TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

YOUTH VOTE

Why the Youth Vote Is the Big Story -- For 2008 and for Decades to Come (Eric Greenberg and Karl Weber, Huffington Post) It seems doubtful that the impressive success of the Democratic get-out-the-vote effort, which had so much impact in such swing states as Florida, Virginia, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Michigan, would have been possible without Obama's army of Millennials.

POLITISOPHICAL INVESTIGATIONS

• Religion & American politics: This is our moment, this is our time (by Robert Bellah, Social Science Research Council) For the reasons I have just suggested, radical individualism is what I call the default mode of American culture.  It is where we go when things are relatively stable and we face no enormous challenge, or are denying that we do.  It is the power of this core tradition that has given rise to American exceptionalism, what makes us so different from most other advanced nations in the world, none of which share this strand to the same extent.
  
• Obama's Grand Bargain - The principles and promise of Obamaism. (By Bruce Reed, Slate) While pragmatism has been a hallmark of most successful presidencies, post-partisanship is mostly uncharted territory. As Ron Brownstein writes in his history of partisan division, a president is the only person in Washington with the power to disrupt the inexorable, bipartisan slide toward partisanship for its own sake.
  

NEW YORK POLITICS/INDEPENDENCE PARTY

• Not so democratic - Jeers for the cross-endorsement deal (Newsday) Call it the Full Employment for Politicians But Limited Choice for Voters Act of 2009. Actually, it's not a law at all, just a convenient agreement among political leaders that leaves you with no real choice for three countywide offices.
  
• With Nod to History, Bloomberg Sees Recovery (By DAVID W. CHEN, NY Times) And as is often the case, Mr. Bloomberg tried to cast himself as an independent and nontraditional politician.
  
• Full text of Mayor Bloomberg's State of the City Speech (by Staten Island Advance) We will get New York City through these hard times with the same approach that has always worked for us. Independent leadership based on facts and pragmatism - not politics and ideology. Innovative thinking that embraces new solutions to old problems - and an insistence on accountability, always.
  

THIRD PARTY POLITICS

• Top Independent Candidates for U.S. House in 2008 (Ballot Access News) Comment: Lesson to third parties and independents: Run someone who is respected and has name recognition.
  
• The Minnesota Recount Was Unconstitutional (By MICHAEL STOKES PAULSEN, Wall Street Journal) If Messrs. Franken and Coleman agreed, an absentee ballot could be counted. Either campaign could veto a vote. Dean Barkley of the Independence Party, who ran third, was not included in this process. Thus, citizens' right to vote -- the right to vote! -- was made subject to political parties' gaming strategies.
  

CULTURAL

• Obama memorabilia displayed in homes (Deborah Netburn, LA Times) For some, the idea of having a pictorial representation of a national leader in one's living space brings to mind communist mandates of the 1950s. The home is the place for family portraits, or art that defines one's tastes. So when Obama shows up next to a landscape painting of the old summer home by Uncle Max, one might wonder if displaying a picture of the president is an invasion of politics in what should be a propaganda-free space.
  
• The Big Blue Wall (Marc Ambinder, The Atlantic) Since his days at the Los Angeles Times, Brownstein has been a principal expositor of the idea that electoral coalitions are built around and sustained by culture, rather than economic well-being. 
  

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Neoconservatism in the Obama Age (BY PATRICK KREY, The New American) This dynamic of neocons versus liberal interventionists seems to be along the lines of good cop vs. bad cop. Both parties want the same result, but they play opposing roles to con the third party (in this case, independent voters) into trusting them even though they both share the same goals. And when you really think about it: what is the difference between a neocon and a liberal war hawk anyway? Not much of a difference at all considering that neocons were liberal war hawks a few decades ago.
  
• Lawmakers lay out agendas for 2009 legislative session (By MIKE DENNISON and CHARLES S. JOHNSON, Helena MT - Independent Record State Bureau) "I don't think either one of these political parties ought to get too full of themselves," he said in a brief interview Monday afternoon. "For either one of these parties to say we are a Republican state or a Democratic state, I think it's maybe a little delusional. "We are a state of independent thinkers and independent voters. I think it's only appropriate for people to disagree."
  
• Trans-Texas Corridor Dead or in a Coma? (by ljcurtis, Independent Texans) They pledge to scale the project back to 600 (rather than 1,200 foot Corridors), and to slow the process down. This is a good start, but it’s clear they are still intent on the public-private partnership toll facilities that we’ve found so objectionable as they take money from transportation sending profits to investors, rather than plowing those funds back in to transportation needs, including the increasing need for public transit in metropolitan areas.
  

POLITISOPHICAL INVESTIGATIONS

• Whatever Obama accomplishes, his election was a breakthrough (BY DAVID LIGHTMAN AND WILLIAM DOUGLAS, Miami Herald) It's hardly unusual for a new president to be hailed as the harbinger of a new era, and sometimes he is. Ronald Reagan put a conservative stamp on government that lasted for decades. Bill Clinton practiced a centrist form of Democratic politics that may influence Obama. And eight years ago, George W. Bush political guru Karl Rove spoke of forging a political realignment that would assure Republicans majorities for years to come - though elections in 2006 and 2008 seem to have interrupted, if not shattered, that vision.
  
• Fiscal conservativism is a movement without a party (SCOTT ST. CLAIR - THE BELLINGHAM HERALD) So rather than hope for table scraps from a political party - a hope upon which we will starve - fiscal conservatives work to reach the minds and touch the hearts of people. One way is through the work of 500 free-market think tanks around the world.
  

MINNESOTA INDEPENDENCE PARTY

• What About Minnesota? (Washington Post)  Either of these systems is vastly preferable to the baroque and unreliable recount process under which Minnesota elections now operate.
  
• Endless Vote Recounting Tests Minnesota Niceness (By KIRK JOHNSON, St. Paul Journal in NY Times/The Caucus) "I actually lost my patience before the election," said Adam Nedry, who so disliked the mudslinging campaigns by both Mr. Coleman and Mr. Franken that he voted for the Independence Party candidate, Dean Barkley.
  
• We will have better senators with instant runoff voting (by Richard Taylor, Denver Forgotten Communities Examiner) Instant-runoff voting has been tried in municipalities in the United States. It should be tried in statewide elections. 
  

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

OREGON MEASURE 65

• Where party still counts (Albany Democrat Herald) The initiative would have done away with partisan primaries, but Democrats and Republicans in Linn County say they like the present system just fine, a system in which the taxpayers foot the bill for the selection of party candidates while excluding people who refuse to identify themselves as either an R or a D.
• Making more sense of our elections (The Oregonian) Unlike Measure 65, the "top two" election system that Oregonians overwhelmingly rejected at the polls this week, instant-runoff voting has a track record of success and was used most recently in Pierce County (Tacoma) in Washington to elect the county executive and other officeholders.

CAMPAIGN

• GOP stalwarts shun tradition, switch votes; "With neighbor-to-neighbor grass roots organizing, we made inroads into smaller, more conservative counties across the state," he said. "We just felt we could make significant ground there, turning out new voters in record numbers and making a strong push for independent voters who had been turned off by the Bush economy for the last eight years." (Toledo Blade)
• Nevada Voter Turnout Near 1 Million (Las Vegas Now KLAS) Obama also captured a majority of independent voters in Nevada or those not affiliated with the two major parties. 54-percent of them went for Obama, compared to 41-percent for John McCain.
• Obama Victory Good for America (HULIQ) Barack Obama did the same thing as Reagan. He ran as a leftist. Instead of trying to grab the independent voters he just offered change.
• Costa Mesans vote for Obama (Daily Pilot) Baugh thinks Obama is clever enough to know that if he yanks the country too far to the left he will hurt himself with independent voters and could get punished in the mid-term elections.
• WAS THE "MAVERICK" TOO MODERATE TO WIN? (Town Hall) This logic suggests that candidates fare better when they display ideological rigor and consistency, and that Republicans can never succeed by going after moderate and independent votes.
• Electoral Consequences Big & Small (America/The National Catholic Weekly) Obama won the presidency by winning among Independent voters, voters who by definition resist partisan labels. Having to cross with 60-vote threshold with centrist Republican votes will help him beat back political pressures on the far left of the Democratic Party.

MINNESOTA INDEPENDENCE PARTY

• Recount: The Coleman-Franken brawl drags on (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• Senate candidate Dean Barkley urges supporters to continue support of Independence Party (HometownSource)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• CO: Party gap closing within county (The Coloradoan) New Democrat registrations since July totaled 13,672, while Republicans had 10,136. The number of new unaffiliated voters - 15,684 - outpaced fresh registrations for both parties.
• CT: New Voters Stepping Forward To Make History (The Day) Ten percent of registered voters, or nearly 220,000 people, have registered since Jan 1. Of those, about 95,000 registered as unaffiliated voters, followed by 93,000 Democrats and 29,000 Republicans. The largest group of registered voters in Connecticut is unaffiliated, followed by Democrats and then Republicans.

OPEN PRIMARY

• Election 2008: Better primaries for Oregon (The Oregonian) Measure 65 is a rational response to a closed, overly partisan system.
• Open the primaries (LETTER TO News Press, Ft. Myers FL) In a national open primary the whole country would have a say. I resent that a minority tell me who I can and cannot vote for.

CAMPAIGN

• Rich like both candidates (Investment News) Among wealthy independent voters, 55% said that they favored Mr. Obama, compared with 34% who preferred his opponent.
• New York Poll Released by Rasmussen Reports: Barack Obama 57%, John McCain 37% (Transworld News) Among unaffiliated voters in New York, Obama leads 47% to 39%.
• Connecticut Poll Released by Rasmussen Reports: Barack Obama 56%, John McCain 39% (Transworld News) Obama leads among unaffiliated voters 49% to 42%.
• Oregon Poll Released by Rasmussen Reports: Barack Obama 54%, John McCain 41% (Transworld News) Obama has a 23-point lead among unaffiliated voters in the state.
• Early Voting Up Big In North Carolina (By Justin Gardner, Donklephant) Across the state, Democrats showed the most first-day enthusiasm. Of the nearly 114,000 first-day voters, 64 percent were Democrats, 21 percent Republicans and 15 percent were unaffiliated.

DOWN BALLOT
Latest Polls Show Coleman Trails Franken, Barkley with 20 percent (Minneapolis News Examiner)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

OPEN PRIMARIES
Editorial: It should always be about electing the best candidate (Wallowa County Chieftain) Roberts is mired historically in a two-party system which no longer exists. She also overlooks the fact that half a million Oregonians have chosen to register as Independents despite the fact that the current law disenfranchises them in primary elections.

CAMPAIGN

• In survey, independents back Biden (Allentown PA Morning Call) 69 percent of independents sided with Biden.
• Palin gets the style points and a slim win over Biden (NY Daily News) With the race among independent voters becoming a referendum on the economic meltdown, the McCain-Palin ticket is sinking as fast as the stock market.
• Obama gains 22-point lead over McCain in New York (AM New York) Obama leads McCain 58 percent to 36 percent, increasing his lead among Democrats and now leading with independent voters by 15 points, after he was tied among independents in the last Siena poll.
• Every registered voter counts this year-Independents are the target (KRNV Channel 4) Both parties are focusing their campaign efforts primarily on the 31,000 independent voters that could tip the scale in their favor.
• The Tina Fey Effect (The Weekly Standard, Gary Andres) Independents are also among the most volatile groups in tracking surveys because they lack party attachments and listen to the “loudest voice in the cafeteria,” as University of Maryland political scientist Jim Gimpel likes to say.
• Obama surges back in NY (Albany Times Union/Capitol Confidential) Obama now leads with independent voters by 15 points, after being tied among independents in the last Siena poll.
• Whose Palin? (The American Conservative) The old Buchanan Brigades now ride to the sound of the neocon guns.

THIRD PARTIES
POLL: Sen. Coleman pulls head with 10-point lead (KSTP) Barkley does surprisingly well again, registering 19 points.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

CAMPAIGN

• Obama, McCain vie for New Hampshire "swing" votes (Reuters)
• Barack Obama's Skin Color An Issue (Afro - MD)

THIRD PARTIES

• Independent Jolts Minnesota Senate Race (Wall Street Journal) Mr. Barkley draws voters from both parties, but many observers see his candidacy as more threatening to Mr. Franken, who has struggled to consolidate Democratic support.
• McCain Wins Independence Endorsement (NY Sun) In a joint statement yesterday, four county chairman of the New York City Independence Party criticized the state party for endorsing Mr. McCain.
• McCain Receives 88% of Weighted Vote at Independence Party State Convention (Ballot Access News) [NOTE: Be sure to read the comments on this article -- everyone knows that independence is dead in the state committee of the New York Independence Party. Frank MacKay has succeeded at killing grassroots democracy and local control everywhere except in the 5 boroughs of New York City -- and he's still hacking away at our legally constituted county committees... In a joint statement released yesterday, the New York City organizations said: "MacKay has corrupted and virtually destroyed the State Party taking it from a vibrant, pro-democracy force for political reform to a corrupt manipulation of people’s genuine desire for change. If John McCain thinks that the State Independence Party is a symbol of independent thinking and activism, he is sadly mistaken. -- read more here.]

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

OPEN/CLOSED PRIMARIES

• Party controls outcome (The Leaf Chronicle) It came as a shock to a number of voters in Cheatham, Houston and Montgomery counties that a political party could overturn primary election results. [NOTE: To echo one commenter, Shocked? We're shocked you're shocked, sir! Voters are not in the least "shocked" by this behavior by a political party!!]
• Voter registration opens up again in Del. (The News Journal) many registered Republican and independent voters chose to change to the Democratic Party for the gubernatorial primaries.

CRAZY CAMPAIGN POLL FRENZY

• NJ: McCain narrows Obama's lead in N.J., poll finds (Courier Post online) Independent voters are split 38 percent for Obama and 37 percent for McCain.
• PA: Obama descends on Pennsylvania to woo key voters-Eyes women, independents; surrogates on Palin attack (Washington Times)
• IA: Obama establishes double-digit lead in Iowa poll (Oskaloosa Herald) Des Moines Register poll says independent voters helping Obama
• OH: Obama cuts McCain's lead in new poll (Columbus Dispatch/Road to Washington) Obama is winning independent voters, so the 12-point "loyalty gap" is a difference-maker.
• US: Electoral Map Looks Similar To 2004, 2000- Washington Post: Obama Still Seeks To Expand Battleground, But Familiar States Expected To Once Again Be Key To Victory (CBS News-Washingtonpost.com) New Hampshire took a sharp turn toward the Democrats two years ago, but McCain's popularity there could offset that advantage. New Hampshire strategists said over the weekend that independent voters, whom both McCain and Obama courted during their respective primaries, will decide the outcome in November, particularly the more than 100,000 independents who did not vote in either primary.
• PA: State of the race (Lancaster Online) Independent voters are split nearly evenly, 45 percent for McCain and 44 percent for Obama.

THIRD PARTY NEWS

• Libertarian National Committee in a deadlock over how to address growing Bob Barr controversies (Mens News Daily) Barr refused to attend Ron Paul's Rally for the Republic [see part of Jesse Ventura's address at the top of The Hankster. Most Americans think independent candidates should be in the debates. Rockthedebates.org tells the story...]
• Dean Barkley’s candidacy and what it means in 2008 (Minnesota Daily)
• Barack Obama Will Only be on Democratic Line in South Carolina (Ballot Access News) Obama refuses IP and other lines offered
• Federal Court Holds Hearing on Lawsuit to Remove McCain from California Ballot (Ballot Access News) The leading precedent on who has standing to challenge the ballot access of a major party nominee is Fulani v Hogsett, 917 F 2d 1028 (7th cir., 1990). It said that Lenora Fulani did have standing to challenge the ballot placement of George H. W. Bush and Michael Dukakis, since their presidential elector candidates had been filed after the legal deadline in Indiana.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• The Party's Over - Millions of voters have moved out of the political party system. The decline of loyalty has made politics less stable and predictable -- and has resulted in close elections. (Wall Street Journal)
• What to Do After the Elections? (An Ordinary Person) Great recommendations!

CAMPAIGN

• Candidates look anew to N.H. and Iowa (Boston Globe) Antiwar sentiment also runs high, notably among the independent voters, who were McCain's base eight years ago but now have expressed misgivings about his vocal support for the war in Iraq.
• Obama establishes double-digit lead in Iowa poll (Chicago Tribune)
• Independents swing toward McCain (John P. Avlon, Politico) Obama’s campaign is confronting a political reality that Democrats have a difficult time dealing with: that America is essentially a center-right nation. Winning a national election comes down to winning over independents and centrists in swing states.
• Panic sets in for Obama, Democrats (The Atlanta Journal-Constitution)
• Obama makes case for change (Nashua Telegraph) "McCain has grown his strength among Republicans and that's good, but we see Obama winning independents in the range of 50 (percent) to 35 percent. If Obama can hold on to that kind of edge here, it's ballgame.''
• Is the black vote already decided? (Newport News VA Daily Press)

OPEN PRIMARIES

• It's former anchor vs Senate veteran in Ore. race (KTVZ) Rick Dancer knows it could be another dismal year for Republicans in a state that's been trending more blue in recent years. But he said he's not running as a traditional Republican. He supports the concept of opening up primary elections so that independent voters, currently not allowed to vote in Oregon's Republican and Democratic primary elections, would have a say in picking candidates.
• On Politics: State Sen. Rosalind Kurita was robbed (Nashville City Paper) Tennessee Democrats now appear to care more about politics and holding power than they do actual democracy.
• Tennessee Democrats Invalidate State Senate Primary Because Republicans Participated in that Primary (Ballot Access News)

LOCAL INDEPENDENT NEWS

• Minnesota Poll: Coleman, Franken slip amid sniping (Minneapolis Star Tribune) The beneficiary of the crossfire is Barkley, the Independence Party nominee who registers a robust support level of 13 percent among the 1,106 likely voters polled.
• ‘Outsiders’ Guide to Alaska’s Politics and Peculiarities (Flathead Beacon MT - from Christian Science Monitor)

LAST WORD TODAY
Our secessionist streak - The desire to break away from the U.S. is surprisingly widespread, and could be seen as pro-American (Baltimore Sun)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Devil is in the details for independent voters (Minnesota Public Radio) Jackie Salit on Broadcast: Midmorning, 08/13/2008, 9:06 a.m. [NOTE: I wasn't able to figure out how to tune in online, however, hopefully others did or Minnesota independents were able to listen to the radio waves.... If you happened to catch this -- please let me know your responses!! email The Hankster and I'll publish your remarks.)
• Suburban cowboys lasso Colorado into purple camp (Seattle Post Intelligencer RERUN FROM THE ECONOMIST)

REFORM

• WA: In our view: Our state's top two primary is making a lot of sense to other states (The Columbian) Yes, voters are excited about our state’s new top two primary because it follows the astoundingly logical concept of advancing the top two vote-getters to the Nov. 4 election, regardless of party. You can’t get much more democratic than that.
• NY: Petitions have power-Government downsizing initiative finds a way to take to the streets (Buffalo News)

CAMPAIGN

• Female voters heed character issue (Adrienne T. Washington, Washington Times) Michelle Bernard says "They are overwhelmingly concerned about pocketbook issues," of the 2008 presidential election, which she predicts will be decided by centrists and independent voters.
• Republicans for Obama (Minnesota Star Tribune)

LOCAL INDEPENDENT NEWS: Local Congressional candidate in Tennessee considers contesting nonpartisan election to close party primary. Ahh, the desperation of partisan politics!

• Little-Used Law At Root Of Davis’ Recount Effort (BRISTOL HERALD COURIER - TN) According to published reports, the freshman congressman cited Tennessee election law, which states voters who aren’t party members are ineligible to vote in that party’s primary. He contends Democrats voted in the Republican primary and claims such votes improperly influenced the results. Tennessee, however, has an open primary, meaning party affiliation is not a prerequisite to vote.
• Ramsey says Davis should not challenge results of election (Kingsport Times News - TN) “You declare the way you are voting when you walk into a voting booth,” the Blountville Republican said. “It would be very hard to prove that there was concerted effort to get Democrats to vote in a Republican primary or vice versa. Even if you could prove that, I don’t see it’s illegal.”
• Davis ponders challenge to primary vote (The Hill) Davis told a local paper that he might challenge some of the primary votes based on the voting history of the people who cast them.
• Commentary - Colorado in '08 is preview of unions' plans in '09 (by Mark Tapscott, The Examiner)
• Williams back on trail (Austin Daily Herald) Dean Barkley, an Independence Party candidate for the U.S. Senate, praised Williams’ responses, which Minnesota Public Radio featured on their newscasts the following day.

THIRD PARTY NEWS
Thomas Knapp endorses Gravel’s National Initiative (Knapp for Congress) The latest endorser of Gravel’s “National Initiative for Democracy,” which would enable a process for direct lawmaking by popular vote, is Thomas L. Knapp, the Libertarian Party’s candidate for US House of Representatives from Missouri’s 2nd District.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

REFORM California nonpartisan redistricting..... Missouri open primaries..... Maine initiative and referendum.... North Carolina fair ballot access.... Oklahoma ballot access

• CA: Proposition 11 levels the redistricting playing field (Mercury News)
• CA: House Dems oppose Calif. redistricting measure (Daily Comet)
• MO: In our view: Consider local races (Joplin Globe) Our recommendation is that party affiliation is secondary to ensuring that competent people are elected to our county offices.
• ME: AUGUSTA Charter panel mulls petitions and their limits (Kennebec Journal)
• NC: Ballot laws hurt democracy-N.C. obstructions thwart third parties, independents (Daily Tarheel, UNC)
• OK: Barr fight: Ballot access is candidate's focus (NewsOK.com, The Oklahoman Editorial)

BONUSGATE PENNSYLVANIA

• Green Party candidate wants case reopened (Philadelphia Inquirer)
• Bonusgate, a distraction we don’t need (The Sentinel) Meanwhile, a serious reform — a constitutional amendment to take partisanship out of the redistricting process — languished in committee, which means it can’t be passed in time for the next round of reapportionment following the 2010 census.
• Something’s Rotten in the State of Pennsylvania (Dissident Voice) Bonusgate involved the use of state employees to challenge the nominating petitions of Ralph Nader in 2004 (Also see Political Profiling in Pennsylvania, CounterPunch )

THIRD PARTY NEWS
Editorial: Barkley: IP gets a serious candidate (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

REFORM

• Idaho Repub chief Norm Semanko interview with comments on open/closed primaries (BOISE WEEKLY)
• If Idaho is a bellwether, Democrats are looking good (Idaho Mountain Express) Key fight within Repub Party over open primaries, inclusion of independents

CAMPAIGN

• Provincial Progressives: The New Yorker Magazine and Why Obama May Lose (Huffington Post) Progressives, Democrats and all those independent voters like me who long to turn the page on the Bush catastrophe -- get a grip!
• Obama on a pedestal could be worse than an absurd caricature (Politics In Color) I'm not satisfied with the complaints that the New Yorker gave comfort to right-wing nuts. It may be better to see this over-the-top image now as independent voters assess the Democratic U.S. Senator from Illinois rather than October when the undecided are about to make up their minds on which candidate they will chose at the polls.
• Obama holds 9-point lead over McCain, poll shows (by Staten Island Advance)
• Women, Blacks Give Obama 9 - Point Lead Over McCain (Quinnipiac University)
• Obama Moves Right? Pundits Cheer (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting (FAIR) Analysis of media coverage

THIRD PARTY NEWS

• Barkley joins Senate race-WIth Jesse Ventura announcing that he wouldn't run, Barkley, a longtime adviser to the former governor, put his hat in the ring. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• Barkley enters U.S. Senate race (Pioneer Press)
• Editorial: Barkley: IP gets a serious candidate (Minneapolis Star Tribune)
• Jesse the Diva gives way to bravado-lite Barkley (Minneapolis Post)

What's Wrong With This Picture?

Have you noticed Jesse Ventura on the talk shows lately posing as the "independent"? He's got a book out.... And then there's Dean Barkley who's being backed by a major party consultant... Meanwhile a little-known upstate New York pol (the one trying to dictate to NYC independents) posing as the "leader" of a national network of independents, meets with McCain and waits for Mayor Bloomberg to weigh in on who he should endorse..... Hmmm... And lest we forget, there's still Joe Lieberman.... --NH

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

NORTH CAROLINA

• Democrats, independents surge in WNC (Asheville Citizen Times) independents gained nearly 2.2 percent statewide
• Gubernatorial primaries take back seat to presidential race (AP Google) North Carolina has 5.8 million registered voters, a 13 percent increase over 2004. Those figures include 1.2 million unaffiliated or independent voters, many of whom are expected to vote in the Democratic primary. Black voter registration has also spiked in North Carolina, up 19 percent from 2004 to 1.2 million.
• A little homework, planning will make voting easy (Asheville Citizen Times) Know your rights: If you make a mistake on your ballot, you can ask for another one. If you’re registered as Unaffiliated, you can ask to receive the primary ballot of either party. If you’re an ex-felon, you can register and vote if you’ve served all parts of your sentence, including probation.

WEST VIRGINIA

• Registered voters hit record numbers (Parkersburg News and Sentinel) ‘‘You must request the ballot when they come to the table,’’
• Voter registration hits record level (Huntington Herald Dispatch)
• SurveyUSA Poll in Indiana shows Obama 2 points ahead of Clinton among independents (SurveyUSA)
• West Virginia’s ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ Policy for Voters (Alternet) The West Virginia Secretary of State's office and county election offices in the state are refusing to tell independent voters arriving to early vote at the state's 55 voting locations that they are entitled to vote in its Democratic or Republican primary, stating that they are forbidden to do so by law.
• West Virginia Secretary of State Disenfranchising Thousands of Obama Voters? (by: Matt Stoller, Open Left)

OREGON * As deadline looms, residents registering in droves to vote (The Register-Guard) Independent Party of Oregon also has seen significant growth [in Lane County], nearly doubling in size from 921 to 1,651 members since December 2007. [Updated 12:15pm]

MINNESOTA INDEPENDENCE PARTY * Three-way, anyone? Independence party vet Dean Barkley mulls US Senate run (Minnesota Monitor)

FEATURE * Jeremiah, Obama, and Roman Catholics (Commonweal Magazine) "I would also ask whether the Catholic Church has an “African-American problem.” "

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• New Hampshire independents choosing Dem primary since McCain's defection...
• Georgia independents coming out of the woodwork
• Indiana Elections board removes Highland town councilman from fall ballot
• Cindy Sheehan to lead rallies in Charlotte (News 14)
• Arnold's independent card, California's voters
• Minnesota Independence Party's Dean Barkley toying with the idea of running