Today is primary day and 3.5 million Flori

Sunday, October 26, 2008

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS
1-in-4 local registered voters shun political parties (Democrat & Chronicle) Registered voters who choose not to become a member of any political party are poised to decide the winner of this year's presidential contest between Democrat Barack Obama and Republican John McCain, which will be decided Nov. 4.

OREGON MEASURE 65 OPEN PRIMARY

  • Dark lords and dark politics (Steve Duin, The Oregonian) But given that the Republican Party in Oregon is in full retreat, I've begun to wonder what the unions are fighting for other than salary increases and to keep their timid stewards, the Democrats, in the catbird seat.
  • Measure 65: aggressively progressive (Blue Oregon, By John Kitzhaber, former Governor of Oregon) As a lifelong progressive democrat, I believe that Measure 65 – the open primary proposal -- is the one measure on the 2008 ballot that presents a truly progressive foundation for our representative form of government.
  • The OEA mailer: Kids, your teachers are spreading lies (by The Editorial Board, The Oregonian) Today's mail could always bring something worse, but so far the most cynical, deceptive campaign piece sent to Oregon voters this general election was brought to you by none other than Oregon teachers.

OTHER OPEN PRIMARIES

  • Referendum would make Florence city elections non-partisan (South Carolina Now) “I don’t think this ordinance was about the philosophy of whether we should have political parties,” Wukela said. “I think it’s a cynical attempt by the parties in power to maintain control in what they perceive as a “change” election.”
  • Open primary ballot measure filed with state (PolitickerCA.com) The text of the filing suggests the initiative would amend the state constitution to allow open primaries - that is, open to participation by registered voters in any political party - for offices from state Assembly up through U.S. president.


CAMPAIGN

  • Third-party hopefuls may shake up race-Challengers could siphon votes from McCain, Obama. (Reprinted in Springfield MO News Leader) Larry Jacobs, a political science professor at the University of Minnesota who has written extensively about third parties, calls the Libertarian Party a significant threat to the GOP.
  • Attack ads, calls backfiring among voters this year (Nashua Telegraph) Donna Richards is one of several independent voters who were particularly upset with a Republican Party effort in fliers and automated dialed calls that tie Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama with former radical Weather Underground leader William Ayers.
  • As Election Day Nears, Poll Shows Obama Leads McCain (Washington Post) Both overall and among those crucial swing voters in the middle, McCain's positioning on Iraq and terrorism is significantly better than it is on the economy, where Obama continues to hold a double-digit advantage.
  • Early Miami Voting Giving Boost To Obama (by Sherwood Ross, OpEdNews) What’s more, eleven of the 15 independent voters told me they had just voted for Obama. Overall, 67 of those interviewed at two different polling sites Thursday and Friday said they voted for Obama compared to 33 for McCain.


NEW YORK POLITICS/Bloomberg and Term Limits

  • 3rd term's no charm, political experts warn Mayor Bloomberg (New York Daily News) With an eye toward 2009, Bloomberg is leaning toward shunning traditional affiliations, creating his own party and running as an independent.
  • COMPTROL HOPEFULS IN TERM-LIMIT LIMBO (New York Post) Terms limits also looks to become an issue itself in the comptroller's race. Twenty-four hours before the actual vote, Carrion suddenly switched from supporting the extension to opposing it.
  • Mayor Bloomberg had every move mapped out in term-limits fight (New York Daily News) Bloomberg saw "LaGuardia," Tony LoBianco's one-man show at the Dicapo Opera Theatre, about the first mayor in modern times to serve three terms. Afterward, he told LoBianco, "Now I know what to do."

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