Ok, I admit it. I'm a political junkie. I'd rather talk politics than almost anything else. I confess that for the past number of weeks, I spent my days planning my evening rendevoux with CNN and MSNBC.
Sure, I'd go to work. I'd answer some emails, return a few phone calls, write a few memos... But I was always plotting: If it's 7pm, It's Anderson Cooper 350. Or do I check in with Wolf Blitzer in the Situation Corner. A bite to eat, a cup of tea, and I fall asleep after a lighter and much needed dose of Jon Stewart and the Daily Shore..... But I have to say, the current level of punditry is a bit much!
Anderson Cooper seems to be particularly upset tonight that we have black people in America, that African Americans have cultural institutions beyond his control who speak to historical issues in historical language that he hasn't heard and doesn't understand. Anderson Cooper, a white male paid presumably by CNN, takes it upon himself to interpret historical statements he knows nothing about. He doesn't seem to have any understanding of our history as a nation or our developing multi-racial culture. Likewise for Morning Joe, which I have recently been watching. Love the show, getting a little iffy on the "coverage".....
It's hurtful to America to see intelligent people sit in a tv studio, bringing on more and more pundits, who have less and less to say about what's really going on in this country.
Again, Anderson Cooper, Joe Scarborough, Jessica Yellin, Wolf Blitzer, et al, should get off their duffs and get out there and see what's happening in America! Talk to people!
The Hankster received an email from a reader who was really upset about the level of attacks in the campaign, particularly directed at Barack Obama. The lies and rumors. I advised him to go out and do some grassroots organizing.
CNN and MSNBC CHOOSE not to go out and talk to voters. They would rather talk to themselves. They insist on running "stories" among each other about such things as:
Geraldine Ferraro talking about Barack Obama being lucky to be black (or whatever she said) and Jeremiah A. Wright, pastor of Barack Obama's church in Chicago, sermonizing about racism in America...
And who cares what's what and who's who because the real issue is to set up some kind of cat/rooster/dog fight among the American people who have worked so hard to overcome these divisions....
Below is a sample of some of the inflamatory articles:
Democrats Do Not Agree With Ferraro that Race was a Factor in ...PR Newswire (press release), NY ....... Geraldine Ferraro's comment was racist? ... A Ferraro Postscript [Ramesh Ponnuru]National Review Online Blogs, NY - It is also true, for example, that Obama wouldn't be in this position if Clinton were a more inspiring figure, compelling speaker, or talented campaigner. ... I'm Not Racist. Some of my Best Friends Are Black.Yahoo! News - But when they feel challenged by blacks, as the Clinton campaign does by the Obama campaign, we're not so fresh after all. In essence, what Ferraro is ... Obama Denounces His Pastor’s Statements New York Times Obama repudiates ex-pastor's remarks Boston Globe Sen. Obama condemns his pastor's comments Detroit Free Press WSJ: Obama's church may be breaking IRS rulesChicago Tribune, United States ...... Barack Obama's home church, Trinity United Church of Christ on Chicago's South Side, activities that may violate IRS rules against churches advocating for ... Clinton As Racist Machiavellian Black Star News, NY - Former Congresswoman Geraldine Ferraro is the latest foot soldier to make a fool of herself in the Clinton cause, this by speculating, “If Obama was a white ... Obama blames '60s for pastor's comments Chicago Tribune, United States - Ferraro recently stepped down from Clinton's campaign after saying that Obama enjoyed an electoral advantage over Clinton in the Democratic presidential ...)
We the people, however, CAN CHOOSE to do something about the dismal state of politics in this country. If you thought politicians would help, think again. If you thought the MSM would pick up our statement, think again....
It's up to us. Do something positive!
Friday, March 14, 2008
Daschle: South Dakota's independent voters should be included in the primary Jun 3rd
South Dakota's Democratic Party is considering opening its June 3rd primary to independent voters and former Senator Tom Daschle says it sounds like a good idea. (KXMC - Sioux Falls)
TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS
INDEPENDENT VOTERS: McCaskill: ‘Big state’ argument is bogus (Columbia Tribune Politics Blog)
FLORIDA: Counting every vote (Tampa Bays 10) **** Primary Independents (WMBB TV-Gulf Coast West Florida)
VERMONT: VT House approves instant runoff voting (VPR)
ALASKA: AIP preps for national election (News Miner)
WASHINGTON: A political convention that actually decides? (The News Tribune - Tacoma)
FLORIDA: Counting every vote (Tampa Bays 10) **** Primary Independents (WMBB TV-Gulf Coast West Florida)
VERMONT: VT House approves instant runoff voting (VPR)
ALASKA: AIP preps for national election (News Miner)
WASHINGTON: A political convention that actually decides? (The News Tribune - Tacoma)
Thursday, March 13, 2008
Arizona independents score big for open primaries
Round Two of a proposal to allow independents to cast a ballot in the presidential preference elections - Arizona's equivalent to a presidential primary - went to supporters. And they scored big. The amendment that would open up presidential primaries to independents was successfully tacked onto two bills. The amendment also would give political parties the option to exclude independents from voting in their presidential primary......The Senate passed S1510, which now carries the provision on independent voters, on third reading on March 12; the Senate passed S1405 the day after....... (Double-barreled approach for independent voters, Arizona Capitol Times)
TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS
INDEPENDENT VOTERS: Measure of a Nation: We are the change (Kansas City Star) "My daddy and daddy's daddy were Democrats," Youngblood says, "but I wouldn't claim either party right now."
INDEPENDENTS AND THE IRAQ WAR: Support for war effort highest since 2006 (Politico) Half of self-identified independents polled now believe the United States should “keep troops in Iraq until the situation has stabilized,” according to polling data assembled by Pew at Politico’s request. **** Adoration, Protesters Greet McCain on N.H. Return (The Trail/Washington Post)
PENNSYLVANIA: Poll: Hillary’s negative rating rivals Santorum’s (Times Tribune) Swing voters, especially, can be crucial to winning national elections in Pennsylvania.
TENNESSEE: Switch in party leads to runoffs - If you changed for primary, can't cross back for revote (Commercial Appeal)
NORTH CAROLINA: Not Registered to Vote? Please DO IT TODAY! (News At Norman) **** Clinton accused of writing off North Carolina- At issue: Whether N.C. should be labeled a red or a swing state (Raleigh News & Observer)
INDEPENDENTS AND THE IRAQ WAR: Support for war effort highest since 2006 (Politico) Half of self-identified independents polled now believe the United States should “keep troops in Iraq until the situation has stabilized,” according to polling data assembled by Pew at Politico’s request. **** Adoration, Protesters Greet McCain on N.H. Return (The Trail/Washington Post)
PENNSYLVANIA: Poll: Hillary’s negative rating rivals Santorum’s (Times Tribune) Swing voters, especially, can be crucial to winning national elections in Pennsylvania.
TENNESSEE: Switch in party leads to runoffs - If you changed for primary, can't cross back for revote (Commercial Appeal)
NORTH CAROLINA: Not Registered to Vote? Please DO IT TODAY! (News At Norman) **** Clinton accused of writing off North Carolina- At issue: Whether N.C. should be labeled a red or a swing state (Raleigh News & Observer)
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
New York's dysfunctional and secretive state government
True enough, New York's dysfunctional and secretive state government desperately needs fumigation, with both political parties sharing in the blame. But Mr. Spitzer's head-butting approach to redemption -- involving the arbitrary use of power and bully-boy tactics -- was no improvement. As for reform, his first budget grew state spending at three times the rate of inflation, and is a major reason the state now faces a $4.5 billion deficit. When the governor tried to reform the state's bloated Medicaid program, the health-care workers' union ran a TV campaign against him, and he quickly caved..... ("Eliot the 'Enforcer'", Wall Street Journal)
TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS
- INDEPENDENT VOTERS: Looming Threat for Dems: People Against the War Prefer McCain as President (Alternet) Among the crucial independent voters, McCain gets 62% confidence, while Obama gets only 54% and Clinton 51%.
- MISSISSIPPI Obama, Clinton Battle in Mississippi (AP Google) Nearly one in five Democratic primary voters called himself an independent.
- FLORIDA: Count 'em, Forget about a do-over primary (Tallahassee Democrat) The cry is "Every person's vote must count." Not exactly.... Independents never get to vote in a primary.
- ARIZONA: Senate backs letting independents vote in presidential primary (Arizona Central)
Tuesday, March 11, 2008
Mississippi moves Obama
CNN has called Mississippi for Barack Obama.
Blacks, who have supported Obama in overwhelming numbers in earlier primaries, accounted for roughly half the ballots cast in Mississippi, according to interviews with voters leaving polling places. Nearly one in five Democratic primary voters called himself an independent. About one in 10 was Republican. (Associated Press)
Mississippi has no registration by party so voters can choose which primary to vote in. Not surprisingly, the exit poll found turnout was more than twice as high in the competitive Democratic primary between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama than in the Republican primary, where John McCain has clinched the nomination. Nearly one in five Democratic primary voters called themselves independent and about one in 10 were Republican. Democrats and independents combined were about 10 percent of voters in the GOP contest. (Associated Press)
Turnout so-so as Miss. voters pull levers: A close race between Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama will draw more voters to the polls today than the last presidential primary, state officials predict.... "We shouldn't be fooling in (the Democrats') business ... because we've got enough to deal with," said Herring, adding that crossover voting also would hinder a two-party system that political leaders have tried to foster.
A federal judge ruled last year that Mississippians re-register to vote by party affiliation. Or, he said voters could register as unaffiliated with any party. His decision came after Mississippi Democrats filed a lawsuit seeking to bar Republicans from voting in Democratic primaries. The 5th U.S. Circuit of Appeals is reviewing the decision. (Clarion Ledger)
The Republican/Independent/White Vote: There's another reason to doubt that Obama could put Mississippi, which voted for Bush 60-40 over Kerry in 2004, into play this November: racial polarization. "Anything in Mississippi that would so animate black voters would probably have the effect of animating white voters in the opposite direction," Bositis told me back in November. The pre-primary polls suggest that he's right. Obama typically loses white voters to Clinton by five to 20 points; in the latest InsiderAdvantage survey, he loses by 53. Similarly, Obama's traditional edge among Republicans and Independents--often two- or three-to-one--is reduced in the poll to deficits of 68-29 percent and 53-23, respectively. And this is among likely Democratic primary voters. Needless to say, such "Deep South" margins don't bode well for Obama's chances with the general electorate, which was 47 percent Republican and 63 percent white in 2004. It'll be interesting to see if they hold up tonight--and possibly help Clinton finish stronger than expected. (Newsweek)
Blacks, who have supported Obama in overwhelming numbers in earlier primaries, accounted for roughly half the ballots cast in Mississippi, according to interviews with voters leaving polling places. Nearly one in five Democratic primary voters called himself an independent. About one in 10 was Republican. (Associated Press)
Mississippi has no registration by party so voters can choose which primary to vote in. Not surprisingly, the exit poll found turnout was more than twice as high in the competitive Democratic primary between Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama than in the Republican primary, where John McCain has clinched the nomination. Nearly one in five Democratic primary voters called themselves independent and about one in 10 were Republican. Democrats and independents combined were about 10 percent of voters in the GOP contest. (Associated Press)
Turnout so-so as Miss. voters pull levers: A close race between Democratic presidential candidates Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama will draw more voters to the polls today than the last presidential primary, state officials predict.... "We shouldn't be fooling in (the Democrats') business ... because we've got enough to deal with," said Herring, adding that crossover voting also would hinder a two-party system that political leaders have tried to foster.
A federal judge ruled last year that Mississippians re-register to vote by party affiliation. Or, he said voters could register as unaffiliated with any party. His decision came after Mississippi Democrats filed a lawsuit seeking to bar Republicans from voting in Democratic primaries. The 5th U.S. Circuit of Appeals is reviewing the decision. (Clarion Ledger)
The Republican/Independent/White Vote: There's another reason to doubt that Obama could put Mississippi, which voted for Bush 60-40 over Kerry in 2004, into play this November: racial polarization. "Anything in Mississippi that would so animate black voters would probably have the effect of animating white voters in the opposite direction," Bositis told me back in November. The pre-primary polls suggest that he's right. Obama typically loses white voters to Clinton by five to 20 points; in the latest InsiderAdvantage survey, he loses by 53. Similarly, Obama's traditional edge among Republicans and Independents--often two- or three-to-one--is reduced in the poll to deficits of 68-29 percent and 53-23, respectively. And this is among likely Democratic primary voters. Needless to say, such "Deep South" margins don't bode well for Obama's chances with the general electorate, which was 47 percent Republican and 63 percent white in 2004. It'll be interesting to see if they hold up tonight--and possibly help Clinton finish stronger than expected. (Newsweek)
Mississippi votes
Black vote 91% going for Sen. Obama as of 7:50pm....
White independents 46% for Obama as of 7:50pm....
Obama leads in Mississippi. Stay tuned.
White independents 46% for Obama as of 7:50pm....
Obama leads in Mississippi. Stay tuned.
Talk/Talk: THE STARTER ISN'T ALWAYS THE CLOSER (and a few notes on ethics)
Every Sunday CUIP's president Jacqueline Salit and strategist and philosopher Fred Newman watch the political talk shows and discuss them. Here are excerpts from their dialogue on Sunday, March 9, 2008 after watching "The Chris Matthews Show" and "This Week with George Stephanopoulos." Excerpt below:
Newman: Obama's not claiming to be the unifier of the Democratic Party. He's claiming to be the unifier of the American people. They mean two different things by unify, don't they?
Salit: That's an important distinction. If you look at the coalition Obama's created, you see the difference.
Newman: Clinton's notion of what needs to be unified is the Democratic Party. [Hillary's] message to Obama is 'You can't do it. You just got here.' He's saying to her 'You can't do it. You've been here too long. You're the same old stuff. That's not going to unify the American people.' read more at independentvoting.org
Newman: Obama's not claiming to be the unifier of the Democratic Party. He's claiming to be the unifier of the American people. They mean two different things by unify, don't they?
Salit: That's an important distinction. If you look at the coalition Obama's created, you see the difference.
Newman: Clinton's notion of what needs to be unified is the Democratic Party. [Hillary's] message to Obama is 'You can't do it. You just got here.' He's saying to her 'You can't do it. You've been here too long. You're the same old stuff. That's not going to unify the American people.' read more at independentvoting.org
TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS
- NORTH CAROLINA: Superdelegates and the will of voters (News & Observer)
- MISSISSIPPI: Clinton or Obama? Mississippi's time (Clarion Ledger) *** Can Clinton Make Mississippi a Race? (Time)
- PENNSYLVANIA: Clinton, Obama Campaigns Gear Up For Pa.(PITTSBURGH-KDKA)
- TEXAS: Bill Clinton Went On Rush Limbaugh’s Show Day Of Texas Primary (JOE GANDELMAN, The Moderate Voice)
- DELAWARE: Closed primary leaves some voters with no choice (Cape Gazette)
- WYOMING: Obama wins caucus in nation's least populous state (Tufts Daily)
- NEW YORK POLITICS: Calls For Spitzer's Resignation Begin (Elizabeth Benjamin, Daily Politics/Daily News)
Women For President: Media Bias in Eight Campaigns, By Erika Falk, University of Illinois Press (Feminist Review)
CLINTON/OBAMA: Over the Top (Peggy Noonan, Wall Street Journal)
Monday, March 10, 2008
Live-blogging Declaring Independence by Doug Schoen: Proudly Defying Traditional Political Labels
I've recently been reading a book called Declaring Independence: The Beginning of the End of the Two-Pary System by Douglas E. Schoen.
I am mostly reading this book on the subway to and from work, and although I haven't "finished" it (are these things ever "finished"?), I must say it's a real delight so far. It's a little like what it might be like to read a biography of my political self.
In fact, I actually feel a little subversive every morning on the E train -- if I get a seat and can read for a few minutes -- when I submit to some unadulterated independent-talk!
If for no other reason, I recommend this book and in fact, I like this book so much I posted a video at the top of The Hankster.
The jacket cover says "America is at a political crossroads."
Not everyone sees that.
Doug Schoen does. Doug Schoen has really paid his dues as a campaign consultant for more than 30 years. But more importantly, he has recognized the importance of the independent voter. I particulary like Chapter 6, "How Campaign Organizing Has Changed".
Although Schoen didn't interview The Hankster, I think he got the picture: "A number of websites seek to lure the independent voters who are looking for alternatives to the two-pary system. These voters aren't "swing voters" who exist to be wooed and swayed by one or the other major parties. These are people who have stongly held beliefs about how partisanship and ideological labeling are corruption and constraining progress. They proudly defy traditional political labels; what they share is a genuine concern that we need major reforms of the electoral process." (page 108)
Schoen did, however, interview Jackie Salit of independentvoting.org, who is a premier spokesperson for the now prominent independent movement. He also spoke with a number of local independent activists around the country, like Betty Ward of New Hampshire Committee for an Independent Voice, a critical voice in the New Hampshire Democratic primary. Salit and Ward are leaders in a national movement of independent voters who are asserting an independent voice into our sadly partisan and divisive political culture.
Declaring Independents: The Beginning of the End of the Two-Party System is a real good read.
Get it. Do it. It's the beginning of a beautiful end!
I'll keep you posted. And let me know what you think.
-NH
Obama: Coversations on Doing the Math and Reintroducing the Magic
I'm glad the Obama campaign is doing the math. I think that's important. It gives me confidence in the ability of ordinary people to have a say, to have an impact, to the extent that Obama is paying attention to this, which I think basically he is. Keep up the great work! The delegates are rolling in and I think that's smart and I think that's a good thing for the people of our country.
Now.
I also think there's another element to consider: The Magic.
What is The Magic?
I think the magic here consists in the qualitative development of the American people and our collective willingness (or what might turn out to be our collective UNwillingness) to make a statement of who WE are -- as distinct from who our government is and what our government is doing and who (or what) our politicians are willing to sell us out to.
Personally speaking, I'd love to see Barack talk about the qualitative development of his campaign. I see Barack on tv and I see that he has developed during this short effort to go up against the Clinton machine. I'm sure other lots of other people see that. Barack should share his journey of development in this campaign. Tell us how you're doing, Barack!
What's it like to plow a new field?
What's a New Field? Is it process? Is it issues?
It could be an important cultural element in mobilizing ordinary people for change. Americans like success.
Ain't I a woman?
And haven't you developed?
Independently yours, The Hankster
Now.
I also think there's another element to consider: The Magic.
What is The Magic?
I think the magic here consists in the qualitative development of the American people and our collective willingness (or what might turn out to be our collective UNwillingness) to make a statement of who WE are -- as distinct from who our government is and what our government is doing and who (or what) our politicians are willing to sell us out to.
Personally speaking, I'd love to see Barack talk about the qualitative development of his campaign. I see Barack on tv and I see that he has developed during this short effort to go up against the Clinton machine. I'm sure other lots of other people see that. Barack should share his journey of development in this campaign. Tell us how you're doing, Barack!
What's it like to plow a new field?
What's a New Field? Is it process? Is it issues?
It could be an important cultural element in mobilizing ordinary people for change. Americans like success.
Ain't I a woman?
And haven't you developed?
Independently yours, The Hankster
TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS
- Clinton Stakes Claim To 'Electability' (Forbes) The party has a self-sabotaging affinity for "identity politics," which is anathema to U.S. moderate and independent voters.
- Crist: DNC should accept Florida delegates (Tallahassee Democrat) advocates for quick "do-over" mailed balloting — or risk losing independent swing voters in November.
- Counties see spike in party registration before primary (Standard Speaker - Hazelton PA) “It’s akin to taxation without representation,” Stephen Bouikidis, chairman of Independent Pennsylvanians
- Independent vote might benefit Barack Obama (Rapid City Journal - ND)
- Did Republicans give Hillary her victory in Ohio? (The Free Press) Likely shift of independents to Democratic candidate in general election
- Obama wins in Wyoming, adds 7 delegates (Kansas City Star) Plouffe cites independents
Saturday, March 08, 2008
Live-blogging MSNBC coverage March 8
8:00pm: From what I could gather from this giggly segment, Chris Matthews (who I like and think has been more than fair so far) and MSNBC think this primary 2008 election is a fight over rhetoric and campaign slag -- same shit different day.
If the MSM can't understand the move that the American people are making, they should go back on the street and talk to regular folks. This is a moment for Americans to stand up and say what we think needs to happen. We're taking our shot.
Given the fact that 5,000 homeless youth die on the street every year in America, given that there are millions of people in the "richest country in the world" who go to work every day and don't have health insurance, given the fact that the US has been involved for 5 years in war that the American people don't support that has killed thousands of American soldiers and maimed tens of thousands more, I'd like to suggest that MSNBC appologize to the American people for being part of the problem.
Some of us are doing something about that.
And personally speaking, I somehow just don't trust Mrs. Clinton to get us out of Iraq.
6:00pm: Here's a wild discussion between Chris Matthews and some commentators over the assignment of delegates. This election makes no sense to these folks in terms of getting votes and getting delegates.... They don't understand the election. Obama should be going for votes, not trying to lead a movement... etc.
Eugene Robinson -- Change message is the issue for Obama.
Tucker Carlson -- Says Hillary's message of being tough is right on for the country...
Rachel Maddow seems to be a shill for Hillary's campaign but postures as a journalist paid for by MSNBC, but whatever.....
Matthews is talking about how other campaigns have handled this or that attack....
If the MSM can't understand the move that the American people are making, they should go back on the street and talk to regular folks. This is a moment for Americans to stand up and say what we think needs to happen. We're taking our shot.
Given the fact that 5,000 homeless youth die on the street every year in America, given that there are millions of people in the "richest country in the world" who go to work every day and don't have health insurance, given the fact that the US has been involved for 5 years in war that the American people don't support that has killed thousands of American soldiers and maimed tens of thousands more, I'd like to suggest that MSNBC appologize to the American people for being part of the problem.
Some of us are doing something about that.
And personally speaking, I somehow just don't trust Mrs. Clinton to get us out of Iraq.
6:00pm: Here's a wild discussion between Chris Matthews and some commentators over the assignment of delegates. This election makes no sense to these folks in terms of getting votes and getting delegates.... They don't understand the election. Obama should be going for votes, not trying to lead a movement... etc.
Eugene Robinson -- Change message is the issue for Obama.
Tucker Carlson -- Says Hillary's message of being tough is right on for the country...
Rachel Maddow seems to be a shill for Hillary's campaign but postures as a journalist paid for by MSNBC, but whatever.....
Matthews is talking about how other campaigns have handled this or that attack....
Wyoming goes for Obama
According to CNN (Jessica Yellin reporting from Cheyenne) -- Obama has 4,138 caucus votes representing 58% of the vote with 91% of the polls reporting. (Live-blogging CNN's coverage at 6:00pm EST)
10% of Wyoming voters are independent....
10% of Wyoming voters are independent....
TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS
INDEPENDENT VOTERS
- OH: Democrats came out in droves on Tuesday (The Chronicle-Telegram)
- The Two-Party Mass O’ Junk: My Hope! (The Moderate Voice by T-Steel) Independent voter T-Steel wants Obama to run independent -- he's probably not the only voter who does!
- McCain Must Attract Independents to Beat Clinton or Obama (By Liz Halloran, US News & World Report)
PENNSYLVANIA:
- Voters rush to switch political sides (Wilkes-Barre News Times Leader)
- Large numbers changing party registration for April 22 primary (Public Radio Capitol News)
MISSISSIPPI:
- Obama Slightly Ahead Of Clinton In Mississippi (All Headline News)
- Mississippi Going Obama, But Clinton Faring Stronger Than Expected (InsiderAdvantage and Southern Political Report)
TEXAS: Footnotes From the Texas Primary - One gay voter's change of heart leads him to a change of party. (Advocate)
WYOMING: STAT OF THE DAY (AP) Unaffiliated voters = 10% of electorate
NORTH CAROLINA: We’re in play (Blue Ridge Now)
OBAMA CAMPAIGN:
- Downside of Obama Strategy - Losses in Big States Spur General-Election Fears (Washington Post) NOTE: Spur General Election fears among WHOM?
- Playing by Clinton Rules (David Brooks, New York Times) "A candidate should never betray the core theory of his campaign, or head down a road that leads to that betrayal. Barack Obama doesn’t have an impressive record of experience or a unique policy profile. New politics is all he’s got. He loses that, and he loses everything. Every day that he looks conventional is a bad day for him."
HANKSTER two cents: David Brooks' point is well made. If you play by Clinton rules, Clinton rules. The ability to set the agenda is critical to any political campaign. If Barack Obama goes back to the issue of the war, he has a better shot at winning the Dem nomination. Forget her experience. Forget national security. Forget the economy (and apparently the establishment has forgotten about the economy in any serious way.... This is a political football now.)
This is a partisan election about the war in Iraq. The American people have turned against the war. Independent voters lead the charge in 2006. We are anti-war. This is the deciding factor of the election.
Friday, March 07, 2008
Ready for Another War between the Generations?
_______________________________________________________________
Let's end the generational war -- yet another relic of the traditional partisan political culture that many Americans are trying to relegate to the trash heap!______________________________________________________________
By Jean Johnson and Scott Bittle
Authors of Where Does All the Money Go? Your Guided Tour of the Federal Budget
In primary after primary this year, journalists have remarked on the tendency of older voters to support Senator Clinton while younger voters flock to Barack Obama. On the face of it, this suggests that older and younger Americans have different ways of thinking about the country’s problems. Fair enough – the two groups are at different life stages. It’s reasonable enough that they’d be focused on different issues and concerns.
Meanwhile, the DC speechifying set is pointing out how much of the federal budget is spent on programs for older Americans compared to how little goes to benefit the young. At $586 billion in 2007, Social Security now takes up the largest slice of the federal budget. We spend more on Social Security than we spend on defense – and that’s with two wars going on. And Social Security dwarfs the $24.6 billion the federal government spent on higher education.
With 78 million boomers starting to receive benefits beginning this year, there’s no question that Social Security and Medicare costs present a major financial challenge for the country. To headline writers and the chattering classes, who often confuse conflict with genuine policy debate, this new “war between the generations” colors everything from the 2008 elections to how to tame entitlement spending.
The country went through a generation war back in the sixties and seventies, and a lot of boomers are probably surprised to find themselves painted by some as a bunch of greedy has-beens soon to be a millstone around the neck of the young. But leaving aside the feelings of the boomers themselves, we can’t help thinking that revving up a new war between the generations is such a patently bad idea. If younger people and older people begin to see each other as automatic political adversaries, it could well derail a lot productive ideas for solving our problems.
For one thing, the two putative “sides” in the supposed generational war actually have a lot in common, especially when it comes to their initiation into national politics. Both entered adulthood in the wake of shocking national tragedy – for one generation, the assassination of JFK (and Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy not too long after); for another, September 11. Both have had to contend with a deeply unpopular, costly, mismanaged war (feel free to insert the adjectives you prefer). This time around at least, we’ve avoided blaming the soldiers for the errors of their elders. Some members of boomer generation were stupider and crueler back in the day. Even so, can we really say that the two generations are such political opposites?
But beyond this, setting up political discussions as a war between the generations seems a bit odd. Nearly all members of both generations have someone they dearly love in the other camp. Based on the opinion research we’ve seen, most parents recoil at the idea of saddling their children with humongous Social Security and Medicare debt. Most young people don’t want to see their parents anxiously scraping by in old age and failing health.
We suppose families view these things differently, but most probably want a choice about whether 30-something junior lives upstairs or whether to renovate the garage so grandma can move in. Having to make these choices because younger workers can’t make ends meet or because widespread elderly poverty has once again spread across the land isn’t what most of us are aiming for. A wealthy country like this one can avoid these scenarios if we just stop procrastinating and start working on this problem now. And not every solution needs to be either-or. For example, controlling rising health care costs is vital for dealing with Medicare, but it’d be good for everyone.
So let’s stop the generation war hyper-ventilating. The boomers and the “next’ generation live together in the same country, and as individuals, we mostly care a lot about each other. Realistically, both groups are going to have to do a little adjusting and rethinking to reach any kind of consensus on what to do. There are a lot of ways to talk about what our options really are, but this war between the generations thing isn’t a very good one. It’s so been there, done that.
Crisis and editors of PublicAgenda.org.
Copyright © 2007 Scott Bittle and Jean Johnson, Authors
Jean Johnson and Scott Bittle are authors of Where Does the Money Go? Your Guided Tour of the Federal Budget. For more information, please visit http://www.publicagenda.org/
Let's end the generational war -- yet another relic of the traditional partisan political culture that many Americans are trying to relegate to the trash heap!______________________________________________________________
By Jean Johnson and Scott Bittle
Authors of Where Does All the Money Go? Your Guided Tour of the Federal Budget
In primary after primary this year, journalists have remarked on the tendency of older voters to support Senator Clinton while younger voters flock to Barack Obama. On the face of it, this suggests that older and younger Americans have different ways of thinking about the country’s problems. Fair enough – the two groups are at different life stages. It’s reasonable enough that they’d be focused on different issues and concerns.
Meanwhile, the DC speechifying set is pointing out how much of the federal budget is spent on programs for older Americans compared to how little goes to benefit the young. At $586 billion in 2007, Social Security now takes up the largest slice of the federal budget. We spend more on Social Security than we spend on defense – and that’s with two wars going on. And Social Security dwarfs the $24.6 billion the federal government spent on higher education.
With 78 million boomers starting to receive benefits beginning this year, there’s no question that Social Security and Medicare costs present a major financial challenge for the country. To headline writers and the chattering classes, who often confuse conflict with genuine policy debate, this new “war between the generations” colors everything from the 2008 elections to how to tame entitlement spending.
The country went through a generation war back in the sixties and seventies, and a lot of boomers are probably surprised to find themselves painted by some as a bunch of greedy has-beens soon to be a millstone around the neck of the young. But leaving aside the feelings of the boomers themselves, we can’t help thinking that revving up a new war between the generations is such a patently bad idea. If younger people and older people begin to see each other as automatic political adversaries, it could well derail a lot productive ideas for solving our problems.
For one thing, the two putative “sides” in the supposed generational war actually have a lot in common, especially when it comes to their initiation into national politics. Both entered adulthood in the wake of shocking national tragedy – for one generation, the assassination of JFK (and Martin Luther King and Robert Kennedy not too long after); for another, September 11. Both have had to contend with a deeply unpopular, costly, mismanaged war (feel free to insert the adjectives you prefer). This time around at least, we’ve avoided blaming the soldiers for the errors of their elders. Some members of boomer generation were stupider and crueler back in the day. Even so, can we really say that the two generations are such political opposites?
But beyond this, setting up political discussions as a war between the generations seems a bit odd. Nearly all members of both generations have someone they dearly love in the other camp. Based on the opinion research we’ve seen, most parents recoil at the idea of saddling their children with humongous Social Security and Medicare debt. Most young people don’t want to see their parents anxiously scraping by in old age and failing health.
We suppose families view these things differently, but most probably want a choice about whether 30-something junior lives upstairs or whether to renovate the garage so grandma can move in. Having to make these choices because younger workers can’t make ends meet or because widespread elderly poverty has once again spread across the land isn’t what most of us are aiming for. A wealthy country like this one can avoid these scenarios if we just stop procrastinating and start working on this problem now. And not every solution needs to be either-or. For example, controlling rising health care costs is vital for dealing with Medicare, but it’d be good for everyone.
So let’s stop the generation war hyper-ventilating. The boomers and the “next’ generation live together in the same country, and as individuals, we mostly care a lot about each other. Realistically, both groups are going to have to do a little adjusting and rethinking to reach any kind of consensus on what to do. There are a lot of ways to talk about what our options really are, but this war between the generations thing isn’t a very good one. It’s so been there, done that.
Crisis and editors of PublicAgenda.org.
Copyright © 2007 Scott Bittle and Jean Johnson, Authors
Jean Johnson and Scott Bittle are authors of Where Does the Money Go? Your Guided Tour of the Federal Budget. For more information, please visit http://www.publicagenda.org/
Conversations on Racism, Sexism and Yesterday's Political Landscape
"Nothing says “yesterday” like a 73-year-old feminist foot soldier who didn’t get the memo that she won the war." ("Ms. Yesterday: Steinem’s last stand." By Kathleen Parker in National Review Online)
We’ve come a long way in creating a new America (Jesse Jackson, Greene County Daily/Zenia Gazette) NOTE: While I agree with Jesse Jackson in this article that America has transformed itself in terms of civil rights (and also women's rights), I would caution readers when he says "The Democratic Party is alive, attracting independent voters, mobilizing activists and volunteers, raising small contributions in record amounts...."
We’ve come a long way in creating a new America (Jesse Jackson, Greene County Daily/Zenia Gazette) NOTE: While I agree with Jesse Jackson in this article that America has transformed itself in terms of civil rights (and also women's rights), I would caution readers when he says "The Democratic Party is alive, attracting independent voters, mobilizing activists and volunteers, raising small contributions in record amounts...."
Many progressive Dems are saying that this election is an opportunity for the Democratic Party to "grow" and cite the "influx" of independent voters, saying that the Democratic Party is "attracting" independent voters. It's definitely not the Party that's attractive.
Independent voters are anti-war and are looking for the best and most effective way of making that statement and having an impact. Independents are supporting Barack Obama's campaign (NOT the Democratic Party) because his campaign gives expression to a new way of doing politics and a change of direction for the country.
And we should be mindful to give credit where credit is due: it is Barack Obama (just as the Howard Dean campaign did in 2004 before the DNC sacked his grassroots campaign....) and NOT the Democratic Party who is attracting independent voters, mobilizing activists and volunteers and raising small contributions in record amounts.... -NH
TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS
HANKSTER LEDE: Independent voters want 'New direction' over 'experience' in (The Swamp/Baltimore Sun)
THE CAMPAIGN:
INDIES SWITCH FOR PRIMARIES:
PENNSYLVANIA: For Obama, an Uphill Battle in Pennsylvania (By Dan Balz, The Trail/Washington Post)
NORTH CAROLINA: Filing process a smooth one for Board of Elections (Lumina News - Wrightsville) Preparations for open primary
IS NADER RELEVANT? * How Nader Has Made Himself Irrelevant (Lenora Fulani, The Daily Voice) * Nader, the Greens, and Building a Movement (Dissident Voice) * Once the spoiler, Nader no longer seen as a threat (Michigan Daily)
THE CAMPAIGN:
- Initiative may affect election (News Leader - Springfield MO) Opposition to affirmative action is the new Southern strategy.
- Will Democracy Win? (The Nation)
INDIES SWITCH FOR PRIMARIES:
- OREGON: Switching political parties? You have a deadline (Albany Democrat-Herald) There are 436,070 unaffiliated voters in Oregon, and 12,597 members of the Independent Party
- Voters Flock To Democratic Party During Iowa Caucuses (KCCI - Des Moines)
PENNSYLVANIA: For Obama, an Uphill Battle in Pennsylvania (By Dan Balz, The Trail/Washington Post)
NORTH CAROLINA: Filing process a smooth one for Board of Elections (Lumina News - Wrightsville) Preparations for open primary
IS NADER RELEVANT? * How Nader Has Made Himself Irrelevant (Lenora Fulani, The Daily Voice) * Nader, the Greens, and Building a Movement (Dissident Voice) * Once the spoiler, Nader no longer seen as a threat (Michigan Daily)
Thursday, March 06, 2008
Fulani: How Nader Has Made Himself Irrelevant
Ralph Nader seems to equate himself with the independent political movement and to define it relative to his positions, his aspirations and his critiques of the two-party system. In this way Nader has fallen out of step with the independent movement.... (Lenora Fulani, The Daily Voice)
TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS
UPCOMING DEM PRIMARIES here
PENNSYLVANIA: Independents have until March 24 to re-register to vote in the Dem primary -- 92,000 indies in Philadelphia alone... (Philadelphia Daily News) and here (Elmira Star-Gazette) and here (Allentown Morning Call)
TEXAS: Obama may win the delegate count from the caucuses (Houston Chronicle) * Obama camp claims TX delegate victory (MSNBC)
MARYLAND: Obama beats McCain in Maryland by 14 points, twice Clinton's predicted margin, courtesy of independents and Republicans.... (Southern Maryland Headline News)
INDIANA: Open primary on May 6 -- independents vote here (Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette)
NEW COALITION: Obama poised to forge new coalition of Blacks and Hispanics (Chicago Defender)
FLORIDA INDEPENDENCE PARTY: Peter Allen started in 1988 with Write to Secede - a local fight over septic tanks.... (Observer News Tampa Bay)
CALIFORNIA: Sinister initiative plan by right-wing activists in California to win votes for McCain (Sacramento News Review)
PENNSYLVANIA: Independents have until March 24 to re-register to vote in the Dem primary -- 92,000 indies in Philadelphia alone... (Philadelphia Daily News) and here (Elmira Star-Gazette) and here (Allentown Morning Call)
TEXAS: Obama may win the delegate count from the caucuses (Houston Chronicle) * Obama camp claims TX delegate victory (MSNBC)
MARYLAND: Obama beats McCain in Maryland by 14 points, twice Clinton's predicted margin, courtesy of independents and Republicans.... (Southern Maryland Headline News)
INDIANA: Open primary on May 6 -- independents vote here (Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette)
NEW COALITION: Obama poised to forge new coalition of Blacks and Hispanics (Chicago Defender)
FLORIDA INDEPENDENCE PARTY: Peter Allen started in 1988 with Write to Secede - a local fight over septic tanks.... (Observer News Tampa Bay)
CALIFORNIA: Sinister initiative plan by right-wing activists in California to win votes for McCain (Sacramento News Review)
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Super Tuesday II: Independents go left
MSNBC has great exit poll information
One of their questions is "No matter how you voted today, do you usually think of yourself as a Democrat, Republican, Independent or something else?"
Here's how independents voted yesterday in the Democratic primaries:
Obama Clinton
Texas: 48% 49%
Ohio: 50% 48%
Vermont: 65% 35%
Rhode Island: 47% 52%
In Texas, independents made up 24% (673,759) of the votes in the Dem primary and 21% (272,873) of the vote in the Repub primary. In Ohio, independents made up 22% (481,103) of the votes in the Dem primary and 17% (171,846) of the votes in the Repub primary.
In looking at the raw numbers, 6 out of 10 independents voted for Dems in Texas, and almost 2/3rds of independents voted for Dems in Ohio. One lesson here: Independents have moved left.
Recommended reading:
Talk/Talk: Sitting by the Phone with Fred Newman
A Post-Super Tuesday Independent Round-Up (from Feb. 12) by Jacqueline Salit
The Philosophy of Change by Lenora Fulani
One of their questions is "No matter how you voted today, do you usually think of yourself as a Democrat, Republican, Independent or something else?"
Here's how independents voted yesterday in the Democratic primaries:
Obama Clinton
Texas: 48% 49%
Ohio: 50% 48%
Vermont: 65% 35%
Rhode Island: 47% 52%
In Texas, independents made up 24% (673,759) of the votes in the Dem primary and 21% (272,873) of the vote in the Repub primary. In Ohio, independents made up 22% (481,103) of the votes in the Dem primary and 17% (171,846) of the votes in the Repub primary.
In looking at the raw numbers, 6 out of 10 independents voted for Dems in Texas, and almost 2/3rds of independents voted for Dems in Ohio. One lesson here: Independents have moved left.
Recommended reading:
Talk/Talk: Sitting by the Phone with Fred Newman
A Post-Super Tuesday Independent Round-Up (from Feb. 12) by Jacqueline Salit
The Philosophy of Change by Lenora Fulani
Texas delegates still to be determined by caucus results
From TPM Election Central, based on MSNBC numbers:
The Texas numbers are a bit more complex, because the caucus results are still being tabulated. But here's the gist, according to MSNBC right now: She won 46 delegates to his 34. If you include those numbers, she had a net gain of 23 delegates last night.
But before factoring in Texas, Hillary's delegate gain was only 13 higher than his -- and after the caucus results are tabulated, she could see that total sink to as low as seven, MSNBC says, adding that its also possible that Obama won't cut into that lead by as much as expected, leaving her with a more-than-10-point gain.
Bottom line: According to MSNBC's current projections she could net anywhere from seven to a bit over 10 delegates.
The Texas numbers are a bit more complex, because the caucus results are still being tabulated. But here's the gist, according to MSNBC right now: She won 46 delegates to his 34. If you include those numbers, she had a net gain of 23 delegates last night.
But before factoring in Texas, Hillary's delegate gain was only 13 higher than his -- and after the caucus results are tabulated, she could see that total sink to as low as seven, MSNBC says, adding that its also possible that Obama won't cut into that lead by as much as expected, leaving her with a more-than-10-point gain.
Bottom line: According to MSNBC's current projections she could net anywhere from seven to a bit over 10 delegates.
And what about those Texas caucuses???
...Despite the finger pointing by both campaigns, the chaos with the caucuses didn't seem to favor one side or the other -- they were just a mess. At Wetmore Elementary School in a suburban section of northeastern San Antonio, the electoral process had simply fallen apart, swamped by turnout that Democratic Party officials should have been able to anticipate but apparently didn't. A line of voters waiting to cast ballots stretched out the door and around the corner of the school. Four precincts use the school as a polling place, but it looked like 400 precincts' worth were still there when the polls closed. Another few hundred people who had already voted were standing up against the wall waiting for the caucuses to start -- three hours behind schedule, because all the primary voters had to finish first.... (Salon)
The A.P. said that 170 delegates from Tuesday’s contests have yet to be assigned, many from the Texas caucuses.... (New York Times)
Unprecedented turnout at caucuses across Houston and Harris County left hundreds of frustrated voters waiting in the cold until almost midnight outside at least one polling place in West Houston on Tuesday.... (Houston Chronicle)
By 9:15, the caucus results were known in Precinct 34. Obama, who trailed Clinton in the day's voting there, won the local delegate count. He will send 24 delegates to the senatorial convention, Clinton 16. "I don't know how much difference this makes in the long run, but it makes a lot of difference to me," said 31-year-old Megan House, who was hoping to be chosen a delegate for the next stage of the process. "You've got to make a stand somewhere. People are understanding that democracy is controlled by those who show up." (Houston Chronicle)
The A.P. said that 170 delegates from Tuesday’s contests have yet to be assigned, many from the Texas caucuses.... (New York Times)
Unprecedented turnout at caucuses across Houston and Harris County left hundreds of frustrated voters waiting in the cold until almost midnight outside at least one polling place in West Houston on Tuesday.... (Houston Chronicle)
By 9:15, the caucus results were known in Precinct 34. Obama, who trailed Clinton in the day's voting there, won the local delegate count. He will send 24 delegates to the senatorial convention, Clinton 16. "I don't know how much difference this makes in the long run, but it makes a lot of difference to me," said 31-year-old Megan House, who was hoping to be chosen a delegate for the next stage of the process. "You've got to make a stand somewhere. People are understanding that democracy is controlled by those who show up." (Houston Chronicle)
TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS
OPEN PRIMARIES: House panel rejects open-primary plan (Springfield State Journal Register)
SUPER TUESDAY II:
OHIO:
TEXAS:
VERMONT: Obama Wins the Green Mountains (The Trail/Washington Post)
NADER: Nader simply doesn't see two-party value (Sac Bee)
WASHINGTON DC: Catania Wants to Give Independents Primary Vote (Washington City Paper)
SUPER TUESDAY II:
- Exit Polls Reveal Obama's Weaknesses (The Plank/The New Republic) Obama won independents in Ohio by 54 to 46 percent--nothing like his two-to-one margins in other states.
- Change Trumps Experience . . . For the Moment (By Tobin Harshaw, Opinionator/New York Times)
OHIO:
- Shortage of ballots leads to extended voting hours in Ohio (TOLEDO BLADE)
- Ohio Primary: Exit Poll Results & Election Coverage - The Independent Effect (WSAZ - WV)
- McCain, Clinton dominate Ohio, area (Central Ohio Gazette) Lanning said she believes many Republicans went to the polls to vote against Obama because race is still an issue.
- Crossovers use all the ballots-Some are told to wait - or come back later (Cincinnati Enquirer)
TEXAS:
- How Bell County voted: Obama has the numbers (Temple Daily Telegram)
- Upset in the Lone Star State (Trail Watch/Forbes) Republicans, knowing that McCain’s comfortable lead in the delegate count gives him a lock on the Republican nomination, may very well cross over to the Democratic primary and vote for the candidate against whom they think McCain has a better chance of winning in November.
VERMONT: Obama Wins the Green Mountains (The Trail/Washington Post)
NADER: Nader simply doesn't see two-party value (Sac Bee)
WASHINGTON DC: Catania Wants to Give Independents Primary Vote (Washington City Paper)
Tuesday, March 04, 2008
California: special alert -- Recount for independent voters
Registrar spokesman Paul Drugan said 48,525 Democratic primary votes cast by independents were added to the county total. Clinton won 51 percent of the vote, while Sen. Barack Obama collected 42 percent. With the recount, Clinton maintained her overall lead in the state's most populous county. (Monterey County Herald)
Live-blogging CNN and msnbc coverage of Super Tuesday II for independent voters
Hi everyone. I'll be live-blogging the coverage tonight of the primaries in Texas, Ohio, Rhode Island and Vermont. All four primaries are "open primaries" and allow independent voters to have a say. I'm mostly watching CNN and MSNBC commentary. I'm watching for how independent voters are impacting and how the media is relating to us.
The most current post will be at the top of the blog, so you'll have to scroll down to see what I said earlier in the evening.... (It's a blog thing.....) Thanks for tuning in!
The Hankster (Call me Nancy)
9:07pm: Texas Two-Step still in motion.... more party party talk.... Now 59% Clinton in Ohio, 56% Obama in Texas.... So the pundits are talking about what that means, the endlessness of this campaign bec. Hillary intends to go on.... the superdelegates.... the convention.... etc. etc. etc.
It's clear that there will be no clear outcome tonight.
9:00pm: Texas is too close to call, as is Rhode Island, as is Ohio, with Hillary ahead but with little results in... Vermont called for Obama....
8:53pm: Well, I have to say, the results from Super Tuesday in February, and the other primaries have been called really early. Not so this Super Tuesday II. The pundits are yacking... The pundits are endlessly facinating to themselves...
Texas totals now show a closer Obama/Hillary outcome: 55/43..
8:28pm: Texas -- Suzanne Malveauex is reporting from the floor of a Texas caucus where voters are gathering after voting in the primary... The lines in Texas are phenomenal... A long night.... Clinton is winning the Ohio primary by 62% to Obama's 36%.... What's happening in Ohio?
As Wolf Blitzer reminds us, you can to to CNN.com and get all this info! Good idea!
As well, go to msnbc to get voting results....
8:22pm: It appear that Barack Obama will win the Texas primary (though the networks have not called it!). This could change throughout the night, however, The Hankster is calling Texas for Obama. (Oh, I just bought The Man's game... ooops!)
8:14PM: Texas Obama 60%, Clinton 39% with one percent of the vote in.
8:10:pm: Obama seems to have a good lead in Texas with 61% to Clinton's 39%... INDEPENDENTS NO DOUBT MAKE A DIFFERENCE...
8:01pm: Ohio projections 42% for Obama and 56% for Hillary, very very early, not an indication... Here is the ABC News article.
Campbell Brown at CNN: Gloria Borger, pivot, no the people need to decide....
Obama is holding at 60% in Vermont; in Ohio, Clinton has 56% and Obama has 42%
Donna Brazille is talking about superdelegates needing to commit...
7:53pm: Here's what Wonkette is saying, who is also live-blogging this event. She's a clever one.... And just to back the whole thing up is Marc Ambinder.... Hmmm.... I getting the feeling that this has now become a desperate intra-partisan fight. Fortunately the voters in Ohio and Texas (and Rhode Island) will have a voice. Independent voters are still voting. Texans are going to the caucuses... Life is good!
7:49pm: 22% independents aligning with Hillary (Chris Matthews)
7:42pm: Ron Paul has 4% of the Vermont vote, which has been concluded by the media... msnbc is running polls as if it's news.... did the 3 am ad have an impact? Obama is seen as having a lower negative impact index than Hillary.... hmmmm.... huh????
7:39pm: Ok, we're back -- if you haven't already, please check out Linda Curtis of Independent Texans on this pro-Obama video. Good luck to you guys in Texas!!
7:24pm: Well, CNN and msnbc are really chompin' at the bit, but cannot make predictions bec. it's such a close race, but here's something from KXMC North Dakota: Early exit polls show independents are a big chunk of the electorate in today's presidential primaries in Ohio, Texas, Rhode Island and Vermont. Surveys find that self-described independents were about one in five voters in Ohio's Democratic primary, one in four in Texas, a third in Rhode Island and four in 10 in Vermont. Thanks, KXMC!
7:10pm: msnbc with Joe Scarborough has Eugene Robinson, Pat Buchanan, and a woman I'm not familiar with....
Ok, here's some kind of exit poll from Vermont: 74% of anti-war vote went to Obama...
On CNN, The Map! where we've come to expect John King drawing on a map and showing us all kinds of demographic information... Everyone wants to talk about what will happen if Hillary, if Democrats, if Obama... Pennsylvania will also be critical for working people's vote....
Polls will remain open in Sandusky County OHIO until 9pm because of bad weather.
7:03pm: Polls close in Ohio at 7:30pm. CNN is doing a sort of man-on-the-street exit poll, but they're not showing us anything yet...
Back to msnbc -- Hillary didn't expect to win Vermont -- they're too liberal up there, too many anti-war votes.... (this is being reported by Andrea Mitchell in the field and Keith Olberman in the office)
Chris Matthews on the spot with more speculation on Hillary in Texas and Ohio....
7:00pm: msnbc just announced Obama as winner in Vermont; McCain in the Repub contest...
6:51pm: John Kerry, the last Dem presidential candidate is on MSNBC repsponding to the attacks on Obama about his "lack" of experience vs. Hillary's ... ummm... experience....
At this moment, we're looking for people to talk about the insider/outsider dynamic. Kerry is talking about Obama's ability to win delegates.
There's also the issue of spin -- Joe Scarborough (of Morning Joe) is posing the question of at what point does Hillary get out of the race. Pat Buchanan thinks Hillary should keep going. He says the superdelegates will freeze if Hillary wins Ohio and Texas....
6:31pm: Michelle Bernard, a black conservative and president of the Washington, DC-based Independent Women’s Voice, is a John McCain supporter, saying that McCain doesn't mean that we will be at war in Iraq for 100 years....
[Incidentally, many independent voters are Ron Paul supporters. Independent Texans endorsed Ron Paul in the Repub primary there. There's almost no media coverage, and certainly no MSM coverage of Ron Paul's campaign, which has been an outspoken anti-war campaign and deserves more attention.]
6:22pm: Fortunately there are a lot of commercial breaks, so just as in sports, we have a chance to get a snack, go to the bathroom, call a friend, etc. Come to think of it, politics IS a sport.
CNN -- Wolf Blitzer is already getting exit poll results.... Huh? Do they know something we don't know???
MSNBC is parsing the Obama/Clinton contest over and over, but I can't tear myself away.... Chris Matthews is holding forth. Lots of in-depth reporting with black leaders..... Oooops they also have exit polling....
6:20pm
AT THE GATE:
Texas has nonpartisan registration so everyone votes for whoever they want to and Democrats have early voting (people have voted for the past 30 days in droves!) and will also hold caucuses tonight which will be worth a third of the vote. So if you voted in the Dem primary, be sure to go to your local caucus to make your vote worth more.... (Independent voters in Texas should call Linda Curtis for help at (512) 535-0989.)
Ohio independent voters need to ASK for a party ballot to vote for presidential candidates. If you want to vote for Barack Obama, you will need to ask for a Democratic Party ballot.
Watch the independents tonight in Texas, Ohio, Vermont and Rhode Island
Here's what Bill Schneider will be looking for tonight:
Independents
How much of a role will they play? Independent voters are allowed to vote in all four states today. In the past, these voters have strongly favored Obama. Will their turnout be high enough to tip the scales toward the Illinois senator tonight? (CNN Political Ticker)
And this just in from Columbus OHIO: the [Obama] campaign has heard reports that Republican and independent voters who asked for a Democratic ballot received Republican or issue-only ballots “instead of the Democratic ballot they were entitled to,” and also that some voter ID requirements were “misstated” at certain locations, causing voters to be turned away..... (msnbc)
Ahhh, The Machine is clearly working! Let's see what the People can do!
Independents
How much of a role will they play? Independent voters are allowed to vote in all four states today. In the past, these voters have strongly favored Obama. Will their turnout be high enough to tip the scales toward the Illinois senator tonight? (CNN Political Ticker)
And this just in from Columbus OHIO: the [Obama] campaign has heard reports that Republican and independent voters who asked for a Democratic ballot received Republican or issue-only ballots “instead of the Democratic ballot they were entitled to,” and also that some voter ID requirements were “misstated” at certain locations, causing voters to be turned away..... (msnbc)
Ahhh, The Machine is clearly working! Let's see what the People can do!
Attention independent voters in Ohio: You have to ask for a party ballot to vote for candidates!
Independent voters in Ohio have to ASK for a party ballot, otherwise, just as in California, you won't get the candidates listed on your ballot.
This sad story from NIMISHILLEN TWP: "The couple had told inquiring poll workers that they were both Independent voters. So the poll workers did as instructed: They handed the Kiblers issues-only ballots.... Mrs. Kibler remarked "It's very unfair. Just because you're an Independent, that shouldn't mean that you shouldn't be allowed to vote. My husband's 73 (years old). He just about had a heart attack when they told us that." (Canton Repository)
This sad story from NIMISHILLEN TWP: "The couple had told inquiring poll workers that they were both Independent voters. So the poll workers did as instructed: They handed the Kiblers issues-only ballots.... Mrs. Kibler remarked "It's very unfair. Just because you're an Independent, that shouldn't mean that you shouldn't be allowed to vote. My husband's 73 (years old). He just about had a heart attack when they told us that." (Canton Repository)
Talk/Talk: Sitting By the Phone
Below are excerpts from this week's Talk Talk, Sitting by the Phone. Every Sunday CUIP's president Jacqueline Salit and strategist and philosopher Fred Newman watch the political talk shows and discuss them. Here are excerpts from their dialogue on Sunday, March 2, 2008 after watching "The Chris Matthews Show" and "This Week with George Stephanopoulos.
Newman: I think if Axelrod had greater skills in thinking on his feet, he could have stressed even more in his response to Wolfson something like: These big states you keep talking about that Hillary carried - California, New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey - there's not one of them that's not going to go Democrat, even if we ran Donald Duck.
Salit: Exactly.
Newman: So your point is empty. Unless you're trying to tell us that Mrs. Clinton is going to go to California or New Jersey or New York (which she represents as one of two Democratic Senators) and say "Don't vote for Barack Obama." Unless you're saying that, then what you're saying just makes no sense whatsoever. So, Howard, tell me if that's what you're saying. Because the Democrats who are voting, the independents who are voting, the American people who are voting want to know if that's what Hillary Clinton is going to do. End of story..... [read more]
Newman: I think if Axelrod had greater skills in thinking on his feet, he could have stressed even more in his response to Wolfson something like: These big states you keep talking about that Hillary carried - California, New York, Massachusetts and New Jersey - there's not one of them that's not going to go Democrat, even if we ran Donald Duck.
Salit: Exactly.
Newman: So your point is empty. Unless you're trying to tell us that Mrs. Clinton is going to go to California or New Jersey or New York (which she represents as one of two Democratic Senators) and say "Don't vote for Barack Obama." Unless you're saying that, then what you're saying just makes no sense whatsoever. So, Howard, tell me if that's what you're saying. Because the Democrats who are voting, the independents who are voting, the American people who are voting want to know if that's what Hillary Clinton is going to do. End of story..... [read more]
Ohio Votes
Mayors in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Youngstown and other Ohio cities have endorsed Obama -- from African American (Black) Opinion
From New York Newsday's Spin Cycle:
Clinton is expected to do well in southeast Ohio -- which commentators have take to calling the state's "Appalachia" -- economically down, culturally conservative, with ties to West Virginia, and a growing pocket of evangelical strength. But Obama could get a boost from Ohio University, in CD18.
Obama's strongholds are the cities, where most of Ohio's 12-percent African-American population reside -- including Cleveland's 11th CD and its close-in eastern suburbs, Columbus (the city's African-American Mayor Michael Coleman backs him) and Cincinnati. The cities also feature large student populations.
Polls from The New Republic:
Rassmussen: (2/28) Clinton 47; Obama 45
SurveyUSA poll: (2/25) Clinton 50; Obama 44
Ohio Poll: (2/24) Clinton 47; Obama 39
From Ohio Daily Blog: Here is a Get Out The Vote appeal airing in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo, and Youngstown. It is produced and paid for by the United Food and Commerical Workers International Union, which endorsed Barack Obama about two weeks ago.
From New York Newsday's Spin Cycle:
Clinton is expected to do well in southeast Ohio -- which commentators have take to calling the state's "Appalachia" -- economically down, culturally conservative, with ties to West Virginia, and a growing pocket of evangelical strength. But Obama could get a boost from Ohio University, in CD18.
Obama's strongholds are the cities, where most of Ohio's 12-percent African-American population reside -- including Cleveland's 11th CD and its close-in eastern suburbs, Columbus (the city's African-American Mayor Michael Coleman backs him) and Cincinnati. The cities also feature large student populations.
Polls from The New Republic:
Rassmussen: (2/28) Clinton 47; Obama 45
SurveyUSA poll: (2/25) Clinton 50; Obama 44
Ohio Poll: (2/24) Clinton 47; Obama 39
From Ohio Daily Blog: Here is a Get Out The Vote appeal airing in Cleveland, Cincinnati, Columbus, Dayton, Toledo, and Youngstown. It is produced and paid for by the United Food and Commerical Workers International Union, which endorsed Barack Obama about two weeks ago.
How to caucus tonight in Texas
Today's campaign round up from Houston, Columbus, Toledo, and San Antonio... (Sioux City Journal)
H/T to Polimom for this:
It's not over when polls closeWith caucuses likely to be big draw, participants have rules to learn (from the Houston Chronicle):
IF YOU DECIDE TO GO
Anyone who voted in the Democratic primary can take part in the party's caucus Tuesday night. Caucus turnout will determine roughly one-third of the Texas delegates needed by Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama. Republicans distribute delegates based entirely on primary votes, although they will caucus Tuesday night to conduct party business.
• Where: Caucuses are held at precinct polling stations. Early voters may have gone to a different place. Check your precinct address beforehand.
• Who: Try to bring proof that you voted in the Democratic primary, either a stamped voter registration card or a receipt of primary voting from the polling place. If you have neither, you may still participate in the caucus; your vote will be confirmed later.
• When: Arrive before 7:15 p.m., but be prepared to wait. Caucusing cannot start until polls close, and high turnout means voting could run late.
• How: You may "sign in" your presidential preference and leave. Your "sign in" will be used to allocate delegates among Clinton, Obama and other candidates. If you stay, you can also vote to choose delegates to the next level from your precinct.
• What: Some locations may see crowding and delays. Bring folding chairs and snacks. You can bring your kids, but be aware that the evening could last two or three hours.
H/T to Polimom for this:
It's not over when polls closeWith caucuses likely to be big draw, participants have rules to learn (from the Houston Chronicle):
IF YOU DECIDE TO GO
Anyone who voted in the Democratic primary can take part in the party's caucus Tuesday night. Caucus turnout will determine roughly one-third of the Texas delegates needed by Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama. Republicans distribute delegates based entirely on primary votes, although they will caucus Tuesday night to conduct party business.
• Where: Caucuses are held at precinct polling stations. Early voters may have gone to a different place. Check your precinct address beforehand.
• Who: Try to bring proof that you voted in the Democratic primary, either a stamped voter registration card or a receipt of primary voting from the polling place. If you have neither, you may still participate in the caucus; your vote will be confirmed later.
• When: Arrive before 7:15 p.m., but be prepared to wait. Caucusing cannot start until polls close, and high turnout means voting could run late.
• How: You may "sign in" your presidential preference and leave. Your "sign in" will be used to allocate delegates among Clinton, Obama and other candidates. If you stay, you can also vote to choose delegates to the next level from your precinct.
• What: Some locations may see crowding and delays. Bring folding chairs and snacks. You can bring your kids, but be aware that the evening could last two or three hours.
TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS
- DEMOCRATIC TOSSUP: Ohio polls differ on possible winner. Obama on rise, but seniors, women a plus for Clinton (Akron Beacon Journal)
- A guide to primary day (Providence Journal)
- Presidential Hopefuls Not Courting the Muslim Vote (Crosswalk - VA) The survey of 1,000 registered American Muslim voters showed that 49 percent consider themselves Democrats and 36 percent said they are independent.
- Democrats expect no knockouts (Houston Chronicle)
- Clinton, Obama face crucial test (Detroit News)
- Early voters line up (Tribune Chronicle) 52% turnout expected in Ohio
- Shifting weekend polls prompt sudden pro-Clinton Texas ad buy (LA Times blog)
- Mike and Barack: The winning ticket? (Staten Island Advance)
- Editorial: Blue vote in Collin County? (Dallas Morning News) "Something is happening"
Monday, March 03, 2008
Texas Primary: Top down or bottom up?
Will Clinton's top-down or Obama's ground-up approach win state? (Dallas Morning News) Today, Texas voters decide who had the winning strategy: Mrs. Clinton's traditional top-down approach that allowed her to cash in on decades of political capital in Texas – or the ground-up grassroots movement from Obama enthusiasts that's garnered praise across the political spectrum. ....
Be sure to see Linda Curtis' comments on the video at the top of The Hankster....
Be sure to see Linda Curtis' comments on the video at the top of The Hankster....
What Should an Independent Movement Do?
by Liberal Arts Dude, An Ordinary Person
There is wide disaffection among Americans about the U.S. political system. More people than ever believe that democracy is broken and needs to be fixed. Many people have a sense that it is no longer a government of the People, by the People, and for the People, but one that is overrun by special interests, lobbyists, corruption and where the voices of ordinary Americans are excluded.
Many people are sensing the limitations of the American two-party system and have decided, in large numbers nationwide, to reject that framework by declaring themselves as Independent or unaffiliated from either major party. About a third of the electorate currently declare themselves as Independent.
However, it is no secret that Independents are not a monolithic mass. Independents run the gamut ideologically from Right to Left to every degree in between in the ideological spectrum. There are conservative Independents who are against immigration and who are supporters of gun rights. There are Left independents who are anti-capitalist in orientation and support Progressive causes. There are Centrists who aim to be the middle in the left-right divide and eschew extremism in solutions to societal problems. It appears that the only thing Independents have in common is their distaste and alienation from the Democratic and Republican parties. If that is the case—if Independents are such a disparate group who cannot realistically agree on a single issue, is an Independent movement even possible? If a movement were to exist, what should its aims be and what goals should it have?
I believe Independents would best be able to position themselves and play to their strengths by adopting a structural, process-based approach to activism rather than an explicitly ideological approach.
Unity08: An Example of a Centrist Ideological Approach to Political Reform
The now-defunct Unity08 is a political reform movement which views the political system as broken and in need of serious fixing. They argued that the main problem with the System is that the political process and relationship between left (Democrat) and right (Republican) have become so polarized to the point that it has become a problem.
Unity08 believes that neither of today’s major parties reflects the aspirations, fears or will of the majority of Americans. Both have polarized and alienated the people. Both are unduly influenced by single-issue groups. Both are excessively dominated by money.
For most of the 20th Century, the contest for the U.S. presidency was waged over those “in the middle.” Recent Presidential elections, however, have not been focused on the middle but on the turnout of each party’s special interest groups — with each party’s “base” representing barely ten percent of the American people.
We believe that, while the leaders of both major parties are well intentioned people, they are trapped in a flawed system — and that the two major parties are today simply neither relevant to the issues and challenges of the 21st Century nor effective in addressing them.
As a result, most Americans have not been enthusiastic about the choices for President in recent elections, the key issues they ran on, or the manner in which the campaigns were conducted.
Therefore Unity08 will act to assure that an alternative ticket is presented to the American voters in 2008.
The problem thus set, Unity08‘s solution is to present an alternative President/Vice President ticket in the 2008 Presidential elections as a way to galvanize voters who are disaffected from the System.
A Structural, Process-based Approach
I believe an approach that analyzes American democracy as a structural process rather than through the lens of ideology is the best approach to Independent activism and what goals they should aim for. To that effect I will cite Towson University professor Omar Ali’s analysis on what is wrong with the political system and Independent activist Michael Drucker’s prescription to fix it.
Omar Ali, in “Those Who Make the Rules, Rule" makes the argument that the problem with American democracy is systemic and rooted in the two major political parties being deeply entrenched in our political system. The major parties set the rules through which all policy is decided—who gets on the ballot in elections, who is included in candidate debates, what issues are addressed, how they get discussed, what laws are enacted, and what policy Americans are ultimately left with. Ali makes the point that the Democratic and Republican parties make those rules to suit their—not the American people's—interests.
To expose this deep entrenchment, Ali asks: Why is it that the Federal Election Commission, created by Congress to oversee elections, is itself structured to be overseen by three Democrats and three Republicans? Shouldn't a body that regulates elections be nonpartisan, rather than bipartisan?
Why is it that independent candidates running for office are often legally required to gather at least tenfold the number of signatures as Democrats or Republicans simply to have their name appear on the ballot? Shouldn't all candidates, regardless of party affiliation, be required to meet the same obligations?
Why is it that the presidential debates - the single-most important venue for the American people to assess who they will choose as their chief executive - are organized through a bipartisan group called the Commission on Presidential Debates headed up by none other than the former chairmen of the Democratic and Republican parties? Shouldn't debates be a civic rather than a partisan activity?
Why should Congress be structurally organized along partisan lines, and why should the Democratic and Republican Congressional caucuses, along with the majority and minority members of committees, have partisan staff funded by the taxpayers? Aren't political parties supposed to be non-governmental bodies?
Why should state election boards and commissions around the country be comprised of appointees of the Democratic and Republican parties? Remember Florida 2000? Election boards and commissions should be neutral, nonpartisan bodies to facilitate elections for all Americans.
Ali’s questions and historical analysis of how the American political system came to be the way it is today is dead-on in explaining how voices and perspectives outside of the two major parties are shut out from substantive participation in American democracy. Indeed, those who make the rules, rule—and the two major parties have structured the rules of the political playing field to their advantage.
The way out of this trap, according to him, is for those who reject the two-party system to redirect the country towards a participatory, citizen-driven, populist democracy. That means citizens have to change the rules by which politics is played.
New York Independent activist Michael Drucker lays out a comprehensive plan of reforms in this blog post. His list is an excellent example of the types of reforms that can be taken by political outsiders to open up the playing field to a wider variety of groups and perspectives.
Same Day Voter Registration: Voters can register on the same day of an election, helping to increase participation — especially among young voters.
Term Limits: Limit the terms of Senators and Assembly Members to between 6 and 8 years. It brings an end to life-long career politicians, and allows for citizen-run rather than special interest-run legislatures.
Ballot Access: Ballot access laws should be rewritten to facilitate rather than discourage candidates from running. Petitioning periods need to be lengthened to make it easier for insurgent candidates and independents to qualify for a place on the ballot.
Initiative & Referenda: Permit citizens to circumvent their legislatures by circulating a petition (”initiative”) to place a proposed legislation (”referendum”) on the ballot.
Non-Partisan Municipal Elections: Eliminate party primaries to increase both participation of candidates and voters, who are exposed to broader range of choices.
Campaign Finance Reform: Level the playing field between independents and the majors.
Open and Inclusive Debates: The Commission on Presidential Debates should be abolished in its current in favor of a non-partisan body that sets equitable criteria for the inclusion of candidates at the presidential level.
Analysis
Unity08’s explicitly ideological approach to reform is flawed from the very beginning because:
(a) They do not address the systemic aspects of the problems in the US political system—the structural problems that Omar Ali explicitly addresses.
(b) Unity08 is primarily an appeal to people who consider themselves Democrats and Republicans (albeit disaffected ones). It is not an appeal to independent voters who do not self-identify with either one of those labels. In one stroke, therefore, Unity08 makes a solid third of the electorate irrelevant in their movement.
(c) Untiy08 is not an appeal to those who are already organized into third-party political groups—those segments of the population who have taken the trouble to self-organize into alternatives to the two major parties—and ones most likely to be politically active and participate in any reform movement. Unity08’s explicitly Centrist ideological orientation excludes those who maybe as equally alienated as they are but who do not share the Unity08 Centrist philosophy.
Unity08 ceased operations in January 2008 due to funding problems. They really never got off the ground beyond a few high-profile public relations campaigns and never really developed a wide, grassroots following. It will take a deeper look into Unity08 to explain the exact reasons why they failed but I can’t help but think that much of their problems stem from a, b and c that I cite above.
In contrast to Unity08, the Ali/Drucker approach are a set of highly specific prescriptions designed to open up the political playing field to insurgent candidates, political parties, and outsiders to the two major parties. These prescriptions deal with the nuts and bolts of how political parties participate in elections, how people vote, how campaigns are financed, and how issues and candidates are discussed in the public sphere.
Such an approach can be adopted by groups with quite disparate views. Conservatives, Liberals, Libertarians, Greens and Socialists, for example, can have common cause to work together in opening up the political system so that all outsiders can have a fair shot. Once a foothold is gained in the system, then let democracy and democratic debate take its course. But the important thing is to open up the process so that a wider variety of players can participate.
Why is This Important?
Any movement needs a focal point with which to focus its energies and resources. Given that Independents can range in ideology from hard right to hard left and every point in between they will most likely disagree on very specific issues. What they have in common is their alienation from the two major parties and their status as political outsiders with not much power and representation in the political system. It makes sense, therefore, for them to work together to open up the system so that they can have a fair shot at participating with the major parties.
When people say “Independent” many people actually conflate the term with ”Centrist” and have the image of the political Independent as someone who is trying to get to the middle road between the extremes of Left and Right. I believe Independents, if they are to be effective, cannot afford to be middle of the road. They have to be extremists and radicals—but not in the sense of holding a particular ideology. They have be radical in looking beyond the structural limitations of the two-party system and envision a better way to invigorate democracy. And they have to be radical in the sense they are willing to do the hard work of actually making it happen and to go against the established and entrenched way of doing things.
Activism has to have a goal in mind and a vision it is trying to fulfill. I believe an effective Independent movement should have as its aim a truly participatory, citizen-driven democracy. Which means, at the very beginning, to open up the political system to perspectives and players outside of the two major parties without regard to ideology. Once that door is open, then let democracy take its course.
For comments, please contact Liberal Arts Dude, or The Hankster.
There is wide disaffection among Americans about the U.S. political system. More people than ever believe that democracy is broken and needs to be fixed. Many people have a sense that it is no longer a government of the People, by the People, and for the People, but one that is overrun by special interests, lobbyists, corruption and where the voices of ordinary Americans are excluded.
Many people are sensing the limitations of the American two-party system and have decided, in large numbers nationwide, to reject that framework by declaring themselves as Independent or unaffiliated from either major party. About a third of the electorate currently declare themselves as Independent.
However, it is no secret that Independents are not a monolithic mass. Independents run the gamut ideologically from Right to Left to every degree in between in the ideological spectrum. There are conservative Independents who are against immigration and who are supporters of gun rights. There are Left independents who are anti-capitalist in orientation and support Progressive causes. There are Centrists who aim to be the middle in the left-right divide and eschew extremism in solutions to societal problems. It appears that the only thing Independents have in common is their distaste and alienation from the Democratic and Republican parties. If that is the case—if Independents are such a disparate group who cannot realistically agree on a single issue, is an Independent movement even possible? If a movement were to exist, what should its aims be and what goals should it have?
I believe Independents would best be able to position themselves and play to their strengths by adopting a structural, process-based approach to activism rather than an explicitly ideological approach.
Unity08: An Example of a Centrist Ideological Approach to Political Reform
The now-defunct Unity08 is a political reform movement which views the political system as broken and in need of serious fixing. They argued that the main problem with the System is that the political process and relationship between left (Democrat) and right (Republican) have become so polarized to the point that it has become a problem.
Unity08 believes that neither of today’s major parties reflects the aspirations, fears or will of the majority of Americans. Both have polarized and alienated the people. Both are unduly influenced by single-issue groups. Both are excessively dominated by money.
For most of the 20th Century, the contest for the U.S. presidency was waged over those “in the middle.” Recent Presidential elections, however, have not been focused on the middle but on the turnout of each party’s special interest groups — with each party’s “base” representing barely ten percent of the American people.
We believe that, while the leaders of both major parties are well intentioned people, they are trapped in a flawed system — and that the two major parties are today simply neither relevant to the issues and challenges of the 21st Century nor effective in addressing them.
As a result, most Americans have not been enthusiastic about the choices for President in recent elections, the key issues they ran on, or the manner in which the campaigns were conducted.
Therefore Unity08 will act to assure that an alternative ticket is presented to the American voters in 2008.
The problem thus set, Unity08‘s solution is to present an alternative President/Vice President ticket in the 2008 Presidential elections as a way to galvanize voters who are disaffected from the System.
A Structural, Process-based Approach
I believe an approach that analyzes American democracy as a structural process rather than through the lens of ideology is the best approach to Independent activism and what goals they should aim for. To that effect I will cite Towson University professor Omar Ali’s analysis on what is wrong with the political system and Independent activist Michael Drucker’s prescription to fix it.
Omar Ali, in “Those Who Make the Rules, Rule" makes the argument that the problem with American democracy is systemic and rooted in the two major political parties being deeply entrenched in our political system. The major parties set the rules through which all policy is decided—who gets on the ballot in elections, who is included in candidate debates, what issues are addressed, how they get discussed, what laws are enacted, and what policy Americans are ultimately left with. Ali makes the point that the Democratic and Republican parties make those rules to suit their—not the American people's—interests.
To expose this deep entrenchment, Ali asks: Why is it that the Federal Election Commission, created by Congress to oversee elections, is itself structured to be overseen by three Democrats and three Republicans? Shouldn't a body that regulates elections be nonpartisan, rather than bipartisan?
Why is it that independent candidates running for office are often legally required to gather at least tenfold the number of signatures as Democrats or Republicans simply to have their name appear on the ballot? Shouldn't all candidates, regardless of party affiliation, be required to meet the same obligations?
Why is it that the presidential debates - the single-most important venue for the American people to assess who they will choose as their chief executive - are organized through a bipartisan group called the Commission on Presidential Debates headed up by none other than the former chairmen of the Democratic and Republican parties? Shouldn't debates be a civic rather than a partisan activity?
Why should Congress be structurally organized along partisan lines, and why should the Democratic and Republican Congressional caucuses, along with the majority and minority members of committees, have partisan staff funded by the taxpayers? Aren't political parties supposed to be non-governmental bodies?
Why should state election boards and commissions around the country be comprised of appointees of the Democratic and Republican parties? Remember Florida 2000? Election boards and commissions should be neutral, nonpartisan bodies to facilitate elections for all Americans.
Ali’s questions and historical analysis of how the American political system came to be the way it is today is dead-on in explaining how voices and perspectives outside of the two major parties are shut out from substantive participation in American democracy. Indeed, those who make the rules, rule—and the two major parties have structured the rules of the political playing field to their advantage.
The way out of this trap, according to him, is for those who reject the two-party system to redirect the country towards a participatory, citizen-driven, populist democracy. That means citizens have to change the rules by which politics is played.
New York Independent activist Michael Drucker lays out a comprehensive plan of reforms in this blog post. His list is an excellent example of the types of reforms that can be taken by political outsiders to open up the playing field to a wider variety of groups and perspectives.
Same Day Voter Registration: Voters can register on the same day of an election, helping to increase participation — especially among young voters.
Term Limits: Limit the terms of Senators and Assembly Members to between 6 and 8 years. It brings an end to life-long career politicians, and allows for citizen-run rather than special interest-run legislatures.
Ballot Access: Ballot access laws should be rewritten to facilitate rather than discourage candidates from running. Petitioning periods need to be lengthened to make it easier for insurgent candidates and independents to qualify for a place on the ballot.
Initiative & Referenda: Permit citizens to circumvent their legislatures by circulating a petition (”initiative”) to place a proposed legislation (”referendum”) on the ballot.
Non-Partisan Municipal Elections: Eliminate party primaries to increase both participation of candidates and voters, who are exposed to broader range of choices.
Campaign Finance Reform: Level the playing field between independents and the majors.
Open and Inclusive Debates: The Commission on Presidential Debates should be abolished in its current in favor of a non-partisan body that sets equitable criteria for the inclusion of candidates at the presidential level.
Analysis
Unity08’s explicitly ideological approach to reform is flawed from the very beginning because:
(a) They do not address the systemic aspects of the problems in the US political system—the structural problems that Omar Ali explicitly addresses.
(b) Unity08 is primarily an appeal to people who consider themselves Democrats and Republicans (albeit disaffected ones). It is not an appeal to independent voters who do not self-identify with either one of those labels. In one stroke, therefore, Unity08 makes a solid third of the electorate irrelevant in their movement.
(c) Untiy08 is not an appeal to those who are already organized into third-party political groups—those segments of the population who have taken the trouble to self-organize into alternatives to the two major parties—and ones most likely to be politically active and participate in any reform movement. Unity08’s explicitly Centrist ideological orientation excludes those who maybe as equally alienated as they are but who do not share the Unity08 Centrist philosophy.
Unity08 ceased operations in January 2008 due to funding problems. They really never got off the ground beyond a few high-profile public relations campaigns and never really developed a wide, grassroots following. It will take a deeper look into Unity08 to explain the exact reasons why they failed but I can’t help but think that much of their problems stem from a, b and c that I cite above.
In contrast to Unity08, the Ali/Drucker approach are a set of highly specific prescriptions designed to open up the political playing field to insurgent candidates, political parties, and outsiders to the two major parties. These prescriptions deal with the nuts and bolts of how political parties participate in elections, how people vote, how campaigns are financed, and how issues and candidates are discussed in the public sphere.
Such an approach can be adopted by groups with quite disparate views. Conservatives, Liberals, Libertarians, Greens and Socialists, for example, can have common cause to work together in opening up the political system so that all outsiders can have a fair shot. Once a foothold is gained in the system, then let democracy and democratic debate take its course. But the important thing is to open up the process so that a wider variety of players can participate.
Why is This Important?
Any movement needs a focal point with which to focus its energies and resources. Given that Independents can range in ideology from hard right to hard left and every point in between they will most likely disagree on very specific issues. What they have in common is their alienation from the two major parties and their status as political outsiders with not much power and representation in the political system. It makes sense, therefore, for them to work together to open up the system so that they can have a fair shot at participating with the major parties.
When people say “Independent” many people actually conflate the term with ”Centrist” and have the image of the political Independent as someone who is trying to get to the middle road between the extremes of Left and Right. I believe Independents, if they are to be effective, cannot afford to be middle of the road. They have to be extremists and radicals—but not in the sense of holding a particular ideology. They have be radical in looking beyond the structural limitations of the two-party system and envision a better way to invigorate democracy. And they have to be radical in the sense they are willing to do the hard work of actually making it happen and to go against the established and entrenched way of doing things.
Activism has to have a goal in mind and a vision it is trying to fulfill. I believe an effective Independent movement should have as its aim a truly participatory, citizen-driven democracy. Which means, at the very beginning, to open up the political system to perspectives and players outside of the two major parties without regard to ideology. Once that door is open, then let democracy take its course.
For comments, please contact Liberal Arts Dude, or The Hankster.
Ohio Primary: I'm an independent. Can I vote?
The Hankster has gotten so many hits over the past 48 hours from independents in Ohio, I thought it might be worth another mention that YES, independents CAN VOTE tomorrow in the primary.
In case you're just tuning in, The Hankster is an independent political blog, started in 2006. I hope you like it!
A little-known fact: I used to live in Ohio -- Cleveland, to be exact -- where I helped raise matching funds for Lenora Fulani's independent presidential campaign in 1992...
Cleveland's cool! (Just so you know, if I wasn't living happily in New York City, I'd be in Cleveland...) Cleveland is also the home of Dennis Kucinich, one of the most independent Democratic presidential candidates. The Cleveland Plain Dealer is the major paper, they endorsed Obama, and then Hearst didn't like it.... that's some food for thought...
Kinda stokes the Midwestern embers of my heart.... Ahhh, The Heartland... Let's do it!
Love you, Ohio!
The Hankster
In case you're just tuning in, The Hankster is an independent political blog, started in 2006. I hope you like it!
A little-known fact: I used to live in Ohio -- Cleveland, to be exact -- where I helped raise matching funds for Lenora Fulani's independent presidential campaign in 1992...
Cleveland's cool! (Just so you know, if I wasn't living happily in New York City, I'd be in Cleveland...) Cleveland is also the home of Dennis Kucinich, one of the most independent Democratic presidential candidates. The Cleveland Plain Dealer is the major paper, they endorsed Obama, and then Hearst didn't like it.... that's some food for thought...
Kinda stokes the Midwestern embers of my heart.... Ahhh, The Heartland... Let's do it!
Love you, Ohio!
The Hankster
Independent Texans go Obama
Independent Texans has endorsed Barack Obama in the Democratic presidential primary. The Hankster received this video posted on Barack Obama's website from Texas Independents founder Linda Curtis -- Linda's the first person interviewed here (and she has more to say throughout the video, like "I don't think he ever uses the word I -- it's always "we" or "you".... There is no white hope/black hope any kind of hope in ONE person to change this country)...
I liked it so much I embeded it at the top of The Hankster.
And I must say, as someone who attended Abilene High School (that's out in the panhandle...) in 1968 (I was there when Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. was assassinated), for the first time in my adult life, I'm really proud to be a Texan. Thanks, Linda! Love you!
Independents can vote in the Ohio primary on March 4
Yes, it's true -- and organized labor seems to be coming out for Obama:
Obama's support in the Buckeye State seems to be increasing, though Clinton appears to be holding a lead, however tenuous. Two Ohio labor unions, with a combined membership of about a 100,000, switched their backing from former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards to Obama. The Illinois senator also has received the national backing of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents more than 1 million truck drivers and warehouse workers. (NPR)
Seven national unions, including the United Food and Commercial Workers, Unite HERE and the five-million member Change To Win coalition of unions — which includes the powerful Service Employees International and Teamsters unions — have all thrown their support behind Obama. (Time)
Obama's support in the Buckeye State seems to be increasing, though Clinton appears to be holding a lead, however tenuous. Two Ohio labor unions, with a combined membership of about a 100,000, switched their backing from former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards to Obama. The Illinois senator also has received the national backing of the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, which represents more than 1 million truck drivers and warehouse workers. (NPR)
Seven national unions, including the United Food and Commercial Workers, Unite HERE and the five-million member Change To Win coalition of unions — which includes the powerful Service Employees International and Teamsters unions — have all thrown their support behind Obama. (Time)
What do New Yorkers think about the Obama/Clinton contest?
45 percent of New Yorkers think Clinton should shut down her historic effort if she's running behind Obama after Democratic primaries that include contests in Ohio, Rhode Island, Texas and Vermont.... (Capital News 9)
Tomorrow's Texas Two-Step Primary-Caucus
Here's what happens:
1. Texas registered voters vote in the primary either early or on Tuesday March 4 (tomorrow)
2. Voters who voted in the primary are then allowed to vote in the Tuesday Caucus at 7pm after the polls close
Texas uses a "primacus" system brought about after the 1968 Dem convention in Chicago as a reform called the "McGovern rules".
If a precinct has 10 delegates and 50 people show up -- with 30 for Clinton and 20 for Barack Obama -- then six delegates for Clinton and four for Obama will move on to the senatorial convention. That's why volunteers for Clinton and Obama will not only be pushing locals to vote -- but also to show up for the caucus on election night. "There are thousands of precinct conventions that will elect 25 percent of the delegates without respect to the primary results," said Jason Smith, a Clinton volunteer in Tarrant County.... (Star Telegram)
If you are an independent voter in Texas and would like to connect with other independents, go to Independent Texans or independentvoting.org -- Tell them The Hankster sent you!
1. Texas registered voters vote in the primary either early or on Tuesday March 4 (tomorrow)
2. Voters who voted in the primary are then allowed to vote in the Tuesday Caucus at 7pm after the polls close
Texas uses a "primacus" system brought about after the 1968 Dem convention in Chicago as a reform called the "McGovern rules".
- Texas will send 228 delegates to this year's Democratic National Convention in Denver. Of those delegates, 126 will be assigned to vote for candidates based on election results.
- An additional 35 will be superdelegates, made up mostly of high-ranking officials, who may back whichever candidate they choose.
- The remaining 67 delegates will be chosen through the caucus system -- with 42 being rank-and-file Democrats and 25 being party leaders and elected officials, according to a Lone Star Project report.
If a precinct has 10 delegates and 50 people show up -- with 30 for Clinton and 20 for Barack Obama -- then six delegates for Clinton and four for Obama will move on to the senatorial convention. That's why volunteers for Clinton and Obama will not only be pushing locals to vote -- but also to show up for the caucus on election night. "There are thousands of precinct conventions that will elect 25 percent of the delegates without respect to the primary results," said Jason Smith, a Clinton volunteer in Tarrant County.... (Star Telegram)
If you are an independent voter in Texas and would like to connect with other independents, go to Independent Texans or independentvoting.org -- Tell them The Hankster sent you!
TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS
HANKSTER LEDE:
OHIO:
TEXAS:
THE CONTEST:
Obama holds a slight lead in the most recent polls in Texas, but the difference is within the margin of error. Clinton holds a slightly bigger lead in Ohio, but one new poll showed her rival overtaking her in the past few days.... (The Daily Voice)
NADER:
- Mesa speaks: Mayor’s race a tight one (East Valley Tribune) "Increasingly, the independent voters are the decision-makers in Arizona"
- For a former Republican, Obama is right choice (Allentown Morning Call)
OHIO:
- Portage on frontline of election State doubts touch-screen machines; county elections board confident (Bedford Times Register) Ohio's independent voters: Portage County has a total of 101,026 registered voters, but only about one out of four are declared party members.
- Obama's success in Ohio rests on shoulders of ground troops (CNN Washington Bureau)
TEXAS:
- The Texas "PrimaCus": Texas voters don’t register with a political party, so any registered voter can participate in either party’s primary election. Anyone who votes in Tuesday’s Democratic primary can also participate in precinct conventions (caucuses) that will begin shortly after the polls close at 7 p.m. local time.... (CQ Politics)
- Barack Obama will spend the primary election night in San Antonio. He will speak to the rally after the Bexar County caucuses finish sometime at 9 p.m. on Tuesday. (KEYE-TV)
THE CONTEST:
Obama holds a slight lead in the most recent polls in Texas, but the difference is within the margin of error. Clinton holds a slightly bigger lead in Ohio, but one new poll showed her rival overtaking her in the past few days.... (The Daily Voice)
NADER:
- Two-party system fears Ralph Nader's candidacy (Allentown Morning Call)
- Nader welcome to run, but . . . (Nashua Telegraph)
Sunday, March 02, 2008
Vote for The Hankster!
Hanksteristas -- Please vote for me on the Women's Voices Making History/Favorite Female Blogger -- see the Hankster Sidebar. The name to vote for is "The Hankster" and the website address is: http://grassrootsindependent.blogspot.com/
This contest is in honor of International Women's Month. I don't take much truck in these monthly celebrations of Democratic Party constituencies, but it seems like a good opportunity to register independent!
Thanks a bunch!
Independently yours,
Nancy
This contest is in honor of International Women's Month. I don't take much truck in these monthly celebrations of Democratic Party constituencies, but it seems like a good opportunity to register independent!
Thanks a bunch!
Independently yours,
Nancy
Arizona Independents Win Ballot Reform
by Robert B. Winn
March 1, 2008
The Secretary of State just came out with a new version of the Arizona voter registration form that has the following change. Instead of just a space designated Specify Party Preference, there is now a space designated Specify Party Preference, with a little check box at the bottom labeled None.
I do not know for certain exactly what did the trick, but I wrote the Secretary a letter in January. I sent a copy of Republican State Committee member Bill Bridwell's original comments about how the Republican Party had stopped independent voter registration in Arizona by getting legislation passed that removed the check box marked No Party Preference from the voter registration form. So I suggested to the Secretary of State that she check voter registration statistics for Democratic Party voter registration since 2005 and to see if she could tell where the people who had been registering independent had gone. Then I told her that one of the bits of information we had obtained from an Assistant Attorney General by registering a recall petition to recall the Attorney General was that the Attorney General had said that he had nothing to do with voter registration and that the Secretary of State was empowered by state law to make out the voter registration form any way she decided to do it as long as it complied with state and federal laws.
Evidently the Secretary of State looked up some laws and decided that now that the Christmas season was over, her party did not need to be giving expensive presents to the other party.
In any event, we are back on the voter registration form, thanks to the support from the grassroots.
We are going to continue to tell the Secretary of State that we liked the original voter registration form better, the one that had a check box marked No Party Preference, but this latest one is definitely an improvement.
NOTE: Last year, Robert B. Winn filed an initiative with the Arizona Sec. of State Jan Brewer protesting a change in the voter registration form removing the check box marked No Party Preference, leaving only a space marked Specify Party Preference. The initiative required 373,581 signatures to make the ballot.
March 1, 2008
The Secretary of State just came out with a new version of the Arizona voter registration form that has the following change. Instead of just a space designated Specify Party Preference, there is now a space designated Specify Party Preference, with a little check box at the bottom labeled None.
I do not know for certain exactly what did the trick, but I wrote the Secretary a letter in January. I sent a copy of Republican State Committee member Bill Bridwell's original comments about how the Republican Party had stopped independent voter registration in Arizona by getting legislation passed that removed the check box marked No Party Preference from the voter registration form. So I suggested to the Secretary of State that she check voter registration statistics for Democratic Party voter registration since 2005 and to see if she could tell where the people who had been registering independent had gone. Then I told her that one of the bits of information we had obtained from an Assistant Attorney General by registering a recall petition to recall the Attorney General was that the Attorney General had said that he had nothing to do with voter registration and that the Secretary of State was empowered by state law to make out the voter registration form any way she decided to do it as long as it complied with state and federal laws.
Evidently the Secretary of State looked up some laws and decided that now that the Christmas season was over, her party did not need to be giving expensive presents to the other party.
In any event, we are back on the voter registration form, thanks to the support from the grassroots.
We are going to continue to tell the Secretary of State that we liked the original voter registration form better, the one that had a check box marked No Party Preference, but this latest one is definitely an improvement.
NOTE: Last year, Robert B. Winn filed an initiative with the Arizona Sec. of State Jan Brewer protesting a change in the voter registration form removing the check box marked No Party Preference, leaving only a space marked Specify Party Preference. The initiative required 373,581 signatures to make the ballot.
TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS
- INDEPENDENT VOTERS
So far, election breaks conventional wisdom (Detroit Free Press editorial) - Urban Perspectives: Obama's success taking this skeptic by surprise (By Acel Moore, Philadelphia Inquirer)
- The Tin-Eared Talk Show Wing's Declining Influence (Pajamas Media) Independent voters hold the balance of power in American politics, now and even more so in the future.
OHIO
'Cross-over' voting has baggage (Cincinnati Enquirer) Local African American talk show host Lincoln Ware switched from Repub to Dem to vote for Obama... Dems and independents can vote in the Ohio Dem primary with no questions asked, but Repubs have to say they want to become Dems.... but who cares?
TEXAS TWO-STEP -- Vote Early, Vote Twice!
The Texas Democratic Primary is a two-step process: 1) vote in the Primary -- vote early anytime before and including Tuesday, March 4 and then, 2) go to your local caucus site and vote again. This is important because your primary vote is worth 2/3 of your vote, and the caucus vote is worth another 1/3.
- East Texas may hold key to Democratic primary (Houston Chronicle) independents favored Obama by at least 13 percentage points.
- Dem Voting and Caucus Problems in Texas on March 4th (OpEdNews)
- Clinton’s fate in hands of Texas, Ohio (News Tribune Tacoma WA)
- Why are voters confused about Texas primary-caucus system? (The Beaumont Enterprise)
RHODE ISLAND
- 10,000 turn out at a campaign rally for Sen. Barack Obama in Warwick (Providence Journal) Lincoln Chaffee endorsed Obama
- In R.I., Obama Makes Inroads/Tiny State Seen as Clinton Stronghold (Washington Post)
- In ’08 Politics, Rhode Island Defies Its Size (NY Times)
WEST VIRGINIA
- Clinton’s Record Not Good for Ohio (The Intelligencer/Wheeling News-Register)
The Race Card (By ALEXANDER COCKBURN, CounterPunch)
BLOOMBERG
- Bill Plante: Why Bloomberg likes Obama (Newburyport MA Daily News opinion)
- Talk of Obama-Bloomberg ticket grows (UPI)
Saturday, March 01, 2008
TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS
INDEPENDENT VOTERS and The Democratic Party:
THAT CLEVELAND DEBATE:
BLOOMBERG:
- Does The Emerging Democratic Majority Help Obama? (The Plank/The New Republic) hint: the answer is no
- A Party Transformed (By Ronald Brownstein, National Journal)
- Democrats Split, Too (James Joyner, Outside The Beltway) currently Obama edges McCain by 49% to 43% among independents in a general election matchup.
- Why Republicans Still Have a Chance (RealClearPolitics) When it comes to independent voters, Mr. McCain more than holds his own with Mr. Obama (41% to 39%)
THAT CLEVELAND DEBATE:
- The Lying Despicable Campaign To Turn Jews Against Obama (By M.J. Rosenberg, TPM Cafe) It may be a case of chickens coming home to roost.
- Obama and the Jews (Truthdig.com)
- The Farrakhan Distraction (Alternet.org)
- Robert D. Novak: Hillary error saves Barack error, but no one saves Newt (Union Leader)
BLOOMBERG:
- Some Still Dream of a Third-Party Run (By Diane Cardwell, City Room/NY Times)
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