California's voters are beginning to drift away from typical politics as a new study shows one out of every five Californians do not align themselves with any party.
CALIFORNIA'S OPEN PRIMARIES UNDER PROPOSITION 14 (Willie Brown, San Francisco Chronicle) Remember, open primaries will be in effect for the next legislative elections, thus weakening the power of the archconservatives.
Californians continue to drift away from the major political parties (LA Times/Observations and Provocations) With the shift to open primaries this year, each vote cast affects the outcome of every party's primary -- because, well, there are no more party primaries, just a form of electoral semifinals. So if flexibility was a factor before, there's no reason for it to be one now.
California sets special election for House seat (Fox 59) Under California's new primary rules, if no candidate wins a majority of votes, the top two vote-getters in the general election would advance to the July run-off, regardless of party.
The race of the District 4 Assembly seat in Sacramento was too close to call as a democrat and two republicans are all vying for the top spot.
CALIFORNIA TOP TWO OPEN PRIMARY
Tight race for District 4 Assembly seat (By Torey Van Oot, Sac Bee) The special primary was the third in California under voter-approved Proposition 14. The top two vote-getters in a primary – regardless of party affiliation – now advance to a runoff election.
California voters test new primary rules today (Joe Alfieri, Contra Costa County Conservative Examiner) The new primary system effectively creates Republican ghettoes, California’s minority party –its political Jews–allowed to keep to themselves, under the supervision of the Gauleiters of the state.
America's independent political activists meet in New York (Mark Wachtler, Independent Examiner) As a 25 year veteran of the independent political movement, your author is no stranger to CUIP, Jackie Salit or the annual attempts to organize this nationwide movement of independent voters into one united political force. However, under the decade-long vocal leadership of the activists in New York, independents have made little or no progress even though the political environment across the nation has been screaming for independent candidates and a legitimate third party. One glance at the program highlights reveals little has changed this year and desperate independents throughout America will have to wait even longer, or look elsewhere for leadership.
Unpeeling the power of Independents: Part III (Posted by Nia Ngina Meeks, Nia Means Purpose) "I don't think it [Prop 14] is just a big moment for California," Fulani said. "It's a big moment for the country. But you can't skip over the basic hard work of what's created this room, and what's created this movement overall."
Obama and the GOP's Spending Cuts: Where's the Outrage? - Why the president's walking a fine line on the Republicans' slash-and-burn budget proposals. (— By David Corn, Mother Jones) The president also is striving to be Washington's adult-in-chief, talking up the need for bipartisan negotiations and the potential for agreement across party lines. He's ceding the politics of defiance to the Republicans. This could well be because his approval ratings have ticked upward since he hammered out the bipartisan tax-cut deal with the Republicans in December. He seems to be content to let the Republicans be the food-fighters, so he can position himself as a rise-above-them leader—which, presumably, will enhance his appeal among independent voters. But there's something else: recent public opinion polling. At a retreat of Democratic senators last week, Democratic pollster Geoff Garin presented bad news: Republicans had gained the edge in the debate over government spending. Voters, especially independents, he told the Dems, care first and foremost about improving the economy, but they believe the better way to do so is by cutting spending, not investing. That is, many voters have accepted the GOP's fundamental talking point.
NEW YORK
Indy Boss Holds onto Bloomberg Donation, Accounts Frozen (By Azi Paybarah, WNYC/The Empire) “If there is a victim in this very strange case, it is either the Independence Party or Mayor Bloombeg. Why would we give the money to anyone else?” MacKay told me. [Article links to NY Post David Seifman BELOW]
DA raps Indie Party in $1M Mike-elex theft (By DAVID SEIFMAN City Hall Bureau Chief, NY Post) In a bombshell development, Manhattan DA Cyrus Vance Jr. is accusing the state Independence Party of complicity in the theft of $1.1 million from Mayor Bloomberg, and the DA has frozen all party bank accounts in preparation for seizing its assets.
Suit Suggests Political Party Knew of Fraud (By JOHN ELIGON, NY Times) The Independence Party may have helped a Republican political consultant cover up a scheme to steal more than $1 million from Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg during his 2009 re-election bid, the Manhattan district attorney’s office alleged in court filings released on Thursday.
Barron leads ‘shame on you’ chant against Cuomo (by Jimmy Vielkind, Capitol bureau, Albany Times Union) Four people, led by New York City Councilman Charles Barron and his wife, Assemblywoman Inez Barron, chanted “tax the rich” and “stop the cuts” as Cuomo addressed the 40th annual gathering of the Association of Black and Puerto Rican Legislators.
A proposal led by Senator Jimmy Higdon R-Lebanon, passed through legislation yesterday that would allow 200,000 independents to vote in open primaries in the state of Kentucky. Although similar bills have been rejected in the past for fear that voters would switch to independent to sabotage an opposing party's election, a December 31 deadline for registration has been put into effect to avoid this.
OPEN PRIMARIES
Independents could win right to vote in primaries (NECN) The Senate has passed legislation that would allow registered independents to vote in Democratic and Republican primaries. The proposal, championed by Sen. Jimmy Higdon, R-Lebanon, was approved 23-13 on Thursday.
Back To The Future In Louisiana (By Sean Sullivan, National Journal/Hotline On Call) It's not often that Republicans and Democrats agree, but the Department of Justice has officially signed off on Louisiana's return to open primaries for federal elections, a move both parties in the state have opposed, albeit for different reasons.
IT'S OPEN SEASON FOR JANE HARMAN'S SEAT IN THE 36TH CONGRESSIONAL DISTRICT (by Bob Morris, CAIVN) So there you have it, a wide open race for a left of center Democrat to win (Sorry Republicans, but you have no chance in the 36th). I lived in Venice for ten years up to 2005. In my opinion, if Bowen runs, she will be very difficult to beat. This will also be one of the first elections in California under the new Top Two open primary system, whereby the two highest vote getters regardless of party face each other in the general election. This could very well mean it will be Bowen vs. Hahn in both the Democratic primary and the general election.
PROPOSITION 14
On a rail out of town (By Cosmo Garvin and Hugh Biggar, News Review - Sacramento) Daniel Frederick, a Peace and Freedom Party candidate for the 4th Assembly District. is suing the state claiming Proposition 14, approved by voters last year, is unfairly keeping him off the ballot.
After John Doolittle, the Placer GOP can’t quite get it together (By Jason Probst News Review - Sacramento) “The general gist of it is, for a long time, Doolittle had a very good handle on the district,” said Aaron Park, former member of the Placer County Republican Central Committee. “McClintock is hands-off. He doesn’t want to involve himself in local politics.” The result? A special election to succeed Assemblyman Ted Gaines featuring seven Republicans and one Democrat, Dennis Campanale. The race is even more unpredictable for Republicans because of the state’s newly passed open-primary law, which will select the top two vote getters in the primary to contest the May 3 general election. It’s unlikely, but possible in a heavily Republican district like this, for two GOP candidates to face off in the general.
A Fork in Road to the White House (By MATT BAI, NY Times) Which path the Republican hopefuls will take depends, perhaps, not only on whether they have an actual governing vision to offer, but also on whether they think the party needs to work to reclaim independent voters at all. Some Republican activists would argue that their huge gains in 2010 prove that, unlike the beleaguered Democrats whom Mr. Clinton rose to lead, they are already philosophically in sync with the broader American electorate.
New Yorkers Hold Rally In Support Of Soundview Clinic (By: Josh Robin, NY1) Espada says for some mysterious reason, $3 million he was promised to relocate across the street has been held up -- maybe because of all the negative attention he's getting.
Winners & Losers (EXCERPT City Hall News) Charles Barron, Pedro Espada, Kevin Sheekey...
Joelle Riddle will change the makeup of politics in Colorado. The former county commissioner of La Plata County and founder of Independent Voters for Colorado is leading the charge for reform in the Centennial State. Riddle says that she is "tired of the government not running well" and the first task on the agenda; ballot initiative to open primary elections to all voters.
If Riddle's efforts are successful, then perhaps it will open the door for many to become more politically active, leading to national change. Jackie Salit, president of Independentvoting.org states that almost 40% of voters do not consider themselves Republican or Democrats.
With these statistics the efforts in Colorado might just start a domino effect of change.
INDEPENDENT VOTERS:
Change to believe in - Former Commissioner Riddle takes on major parties (By Heather Scofield, Durango Herald) Independentvoting.org's Jackie Salit said voters’ desire to see the parties’ grip on the political process loosened has sparked reform efforts in 43 states. Riddle: “Everyone can be an independent vote.”
THE HILL POLL: Voters oppose raising the $14.3T debt ceiling (By Erik Wasson, The Hill) Only 40 percent of likely voters say the $787 billion stimulus package helped. While 69 percent of Democrats say it boosted growth, 56 percent of independents think the stimulus hurt or had no impact on the economy.
Liberals Unhappy With Obama's Business Outreach - The White House reset upsets some old allies. (By George E. Condon Jr., National Journal) Just as unhappy is Adam Green, leader of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee. He said the White House is miscalculating if it thinks “Obama is picking up some niche of voters by sucking up to Wall Street while dragging progressives along. That’s just not true. What voters is he picking up? None.” In an e-mail, Green added, “If some political strategist thinks that independent voters are turned off by holding Wall Street accountable, for the sake of the entire Democratic Party, that strategist should be fired. Immediately.”
No surprise, Americans divided on whether to help Egypt (Written By Jon Griffin, Indie Pro Pub) The poll found that 48 percent of both Republicans and Democrats were in favor of U.S. involvement in Egypt, while 40 percent of Republicans and 37 percent of Democrats felt that, along with 47 percent of Independents, the U.S. should not do anything about the ongoing turmoil in Egypt.
Graham: Obama 'beatable' if GOP wins indies (By JENNIFER EPSTEIN, Politico) Sen. Lindsey Graham is confident that a Republican can beat Barack Obama, so long as the candidate appeals to independent voters.
NO LABELS
New Political Movement ‘No Labels’ Rallies in (By James Lomuscio, Westport Now.com) No Labels also calls for open primaries, not separate Democratic and Republican ones. Walker pointed out that California recently enacted a law providing open primaries for state elections.
PROP 14
Harman Special Election To Test Out 'Top Two' Election System In California (Eric Kleefeld, Talking Points Memo DC) In a referendum held during last year's primary, California's voters approved Proposition 14, which replaced the conventional party primaries with a different system known as Top Two, which has already been in use in Washington state for the past few years. (A similar system has been used for a long time in Louisiana, sometimes called the "jungle primary," but Washington state's version was the model used for California -- and in fact, Louisiana has scrapped the use of the jungle primary for federal races.)
Race already underway for Jane Harman's seat (Kitty Felde, KPCC Southern California Public Radio) This will be the first Congressional election under the rules of Proposition 14. Voters can choose any candidate, regardless of party, with the top two vote-getters meeting in a runoff if no one gets a majority.
BALLOT ACCESS
Alabama Ballot Access Bill Introduced (Ballot Access News) Senator Cam Ward (R-Alabaster) has introduced SB 17. It lowers the number of signatures for statewide independent candidates from 3% of the last gubernatorial vote, to 1.5% of the last gubernatorial vote.
NEW YORK
Independent Democrats Explain Rules Vote (Posted by: Nick Reisman, Politics on the Hudson) At the news conference, the independents said they backed the rules because it should be up to the lawmakers to pick their leader.
The special election in California is fast approaching and will test Prop-14 for the first time although a small turnout is expected. News continues to roll in on Obama's gear up for his 2012 campaign as his approval rating rises to 50 %. It seems to be pretty obvious that his approval is dependent by the eyes of many on the health of the economy. Speaking of the economy and the budget crisis, Michelle Rhee of the Wall Street Journal discusses and interesting point on how this could be an opening for school reform, where cuts should be based on the quality of the teacher, not their seniority.
OPEN PRIMARIES
North Dakota Bill for a Blanket Primary (Ballot Access News) The bill would change that, so that any voter could vote for any candidate in any party’s primary. This is the system that California used in 1998 and 2000, and for all special elections 1967 until 2010.
Obama approval rises as economy improves: poll (CNBC - Reuters) Independent voters who abandoned Democrats in November 2 elections and who Obama will need to win a second term in 2012 are willing to take a second look. In this poll, independents backed him 50 percent to 45 percent.
Obama Begins Gearing Up Re-Election Bid (By JONATHAN WEISMAN And LAURA MECKLER, Wall Street Journal) After a disastrous midterm election for his party, Mr. Obama recently has been seeking to re-establish himself as a unifying figure who can appeal to independent voters. Now, some Democratic strategists close to the White House fear the return of Mr. Obama as a candidate could harm the repositioning effort.
CALIFORNIA
Feb. 15 to mark 'short, brutal affair' in California (Becky Yeh - OneNewsNow California correspondent, American Family News Network) Pres. of Calif. Repub Assembly: "You will see the first time -- and that's why this was a big mistake -- it drowns out voices," he notes. "You will absolutely see that probably the top two vote-getters will be Democrat[s]."
Brown sets special election for Assembly vacancy (The Associated Press, Mercury News) Under California's new open primary law, the top two vote-getters in a March 8 primary will advance to a May 3 runoff election, regardless of party affiliation. Brown set the dates Tuesday.
KENTUCKY
Willie Nelson in tune with Galbraith for governor (By Jack Brammer, Lexington Herald Leader) Nelson formed the Teapot Party last November after he was arrested for possession of marijuana. He said its motto is “We lean a little to the left.”
EDUCATION REFORM
Dr. King and the Achievement Gap (Brian Jones, Teacher and activist, Huffington Post) If we truly want to close the achievement gap, we should remember Dr. King's words. At the end of his life, his perspectives were diametrically opposed to those of today's political elites. Yet, come Monday, they will all line up to praise his dreams of equality. They will quote his famous speech from 1963, but not his perspectives from 1967: "If the society changes its concept by placing the responsibility on its system, not on the individual, and guarantees secure employment or a minimum income, dignity will come within reach of all."
Right rejects left’s charges on Palin (By Shane D’Aprile and Sean J. Miller, The Hill) Commentator Bill Kristol called the attacks on Palin “McCarthyism.”
As President Obama continues his pursuit of crucial independent swing votes for his 2012 campaign, we have another high-profile potential candidate tossing his name into the mix. Former mayor Rudy Giuliani is pushing for another presidential bid after his disastrous attempt in 2008. High profile politicians aside, I'd like to bring attention to Harry Kresky's article on Proposition 14. He illuminates the misconception that California's "top two" open primary prevents fair access to the ballot. Prop 14 rather provides more opportunities for voters to speak through a more inclusive nominating process. It's a matter of people vs. parties.
INDEPENDENT VOTERS
President Obama Gains Advantage for Attracting the Independents (Posted by DaveWade, Daily Political) With the tax-cut deal, President Obama managed to move away from his liberal base and at the same time avoid a primary challenge. On the other hand House Speaker Boehner has a tougher task ahead when he must keep a conservation coalition at his back while trying to persuade the independent swing voters.
OPEN PRIMARIES
NOTE: Today's open primary news comes from the blogs
Understanding Prop 14: It's Not About Ballot Access (By Harry Kresky, The Hankster) In a December 30, 2010 post on his Ballot Access News, Libertarian Richard Winger attacks “leaders of the former New Alliance Party,” for abandoning their commitment to ballot access reform . The “former leaders” are Jacqueline Salit, Lenora Fulani, Cathy Stewart and I, who have been in the forefront of the effort to bring nonpartisan elections, commonly called “Top Two,” to states and municipalities around the country.
Idaho G.O.P. Seeks to Close Open Primaries (Posted on Audrey Perry's blog Legally Political: Campaign Finance, election and Ethics Law) quotes the NY Times article from this week
What is Rudy Thinking? (Politics by Beast: An Equal Opportunity Offender, Andrew Carden) Giuliani's campaign would probably focus upon New Hampshire, where there are a decent number of moderate Republicans and Independents (keep in mind, it's an open primary). If Romney's campaign imploded, Giuliani might well be correct - a path might well open up for a more center-right candidate to find success.
State Certifies Candidates for Special Election (By Paul Chavez, Redondo Beach Patch) There were 465,278 registered voters in the 28th District with 48.11 percent registered as Democrats, 24.99 percent Republicans, 2.1 percent American Independents, 0.62 percent Green, 0.58 percent Libertarian, 0.39 percent Peace and Freedom and 22.2 percent declining to state, according to information from the California Secretary of State's office.
NORTH CAROLINA
Redistricting reforms (Winston Samlem Journal) Gov. Bev Perdue recently suggested that the newly elected Republican legislature establish an independent redistricting commission this year. The GOP should ignore her proposal. The timing isn't right, and even if it were, there's not enough time to do it properly.
State Senate Democrats say “Keep your promise: pass the pledge” (Empire State News) On the first day of State Senate session, Senators designated “Heroes of Reform” by Mayor Ed Koch called on Majority Leader Dean Skelos and Senate leadership today to keep their promise and pass Mayor Koch’s “New York Uprising Heroes of Reform” pledge as the Senate’s first order of business in the New Year.
The GOP is dead in California according Duf Sundheim; this statement comes in the wake of the drastic status change to blue this past November. The most obvious piece of evidence? Los Angeles District Attorney Steve Cooley, who had a series of non-partisan election victories, but lost the 2010 state attorney general's race to San Francisco Democrat Kamala Harris, simply for the 'R' next to his name.
UPDATED: As California independent Jon Blankenship points out, it pays to "do the math" when it comes to statements by politicians and the media. And it certainly pays to "read between the lines." For example, what gets left out of most reporting and editoralizing about the new Top Two open primary system that Californians adopted last summer, amid all the chatter about party labels and giving the minority party a better shot at getting their candidates elected, is the simple fact that 3.4 million independent (decline-to-state) VOTERS will be able to have a voice. THAT is the change that's needed if we are to move forward as a country. CORRECTION: Blankenship pointed out in his letter that people need to "do the math" when it comes to politicians, not top two.
INDEPENDENT VOTERS
Jon Blankenship, Red Bluff: Do the math (LETTER to the Red Bluff Daily News) As an independent, I try to stay as informed as possible. Both major parties are prone to make mistakes, but sometimes they do it on purpose. I would like to correct mistakes by checking out the truth.
OPEN PRIMARIES
GOP brand pronounced dead in deep-blue California (Carla Marinucci,Joe Garofoli, San Francisco Chronicle) Some believe the open-primary law California voters passed in November could breathe new life into the party. Under the law, the top two finishers in the primary - no matter what party they're from - will move on to the general election. Some believe the new system will allow more moderate Republicans to prosper in districts that now swing Democratic.
With California election reforms, state GOP might rebound (By Tom Elias, LA Daily Breeze) The new system will let all voters opt for anyone they like in primaries, meaning Democrats can cast ballots for Republicans if there is no serious contest in their own party's race - as when Gov. Jerry Brown ran last spring - and Republicans can vote for Democrats. Party registration may not mean so much anymore, even in fall runoff elections, for study after study has shown that when people vote for a candidate once, they are comfortable doing it again and again. This bodes extremely well for two Republicans who lost last year: Steve Poizner and Abel Maldonado.
Sample Ballot Released for First California “Top-Two” Election (Ballot Access News) In May 2010 CA Lt Gov Abel Maldonado was on television in New York city, being interviewed, and he said under the California top-two system that he sponsored, any candidate could choose any party label. He said, for example, that a candidate could prefer the Farmer Party. Also, in December 2010, when he received an award from IndependentVoting, he told the group that under his plan, all candidates can choose any label they wish.
REDISTRICTING
Editorial: Let others in on the redistricting (The MetroWest Daily News) The advantage of an independent commission is that it can keep purely political considerations out of the process by ignoring certain factors, like party registration, precinct voting histories and the addresses of potential opponents. In Iowa, where an independent body has drawn the district lines for decades, such data cannot even be put in the computer.
OBAMA
State of the Union a 'fundamental moment' for Obama (By Peter Nicholas and Christi Parsons, Washington Bureau, LA Times) Obama has been moving steadily to the political center since his midterm election drubbing two months ago, agreeing to extend tax cuts for the richest Americans, calling for business-friendly regulations and attempting to repair his relationship with the business community. His speech Tuesday is an opportunity to showcase that transformation, especially to independent voters.
REPUBLICANS
Mitt Romney tops New Hampshire presidential straw poll; tea-party favorite Jack Kimball elected state GOP chair (By Felicia Sonmez, Washington Post/The Fix) The New Hampshire presidential primary is tentatively scheduled for Feb. 14, 2012 and is open to registered Republicans and independent voters. While straw polls such as today's set expectations and indicate early support, they're typically worth taking with a large grain of salt, as they sample a small cross-section of the New Hampshire primary electorate.
Mayor Lashes Out at Judge (By MICHAEL HOWARD SAUL, Wall Street Journal) On Thursday, Judge Emily Jane Goodman issued a temporary restraining order preventing the city from laying off nine deputy sheriffs and demoting three supervising deputy sheriffs.
