Esta M獺quina de la Mina

This Machine of Mine

Jackie Salit: Something's Rotten In...

...New York State politics?

No! That couldn't be! "...Don’t miss the latest drama about the Independence Party in which Governor Cuomo is cast as Hamlet, deciding whether “to IP or not IP.”  Independents must consider our alternatives.  Here’s the backstory..."

Independence Party founder, Jacqueline Salit weighs in on

the Governor's race and

the fate of the Independence Party in

"Something's Rotten In..."

 

Jackie Salit just posted an opinion piece on the NYC Independence Party website calling for Lenora Fulani to challenge Gov Cuomo in 2014.  In it, you'll get her take on the Governor's race and the political gamesmanship and controversy currently surrounding of the New York State Independence Party.

Jackie Salit helped establish the Independence Party in 1994 and managed all three of Mayor Bloomberg's campaigns on the Independence Party line.  She is the author of Independents Rising.

 

This is all sad commentary on the Independence Party’s fate.  All the players in this drama, either directly or indirectly, propped up MacKay as he did their bidding, stripping away the party’s independence and vision.  Now, it’s time to kill it off, they say.  Just as the child who murders his parents and throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan, these anti-independent schemers beg for justice.
The climax will star the embattled Cuomo, who, in Hamlet-like fashion, must resolve whether “to IP or not to IP.”  Either he does business with MacKay or becomes a full-fledged Working Families Party-allied Democrat, even as the WFP is going through its own public handwringing.  He is caught between the Devil and deep blue sea.
- See more at: http://www.ipnyc.org/home/opinion-somethings-rotten-in/#sthash.6tGQcfte.dpuf

This is all sad commentary on the Independence Party’s fate.  All the players in this drama, either directly or indirectly, propped up MacKay as he did their bidding, stripping away the party’s independence and vision.  Now, it’s time to kill it off, they say.  Just as the child who murders his parents and throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan, these anti-independent schemers beg for justice.
The climax will star the embattled Cuomo, who, in Hamlet-like fashion, must resolve whether “to IP or not to IP.”  Either he does business with MacKay or becomes a full-fledged Working Families Party-allied Democrat, even as the WFP is going through its own public handwringing.  He is caught between the Devil and deep blue sea.
- See more at: http://www.ipnyc.org/home/opinion-somethings-rotten-in/#sthash.6tGQcfte.dpuf

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Must read for independents everywhere!

 

 

- NH

 

Don’t miss the latest drama about the Independence Party in which Governor Cuomo is cast as Hamlet, deciding whether “to IP or not IP.”  Independents must consider our alternatives.  Here’s the backstory. - See more at: http://www.ipnyc.org/home/opinion-somethings-rotten-in/#sthash.6tGQcfte.dpuf

This is all sad commentary on the Independence Party’s fate.  All the players in this drama, either directly or indirectly, propped up MacKay as he did their bidding, stripping away the party’s independence and vision.  Now, it’s time to kill it off, they say.  Just as the child who murders his parents and throws himself on the mercy of the court because he is an orphan, these anti-independent schemers beg for justice.
The climax will star the embattled Cuomo, who, in Hamlet-like fashion, must resolve whether “to IP or not to IP.”  Either he does business with MacKay or becomes a full-fledged Working Families Party-allied Democrat, even as the WFP is going through its own public handwringing.  He is caught between the Devil and deep blue sea.
- See more at: http://www.ipnyc.org/home/opinion-somethings-rotten-in/#sthash.6tGQcfte.dpuf

Jackie Salit: Arizona a Bellwether of National Independent Political Trend

From Arizona Republic's Arizona Central:

"Voters registered as independents are now the biggest voting bloc in Arizona, although their increasing numbers aren't likely to transform political debate in the state."

Well put,  Mary Jo Pitzl!

Independents are not likely to transform political debate because the parties control the dialogue.

However, help is on the way!

"The Arizona trend is a bellwether of what's happening across the country," Jackie Salit, president of IndependentsVoting.org 

Alex Myers Gets Revolutionary with Politics for the People April 13

So what else is new in the independent political movement?

Not exactly new, but Cathy L. Stewart is hosting the next P4P Book Club conference call with author Alex Myers.  Read his book Revolutionary and call in for the book club call with the author on Sunday, April 13th at 7 pm EST.

Revolutionary by  Alex Myers 

“In 1782, during the final clashes of the Revolutionary War, one of our young nation’s most valiant and beloved soldiers was, secretly, a woman. When Deborah Samson disguised herself as a man and joined the Continental Army, she wasn’t just fighting for America’s independence—she was fighting for her own."

This is Alex Myers' first novel. Born and raised in Paris, Maine, Alex was raised as a girl and attended boarding school at Phillips Exeter Academy.  In his senior year, Alex came out as transgender, the first ever at Exeter.  After Exeter, Alex earned his bachelor’s at Harvard University, also the first openly transgender student at Harvard, and worked to change the University’s nondiscrimination clause to include gender identity.

Very timely on all accounts. Highly recommended!

NH

RT America with #EndPartisanship's Chad Peace on Breaking the Party Grip on Our Democracy

Hey hey Hanksteristas!

Lots of breaking news in the independent movement lately! If you have not seen this piece by RT America, check it out now:

RT America invited #EndPartisanship’s legal counsel, Chad Peace, on their ‘Breaking the Set‘ segment to discuss the hundreds of millions of taxpayer dollars that have been used to conduct closed partisan primary elections.

Host Abby Martin [Move over, Rachel Maddow, WAY over!] discussed the record low turnout rate in states like New Jersey and New York where less than 5% of eligible voters ultimately decide who can be their state’s next Governor or even Senator.



Stay tuned -- more to come from America's growing independent movement!

NH

Una soluci籀n a la polarizaci籀n en los Estados Unidos

BI PARTIDISMO UN PROBLEMA EN NUESTRA POLITICA

Disculpa que me haya desaparecido. He tenido un invierno muy dificil y mucha nieve. Estoy de regreso porque creo que es importante en el 2014 educar a la gente sobre nuestra politica.

Aqui le dejo en enlace para que entiendan un poco sobre como los partidos controlan todo y una de las muchas soluciones en los que ellos no quieren ejercer. 

http://magdavis.files.wordpress.com/2013/10/span-3010-los-partidos-politicos-en-los-eeuu-composicion.pdf

Por favor lean, vamos a educarnos. 

"Hold Your Horses on the Partisanship, Boys! Our Revolution for Independence didn't include political parties!"

That's what George Washington said as he was leaving office as our first and thus far only nonpartisan President. Captured here on Wall Street, Geo. W.

 Check out independentvoting.org,  IVN and the coalition called EndPartisanship.org

Yes, the movement for independence in America did not end in 1776!

Let's continue the revolution, and let's develop!

-NH

An Independent View of NJ's Gov Christie "Traffic-Gate" Scandal

From Cathy L. Stewart's Politics for the People blog:

An Independent View of NJ’s Christie scandal

Imagine my delight on Saturday morning, when reading the editorial page of the New York Times, I came across a letter by a dear friend and independent activist, Dr. Phyllis Goldberg.  She was the lead letter to the editor under the heading “Christie’s Efforts at Damage Control.”

Here is what Phyllis had to say:

To the Editor:

Re “ ‘Very Sad’ Christie Extends Apology in Bridge Scandal” (front page, Jan. 10):
As an independent, I look at the politically engineered traffic jam in Fort Lee, N.J., as a product of the partisan political culture. The email exchanges between a member of Gov. Chris Christie’s staff and his Port Authority appointee speak volumes about the norms and values of this culture, in which political operatives’ overriding obligation is to their own side’s interests....

Read more to see what the (all the news that fits the party bosses) Times left out...

FELICIDADES !!!!!!

UNAS FELICES NAVIDADES Y PROSPERO 2014

Ha sido un 2013 lleno de cosas buenas. Es mi primer vez escribir un blog, y encima de eso un blog en espanol. 

Gracias a Nancy Hanks que me ha permitido participar en esta pagina. 

En el 2014 mucha salud, en especial. 

En el 2014 mas independencia, mas democracia mas inclusion para el votante. Es nueva mision y necesitamos la ayuda de todos.

Feliz Navidad Y Prospero Ano Nuevo.

It has been a 2013 full of good things. My first time writing a blog, on top of that a blog in spanish.

Thanks to Nancy Hanks who has permitted me to participate on her blog.

In 2014 lots of health, which is the most important thing.

In 2014 more independence, more democracy more inclusion for voters. This is our mission and I need everyone', chans help to reach that goal.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Years.

Happy Chanukah 

The Party Who Stole Christmas

Have a Happy Hanksta Holiday!
Randy

Feeling distracted? Might be time to get back to basics...

From "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Partisanship" by SydneyAnne Stone on HuffPo

It is time to start focusing on collective solutions for the greater good. Instead of being a nation divided, we need to come together to find answers or we risk losing a great deal more...

 Hear hear! - NH

Google, Facebook: No Room for Change

From "Blame the Internet for partisanship" by Megan Ellisor in Technician Online:

In a March 2011 Ted Talk, Pariser talked about how he noticed that his conservative Facebook friends’ posts began to “disappear” from his News Feed. Because Pariser clicked on more of the links posted by his liberal friends than his conservative friends, Facebook filtered the conservative posts out of his News Feed. 

[Eli] Pariser, author of The Filter Bubble, demonstrated how Google is filtering search results in his March 2011 Ted Talk by showing screen-shots of what his friends found when they Googled “Egypt” on the same day. Both were Caucasian men located in New York, yet Google gave them very different results.

Pariser said Facebook and Google are using algorithms to act as gatekeepers, making information that we are most likely to agree with the easiest to find. But as Pariser pointed out in his March 2011 Ted Talk, these algorithmic gatekeepers do not have the “embedded ethics” that human gatekeepers did.

The algorithms are different than gatekeepers in that they aren’t preventing us from seeing any information. They are, however, making it more difficult to find different opinions. We all have access to the same information, but sites, such as Google and Facebook, are propelling us all to information that seems to only affirm our views. 

**********

I have noticed this for a while with Google and it really really bugs me. They decide what I want to see based on what I have looked at in the past. Talk about no room for change!!!! - NH

You should not have to join a party to exercise your right to vote.

Over 90% of elections are decided during primaries, but because of restrictive elections laws only 10% of people participate.
 
Is it any wonder why Congress has a record low 10% approval rating?

You should not have to join a party to exercise your right to vote.

END PARTISANSHIP!

Voters Demand for Open Primaries Increases Nationally

NONPARTISANS/ OPEN PRIMARIES

• We’ve moved away from political parties. Should government, too? (Bangor Daily News) For Jacqueline Salit, the structures used in almost every state to elect state officials, then to parse out power in state legislatures, perpetuate the power of political parties to run the system rather than act as engaged participants. Salit managed independent Michael Bloomberg’s three campaigns for mayor of New York City. Today, she is president of IndependentVoting.org and she’s trying to mobilize independents around political system reforms.
• Sunday: Tulsa’s ‘nonpartisan’ election format unlikely to seem that way in the near future (Tulsa World) “We all know that they’re Democrats and Republicans; that’s not the point,” he said. “The point is you run the two top candidates in the finals, and they may be both in same party or not.”
• Maryland GOP holds off on idea of opening primaries to independent voters (John Wagner, Washington Post) “I think that as a Republican party in Maryland, we need to do everything we can to reach out to new voters,” Katie Nash, a Maryland GOP activist who favors making a change, said outside the convention hall Saturday.
• An open primary would benefit Alaska (LETTER By Eric Treider, Soldotna, Peninsula Clarion) Washington, California and Louisiana currently enjoy the benefits of open primaries. The citizens love it and the party bosses hate it so you know it’s got to be good.

INDEPENDENT VOTERS
Morning Consult Poll Results on Politics of Healthcare Reform Shows Shift in Independent Voters (Sac Bee/ The Morning Consult) The poll reveals a significant shift in Independent voters heading into a midterm election year. 58% of independent voters now trust Republicans more on handling healthcare. Among all registered voters, President Obama receives a lot of the blame from more than 50% of respondents for the insurance cancellations, and over 60% say the president deserves a lot of the blame for the insurance exchange challenges. 

Year of the Donkey: Mayoral Race 2013, Adolfo Carrion, the NYC Independence Party, and Political Snobbery and Dysfunction

Statement by the Independence Party of New York City on the results of the 2013 Mayoral race

Congratulations to Bill de Blasio and the Working Families Party on their win.

The political coalition taking over City Hall says it will take on the problem of economic inequality and poverty in our city.  We support that 100 percent!

We hope that the new Mayor's agenda will also include taking on political dysfunction.  With voter turnout at a 96-year low and a million independents locked out of primary voting, New York's electoral process clearly needs some drastic reform.  Fairness happens when a process is fair.  We urge Mayor-elect de Blasio to make political inclusion and participation key goals of his administration.


Below are notes by IPNYC Press Secretary Sarah Lyons from interviews after the election between Jackie Salit and the press:

Where is the NYC Independence Party headed post-election? 

The NYC Independence Party is part of a national movement concerned about the state of our political process and about political dysfunction -- a movement seeking nonpartisan reform.  We'll continue to pursue those reforms as we always have.

How we approach that with Bill de Blasio as Mayor is an open question.  After all, unlike Bloomberg, neither de Blasio nor the Working Families Party supports nonpartisan reform.  Quite the contrary.  But when you have a system that produces the lowest voter turnout in 96 years and a million independents locked out of the primaries, there is something very wrong with that system.

Adolfo Carrion received some 8,200 votes. How do you account for the low number of votes? 

First of all, this was the Year of the Donkey, meaning that after 20 years' exile from City Hall, the Democratic Party was going to win the mayoralty under virtually any circumstances.  Consequently, the mayoral election really took place in the Democratic primary, which the city's one million independents were banned from voting in.  To break through for an independent in the Year of the Donkey was nearly Mission Impossible.

That said, the Independence Party took a shot.  We chose not to run a fusion campaign.  We supported Adolfo Carrion, a political leader who is a man of color who had held public office, and served in the Obama administration, but who left the Democratic Party to become an independent.  He is a reformer who came up against huge resistance from all corners of the political marketplace.  The systemic change of nonpartisan elections that we sought during the Bloomberg years would have leveled the playing field in this election.  But, that hasn't been achieved yet.  So the election was tilted from the outset in favor of the major party candidates.

Independence Party members protest exclusion of Carrion from ABC debate

Carrion was excluded from the debates, marginalized by much of the media, and didn't have the financial wealth that Bloomberg had to overcome the differential of being an independent in a town in which the Democratic Party runs the show.  Many of his donors were afraid to support him as an independent, afraid of retribution from the Democrats. 





The fact that de Blasio refused to debate Carrion meant that the Democrats wanted to give the public no opportunity to consider another progressive option.  All of that meant the odds were severely stacked against Adolfo.  We knew that going in.  But we felt it was important to support a Latino independent looking to shake up the system and to carve out a new option.  Don't make the mistake of underestimating the 8,200 people who voted for Carrion this year.  Those who did made a very forward-looking statement about resisting the Democratic Party monopoly on progressive politics.  They are the nucleus or the core of a bottom-up independent movement.  All the independent votes we got for Mike Bloomberg were hugely important, they gave him a mandate for nonpartisan leadership, but they were votes for a winner. Everyone who voted for Carrion knew he couldn't win, but they voted for him to build something.

Won't the low vote total make people look askance at the Independence Party?

People have always looked askance at the IP, whether we got 150,000 votes, as we did for Bloomberg in 2009, or under 10,000 votes, so that isn't an issue for me.  I'm used to the political class looking askance at us.  Actually, I like it when they do.  

Does this vote total mean that the Independence Party's message is invalid? 

No. First of all, most New Yorkers didn't know Adolfo Carrion was running, they never got the message. But more than that, the main way that voters displayed their dislike with the system and their major party options this year was by staying home.  This year's voter turnout was the lowest it's been in 97 years.  That's shocking!  Everybody should look askance at that!  

IP is part of a very young movement that is in its infancy.  The Working Families Party, now being touted as having eclipsed the IP as the major minor party in New York City, is not an independent party.  It's an arm of the Democratic Party.  The Democratic Party has had a 200-year head start over the independents.  We are playing a long game, and this campaign was one moment in that long game.

We shouldn't forget that New York isn't even a bipartisan town, it's a one-party town.  The Republican Party did poorly because it has no message and no soul.  The Independence Party has both, but it's young, it's under-funded, it's considered illegitimate and it's operating in a city that is run by one party.

###

 

A note from The Hankster:

In a one-party town, what do you do? You organize, and build build build. It was a pleasure working with all of you on the campaign. Onward!

NH

NYC Mayor Race Count Down: Day 5 - Jo Coskie Independence Party Rally for Adolfo Carrion - Teachers for Carrion!

Queens Executive Member of the NYC Independence Party, retired teacher, Jo Coskie speaks about her organizing Teachers for Carrion.

"Mr. Carrion is passionate about improving our schools, recognizes the need to empower teachers, and has a visionary plan. Last month at a press conference on the steps of City Hall, he unveiled a bold comprehensive policy to transform our schools. Adolfo would place our schools at the center of the community to maximize their use. In addition, recognizing that after school development is a key to unlocking our young people's potential, Adolfo has made it a central component of his plan. I could go on. He has the best educational platform of any candidate. It's no wonder Bill de Blasio doesn't want to debate him!"

[Video by Coco Cheung]

NYC Mayor Race Count Down: Day 6 - Jackie Salit Independence Party Rally for Adolfo Carrion - What's Lou Reed Got to Do With It?

[UPDATED due to uploading 'glitches'....] In this video, from the October Adolfo Carrion Independence Party Rally, Jackie Salit, President of IndependentVoting.org, the national center for independent nonpartisan political reform, notes that rock n roll legend, American music innovator, Lou Reed's seminal Velvet Underground album sold 30,000 copies (puny by today's standards, no doubt), but that everyone who bought a copy formed a band.

We're forming bands. It's 1776 in New York City. Take a walk on the wild side!
Get your band together!

NH

[Video by Coco Cheung]

Pride. Power. Independence.

NYC Independence Party video shown at last night's rally for Adolfo Carrion's reform campaign for mayor -- shakin' it up!



[video producer: Sarah Lyons]

NYC Mayor Race Count Down: Day 7 - Cathy Stewart Introduction Independence Party Rally for Adolfo Carrion Transforming the Political Game

NYC Independence Party Chief Organizer and NY County Chair Cathy L. Stewart: "We're not concerned with winning the game. We're concerned with transforming it!"

Join the independent movement.

[video by Coco Cheung]

Independence Party "Band of Sisters" Welcomes Adolfo Carrion to the Fold

NYC Independence Party mayoral candidate Adolfo Carrion and company rally for last week of the campaign at Scholastic auditorium in Soho last night.

[Video by Coco Cheung]

Independence Day is TODAY in NYC: Disrupt the Partisan Status Quo

Hey hey Hanksteristas!

Tomorrow Tonight, the NYC Independence Party is having a meeting and rally at the Scholastic Auditorium in Soho. 

See a new short documentary film, hear from independent leaders and activists, and most importantly, get the "big picture" about how independents are becoming organized to disrupt the partisan status quo that holds back innovation and creativity in our city and country.  

There are more independents than Republicans in NYC, but our candidate Adolfo Carrion was excluded from the debates.  We are prevented from voting in primaries.  The message from the partisan powers that be to independent voters is loud and clear:  Shut Up and Go Away!

But we are not waiting.  We're building.  

See you tomorrow night.  all the details are listed below.  Invite your friends and family, and lease click here to RSVP by Monday at 11:00 AM.  

Pride. Power. Independence.

An Independence Party Rally  

With Special Guest Adolfo Carrion, Candidate for Mayor

Monday, October 28 ~ 6:30 PM ~ Scholastic Auditorium ~ 557 Broadway, Manhattan (between Prince/Spring). N/R to Prince, 6 to Spring or B/D to Broadway/Lafayette ~ RSVP to (212) 962-1699 or click here

[UPDATED 10/28]

Let's do this!

-NH

Media, Media, On the Wall, Who Is the Most Independent of Them All?

Adolfo Carrion, the Independence Party candidate for NYC Mayor, was a guest last weekend on PIX11 (one of my favorite channels for news). See this sharp and intelligent roundtable interview below.

Next up: 

Tune in to NY1 The Call at 9:00pm tonight! Get Adolfo's take on the most recent debate as he answers questions from New Yorkers. Drop them a line at thecall@ny1.com or call in 212-ny1-talk if you have a question for Adolfo.

What: Adolfo on NY1 The Call
When: 9:00pm-10:00pm Tonight
Where: Tune in on NY1, Channel 1 or watch online here.

Contact NY1 The Call through email, thecall@ny1.com,  tweet to @NY1thecall or call in 212-ny1-talk. 


Most media covering this mayoral race are connecting phrases in like "Carrion has 2% support in the polls" and "is not permitted to join the three official mayoral debates"

Ex. "Independent mayoral candidate Adolfo Carrion Jr. was left out of the recent mayoral debates for not meeting the polling requirement. He only received two percent in the polls."

PIX11 says: "For many years Adolfo Carrion was viewed as the Latino community's best hope for winning city office. Running as the nominee of the Independence Party, Carrion has 2% support in the polls and is not permitted to join the three official mayoral debates."

Translation: "Adolfo Carrion should have stayed a Democrat and helped the Democratic Party corral the Latino vote to put the Democratic candidate in office. Since he became an independent, he is excommunicated from NYC politics!"

And yet, as David Chen so eloquently put it in his prescient February New York Times article Adolfo Carrion is not deterred.