No, David Axelrod, what independents want is inclusion in the process

California special election Feb. 15 is the first to take place under the new open primary law... No, David Axelrod, what independents want is inclusion in the process -- structural political reform, not politicians cooperating with other politicians... Utah debate on the caucus system between a rank and file member Bill Miller and Chair of the Salt Lake County Repub Party. Miller says "Mike Lee would have been a great example. As a lifelong Republican, I voted mostly Democratic last election after being disenfranchised by the Republican caucus meetings and convention. I want my party back! I want an open primary!"

OPEN PRIMARIES

• Register by Jan. 31 to Vote in Feb. 15 Special Election (By Paul Chavez, Manhattan Beach Patch - CA) The special elections for state Senate's 28th District and 17th District will be the first governed by the provisions of Proposition 14, the open primary law passed in June that went into effect Jan. 1. If one candidate receives the majority of the votes cast (50 percent plus one), another subsequent election will not be held. If no candidate receive the majority of the votes, a special election will be held April 19, with the top two candidates who received the most votes in the special election facing each other, regardless of party preference.

OBAMA

• Q&A with David Axelrod, President Obama's departing senior advisor (By Christi Parsons and Peter Nicholas, Washington Bureau, LA Times) Q: The president needs independent voters. What do you think those voters want right now? A: They want cooperation. Their feeling is that there are things more important than party. That's a feeling we share. It's going to be harder to win over those voters if you take a harshly partisan, dogmatic stance.
• Obama Needs Real Supporters--Not Cheerleaders (By Eric L. Wattree, Black Star News) So it's very important that Obama supporters speak out loud and clearly so we won't be drowned out by the Washington's special interests. In the final analysis, we're the only one's he can depend on to tell him what he needs to hear as oppose to what's convenient for him to hear.

UTAH

• Utahns want independent redistricting commission (BY LEE DAVIDSON, The Salt Lake Tribune) “The less that the politicians have to do with how they are elected, the more I like it.”
• Caucus extremists make voters irrelevant (BY BILL MILLER, Salt Lake Tribune) The Utah caucus system is undemocratic and unfair. It makes voter opinion and participation meaningless and allows total control by a few activists, extremists and special interests. It stifles accountability to the voters. It is a disservice to Utah citizens.
• Keep party caucuses (By thomas wright, Salt Lake Tribune) As the chair of the Salt Lake County GOP, I have had a front-row seat in seeing just how great this system is. A candidate can win without the big machine and big bucks required by candidates in states that pick nominees in a primary election.

Talk Talk with Fred Newman and Jackie Salit: Determinism Run Amok

Sunday, May 30, 2010

Every week CUIP's president Jacqueline Salit and strategist/philosopher Fred Newman watch the political talk shows and discuss them. Here are excerpts from their dialogues compiled on Sunday, May 30, 2010 after watching selections from "Hardball with Chris Matthews," "PBS NewsHour," "This Week" and "The McLaughlin Group."

Salit: I know. These terrible things happen. Everybody's very upset about this. And Axelrod says 'We're working on a solution. We've mobilized all the great scientists from everywhere in the world.

Newman: That's at least a lie, but surely an exaggeration.

Salit: OK, at a minimum, we've mobilized some Nobel scientists. And, he says, 'We're working on this and we haven't gotten to the solution yet.

Newman: Right. And Matthews, in his typical provocative and sometimes dumb way says: 'What happens if you don't find one?

Salit: And the answer is?

Newman: Then, we'll fail.

Salit: We'll fail, yes.

Newman: People have failed before.

Read Talk/Talk in its entirety here.

Are Americans ideological???

Yesterday Morning Joe reported on a conversation he had with David Axelrod last night, Axelrod said that Americans are not ideological, and Morning Joe agreed. What do you think?

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS
Obama Nomination Occurs on Lyndon Johnson’s 100th Birthday (Ballot Access News) Unfortunately, the U.S. Justice Department has consistently interpreted the Voting Rights Act to not apply to state laws that disenfranchise minor party and independent voters. Congress needs to pass a new Voting Rights Act.


CONTROVERSY: OREGON TOP TWO PRIMARY

• Oregon Democrats and Republicans team up to end third parties (Third Party Watch )
• The Parties Oppose The "Open Primary" (Free Citizen - Steve Rankin) with comments by IP of Oregon leaders
• The "Open Primary" Debate Rages On (Free Citizen - Steve Rankin)

CAMPAIGN

• Obama faces balancing act on attacks (Ben Smith, Politico) David Axelrod, Obama's top strategist: “He will read everything Barack’s going to do or say just to get a sense of whether it seems like old politics.”
• A 'Maverick' Nominee, But Still The Same GOP-McCain Clinched Nomination Without Winning Over Conservatives, But Party Leaders Doubt Ideological Shift (by James A. Barnes, National Journal)
• Long way to go yet (Indian Country Today) But despite the dramatic victories of the American civil rights movement, the United States cannot claim moral authority as long as indigenous peoples in America suffer the highest rates of poverty and suicide.
• Top Obama aides counting on new voters to win in November-Newly registered Democrats will offset any lag for Obama among traditional party voters, Plouffe and Axelrod said Thursday at a Monitor breakfast. (Christian Science Monitor)

REFORM
Golisano expands reform effort to national politics, contributes $1 million to Obama campaign-Iraq, deficit, energy are top priorities (Buffalo News)

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]