TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• NEW HAMPSHIRE: Officials hope to clarify primary process in Exeter (SeacoastOnline) Independents declare which party primary they want to vote in and then "undeclare" on their way out of the poll
• NEBRASKA: Preparing for the Primary Election (KHGI Nebraska TV) Independents not allowed in partisan contests

OPEN PRIMARIES

• OREGON: A better election system (The Gresham Outlook)
• IDAHO: Republicans' lawsuit against Idaho stalled (Fort Mill Times)

Independent and looking for a hot date?

Here are some hot tips:

1. Independent political strategist Jackie Salit will be on CNN's "Situation Room" tonight (Thursday). The program runs from 5-6 pm Eastern Time. Go to your favorite hangout that has a tv, approach someone and ask if they're an independent voter, invite them to watch the show.

2. Call up an old friend you haven't talked to in a while and read them Jackie's New Hampshire primary analysis : "Some Thoughts on the New Hampshire Results". (And feel free to talk about it while you're doing it--it's more fun that way.)

3. Or, if you prefer being with more than one person, join independents around the country for a national conference call on Sunday January 27th at 7:00 pm EST called "How's It Going? An Independent Look at the Presidential Process" (Call Nancy Ross at 800-288-3201 - or email your name, state and phone number to national@cuip.org Tell her The Hankster sent you!)

Have fun!

-NH

New Hampshire independent voters talk about their choices

New Hampshire independent voters Betty Ward, Kevin Drew and Bart Hunter talk with Tom Brokaw about their choices for the primary. This is a longer version of the video at the top of The Hankster.

UPDATED:
Betty Ward, school teacher, mom and leader of New Hampshire Committee for an Independent Voice (NH-CIV) says people are opting out of the parties and out of partisanship. "For me, it's not about a Clinton-Obama-Kucinich-Huckabee; it's about partisanship... We frame the discussion around people when it should be about the democratic process....."

Betty Ward and Russ Ouellette from New Hampshire Committee for an Independent Voice

More NEWS HEADLINES FOR INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Call It Independents' Day-Unaffiliated voters can take either party's ballot in New Hampshire (US News & World Report)
• Let's End This Two-Party System! (by Timothy V. Gatto-OpEdNews)
• Boston Herald lines up with Joe Lieberman's choice for Prez (Boston Herald) -- we'll find out who the real independents in New Hampshire support on Jan. 8
• Who'll be the maverick in 2008? Obama, Edwards Go Long (Wall Street Journal)
• McCain surging up on Romney, polls in New Hampshire show (San Francisco Chronicle)
• Clinton losing ground in California, but Obama isn't gaining (Mercury News)
• New Georgia poll: Obama, Clinton even; Huckabee far ahead (Savannah Morning News)
• Clinton Lands Seasoned Operative for S.C. Effort (The Fix Washington Post)
• James Pinkerton: The case for Michael Bloomberg--"satire" (Dallas Morning News)
• Mike Gravel Announces Third Party Bid; Why Ron Paul Will be Next (OpEdNews)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Editorial: Dems have momentum now, but Ohio's presidential outlook is far from decided-independents key (Cleveland Plain Dealer)
• N.H. poll: GOP primary stirring independents (Boston Globe)
• Our Precious Liberties, Endangered - Dems should not count on independents (New York Times LETTER)
• Presidential candidate Ron Paul hauls in more than $3.5 million from the web (Midland Reporter-Telegram)
• Michelle Obama issues call to black America (New York Daily News)
• Battle for black voters - Michelle Obama says they will 'wake up and get it' (Chicago Sun Times)
• Kentucky: Doctor from Prospect to seek McConnell's seat in U.S. Senate - Michael Cassaro to run as independent (The Courier-Journal)
• Ohio: In Lorain, six-term Councilman David Wargo, D-1st Ward, lost to independent candidate Melanie Szabo by a vote of 670 to 581. (The Chronicle-Telegram)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

CATCHING UP:
I was out of town this past weekend, visiting my daughter Lucy in Pittsburgh (if you dare, you can see a video of our trip to the Andy Warhol Museum there....)

Rich Winger, Ballot Access News, notes that On November 1, the Federal Election Commission certified John Edwards’ eligibility for primary season matching funds. The FEC had already certified John McCain and Tom Tancredo. In recent past presidential election years, various minor party candidates were among to first to qualify for primary season matching funds. For example, in the presidential election of 1992, Lenora Fulani was the first person certified for primary season matching funds. Minor party members who received primary season matching funds in the past, in addition to Fulani, have been Sonia Johnson, John Hagelin, Ralph Nader, and Pat Buchanan. This year, no minor party member likely to have the capacity and the willingness to qualify for primary season matching funds has even announced for president.

Rock Hackshaw thinks Dr. Lenora Fulani may have a point here regarding the shutdown by the Dems of debate between Barack Obama and Hillary Clinton in New York City.... (Room 8 )

While independents in New Hampshire are noted here in "Kucinich At 7% In New Hampshire!!!" Quotes Jacqueline Salit, CUIP(by parmenides08 - MyDD) * ABOVE ARTICLE ALSO LINKED HERE-Kucinich at 7% in New Hampshire - Daily Kos (ProgressNowAction)

Other articles of interest here:

• Clinton doesn't appeal to independent voters (Des Moines Register Story Chat)
• Hate-free election is unfolding-Voters become more powerful (By John Laird, Columbian)
• Wooing the ‘indies’ (Town Hall)
• Bloomberg Presidential Speculation Gets a Boost (NY Sun)
• Voters irked by candidate's 2 a.m. call (Albany Times Union)

Also, I hear there was an interview on NY1 of New York City Independence Party leader Dr. Fred Newman and postmodern psychologist Ken Gergen from Swarthmore by Dominic Carter and Rita Nissan, which NY1 (owned and operated by Time Warner -- it's a local news channel on cable in New York City) seems to have exercised their better judgement by not posting.... Apparently Dominic screamed in a froth "Answer the question! Answer the question! Yes or no!" when Newman said that therapy patients should be allowed their constitutional right to participate in policial campaigns. Dominic wanted to know who Dr. Newman sleeps with... Here for a rendition of Sex and Politics...

Well, we could guess who Dominic is sleeping with -- the Dems..... Yuck.....

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Arizona Dem, Repub (but not Libertarian) primaries remain open to independents (The Arizona Republic)
• Virginia appeals court rules part of open primary law unconstitutional (WAVY TV 10 Richmond)
• The Independent Vote in New Hampshire (New York Times-The Caucus)
• Independents May Be Crucial in New Hampshire (New York Times)
• Washington State's Primary System Argued (AP/Google)
• POLITICAL MONEY: Rich Donors Make State Party Coffers Bulge (Wall Street Journal)
• Oakland mayor Ron Dellums backs Clinton (Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Lenora Fulani Wants a Hillary-Obama Debate in Harlem (Politicker) with mention on
• UPTOWNflavor Harlem blog
• Anti-War Candidates Campaigning in an Anti-War New Hampshire (Campaigns & Elections)
• The candidates on Iraq war (Christian Science Monitor)
• McCain campaigns support for troop surge (Miami Herald)
• Ron Paul backers a mixed bunch (Seattle Times)
• Clinton Making S.C. Power Play (Campaigns & Elections)
• Oregon: Why John Frohnmayer is running for U.S. Senate as an independent (The Register-Guard) (The Forest Grove News-Times) (The World Link)
• Kos Poll: Lamont beats Lieberman, again (Daily Kos)

Conversations on Political Insanity

If you didn't catch Obama on Jon Stewart's The Daily Show when the Senator was in New York last week, you can see the video on RealClearPolitics. Stewart, who is often a brilliant political comedian, reads some increasingly sensationalist headlines on Obama's campaign against Hillary and then poses the question: "Has the insanity of this process sunk in on you yet?"

Being an independent, I thought that was a great lead-in for a statement about our corrupt partisan political process and how we need to change how politics is done in this country if we are to create a new direction for the country. Obama answers that we need some "normalcy", and relates a story about preparing for an 8:30 am debate, "It's always a shock to the system when, Sunday morning, you wake up and you're face-to-face with Mike Gravel." (titter, titter... you know the drill...)

Hmmmm..... Well, not so funny. If a candidate for US President is not so game to come face-to-face with Mike Gravel, how willing would he be to come face-to-face with independent candidates who aren't under the constraints of a partisan dictatorship? (see Larry Reinsch and Co. for Rock The Debates asking Barack Obama The Question: whether he would debate independent candidates after the primary. Obama decries the "winner-take-all system" and claims "general sympathy"...)

Or how willing would he be to come face-to-face indeed with the American people and make a statement against the partisan good ol' boys (and girls) club? Apparently not so much... Word is, Obama still has not scheduled a promised meeting with New Hampshire independents, and from what I'm hearing in New York, his Brooklyn Marriott rally was packed with real people (hell - only a couple of New York pols have had the muster to go up against the Clinton machine to endorse Obama) but he didn't really go for it. Hey -- it's New York. Take on Clinton-the inevitable? Appeal to the 47% of the black vote in New York City that went outside the Democratic Party and voted for a nonpartisan mayor in 2005? Apparently not...

It's beginning to look a lot like Obama is running for VP.

Granite State Rebels!

Be sure to click on the video at the top of The Hankster (it's 15 minutes well spent) to see New Hampshire independents Betty Ward, Russ Ouellette and Andre Gibeau hold forth on Political Chowder... You do know that independents vote in the primaries in New Hampshire, right? And, yes, I DID hear Barack Obama utter the word "independent" in the YouTube/CNN debate! Thanks, New Hampshire independents!!!!

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

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

EAST COAST:

• New Hampshire: Whither the undeclared voter? Campaigns sizing up independents' role (Concord Monitor)


• New Hampshire: Dem staffers double population of state--it's like Christmas in July... (Concord Monitor)

WEST COAST:

• Washington State: Independent voters feel a bit nervous: Will moving the primaries move independent voters??? Why partisan showdowns don't impress non-partisans... (Columbian)


• Is The West turning lib? Are libertarians leaning Dem? What's a serious "independent streak"... West is Best for '08 Strategizing (Fox News)

Conversations on Independence

Marc Ambinder "Andy Smith Doesn't Poll New Hampshire Without Independents" has corrected his earlier blog saying that Andy Smith excluded independents from his poll that shows Clinton leading Obama... and Ben Smith "About that UNH Poll" at Politico takes careful note, even posting a pdf press release from the pollster to prove it. Taegan Goddard's Political Wire "Clinton Leaps Ahead in New Hampshire" adds his two cents (only 8% of Dems have made up their minds...).

What's the Big Deal? Plenty! New Hampshire independents comprise 44% of the electorate and they can vote in the primaries. And USA Today polls show Obama does well with independents. Plus, independents on the ground in New Hampshire are becoming well-organized and won't be taken for granted. Betty Ward and Russ Ouellette will testify to that.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Why Poll New Hampshire Without Independents????? (Marc Ambinder, The Atlantic)
• Obama, Thompson Gain on Clinton, Giuliani, Poll Shows-Independents voting in the Democratic primary say they favor unity over experience by more than 2-to-1. (Bloomberg News)
• MS: Primary ruling a mixed bag for Dems: Victorious in lawsuit, party sees ID measure they oppose tacked on (Clarion Ledger)
• Mike Bloomberg could buy the White House (Salon)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Independent voters could sway primary in New Hampshire (Copley News Service)
• COFOE Raises Enough Money for Proposed New North Carolina Lawsuit (Ballot Access News)
• Ethical House wouldn’t have to worry (Opinion-Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette)
• Obama has strong appeal to independents (USA Today)
• NH: Immersed in politics, from city hall up-"To me, both parties are a compromise," Hill said. (Union Leader)
• NC: Group to collect signatures in support of nonpartisan school-board elections (Winston Salem Journal)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Don't take independent voters for granted (Betty Ward, LETTER TO Concord Monitor)
• Debates in June? ...a question about how the Republican party can attract independent voters needed to win was left hanging. (Concord Monitor)
• Silver Lining in GOP's Dark Cloud-While voters will want an un-Bush in 2008, it's by no means clear they'll want a Democrat. (RealClearPolitics)
• State of the Race: The Republican Presidential Candidates-Giuliani's admirable record and his appeal to independent voters—which may prove vital in what may be a close election—may outweigh some of his more questionable traits. (The Stanford Review)
• The latest on Gallup (ScrippsNews)
• CT: Mayoral race gets bizarre with new party (Connecticut Post)
• MT: Recent election signals new day in Ravalli County-Independent Carlotta Grandstaff trounced incumbent Commissioner Howard Lyons (Missoulian)
• OH: Voting in a party primary invalidates independence, according to the Ohio AG. (The Vindicator)
• VA: Sheriff's primary race gets crowded (Potomac News)
• Illinois Legislature Likely to Pass Timid Ballot Access Bill (Ballot Access News)

Independents Rule New Hampshire

Partyless, Unpredictable Voters Could Sway Primary...Again
This article in ABC News Go, By Rick Klein, June 4, 2007 , is definitely worth a read. With the media blitz about the candidates (and that's ok - it's an American election, and that's what American elections are all about....), it's nice to see a little attention paid to the voters! See what New Hampshire independents Betty Ward and Russ Ouellette had to say....

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Major parties choking democracy, grass-roots efforts (Des Moines Register Iowa View)
• Opening the Space in American Politics (The Conservative Voice)
• A Failure of Leadership in a Flawed Political Culture (Washington Post)
• Unity Limps On, Recruiting 106 Delegates a Day (Irregular Times)
• Spoilers or swing voters? Independent Texans founder Linda Curtis discusses corridor, politics with area group (Victoria Advocate)
• Idaho GOP’s Move to close primary concerns some (KTVB)
• Don't take independent voters for granted (Letter from Betty Ward to Concord Monitor)