National Women's History Museum "Women Who Ran for President" Exhibit Includes Independent Lenora Fulani

Women's museum seeks national space (By Monica Haynes, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette)  National Women's History Museum -- Although 35 women have run for U.S. President, the online exhibit "First But Not the Last: Women Who Ran for President" highlights the campaigns of just 12 of them, including Shirley Chisholm, Lenora Fulani, Elizabeth Dole, Carol Mosley Braun and Hilary Clinton.

NOTE: Lenora Fulani is the only woman Presidential candidate to have been on the general election ballot (the others listed here ran in the Democratic Party primary.) Fulani was the first woman and first African American in US history to be on the ballot in all 50 states and qualify for federal matching funds. She collected over 1.5 million signatures in her run as an independent in 1988, laying the basis for Ross Perot's independent run in 1992 and paving the way for the current independent movement.

This from the National Women't History Museum:

Lenora Branch Fulani has spent almost three decades fighting to end the two-party system and create a “viable, national, pro-socialist” party for those who feel ignored by the Democratic and Republican parties. Fulani ran for the presidency in 1988 and 1992.

She grew up in Chester, PA and watched her father die because, she said, no ambulance would come to her poor, African-American neighborhood. This, along with the firing of a gay choir director at her church, shaped her desire to address injustice... READ MORE HERE

Conversations on Obama Accomplishment

And what happens to those independent voters who want nothing to do with the Clintons? (Gloria Borger, "It's Not About You, Hillary")

A Barack Obama presidency would not be a continuation of any long and noble crusade by the political Left against racism. If anything, it would atone for the Left’s history of participation in the distant travesties that it now, in such cowardly fashion, blames on others. (Daniel J. Flynn, "America's Racist Left")

The muted euphoria stands in stark contrast to the raw, public elation displayed by black Americans in historic moments past: When Joe Louis knocked out Max Schmeling in 1938, or when the Supreme Court said in 1954 that segregation in public education could not stand. (Errin Haines, "Stifled joy from blacks on Obama win")

Black Candidates, White Voters

Just came across this post:
"It’s Ok To Vote For Obama’s Skin Color Because He Is The First Legitimate Black Candidate"
By Rob on May 14, 2008 at 02:08 pm
I guess Shirley Chisholm, Jesse Jackson, Lenora Fulani, Alan Keyes, Carol Mosley Braun and Al Sharpton weren’t legitimate candidates then. At least according to syndicated columnist and member of the editorial board of the San Diego Union-Tribune Ruben Navarrette Jr. ..... (Say Anything: North Dakota's Blog)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

CAMPAIGN

• FOX News Poll: Wright Ties Hurt Obama Campaign - And, despite that the bulk of independent voters (49 percent) says the issue would make no difference to their vote
• Health coverage is another reason to wed, poll finds (Nashua Telegraph/Los Angeles Times) "The general election is going to be a contest for independent voters," Altman said.
• Clinton Exuding Confidence (Washington Post/The Trail) Clinton operatives in both Indiana and North Carolina are targeting independent voters in both states, believing a demographic that heavily favored Obama in early primaries is now shifting to the New York Senator.
• Primary Confusion (By Tobin Harshaw, Opinionator/New York Times) Independents and open primaries

NORTH CAROLINA

• Vote way that serves interests (BlueRidgeNow) Independents should vote exactly how they want to
• North Carolina voters excited about primary (Pisgah Mountain News/Citizen Times) Of those new voters, 1,010 registered as unaffiliated in Henderson County. More than 800 have registered as Democrats and nearly 760 as Republicans.
• Primaries have finally arrived (The Cherokee Scout) “It’s just real important that people know that unaffiliated voters must pick a party,” Jones said. “Many unaffiliated voters do not understand that.”
• Record registration reported leading up to primary (Smoky Mountain News) ready for a paradigm shift

INDIANA * Wild cards could determine deadlocked Indiana (CNN) Open primary makes a difference

WEST VIRGINIA

• Independents required to ask for party ballots - Voters registered as independents or nonpartisan can choose whether to cast ballots in the Democratic, Republican or Mountain Party primaries. (Charleston Gazette)
• Unaffiliated Voters Cast Votes In Election (WVVA) About 5.8 percent of all early ballots cast have been from unaffiliated or independent voters.

REFORM * Fort Worth gets seat on panel (Star-Star Telegram) Many candidates for state office are finding favor with voters by speaking out against toll roads, especially the controversial Trans-Texas Corridor, a proposed statewide tollway network, said Linda Curtis of Bastrop, founder of Independent Texans, a group of independent voters that opposes toll roads.

BLACK PRESIDENTIAL LEADERSHIP * Can “the Black experience” in America produce an acceptable presidential candidate? (John Milton Wesley's Weblog)

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Arts Education Partnership touts independent voters as backers (Press Release)
• They Like Mike (by Michah Sifry, The Nation) It also didn't help that Unity08 wasn't really about enabling independent voters, or dissatisfied Democrats, Republicans and independents, to hammer out an agenda. The big decisions about the agenda were made in advance, by its founders.
• How Do You Elect an Unpopular Nominee? (National Ledger) Repubs not doing so well
• Oregon Independent Party Grows (The Oregonian)

• Tip: Closed primaries favor establishment candidates (Jackson Sun - TN)
• Unaffiliated Connecticut voters are "partying up for the primary" (Ridgefield Press)
• Obama could win open primary in Alabama (Tuscaloosa News)
• California Repubs have pushed out Independents in closed primary (Paradise Post)

• Ron Paul gets applause for Iraq statement (KCRG - IA)
• Kucinich drops presidential bid (Cleveland Plain Dealer) Statement at noon today

• Major parties have co-opted minor party demands: Black and Women candidates for president! (NPR)