What's the Matter with Us? (Hint: It's not the people, it's the parties)

Thomas Frank (What's the Matter with Kansas: How Conservatives Won the Heart of America) presents an interesting take on the "fake populism" that's so popular right now. He's probably right that the Dems are satisfied that "those people" (i.e. disaffected independents) have nowhere else to go. Of course Jackie Salit (How the Independent Movement Went Left by Going Right) & Co. know better... Several "free market" groups think the Tea Party "movement" should "work within the [two-party] system"... RI Repubs want to close their primaries to keep out independents, and Thurman Hart pens a wonderfully rich little piece on the value and proper positioning of nonpartisan elections... The Denver Post calls for fairness in Colorado's election laws, which currently discriminate against independents... Jana Kemp has made it official -- she'll run as an indie for Gov of Idaho.... And Charlie Rangel wouldn't bet his house on a Dem mayor in 2013 -- After all, once you go independent, you are quite transcendent!

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Watch Out for GOP Populism (By THOMAS FRANK, Wall Street Journal) For millions of disaffected independent voters, meanwhile, the tail-chasing logic behind the "down with big business" rhetoric probably won't make any difference.
• The Tea Party Teens (By DAVID BROOKS, NY Times) The Rasmussen organization asked independent voters whom they would support in a generic election between a Democrat, a Republican and a tea party candidate. The tea party candidate won, with 33 percent of independents. Undecided came in second with 30 percent. The Democrats came in third with 25 percent and the Republicans fourth with 12 percent.
• liberalism, it's hangover time--America isn’t eager to embrace Obama’s ‘leftward ho!’ after all (By Jonah Goldberg, USA Today/OpEd)
• Fundraising Woes Could Hold Back the GOP in 2010 (By Suzy Khimm, Newsweek/The Gaggle)
• No Tea Party--A grassroots movement is more effective (By Colin Hanna, Washington Times)  NOTE: Colin Hanna is president of Let Freedom Ring.
• Tea Parties Versus The Two Parties--How A Non-Party Wins The Hearts Of Independent Swing Voters (BY JOHN M. O’HARA, FOR THE BULLETIN, Philadelphia) NOTE: John O'Hara is with the Heartland Institute)

OPEN PRIMARIES

• RI GOP leaders advance closed primary plan (By MICHELLE R. SMITH, Nashua Telegraph) Under current rules, unaffiliated voters can decide on primary day to vote as a Republican or Democrat. The proposal would require that primary voters register as a Republican 90 days before the election.
• R.I. Republicans debate primary open only to registered members (By Richard C. Dujardin, Providence Journal)
• RI Republican leaders advance plan to close primary; push to make change for 2010 primary (MICHELLE R. SMITH, LA Times)
• RI GOP Mulls Members-Only Primaries (Chris Boardman, ABC6 R.I.)
• RI GOP Leaders Advance Closed Primary Plan (NY Times)
• Schwarzenegger enters final year plagued by overwhelming budget problems, low approval (JULIET WILLIAMS, LA Times)
• California Private Health Insurance PAC Contributes $100,000 to Campaign in Support of “Top-Two Open Primary” (Ballot Access News)
• An odd goose from a lame duck (By Thurman Hart, NJ.com) First of all, the entire purpose of having nonpartisan elections is to separate individual candidates from the power of political parties. Separating nonpartisan elections from partisan elections is a logical extension of that. Combining nonpartisan elections with partisan elections is going to be somewhat of a logistical nightmare - at best. At worst, it will make the "nonpartisan" nature of the election a running joke (as if they weren't already).
• Keyes Faction of California American Independent Party Likely to Exclude Independents from Voting in Party’s Primary (Ballot Access News)
• Manipulating the Process To Get the Result You Want Isn't Reform (by Robert Cruickshank, California Progress Report) Since it's not possible to draw districts in California that are competitive without truly massive gerrymandering and diluting the preferences of the electorate, which is much more strongly Democratic than anything else, Guardino and the Silicon Valley Leadership Group are throwing their weight behind Abel Maldonado's top two primary, which he got on the June ballot only through an act of blackmail.
• California's scary sneak preview (By Ezra Klein, Washington Post) The lesson of California is that a political system too dysfunctional to avert crisis is also too dysfunctional to respond to it. The difficulty is not economic so much as it is political; solving our fiscal problem is a mixture of easy arithmetic and hard choices, but until we solve our political problem, both are out of reach...
• A first look at the June 2010 Ballot Propositions (LA Republican Examiner, John Stammreich) The top-two system "wipes minor party and independent candidates out of the general election campaign season...

COLORADO

• Unfair requirements for independent candidates (Editorial, By The Denver Post) While we don't believe the rules should change specifically for Curry or Riddle, we do believe ballot access should be the same for all candidates regardless of party or non-affiliation.
• Rep. Curry's independence costs her two posts (By Tim Hoover, The Denver Post)
• Unaffiliated Curry says party change was welcomed (by Brent Gardner-Smith, Aspen Daily News)
• Gov. Ritter may not run in 2010 (by Liz Sidoti and Steven Paulson, Durango Herald)

IDAHO

• Eye On Boise: Kemp launches independent campaign (Spokesman Review)
• Jana Kemp kicks off independent governor run (Idaho Statesman)
• Former lawmaker Jana Kemp makes independent run for governor official (Idaho Statesman)

NEW YORK

• As Clout Grows, Working Families Party Faces a Question: Has It Reached Too Far? (By MICHAEL POWELL, NY Times) Some real estate professionals, intent on a direct challenge to the Working Families Party, have taken partial control of the Independence Party. They poured about $700,000 into races in 2009.
• Rangel: 'Gotta Learn To Live' With Bloomberg (BY ELIZABETH BENJAMIN, Daily News/Daily Politics)
• ACORN's City Hall branch (NY Post)