Today is primary day and 3.5 million Flori

Saturday, May 23, 2009

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS



















More about that Pew Research poll showing independents taking the lead among US voters:

  • Fox News makes note of "surge under Obama" of voters calling themselves independent...

  • AP chooses the headline which I find interesting for its pompousness, but also for its sensationalism worthy of the best Brit tabloid.  "Country in midst of centrist era" Never mind the real deal is that we're at the beginning of an independent era! But hey, that's journalism....
What's the difference between centrism and independence? Think "American Revolution"! America has never been a country of moderates -- we are a country of innovators and risk-takers. You don't win a war of independence from the most powerful empire of the 18th Century with middle-of-the-road ideas. 

George Washington warned of the baneful effects of party, and boy was he on the money! Our founding documents claim the rights of "We the People" to supercede tyrants and despots. It will take true independents of whatever ideology, marching together, to overcome the death-grip that the parties have over our democracy.

Damn the AP, full steam ahead!!
-NH

2 comments:

Burr Deming said...

The distinction between centrist and independent is important and neglected. Thanks for making the point so effectitively.

Nancy Hanks said...

Burr, thanks for your comment. I think this distinction between centrist and independent is the single most important distinction we can make right now. The AP piece, written by Liz Sidoti, calls independents "fickle" and then "warns" Pres. Obama (Liz might have an application in to Fox News?) not to move further to the left "lest they turn off middle-of-the-road voters whose support was critical in 2008 and will be important in upcoming elections..."

Hmmmm.... What's wrong with this picture?

Two words: Partisan politics!

What Liz Sidoti doesn't understand is that, far from "fickle", independent voters in our country not only haven't changed their ideology to suit the times, they also feel that the "fickle" ones are the politicians (and the journalists who never seem to interview and quote real independents, but who just regurgitate the message that their bosses tell them to.

Ideology is dead. Long live activity!! As Mother Jones said, Don't mourn, organize!