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Tuesday
A Million C-SPANs
By Jeff Jarvis, www.buzzmachine.com
Reposted with permission.
February 26th, 2007
I say we need to create a million C-SPANs made by us, the citizens, using video to open up government to inspection by all.
C-SPAN itself is, oddly, one of the most jealous protectors of copyright anywhere. That’s why they demanded that Stephen Colbert’s speech before the press corps of Washington be pulled down from online. That is why The Times writes today about confusion in Congress about what representatives can and cannot put on their blogs. The short answer is: government feeds belong to us all, C-SPAN feeds belong to them. So Nancy Pelosi was in her rights to put up speeches from the floor on her blog; that came from the taxpayers’ cameras. Yet as The Times points out:
But last week, as it happens, C-Span did contact the speaker’s office to have it take down a different clip from her blog — one shot by C-Span’s cameras at a House Science and Technology Committee hearing on global warming where Ms. Pelosi testified, Mr. Daly said. . . .
“We are structurally burdened, in terms of people’s perception, because we are the only network that has such a big chunk of public domain material,” said Bruce Collins, the corporate vice president and general counsel of C-Span. He estimated that 5 to 15 percent of C-Span’s programming is from the House and Senate floor, and thus publicly available.
“It is perfectly understandable to me that people would be confused,” he said. “They say, ‘When a congressman says something on the floor it is public domain, but he walks down the street to a committee hearing or give a speech and it is not public domain?’ ”
Thus the work of our government is being trapped by C-SPAN’s cameras and business models. That may be their right but it doesn’t serve our rights. So we need to blow this up.
If Firedoglake could go and liveblog the hell out of the Libby trial, so can more of us go and tape meetings of our government and distribute that online, around C-SPAN.
We can do this not just at a national but also at a state and local level. I suggested that this is a role for local public radio (here and here) and also for local newspapers: Unleash an army of us with audio and video recorders to capture public meetings and then host what we come up with and give us the tools to edit these recordings down to their essence.
The next time you go to your school board meeting, take along a video camera and put it up on YouTube. And watch how your elected representatives behave then.
Tagged with cspan, newspapers, npr, publicmedia, smalltv | 2 Comments »
Monday
Independent Nation
We all know that a house divided against itself will not long stand.
Democrats fight with Republicans and Republicans fight with Democrats. We have come to expect this. But if moderate, bi-partisan Independents can't find common ground, then how much better at unifying the country are we really going to be?
Another Question
Why, with the large percentage of Americans who classify themselves as Independent do we not have more Independents elected to office? I am from a state - Maine - in which we had the nation's first Independent Governor (James Longley, 1975-1979) followed recently by two term Independent Maine Governor Angus King (1995-2003). Maine's two highly regarded and popular US Senators, Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, are known as highly centrist Republicans.
2008
Is there an Independent candidate that has a serious chance of winning the Presidency in 2008? I am intrigued by speculation of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg potentially running for President, and doing so as an Independent. The extremely capable and highly regarded Bloomberg is also personally worth billions of dollars, no additional small benefit when it is reported that the very top 2008 Presidential candidates are likely to eschew public financing as they raise $500 million to $1 billion apiece for their campaigns.
I guess, to paraphrase the famous saying, a few hundred million here, a few hundred million there, and pretty soon you're talking real money.
Maine and I
Not to be too hung up on my state, but Maine also has nationally leading public financing that more and more states are considering and adopting. In 2006 I was an Independent candidate for Governor of Maine. Very unfortunately for me, only a month after declaring my candidacy I was hit by a pick-up truck while a pedestrian, resulting in 29 days in the hospital followed by ten months on crutches. As a result I was not able to participate in Maine's public financing system. But I saw how it elevated the quality of participation and resulted in increased detailing of policy stances in the race.
The United States
I believe that we are a great and strong country. For all of our nation's problems, would you rather live anywhere else? I couldn't imagine it for myself. I believe in the ideals upon which this country was founded and which have evolved over the course of America's history. Certainly we all have things that we wish were different in and/or with the US, sometimes substantially so. But as we look out onto the world and all the difficulties found in many other places, I feel that it is (or should be) very easy to be grateful for the specialness of this country and what we really have.
Finally
I wouldn't care if a Democrat or Republican won the Presidency in 2008 if I felt they were best able to remedy the issues our country faces and most easily bring us together. I believe almost by definition that an Independent would be best able to do this. However, I don't know if the infrastructure, or the consciousness in regard to the power of Independent sentiment nationwide, is established enough for that really to happen now.
Remember those two Independent Maine Governors I mentioned. Both were stunning upsets, being so far behind throughout much of the race to barely be on the radar screen.
Somehow, so improbably, both of those Independents won. In the NFL they have a saying to describe the chances that an underdog still retains when facing a prohibitive favorite. It is: "That is why they still play the game" (as opposed to just mailing in the expected result).
Of course every politician says this, but I truly do strongly believe that America's best days are in front of us (wise choices will insure that). Running for Governor of Maine I was so impressed with the strength and diversity of thought and contribution of 1.3 million people. Factor that up to the size of the American electorate, and I really think that you have something breathtakingly special.
Can an Independent win in 2008? It all depends on what you (that is we as a nation, and specifically the substantial subset "Independent Nation"), think. And then more importantly the productive actions that we are willing to make together armed with that knowledge.
Alex Hammer
Friday
An Independence View
While the pundits are talking about the potential impact of independent voters, we cut through the speculation to let America's independents speak for themselves.
The result is a 13 minute documentary Facing America's Independents.
This trailer includes some of my thoughts as the fourth voice.
The documentary features highlights from interviews with more
than 40 independents from across the county.
To Purchase DVD
Get your copy today! DVD copies are available for a special
introductory price of $20.00. Visit http://www.independentvoting.org/ to purchase.
Michael H. Drucker
Wednesday
An Independence View
Which War
All you hear today is bring the troops home, redeploy somewhere, etc. But which war? There is the Iraqi war and the war on Terrorism. Which war is the public talking about?
Do we stop the war on Terrorism and pull out of the Middle East? Which candidate is going to speak truthfully about the long “slog” on Terrorism and we will be in the Middle East for a long time.
Independents are Ready for Barack Obama.But is Obama Ready for Black Independents?
“Barack Obama has just made it official. He’s running for president of the United States. His message is that it’s time to put principles ahead of partisanship. Black independents have been acting on that idea for years. How he relates to us is the first real test of his principles”. February 10, 2008 By Lenora Fulani
There is a transition going on in the Black community. We are moving from the Civil Rights Movement generation to the younger generation of independent blacks. All independents are looking for candidates who have independents’ needs as part of their goals. So how does he relate to the younger generation and convince the older generation he has not forgotton them?
The Committee for a Unified Independent Party, Inc. (CUIP)’s Mission Statement, “independents are not “swing voters” who exist to be wooed and swayed by one or the other major party. Independents have strongly held beliefs about how partisanship and ideological labeling are corrupting and constraining progress. Independents defy traditional political labels; what they share is support for the principle that radical structural reform of the electoral process and of government is the urgent political necessity of the day”.
KEY STRUCTURAL POLITICAL REFORMS
Same Day Voter Registration
Voters can register on the same day of an election, helping to increase participation -- especially among young voters. The standard for verification is higher than other forms of registration since one has to provide ID on the spot and proof of residency. Voter turnout in the U.S. is among the lowest in the world. Only 34% of the eligible electorate came to the polls in the 1998 elections. The national average of 36% voter turnout ranks the United States at the bottom of all Western democracies. Voter turnout, for instance, among New York's youngest voters has hit an all-time low -- less than 17% in recent elections. Compare this to states with SDVR where voter turnout has increased participation by upwards of 25%. Minnesota, one of only six states with SDVR, led the nation in 1998 with 60% voter turnout to elect independent Jesse Ventura Governor. Nearly 16% of Minnesotans who voted registered on election day, half of them were people under the age of 25.
Term Limits
This is a powerful tool against Democratic and Republican party incumbency. It would, for instance, limit the terms of Senators and Assembly Members to between 6 and 8 years. It brings an end to life-long career politicians, and allows for citizen-run rather than special interest-run legislatures. It has been supported at levels of up to 70% in elections throughout the 1990s.
Ballot Access
Reforming access to ballot is crucial for greater political participation of eligible voters and candidates in the U.S. For instance, to run for President as an independent candidate for the first time, one needs to gather up to 40 times more signatures that either of the major parties. The ballot access laws should be rewritten to facilitate rather than discourage candidates from running. Petitioning periods need to be lengthened to make it easier for insurgent candidates and independents to qualify for a place on the ballot. Voters should be permitted to sign as many candidate petitions as they desire, and anyone should be able to circulate a petition. One-third of the states do not impose restrictions on who can circulate. However, in states like New York, candidates' families, supporters and friends cannot help them petition if they happen to live in a different district. So, while minor party candidates for statewide office in New York must collect the signatures of 5% of their enrolled voters, Democrats and Republicans need less than .05%. This requirement makes statewide petitioning virtually impossible for minor party candidates.
Initiative & Referenda
Twenty-three states permit citizens to circumvent their legislatures by circulating a petition ("initiative") to place a proposed legislation ("referendum") on the ballot. New York is one of the many states without I&R. The fist step toward I&R would be an amendment to the New York State Constitution. The State Legislature could pass a Constitutional Amendment, but it is unlikely that the bipartisan controlled Legislature would be willing to do this since it would mean jeopardizing their steady flow of special-interest dollars. The alternative is to pass a Constitutional Amendment at a Constitutional Convention. That there will not be one until the year 2017 is an indication of how stifled democracy is in New York.
Non-Partisan Municipal Elections
This eliminates party primaries and increases both participation of candidates and voters, who are exposed to broader range of choices. Major cities, such as Los Angeles and Chicago, already have this reform in place. In fact, over 80% of municipalities in the country with populations of 200,000 or more elect their officials through non-partisan elections. By removing party primaries, non-partisan elections give voters a broader choice of candidates from whom to choose. Non-partisan elections also allow for more meaningful public debate and increase the possibility for innovative policy solutions. Non-partisan elections would also change the character of the legislature for the better, since legislators would be less concerned with crossing their party for fear of retribution if they sought to run for reelection. Finally, non-partisan elections would help foster new citywide coalitions, which would serve to unify cities - not pit groups against each other. Non-partisan elections would therefore offer more options and greater power to voters to decide on policy-making decisions. Expert testimony given to the Charter Revision Commission in New York by Dr. Allan Lichtman, Chairman of the History Department at American University, points to the fallacy of the attacks by those who claim that non-partisan elections discriminate against minority voters. He cites a National League of Cities survey that found that in forty cities with populations of 50,000 or more with elected black mayors, twenty-nine were elected through non-partisan elections. Legislation is also needed to restructure local Boards of Elections to include minor parties and independents, functioning as non-partisan agencies.
Campaign Finance Reform
Campaign finance reform measures are needed that would level the playing field between independents and the major. One way to do this is to tie the acceptance of public financing of campaigns to agreement by the candidates to participate in public debates. Americans should be allowed to direct their own tax dollars to support the development of independent parties. New York City, for instance, has one of the most innovative and successful campaign finance programs in the country. It is a matching fund program, which outlaws corporate contributions and includes an agreement by the candidates to participate in publicly televised debates. It should be adopted by the whole state.
Open and Inclusive Debates
Public debates afford voters an opportunity to learn about their candidates in ways that campaign literature, television ads, radio commercials, and the internet do not. The pseudo-governmental bipartisan Commission on Presidential Debates should be abolished in its current in favor of a non-partisan body that sets equitable criteria for the inclusion of candidates at the presidential level. Local non-partisan bodies should also serve to facilitate debates.
These issues are being fought in the States' Legistration and the courts everyday.
Michael H. Drucker
IndependentVoting.org
Tuesday
Who is Running Washington?
I keep reading the news and see where every day or so, a presidential candidate at a press conference will “open mouth and insert foot.” A day later, they have an apology speech. Who needs reality TV when we have these people?
Some are overt blunders and some are subtle mistakes. Obama talked about “wasted lives” of our American soldiers. Not a great thing to say to those soldiers’ families no matter your view on the war. McCain jumped on the “I hate Rumsfeld” train after lauding him at his retirement since he “deserves Americans' respect and gratitude.“ Hillary demanded a beginning to troop pullout in 90 days… but with no end date. A bill sure to be struck down, but a lovely political maneuver for the sake of the publicity.
Putting all their blunders, misstatements, posturing and spin aside for the moment; who’s running Washington? We’ve got Senators and Representatives traveling the country - especially in primary states – trying to earn votes for primaries, grab money from anyone they can, and gain endorsements along the way. Don’t they have something to vote on or legislation to pass, i.e. THEIR JOB they were elected to do?
Did you know Congress only spent 72 days at work in 2006? 125 days if you count Mondays and Fridays, the “non-voting days.” The average over the last 20 years was 152 days. You and I work about 100 days more than that and they earn $165,200 per year.
On their “off” days, aren’t they still supposed to be representing their constituents rather than looking for a “better job” by campaigning? Think about it. Would you hire someone for a job you had, who did not show up to their current job? Of course not. Why then would you vote for someone for president when they did not do their job they were already in? Someone who, knowing they could not fulfill the duties of their current job, did not step down to allow someone else to do it?
This is nothing new and indeed incumbent officials have fought election battles while in office to stay in office. But even then, they were not doing the job they were elected to do and what they were getting paid for. This is the very reason that I have said, when elected in 2008, I will not run for reelection in 2012. I’m going to stay at work for you. If I’m doing a good job, you will vote for me again. If I am not, you should not vote for me anyway. Makes sense, doesn’t it? There’s more where that came from. http://www.presidentadams.com/. Common Sense for Uncommon Times.
Steve
Steve@PresidentAdams.com
Friday
Electorial College Numbers Game
If an Independent Candidate wanted the shortest route to the White House,
s(he) would only need to win in these states:
California 55
Texas 34 = 89
New York 31 = 120
Florida 27 = 147
Illinois 21 = 168
Pennsylvania 21 = 189
Ohio 20 = 209
Michigan 17 = 226
Georgia 15 = 241
New Jersey 15 = 256
North Carolina 15 = 271
These states represent 56.82% of the population.
Michael H. Drucker
IPNYC - http://www.ipnyc.org
We need change - the right kind.
I like to keep my messages and commentaries positive. But sometimes that is difficult. We live in a world of many worries. We are faced with post 9-11 fears of foreign terrorists and constant anxiety with our overseas wars. We also have things to fear in our own country, some of which are better known than others.
In the latest internet poll on www.politicsone.blogspot.com that I am involved in, I came across a new evil that I didn’t think we would have to worry about in the land of the free and the home of the brave. My closest challenger today (Bowles) is in the National Socialist Movement, better known as the American Nazi Party. You can visit his site but hold on to your lunch as you see the swastika painted on our beautiful nation and read more about the “White People’s Candidate”, his denial of the holocaust, education for white children, bringing home only the white troops and more.
I realize he has the right to free speech and the right to run for president. And I’m sure I’ll get hate mail from his cronies for saying this. But this type of bigotry and hate has no place in our country.
Why do I bring this up? Because left unopposed, left undefeated, these are the people that are offering to run your country. If the closeness of the last few elections hasn’t convinced you yet, please listen now. It matters who you support. It matters who you vote for. And it matters now. Who do you want to lead this country? YOUR country?
Republicans and Democrats who will continue to argue against each other and accomplish nothing? Fractionalized third parties who are suing each other for their party names? Fringe guys who appeal to radical hate?
If your answer is none of the above, then I ask you not to withhold your vote. Don’t stay home on election day. Work and vote for a real and good change. Yes, change means risk. But can we afford not to change? I’m not talking about “change” offered by people who are already in office offering a new flavor of the same thing. I’m not talking about hate filled “change” to bring more division to our nation. I’m talking about change that brings hope, action, progress, growth, and pride back to our country.
I ask for your support now. Register on http://www.presidentadams.com/ so the country can see that change is demanded. Register today so the fringe elements will fade into noise after our voices come together to be loud enough to drown them out. Together we can make a difference and a change for the better.
Steve Adams
Steve@PresidentAdams.com
www.PresidentAdams.com - 2008 campaign site
Thursday
As Posted on www.unity08.com to http://www.unity08.com/node/773
A Unity08 Presidential Victory in 2008
AlexHammer on February 15, 2007 - 1:20pm
This question and answer is very good because it puts more "flesh on the bones" in terms of an understanding of how Unity08 works and what is the process leading up to the nomination of the ticket in 2008.
The next important step, for this group to be not only viable but successful, is to communicate interactively to a greater degree across the nation. Although Unity08.com will have an Internet nominated candidate (actually team), the group already significantly trails the "traditional campaigns" in regard to even basic viral marketing and web 2.0 tools. Where are the RSS feeds that allow one to subscribe to and receive blog postings? Where are the popular widgets to communicate video, graphics and other media across the interent? When you look at the campaigns of Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and others, Unity08 is currently unfortunately being obviously and profoundly outdone in terms of sophisticated online marketing and communication efforts.
Why is that?
As a 2006 Independent candidate for Governor of Maine (www.hammer2006.politicalgateway.com) I am highly convinced that this nation does indeed need a bi-partisan, balanced ticket in 2008 to make true progress on the major issues facing our nation. I've joined with others to create Politics 2.0 - The convergence of politics and web 2.0, www.hammer2006.blogspot.com, a leading site devoted to detailing and examining how online technology tools are being used to transform the political landscape. We need one or more prominent bloggers on the site to chronicle Unity08.com and what they have to offer this nation. If you feel that this describes you and that you can do this effectively, you may contact me directly for consideration at hscpub@aol.com
With Hillary gaining a reported 100,000 email names in her first three day series of online chats, Barack Obama utilizing sophisticated social networking capabilities, the major candidates plastering the online networks of MySpace, YouTube, Facebook and others and also utilizing online contributions to perhaps now blow away even the Howard Dean online fundraising standards (that will allow some of these candidates to eschew well over $100 million in public financing as they expect to raise many times more than this on their own), it is clear that the rules of politics have very much changed.
To paraphrase a famous commerical, 2008 is not your grandfather's political campaign. As Unity08.com becomes more technologically and interactively proficient, if it does, it will merge the intellectual and idealogical bi-partisanship that much of the country is hungry for with the pragmatic, innovative efficiency that drives results. Huge numbers of Americans, frustrated with the lack of progress in the country, identify themselves as Independents. That is political clout, and political power. But how are they to be mobilized? Any organization that can effectively provide forums and mechanisms for that discontent to be effectively channeled will be huge. And victorious. But more than rhetoric and good intentions are required. We need to learn to do, collectively, what is required to be successful "where the rubber meets the road".
Does Unity08.com have what it takes? I believe that in these trying times that anyone not willing to be part of the solutions is, perhaps, in some respects part of the problem. So I very much hope that the answer evolves into "yes".
Wednesday
Can you say Politics 2.0 Avalanche?
If people thought Howard Dean was an Internet political phenomenon, 2008 campaigns for President, just begun, have the potential to say, "You aient seen nothing yet".
While Hillary - www.hillaryclinton.com - set a high standard with her opening three nights of web conversations in which she gained a reported 100.000 email addresses, Barack Obama - www.barackobama.com - is matching his rival step for step, and perhaps then some. In addition to his video announcement, Obama has added profound social networking capabilities to his website.
And the nice widget below.
Can you say viral marketing?
Certainly much is in flux and the rules are still developing. Barack had to close comments to permission only after an ugly reader posted comment found its way into and made the rounds of the press, and John Edwards had to seek a difficult middle ground (to his bloggers' posts prior to joining his campaign) between outraged public sensibilities and online free speech defenders.
On this Politics 2.0 site below, following the post, we employ (and hope you will make use of) many leading tools for viral marketing. For example, subscribe to this blog as a feed (e.g. My Yahoo, My MSN, My AOL, etc.) or as a widget delivered to you with all the latest headlines, join a community of those with similar interests or view Politics 2.0 information from other sites.
But for the Presidential candidates the stakes are, of course, much higher. It is possible that we will be getting there much more quickly than we thought (or not). When Hillary opts out of the public financing system because it contains only $150 million or so of funding while news reports estimate that it may in fact take $500 million to a staggering $1 billion in total campaign fundraising for a winning campaign, obviously the roadmap and rules of engagement have changed.
Sites have sprung up to compare which Presidential candidate has the most friends on MySpace and other social networking sites, and also on which candidate videos to YouTube and other sites can be compared.
Who needs the network news anymore when we have such tools of this type? The candidate controls their own message, and the audiences are becoming quite large. I envision a day (we're not there yet) in which requests for interview profiles by major news outlets are left unanswered by the top campaigns in favor of these more controllable (and eventually potentially larger) politics 2.0 audiences.
And traditional debates? Someday they may be seen as too unscripted, too risky. Nah, why would they want to do that?
Alex Hammer Sphere: Related Content
Friday
Can an Independent Win?
I am running for president as an independent with no political experience. Can a candidate without major party support, coming out of “nowhere”, be an effective president? Why would we even consider such an idea?
President Kennedy once said, “Mothers still want their sons to grow up to be president. They just don’t want them to become politicians on the way.” It rings true, doesn’t it? And then we tell our children, “You can grow up to be anything you want to be in this country, even president.” Have you heard it?
Many of you may be thinking, this guy has no political experience at all. And you would be correct. I have no experience in bribery, back stabbing, lying to the press, breaking the law, or corruption…; but I see these as pluses!
Like many of you, over the years, I have voted for many candidates, and I have also voted against many candidates for various offices. We are often reduced to voting for the “lesser of two evils” and that’s the way it is. There is a Democrat and a Republican; choose one. I dislike labels but realize they are useful at times.
Because for me, and for each of you, and for anyone who is not content with today’s politics as usual – here’s a Democrat and a Republican; choose one… for those people, I want to offer something different. Someone outside the realm of politics, to stay outside it, and do the job I would be elected to do.
One day Benjamin Franklin entertained a few of his friends - Dr. Benjamin Rush and Thomas Jefferson. The conversation turned to what was the oldest profession. Dr. Rush, a physician, said the oldest profession was his. “After all, it was a surgical operation that made Eve out of Adam’s rib.” But Jefferson, who built Monticello, said, “No, it was the architect. Surely it was an architect who brought the world out of chaos.” Then Franklin replied, “You’re both wrong. It’s the politician. After all, who do you think created the chaos?”
Washington is full of problems, but not problem solvers. At least not those who can still be impartial. That is the freshness I hope to offer to the country. The words of Abraham Lincoln from his Gettysburg Address echo to us today, “That this nation under God shall have a new birth of freedom – and that Government of the people by the people for the people shall not perish from the earth.”
Can you imagine a sitting president OF the people – one of us? Someone who knows and acts on the needs and concerns of the average American citizen…because they are one. Not insulated or distorted by years or decades of political deal making.
Can you imagine a president BY the people – a person chosen by popular vote as a response to common sense, and not someone bought by political action committee’s and political parties’ money?
Can you imagine a president FOR the people – not working for a party, not working to maintain a majority, owing no one for putting him in office except the voters… who the president should serve anyway? Someone who will work while in office, not touring the country promoting his party’s candidates. A president that watches out first for the concerns that you and I have and fixes the problems of our country that must be fixed now.
That is the dream. That is the plan.
But why not start with something smaller and work my way up? First, our country is running out of time. Changes need to be made now. Second, I want to make the biggest difference I can with the time I have. And third, remember it is my desire to be outside the realm of politics to be most effective. Working my way up through the ranks would have me looking for handouts and party power just like those who I am running against. Even if I fell 100% into a Republican or Democratic label, I don’t have the name recognition or the ability to raise enough money to compete. Each party is expected to spend $500 million dollars for the 2008 elections. That is a contest I cannot and will not compete in. When our presidency can be bought by the biggest spender, we all need to be ashamed and afraid.
You can grow up to be anything you want to be in this country, even president. Do you believe it? Do you dare to dream big enough?
Steve
Steve@PresidentAdams.com
http://www.presidentadams.com/ – 2008 campaign site
Thursday
By Michael Drucker
I recommend independents take a look at www.cuip.org. I have worked with this group since 2001.
The Committee for a Unified Independent Party, Inc. (CUIP) is a national strategy center and organizing hub that designs and executes cutting edge tactics to develop America's growing independent movement. Founded in 1994, CUIP mounts political, legal, legislative and organizing challenges to partisan control of the political process. It has pioneered methods of organizing independents without a political party, creating independent voter associations to project the voice of the 35% of the electorate that considers itself independent. For CUIP, independents are not “swing voters” who exist to be wooed and swayed by one or the other major party. Independents have strongly held beliefs about how partisanship and ideological labeling are corrupting and constraining progress. Independents defy traditional political labels; what they share is support for the principle that radical structural reform of the electoral process and of government is the urgent political necessity of the day.
CUIP attorneys have litigated some of the independent movement’s most cutting edge legal controversies in the arenas of ballot access, the presidential debates, the right of independent presidential candidates to create campaigns that aren’t based on the model of the two major parties, and the use of public money for independent presidential contenders. They have submitted novel advisory opinion requests to the Federal Election Commission – for example, whether multiple parties, entities and presidential candidates may combine their vote totals to qualify for general election funding. Most recently, CUIP initiated a series of actions in federal court and at the Justice Department seeking the protections of the Voting Rights Act for black and other minority independents.
CUIP created Choosing An Independent President 2004 (ChIP 2004), a process through which independent voters could interface with presidential candidates across the spectrum (Democrat, Republican, Independent). The idea was to seek partnerships and provide endorsements to candidates who would champion issues of concern to independents – largely structural political reform issues.
Our ChIP 2004 screening process, which included telephone and on-line polling of tens of thousands of voters in 30 states, mobilizing independents in “open primary” states and public and private dialogues with a range of candidates, culminated in a national conference in New Hampshire just days before the New Hampshire primary. The conference was attended by 300 delegates from 30 states. By then we had some brief contact with the Bush re-election campaign, but in 2004 the ChIP process mainly engaged with a number of Democrats – Howard Dean, John Edwards, Al Sharpton, Wesley Clark, and Dennis Kucinich. Ralph Nader entered our process just as the Dean candidacy was collapsing and John Kerry’s was gaining dominance. Nader attended the New Hampshire conference and won the support of the majority of ChIP delegates. Organizing for ChIP 2008 is already underway.
Hi. Alex
Some background. I am a elected member (Second Term) of the State Committee of the NY State Independence Party representing the 73AD (East side of Manhattan) and the Executive Committee of NY County (Manhattan). I have worked on Presidential, Congress, Governor, Mayor and City Council campaigns.
Thanks for inviting me to post on your blog.
Michael H. Drucker
Tuesday
By Steve Adams
Hi Alex,
Thanks for inviting me to post on your blog. I invite you and others to check out my 2008 campaign site at www.PresidentAdams.com
Steve
Steve@PresidentAdams.com
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