TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

New York: Disenrollment of city Independence Party members hearing held in Manhattan
California: Assembly seeks to divide Schwarzenegger from independent support
Texas: Kinky's campaign
Maryland: More independents will gain ballot access
Oregon: Repubs reject open primary initiative
Rhode Island: Party switchers
Pennsylvania: Unfair ballot access laws prevent indies from running
National: Divisions over Iraq war sharper than Vietnam in the sixties
Congo: Tshisekedi says boycott
Inside Zebster: Barbara Merrill update
Just what the heck is the Trans-Texas Corridor?
New York: DISENROLLMENT ATTEMPT AGAINST 117 INDEPENDENCE PARTY MEMBERS MOVES TO COURT (Press Release)

New York: Disenrollment of city Independence Party members hearing held in Manhattan

Hearing Held in Fulani Supporters Expulsion Lawsuit
July 28th, 2006, Ballot Access News
On July 27, New York Supreme Court Judge Emily Goodman held a trial in McKay v Mandell, 109502-2006. The issue is whether the state leadership of the New York Independence Party may expel 94 of its members, on the grounds that they are allied with Lenora Fulani. New York state law permits political parties to expel members deemed to be disloyal to the party. Judge Goodman asked attorneys for the state party leadership why the bulk of their complaints about Fulani extend to remarks she made in 1989, before the Independence Party even existed. She also asked, if Fulani and her supporters have been so disloyal to the party’s principles for so long, why the party (which was formed in 1994) is only now trying to expel them. [link]

Read the press release from the New York County Independence Party....

For an interesting dialogue about the illegalities and McCarthy-ite tactics of Frank MacKay, check out the New York Sun's blog Fifty First State...

Incidentally, New York City IP attorney Harry Kresky has been representing parishoners and neighborhood supporters of an historic Irish Catholic church in the East Village St. Brigid's which has been slated for demolition by the Archdiocese. They won a reprieve in court under Kresky's legal leadership. The case has been getting a lot of press play, including in the Daily News, Newsday, and the New York Times....

California: Assembly seeks to divide Schwarzenegger from independent support

From the Contra Costa Times: Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has been performing a delicate balancing act in his campaign for a second term -- wooing independent voters who are likely to sway the election while trying not to alienate business interests that are helping finance his campaign.
But a number of bills likely to emerge from the Democrat-controlled Legislature in the weeks ahead could test the governor's centrist strategy at a critical point in his re-election bid. On issues from greenhouse gases to children's health care to wages for low-income workers, Schwarzenegger potentially faces a series of thorny decisions just as he reaches the home stretch of his campaign against Democratic Treasurer Phil Angelides.... [more]

Texas: Kinky's campaign

From Ft. Wayne Journal Gazette: ...The pols and the pundits said he was a clown who could never collect the 45,540 signatures necessary to get on the ballot as an independent candidate. But Kinky showed them: He got 137,154 certified signatures.... [more]

Hawaii: Independent voters most concerned about war in Iraq

From Honolulu Advertiser: ...Akaka's campaign has done a voter-identification program that has apparently found, among other things, that many independent voters are most concerned about the war in Iraq. The campaign has been using Akaka's anti-war record in advertisements to fire up the party's liberal primary voters, but if the message also is motivating independents, it would be another edge for the senator.... [more]

Maryland: More independents will gain ballot access

From the Baltimore Sun: ...This week, C. Stephen Wallis, the independent county executive candidate, expects to file his petitions containing about 2,400 names of registered voters -- more than enough to get his name on the county's general election ballot in November. Wallis needs about 1,800 valid voter signatures before the Aug. 7 deadline. ... [more]

Oregon: Repubs reject open primary initiative

From The Oregonian: ...Meanwhile, Republicans went on record against an "open primary" initiative that is being sponsored by two former Oregon secretaries of state — Democrat Phil Keisling and Republican Norma Paulus.... [more]

Rhode Island: Party switchers

From Providence Journal: ...As for the GOP primary, with such a small universe of voters participating (the all-time record was 45,000, in 1994, when Lincoln Almond beat Ronald Machtley for the gubernatorial nomination), the infusion of even 10,000 independent voters could have a dramatic effect.
Still, it's not at all clear that the 14,500 disaffiliated Democrats represent Chafee supporters. Some of them, rather than just wanting to help Mr. Chafee, may in fact have given up on their party. Some may simply want to keep their options open about which primary to vote in. Some may even be loyal Democrats who intend to vote in the primary for Mr. Laffey, on the theory that it would be easier in the general election for the Democratic nominee to beat him than Mr. Chafee. There are Machiavellians everywhere!... [more]

Pennsylvania: Unfair ballot access laws prevent indies from running

From Wilkes Barre Times Leader: Independent candidates won't make ballot in Pennsylvania... "Russ Diamond, the Annville businessman whose PACleanSweep group led opposition to last year's legislative pay raise and who hopes to run for governor as an independent, acknowledged that he had not even cracked the 30,000-signature mark by Friday..." [more]

National: Divisions over Iraq war sharper than Vietnam in the sixties

From New York Times ...An analysis by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press found that the difference in the way Democrats and Republicans viewed the Vietnam War — specifically, whether sending American troops was a mistake — never exceeded 18 percentage points between 1966 and 1973. In the most recent Times/CBS poll on Iraq, the partisan gap on a similar question was 50 percentage points. ... [link]

Congo: Tshisekedi says boycott

From the Inter Press Service News Agency "An Opportunity for Congo's Ordinary People to Express Themselves" -- Veteran opposition leader Etienne Tshisekedi calls for boycott of national elections in the Democratic Republic of Congo.....

Inside Zebster: Barbara Merrill update

Read Inside Zebster: Barbara Merrill update for a report on independent gov candidate in Maine...

Just what the heck is the Trans-Texas Corridor?

Recommended by Hankster reader Lillian Martinez in The New American....

New York: DISENROLLMENT ATTEMPT AGAINST 117 INDEPENDENCE PARTY MEMBERS MOVES TO COURT

STATUS OF 93 MANHATTAN MEMBERS, INCLUDING FULANI AND NEWMAN, TO BE DECIDED IN STATE COURT

New York, NY - On Thursday, July 27th the New York State Supreme Court will consider an action by Independence Party state chair Frank MacKay to disenroll 93 members of the party in Manhattan. The matter will go before Judge Emily Goodman at 2:15 pm in Room 422 at 60 Centre Street in New York City. A disenrollment proceeding targeting an additional 24 Independence Party members will be heard separately in Brooklyn on July 31st, 2006.

Disenrollment from a political party, while provided for under New York state election law, is extremely rare. A mass disenrollment of this kind has not been attempted in New York since 1950 in the American Labor Party.

Attorneys for the party members targeted for disenrollment will argue that MacKay lacks jurisdiction to bring the disenrollment proceeding and that the substance of the complaint is groundless. MacKay and Vice Chairman Tom Connolly conducted party hearings on the proposed disenrollment in June. None of the targeted persons appeared at the hearings, citing MacKay's lack of jurisdiction to conduct them. Under state law, disenrollment must be initiated and conducted at the county level. MacKay bypassed the local organizations.

MacKay is attempting to remove more than 100 party members citywide based on the statements of two Independence Party members -- Lenora Fulani and Fred Newman -- who are accused of being "not in sympathy" with the party's principles. Statements made by Newman and Fulani concerning the history and politics of the Middle East form the crux of the complaint. These statements, made in 1985 and 1989 respectively, represented their personal views, had nothing to do with the Independence Party (which was not founded until 1994) and were not made in relation to any Independence Party activity. Thus, the disenrollment case raises questions of constitutionally protected free speech.

The remaining 115 party members have been similarly charged on the basis of unspecified associations with Fulani and Newman.

Papers were submitted to the court by both sides after Judge Goodman asked attorneys to review the legal and constitutional basis for the proceeding. Papers for the respondents include a legal brief, affidavits by Fred Newman and Cathy Stewart and a set of letters supplied to the court by elected officials and community activists who have worked with the Independence Party organization in New York City.

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

Minnesota: Independents abound....
South Carolina: Nick-name game
Maine: Barbara Merrill and other indies target of "push poll"

Minnesota: Independents abound....

Gov. Ventura's ad man Bill Hillsman now working for Christy Mihos....

Minnesota's Independence Party is running a slate....

South Carolina: Nick-name game

Sorry, "None of the Above" won't be on the ballot.....

Maine: Barbara Merrill and other indies target of "push poll"

Independent gov candidate Barbara Merrill accuses Dems of negative "push poll".....

TODAY'S NEWS HEADLINES for INDEPENDENT VOTERS

TransTexasCorridor

Texas: More anti-Toll Road protests, more support for Strayhorn
Oregon: Westlund files 3 times as many signatures as needed
National: The Clintons and the independents
Texas: More independent voters!

Texas: More anti-Toll Road protests, more support for Strayhorn

From the Waco Tribune: More than 1,000 protest Trans-Texas Corridor, and Carole Strayhorn is there....

From Austin American Statesmen: Chris Bell doesn't like the ring of Dem contributions to Strayhorn....