TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS 10/1/10

MIDTERMS

• If Voters Choose Divided Power, What Then? (By Morton M. Kondracke, Roll Call Executive Editor, CQ Politics) But the arrangement we haven’t tried lately — and which sort of worked when we did — had a Democrat in the White House and Republicans in control of Congress, from 1995 to 2001. Of course, Republicans impeached Bill Clinton and they shut down the government. But he and the GOP also forged an agreement on welfare reform and balanced the budget.
• Murkowski’s Write-In Candidacy Surging Ahead of Teapartier Miller (ChattahBox Political News) Murkowski’s double-digit lead over the fringe extremist candidate Miller is attributed to her ability to attract Independent voters, as well as a number of moderate Democrats. Miller on the other hand, who believes unemployment benefits are unconstitutional and wants to do away with Social Security and Medicare, is only drawing the very conservative voters of Alaska.
• Boehner urges congressional reform as vote nears (By DAVID ESPO, Seattle Post Intelligencer) Both criticisms were obviously aimed at majority Democrats, but Boehner did not mention them by name. Instead, his speech appeared designed in part to win the support of independents as well as other voters troubled by the partisan bickering in Washington.

NEW YORK

• NY mayor talks to Letterman about job, money, bugs (By SARA KUGLER FRAZIER (AP) Before Bloomberg went onstage at the start of the segment, a tree was partially blocking the camera and people were sipping coffee at small tables on the set... From behind the camera, Letterman was informed that "during the commercial break, Mayor Bloomberg installed a pedestrian plaza."
• Bloomberg, Murdoch Push for More Skilled Immigrants in U.S. (By Devlin Barrett, Wall Street Journal/Metropolis)
• Bloomberg Would Extend Tax Cuts For Two Years (by Alex Roarty, National Journal)
• Thousands see support for Freedom Party (Workers World) On Sept. 19 the Freedom Party marched in the 41st annual African-American Day Parade in Harlem, N.Y., the largest Black parade in the U.S. New York state gubernatorial candidate Charles Barron and Attorney General candidate Ramon Jimenez proudly led the Freedom Party contingent of approximately 150 supporters, wearing Freedom Party T-shirts and buttons. Barron, who is African American, is a New York City councilperson. Jimenez is a Puerto Rican lawyer and activist.