations. "They've been trying to target me for years, the attorney general and all them, because we're so successful."....

Schraub says: I really detest racial appeals in voting, but as David Bernstein points out, I have no idea if they're illegal (or even if they are, whether such a legal interpretation would be consistent with the First Amendment). Also, of course, in cases like this there is always the question of whether or not the target is being selected for his political skill, rather than any violation of the law. And of course, there is serious concern that similar acts by white political operatives get the ol' wink and nod from the DOJ:
"The main concern we have in the civil rights community isn't necessarily that that DOJ brought this case," [Jack] Greenbaum says. "It's that the department is not bringing meritorious cases on behalf of African-American and Native American voters."Justice Department records show the department's last voting-rights case alleging discrimination against black voters was filed in 2001. Since then, six cases have been brought on behalf of voters of Hispanic or Asian descent in five states -- plus the case involving white voters in Mississippi.

The Debate Link: Stinking Water

Texas: Kinky!

IS KINKY SERIOUS? Wednesday, May 03, 2006 KFDX -- He has been called a straight shooter and the anti-politician, but will voters actually take him seriously when they go into the voting booths in November? Independent candidate for Governor Kinky Friedman has been touring the state trying to drum up signatures to get on the ballot, and he was in Wichita Falls again today. Many people say they are behind Friedman and like his campaign, but is this just entertainment or is it the real deal?
We talked to a political science professor at MSU today who says that believe it or not, Kinky Friedman has a good shot at the Governor`s office. Friedman is not on the ballot yet, but if he gets there, many say his chances of winning are not that remote..... more

Texas: Linda Curtis, Independent Texans: Strayhorn is taking on the special interests

Thanks to Linda for her email to the Hankster:
The One Tough Grandma continues to take on the special interests. In this case, it's the home builder's who got Gov. Perry to set up an agency that allows them to govern themselves. According to the Texas Observer, the Texas Residential Construction Commission has, "In practice ... become another Texas state agency captive to the very industry it’s supposed to regulate. Homebuilders are some of the state’s heftiest contributors to political campaigns." One of them is Bob Perry (no relation) who is part of the bevy of contributors who are pushing the Trans Texas Corridor -- 8,000 miles of toll roads cris-crossing the state at a cost of $187 billion -- and never voted on by ordinary Texans! It's been exhilarating having a statewide elected official, Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn, to do battle with these guys. All she needs is a few of the 4.2 million independent Texas voters behind her to make it stick and to stick it to them! --Linda Curtis, Independent Texans.


ABBOTT SAYS STRAYHORN DID NOT HAVE AUTHORITY TO EXAMINE RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION COMMISSION
Strayhorn says if Abbott wants to take her to court, get it on
House State Affairs Chairman David Swinford (R-Dumas) challenged Rep. Todd Smith's (R-Euless) over his request of the Comptroller to do an investigation of the controversial Texas Residential Construction Commission. Smith sought answers to six questions about the performance and customer satisfaction of the agency.
In his effort to block the Smith requested Comptroller's review of the TRCC, Swinford sought an Attorney General's Opinion.
In his opinion, Abbott agreed with Swinford. He ruled that prior to 2003, the Comptroller did have the authority to independently examine agencies. However, in the 2003 session, the Legislature explicity removed that authority from Strayhorn's office and handed it over to the leadership controlled Legislative Budget Board.
In response, Strayhorn today said, “I was asked by a legislator to investigate the Texas Residential Construction Commission. I did it, and if the Attorney General wants to take me to court, let’s go. If a legislator requests me to act when it comes to the fiscal matters of this state, I will act. This is a constitutional office and we disagree with the opinion. What the Attorney General needs to do is issue an official, formal opinion on whether or not Rick Perry’s tax increase bill is an unconstitutional income tax, immediately, while the Legislature is in session.”
ã Copyright May 3, 2006 by Harvey Kronberg, www.quorumreport.com, All rights are reserved


Strayhorn rapped over investigation
Attorney general rules she didn't have authority to recommend an agency be closed
By CLAY ROBISON Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau May 4, 2006 AUSTIN - Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn exceeded her authority when she investigated the Texas Residential Construction Commission and recommended it be abolished, Attorney General Greg Abbott said Wednesday.
The main ramifications of Abbott's ruling, however, are political, not legal, and Strayhorn was unapologetic..... more

Pennsylvania: Russ Diamond - is it 16% or is it 3% in polls? Well, depends on the pollster...

PHILADELPHIA DAILY NEWS: 3%

Poll finds Casey's lead falling

By CATHERINE LUCEYluceyc@phillynews.com 215-854-4172 Philadelphia Daily News May 4, 2006 ...The poll showed 49 percent of respondents for Rendell, with 35 percent for Swann and 3 percent for independent candidate Russ Diamond, who led a group that opposed legislative pay raises.... more

RASMUSSEN: 16%

Pennsylvania Governor: Swann (R) by 3

BY SCOTT RASMUSSEN ...Diamond attracts 16% of the vote if he is included in the poll at this time. Third party candidates often receive more support in early polls than they will actually receive on election day. However, the impact of Diamond's inclusion in the poll is dramatic--the overall poll results switches from a 3-point Swann lead to a 4-point Rendell lead.... more

Venezuela: Support for Hugo Chavez still strong

Venezuela’s Súmate Primaries: Fowl Cries for Democracy
Wednesday, May 03, 2006 By: Simone Baribeau - Venezuelanalysis.com -- Many Venezuelans, opposition and Chavistas alike, have given up on December’s presidential elections as a done deal. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez’s approval ratings are among the highest in Latin America, and the Venezuelan opposition, after a coup attempt it failed to distance itself from, is disorganized, fractured, and largely discredited. And while much of the middle class may still hate Chávez, they’re far more likely to be hating him taking advantage of the economic boom—say, in a new car heading for lunch at the mega shopping mall Sambil—than on their way to a protest, as would have been the case a few years ago..... more

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES

NATIONAL* Gallup Poll: Throw the bums out!

* Why the pro-immigration protests were more successful than the anti-war protests (Seattle Weekly)

* Oregon: Corvallis Gazette Times endorses Open Primary Initiative (editorial)

* Ohio: Indie candidates file, including John Eastman for Sec. of State, Green and Libertarian for gov (Cleveland Plain Dealer)

* Ohio: Nat'l Dems get involved in gov race, look to 4 million independents (Fort Wayne News Sentinel)

* Massachusetts: Healy fights for independent votes (Boston Globe)

* Maine: Green gov candidate LaMarche competitive in fundraising (Portland Press Herald)

Polls: Throw the bums out!

Democrats Maintain Wide Lead in Congressional Vote Intentions

Lead Republicans 54% to 39% among registered voters

by Jeffrey M. Jones Gallup Poll May 3, 2006 ...The current Democratic advantage is mostly due to strong support among independents for Democratic candidates. Independent registered voters show a decided preference for the Democratic House candidate in their district, 53% to 29%. The Democrats' cause is aided to a lesser extent by their slight advantage in maintaining party loyalty, as 95% of Democratic registered voters and 89% of Republican registered voters are supporting their own party's candidates for Congress.... Recent Gallup data show that Americans currently hold members of Congress in low esteem. The institution's approval rating (23%) is the lowest in over a decade and is approaching historic lows. The current poll finds 77% of Americans saying most members of Congress are "out of touch with average Americans," and 65% saying that most members are "focused on the needs of special interests" over the needs of their constituents.
The majority party Republicans could find some solace in the fact that even when Americans have been critical of Congress, most incumbent members are re-elected. Recent redistricting after the 2000 census may have helped to insulate incumbents from partisan forces even more so than in the past. Nevertheless, the public's desire to change the composition of Congress is now the strongest it has been since the term limits movements of the early 1990s.
The current poll finds a majority of registered voters (53%) saying that most members of Congress do not deserve re-election, the first time that level has been reached since 1992. Currently, just 38% think most members deserve to be re-elected. ... more

NATIONAL: Pro-immigration vs. Anti-war?

A Protest That Works

Why immigration marches get attention and anti-war rallies don't.

By Geov Parrish Seattle Weekly May 3, 2006 ....Protesting Iraq and a hodgepodge of other pet liberal causes doesn't get to the heart of what's alarming many people—an unaccountable and wildly unpopular administration—let alone offer hope. The focus is usually negative, critical of policy, a venting of frustration born of perceived powerlessness.
By contrast, the immigrant marches by a far-less-powerful constituency are inspiring, because these people love this country. Flags are everywhere. Marchers want to be here. They chose to come here—sometimes at great risk, sometimes giving up everything. They want a chance to be part of this country. They believe in the promise of America.... more

Oregon: Open Primary Initiative important for independents and third parties

Open primary would energize voters

Corvallis Gazette Times Editorial May 3, 2006-- Except for a few lawn signs, very little indicates that a primary election is less than two weeks away. That all would change if the proponents of open primaries, in which voters select whichever candidate they wish, regardless of whether the letter in front of that candidate’s name is R, D or — increasingly — I.
For it is the ranks of the independent voters that are swelling, according to elections officials across the state. Turnout in primaries also is small, as people decide not to participate when they already know their party’s candidate is running unopposed. ... Open primaries would encourage innovation and put the emphasis back on a candidate’s personal qualifications rather than his or her adherence to a pre-scripted party “core message.”
It won’t make our Democratic or Republican party leaders happy to hear this, but we’re ready for some new voices.
We do have one objection to this open primary plan: It contains the provision that only the top two winners from each primary race go on to the general election. That’s unfair to third-party candidates, and needs further refinement.
In 24 days, the Oregon Open Primary Campaign has to submit 80,000 signatures to the secretary of state to get this measure on ballot, and supporters are about 30,000 signatures shy..... more

Ohio: Independent candidates at the gates...

Independents swell Ohio races at filing deadline

Tuesday, May 02, 2006 Terry Oblander Plain Dealer--The governor's race got more crowded Monday.
So did the field of potential members of Congress.
Monday was the filing deadline for people wanting to be independent candidates in the November general election.
Robert Fitrakis of Columbus, the Green Party candidate for governor, filed petitions with Anita Rios of Toledo as lieutenant governor. Also seeking election are Libertarian Party gubernatorial candidate William S. Peirce of Mayfield and his running mate, Mark M. Noble of Columbus.
John A. Eastman of Centerville and Libertarian Timothy J. Kettler of Warsaw filed to run for Ohio secretary of state.
Three independents hope to challenge Republicans and Democrats for three congressional seats. .... more

Ohio: What will 4 million independent voters say?

National party leaders jump into fray in Ohio governor race

JULIE CARR SMYTH Associated Press May 3, 2006...In his acceptance speech, Strickland welcomed Democrats, Republicans and Ohio's nearly 4 million independent voters to support his party's "Turnaround Ohio" campaign. Blackwell called upon even former Ohioans who have moved away - like his own son, who lives in Denver - to support his "agenda for change."
Strickland said Blackwell's views - including his support for a government-limiting constitutional amendment on the fall ballot - are "far outside the mainstream" and that Ohioans won't support him.
As the first black nominated as Ohio governor, Blackwell is expected to have some cross-over appeal with black voters often counted on to help elect Democrats.
In his Tuesday statement, Mehlman called the GOP "the party of Lincoln" and said it "welcomes more African Americans back home" with candidates like Blackwell to offer.... more

Massachusetts: Healey looking over her shoulder at independent voters...

Romney, Healey part ways on rollback of state gas tax

By Steve LeBlanc Boston Globe, Associated Press May 2, 2006 BOSTON --Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey said Tuesday she would consider suspending the state's gasoline tax to give drivers a break -- a position that again puts her at odds with Gov. Mitt Romney as she appeals to voters ahead of the fall elections. ...Healey spokeswoman Amy Lambiaso said there are enough new revenues flowing into the state to plug the hole if the state suspended the gasoline tax.
It's not the first time Healey and Romney have publicly parted ways as she tries to garner support among independent voters and moderate Democrats.
Romney opposes civil unions for gay couples. Healey supports them. He vetoed a bill designed to encourage stem cell research in Massachusetts. She supports stem cell research. Romney tried to exempt Catholic and private hospitals from a new state law requiring that they offer emergency contraception to rape victims. Healey supported the law..... more

Maine: Green gov candidate LaMarche raising big bucks....

Baldacci leads challengers in fundraising
By GLENN ADAMS, Associated Press Portland Press Herald May 2, 2006 ...Green Independent candidate Pat LaMarche also has received $200,000 by qualifying for Clean Election financing and reports no expenditures so far into her campaign.... more

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES

COMMENTARY: "The 'Listening to the People' party - thanks to Carroll for post yesterday!!!

NATIONAL * Environmentalist left's fingerprints on anti-immigration effort (Front Page magazine)
NEW YORK * Weak challenges to Hillary from within (Antiwar.com)
TEXAS * Strayhorn petition case made in federal court yesterday (Houston Chronicle)
* Indiana: Primary rules exclude independents (Courier Press)
* Arkansas: Rod Bryan files petition for gov as independent (Ark News Bureau)
* Massachusetts: Gov candidate debate includes independent Mihos (Metro West Daily News)
* Oklahoma: Independent Elmer Million to run for Lt. Gov.
* Florida: Anti-immigration Minuteman founder Jim Gilchrist may run for Pres as Constitution party candidate (Free Market News)
* Georgia: More black voters becoming independent (Atlanta Journal Constitution)
* Oregon: Open Primary Initiative forum Thursday (News Review)
* Florida: Loophole in open primary system (Orlando Sentinel)

Can independent voters be the "listening to the people" party?

Thanks to Carroll for the very thoughtful response on Tim Roemer's "Had Enough?" Campaign Not Enough By Steve ClemonsTPM Cafe on The Hankster Apr. 29, 2006. Carroll asks a very good question: Can independents be the "listening to the people" party?

That is an especially important question given the dramatic growth of the number of independents, as the parties and politicians are becoming more partisan and ideologically divided.

And, as Carroll said, maybe independents could "not say this is what ALL independents believe or "must" believe on issues to be an independent." Listening to the people would be a welcome step away from our current partisan culture. Let's hope independents will lead the way. - NH

NATIONAL: Environmentalist left's fingerprints on anti-immigration effort

Greens vs. Illegals

By Andrew Walden FrontPageMagazine.com May 3, 2006 ...Democrats have only two post-Jim-Crow models for capturing the presidency: Watergate and Ross Perot. Efforts to rerun the Watergate scenario against President Bush have yet to produce anything except embarrassment for the Democrats as they are caught exposing classified elements of the U.S. efforts against al-Qaeda. On the other hand, Democratic efforts to stampede isolationist voters made sudden headway with the Dubai Ports deal controversy – even as Bill Clinton embarrassed Hillary by lobbying on behalf of Dubai as she opposed it.
Most conservative protectionists will not vote for a Democrat Party they correctly see as appeasing Islamic terrorists. These are voters who see Republicans as not doing enough to fight terrorism because U.S. borders are still crossed by thousands of illegals daily. They may vote for a third-party candidate similar to Ross Perot in sufficient numbers to deliver the Presidency to the Democrats. They have already proven this twice.
In this context, Nancy Pelosi and the House Democrats ride into the fray by keeping the felony provisions in HR 4437. This forces Republicans into opposing the protectionist Right – a group happy to demand illegals be made felons. Meanwhile, Democrats need not take responsibility for the fact that 11 million federal felony prosecutions – each carrying a mandatory federal prison term – are neither a realistic nor humane way to solve the illegal alien problem. They need only direct their unions – such as AFSCME – to lead the giant illegal alien demonstrations, thus further gathering the protectionists’ ire at any who are seen as soft on illegals: Both ends working against the middle.... more

New York: Who will save us from Hillary?

Challenging Hillary Clinton

New York takes on the War Party

by Joshua FrankAntiwar.com May 2, 2006 ....None of the antiwar third-party candidates at this point in the campaign season have any real name recognition or financial backing. Even so, Tasini the Democrat does. Antiwar flyers plaster campuses throughout New York City touting Tasini, and his campaign is being discussed on numerous antiwar blogs and e-mail discussion lists. Tasini's drive may soon spark some real tension among antiwar activists in New York, however, as many believe supporting Tasini will fail the movement against the war.
For starters, they contend that Tasini is still a Democrat, which means that if he doesn't beat Hillary in September's primary election, he will most likely endorse her campaign and hand over his antiwar funds to the pro-war Democratic Party, much like Dennis Kucinich did during his presidential race in 2004 when he endorsed John Kerry.
When I contacted Tasini's campaign manager, Adam Koch, he challenged these criticisms.
"Tasini won't be endorsing Senator Clinton after the primaries if he doesn't win," says Koch. "Nor will he be giving any of his money to the Democratic Party." Koch also noted that Tasini is currently seeking the Working Families Party line, but if that falls through he will not be appearing on the ballot.
The Working Families Party will be endorsing a New York senatorial candidate on June 3, and Hillary and Tasini have been the only two candidates to seek the party's line thus far. Hillary scored the endorsement in 2000, so it's not guaranteed to go to Tasini.... more

Texas: Strayhorn - Start counting!

Strayhorn campaign case goes to court
Attorneys try to avoid delays over petitions in the secretary of state's office
By R.G. RATCLIFFE Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau May 2, 2006.... Wood told U.S. District Judge Lee Yeakel that Strayhorn has not turned the signatures in to Secretary of State Roger Williams because Williams has refused to use statistical analysis or to start the process of certifying the petitions until all of the candidates have filed their petitions.
Wood said a statistical analysis could be completed in days.
Wood complained Williams wants to verify every signature on the petitions of independent candidates.
Wood said that would take until at least the end of June, a process he said would give Republican and Democratic candidates a "substantial" advantage going into the November general election.
"This is two months of time in which my client cannot credibly represent to the media, to volunteers, to contributors that she is going to be on the ballot," Wood said.... more

Indiana: Primary rules exclude independent voters

Vote Today The Issue: Primary election can be discouraging to independents.

Our View: Don't fret party affiliations - choose a key race, and go vote.

Courier PressMay 2, 2006 - Truth told, most potential voters in Indiana consider themselves to be independents. They may lean one way or the other, but most will tell you they vote for the candidate, not the party.
That creates a quandary, because Indiana law requires that to vote in the primary election, Hoosiers must declare either Republican or Democrat, and then they can vote only in that party's races. Many independents do not want to declare a party affiliation, so they stay home. And during those primary elections in which there are no significant races, that's understandable.
But that reason won't cut it today. In Vanderburgh County, for example, Republicans have key races for sheriff, state representative (includes Warrick and Spencer counties), county commissioner and County Council. Democrats have a three-way contest for state senator that extends into Posey and Gibson counties. For the independent voter, what to do? The best advice we can give is, don't let Indiana's primary election law discourage you from exercising your right to vote. Decide which party primary election has the most significant races to you, and then go vote. But just to make your point about being an independent, next year, purposely vote in the other party's primary election. It's not a perfect plan, but it will prevent anyone from labeling you a Republican or a Democrat. .... more

UPDATED MAY 6, 2008: NOTE --The rules have been changed independents ARE allowed to vote in the primary today. Congrats!

Arkansas: Independent Rod Bryan running for Gov.

Bryan meets deadline in independent governor's bid

Tuesday, May 2, 2006 By Doug ThompsonArkansas News Bureau FAYETTEVILLE - Rod Bryan of Little Rock submitted more than 11,000 signatures Monday in his bid to qualify as an independent candidate for governor, the secretary of state's office said.
The signatures still must be verified and include at least 10,000 valid signatures of registered Arkansas voters for the record store owner's name to appear on the Nov. 7 general election ballot those of the major party candidates, Democrat Mike Beebe and Republican Asa Hutchinson.
"I'll bet I've collected 90 percent of the signatures personally," Bryan said in a telephone interview Monday.
"They could make it easier to make more people eligible to vote," Bryan said. "That's the biggest thing I've found on this drive. A lot of people aren't registered. There's a lot of apathy, too, that contributes to that. People expect you to be either a Democrat or a Republican. It reminds me of what my first campaign motto was going to be: If you must vote, vote for me."
Bryan said he's running for governor as an independent because Democrats and Republicans undo whatever the other accomplishes on the environment and other issues..... more

Massachusetts: Mihos to debate May 18

Four governor candidates, minus Healey, to participate in debate

By Associated PressMetroWest Daily NewsTuesday, May 2, 2006 BOSTON -- Four of the candidates for governor are scheduled to participate in the campaign's first live televised debate on May 18. Democrats Chris Gabrieli, Deval Patrick and Attorney General Tom Reilly, and independent candidate Christy Mihos have all said they will attend the event to be aired on New England Cable News and WBUR-FM radio, according to debate organizers. Republican candidate Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey declined the invitation, organizers said. Healey challenged all the declared candidates for governor to four debates between the primary and general elections this fall. A call to a campaign spokesman was not immediately returned. The debate consortium includes The Boston Globe, the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard, The Massachusetts Institute for a New Commonwealth (MassINC), New England Cable News and WBUR. link

Oklahoma: Independent to run for Quarterba... er... Lt. Gov.

Independent says he'll make race

KTEN Local News May 2, 2006 OKLAHOMA CITY - Elmer E-Z (M) Million of Norman has announced he will run for lieutenant governor as an independent candidate.
The 65-year-old Million is known for his efforts to try to get the Oklahoma-Texas football game played every other year in Norman.
He is a former Republican.
more

Florida: Third party pres run for anti-immigrationist?

MINUTEMAN FOUNDER WEIGHS PREZ RUN

Tuesday, May 02, 2006 - FreeMarketNews.com - The Republicans and Democrats aren't the only political parties with candidates lining up to seek their nominations for President. According to a World Net Daily story, Jim Gilchrist, who founded the anti-immigration Minuteman Project, is considering a run as the Constitution Party's nominee, and the party is reportedly "excited" about the prospect. .....
The story notes that the Constitution Party supported Gilchrist in a 2005 run as an independent for Congress after Rep. Chris Cox [R-Calif.] resigned to become chairman of the U.S. Securities and Exchange Committee, with Gilchrist taking over 25 percent of the vote. It also cites the recent Rasmussen poll showing voters willing to back a third-party candidate in 2008, provided that person supported the building of a wall across the Mexican border. - ST more

Georgia: Dems take black vote for granted at their own peril...

Democrats court black votes Taylor, Cox need them to win primary, experts say

By JIM THARPE The Atlanta Journal-Constitution04/30/06 .....Even Brooks, however, is quick to point out the black vote is not monolithic or controllable by community power brokers. Members of the Legislative Black Caucus, in fact, have split over Taylor and Cox. Young's support of Taylor, meanwhile has been mitigated by other civil rights leaders who have strongly criticized Young for his support of Wal-Mart. And some black power figures, most notably Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin, have stayed clear of the fight.
State Rep. Stan Watson (D-Decatur), who chairs the caucus, said his organization had not taken an official position in the race.
"But I'm personally supporting Cathy Cox, not as chairman of the Black Caucus, but as an individual," he said. Watson said both campaigns have approached him for his backing.
State Rep. Carolyn Hugley (D-Columbus), who is also backing Cox, said she doesn't believe Taylor's strategy of enlisting black power brokers will give him an edge with black voters.
"I think black voters are more independent now than ever," she said. "Even if a black leader says vote for a particular candidate, voters will still take a look for themselves. This is not business as usual. Candidates are going to have to earn each vote."... more

Oregon: Open the Primaries!

Open primary forum Thursday

May 1, 2006News Review WINCHESTER: Former Oregon Secretary of State Phil Keisling will speak Thursday evening in Winchester on a statewide initiative that would dispense with separate political party ballots for primary elections in Oregon.
Keisling, the father of Oregon's vote-by-mail system, is a co-sponsor of the Oregon Open Primary Initiative. If passed, the initiative would allow all eligible voters to vote for any candidate, regardless of political affiliation, in the primary.
Keisling will appear at 6 p.m. at the student lounge at Umpqua Community College. His appearance is sponsored by the League of Women Voters of the Umpqua Valley and The Coalition for Good Governance.
Information on the initiative is available online at www.oneballot.com.
Keisling's talk will precede a candidate forum hosted by the UCC Students Association.
The six candidates for Douglas County commissioner will speak. The forum will begin at 7 p.m. in the UCC cafeteria.
Both the student lounge and the cafeteria are located in the UCC Student Center.
Information: 440-9003 or 672-6982. link

Florida: Primaries are open if...

Fair elections are paramount to democracy
April 30, 2006Lauren RitchieOrlando Sentinel - In Florida, everyone gets to vote in a primary election when only one party fields candidates. That's called the open-primary system. But when two or more parties offer candidates, then the election is "closed," and voters cast ballots only for those in the party in which they are registered.
The loophole is this: Write-in candidates can force the closing of the primary, as they did in two important local elections in this county in November 2004. More than 80,000 non-Republican voters --about 50,000 Democrats and 30,000 others --weren't allowed to help choose the superintendent of schools or the District 3 county commissioner.... more

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES

Happy May Day!

Today in The Hankster:
CALIFORNIA
* "Decline to state" largest voter category (Eureka Reporter)
TEXAS
* Strayhorn sees Williams in court today over politicization of position (Houston Chronicle)
Massachusetts:
*Healey's Repub campaign highly partisan, warns of one-party rule by Dems (Washington Times)
*Repubs exclusivity prompted Christy Mihos' independence (South Coast)
Oregon:
*Voters looking for outsider (The Oregonian)
*Westlund running as progressive (Statesman Journal)

California: "Decline to state" biggest (non) partisan affiliation...

California voters increasingly identify as nonpartisan

by Rebecca S. Bender, 5/1/2006 Eureka Reporter --The third largest political affiliation in California? “Declined to State.”
On Friday, Secretary of State Bruce McPherson released registration totals for the seven qualified political parties as of April 7.
Compared to similar statistics in the lead-up to the March 2002 primary election, those who preferred to keep their party affiliation to themselves jumped from 14.7 to 18.3 percent of registered voters.
Over the same time period, the proportion of registered Democrats and Republicans both declined slightly, to 42.7 and 34.6 percent of voters, respectively.
The total number of registered voters across the state, however, increased by almost 327,000. .... more

Texas: Strayhorn takes Sec of State to court--Williams too political to be fair...

Strayhorn calls chief of elections biased

She takes her concern to court, saying ballot will sway to the GOP

By R.G. RATCLIFFE Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau May 1, 2006 AUSTIN - As Texas secretary of state, Roger Williams is the chief elections officer, but two independent candidates for governor are questioning whether he is too political for the job.
Lawyers for one of them, state Comptroller Carole Keeton Strayhorn, are scheduled to go into federal court today contending Williams is unfairly manipulating the ballot petition process to give Republican Gov. Rick Perry a leg up in the race against the independents.... more

Massachusetts: One-party rule? Independent voters look outside the box...

Mass. GOP pushes two-party theme
Apr. 30, 2006
Washington Times
Republicans running for statewide office in Massachusetts are urging voters to avoid one-party rule in the state in November's elections.
Lt. Gov. Kerry Healey accepted the party's official endorsement for governor on Saturday. Her running mate will be former state Rep. Reed Hillman.
In a sharply partisan speech, Healey warned that one-party rule by Democrats would result in tax hikes, the Boston Globe reported Sunday.
With only 13 percent of the state's voters registered as Republicans, Healey will have to draw on her socially moderate, fiscally conservative views to secure support from independents who comprise roughly half the state's electorate.
In a speech to some 2,500 GOP activists, Healey said fiscal restraint, anti-tax activism and business-friendly policies will evaporate if Democrats win the governor's mansion.... more


Healey support wavers in GOP
Some local Republicans hesitant to back campaign
By Jack Spillane
Standard-Times
May 1, 2006
There was an undercurrent at the state Republican convention in Lowell this weekend.
You could feel it in the tepid applause that former U.S. Sen. Edward Brooke, a legendary African-American moderate, received when he told the party it needs to market itself to a broader range of voters.
You could actually see it on the mouths of the delegates who wore red masking tape with the word "Life" inscribed on it. And you could hear it in the comment that a young SouthCoast Republican told The Standard-Times on the assurance that it would not identify him.
"There's a lot of ambivalence about Kerry Healey at this convention," he said.
Some actually prefer Christy Mihos, the outspoken former turnpike authority member, who last month bolted the GOP to run for governor as an independent, the UMass-Dartmouth student said.
Mr. Mihos has claimed party leaders would not give him a fair shot at the nomination. ... more

Oregon: Voter revolt? Looking for a few good outsiders...

Election insurrection
Sunday, April 30, 2006David Sarasohn The Oregonian --As the afternoon caffeine tide rises in Rick's Cafe, in the middle of downtown Monmouth's three blocks, state Senate candidate Paul Evans hears plenty from voters.
"People are afraid," Evans says. "They're afraid about their jobs. They're afraid about the future of their kids. They're afraid about the war in Iraq. They know health care is getting harder and harder to get."
When voters are afraid, politicians are terrified. This year, voter unhappiness extending from Baghdad to boards of education is making incumbency less a benefit than a bull's-eye. Officeholders, typically trotting a cakewalk back to office, instead are facing a minefield, while some of the new hopefuls are packing unusual resumes.
Voters always say they want outsiders. The question -- considerably louder this year -- is how far outside will they look.
Looming over the May 16 primary election is a candidate not on any party's ballot. State Sen. Ben Westlund, I-Bend, is mounting what could be Oregon's first serious independent campaign for governor in 75 years. If Westlund, who calls himself "a recovering Republican," actually rises to contention this fall, he could ride a wave that swamps a lot of other politicians and floats some unexpected hopefuls. .... more

After failed bid in 2002, Saxton retools his imageGovernor candidate has taken hard-line stances this year
STEVE LAW Statesman JournalMay 1, 2006 --Ron Saxton is entering the homestretch of the Republican primary for governor with the best momentum, the most endorsements and the fattest wallet.
Yet some Republicans sitting with ballots at their kitchen tables must be wondering which Ron Saxton is running for governor. Is it the traditional Republican moderate who ran in 2002 or the frequently hard-line conservative of 2006?
Politicians always retool their message to fit their audience, the times and their political needs.
Democrat Ted Kulongoski is running for re-election as a liberal after governing from the center. Independent Ben Westlund is running as a progressive despite an often-conservative voting record in the Legislature.... more