The Tri-Election Triage

I'm rebranding Strategic Election Reform, inspired by Morgan Spurlock's "Pom Wonderful Presents: The Greatest Movie Ever Sold!"
It might just be:
The Greatest Electoral Reform Idea Ever Not Tried (Yet)!
dlw

In the Name of Electoral Reform...

DLW satirizes a post at The Hankster by WJK that could have been titled,
"Much Ado About Incumbency Advantage and Top Two Primaries".
dlw

Tis a Gift to Know What (Sort of Third Party) You Want to Be!

I blog over at A New Kind of Third Party about the need for third party enthusiasts to make choices.
dlw

A Time for Change

From The South End:

As a country, the populous have surrendered to the notion that they have only two real choices on election day: vote for the bleeding hearts on the left who seem to think that our monetary resources are infinite, and who spend this imaginary money on social programs that, for better or worse, make government a bigger part of our lives; or you can vote for the scowling old vultures on the right who were mostly raised in privileged homes, think that governmental aid is for the weak and useless, and who generally make it a top priority to ruin every body’s good time.

What’s depressing is the fact that people you talk to everyday, from all walks of life, seem to be dissatisfied with the leaders they put in power, knowing full well that there are a multitude of alternatives.

It’s time to give a third party — any third party — a chance to alter the course of our nation. The two-party system in the U.S. is outdated, has outgrown its usefulness to the citizenry and has stagnated and even reversed our progress as a superpower.

NH: Republican Under Attack for Signing Libertarian Party Petition

From Ballot Access News:

According to this story, New Hampshire Republican Party state chairman Jack Kimball is being threatened with removal, just because he signed the petition to put the Libertarian Party on the ballot in 2012. The attackers are confusing signing a ballot access petition for a newly-qualifying party with an endorsement of that newly-qualifying party. 

It is also possible that the attackers aren't confusing anything, and are simply enemies of political freedom and independence as so many partisans of the major parties are. 

TX Flashback: Four-Way Race for Governor in 2006

In a post pondering Rick Perry's Electability, Nate Silver looks back over his record, and notes as an aside the "complicated four way race" for Texas governor in 2006.  Excerpt:

In 2002, for example, when Mr. Perry was elected to his first full term after succeeding George W. Bush, his margin of victory was 18 percentage points. That holds up pretty well against other Republican candidates for statewide office that year (excluding those who did not draw a Democratic challenger), who won by an average of 15 percentage points. . . .

Mr. Perry’s performance in 2006 was much more tenuous: he was re-elected with just 39 percent of the vote in a complicated, four-way race. Even if we ignore that and instead look at Mr. Perry’s nine-point margin of victory over his nearest rival, Chris Bell, a Democrat, it compares unfavroably to other Republicans on the ballot that year, who won by an average of 15 points. 

Perry was elected in a four-way race with 39% of the vote. Democrat Chris Bell came in second with 29%, and was followed by two Independents,  Carole Keeton Strayhorn (18%) and Kinky Friedman (12%).

Greens Oppose Police State Tactics

From the Philadelphia Weekly Press:

During 2005, Philadelphia’s police made 102,319 pedestrian stops. When Michael Nutter became Mayor of Philadelphia in 2008, he ordered an increase in pedestrian stops under a policy commonly called "Stop-and-Frisk." By 2009, pedestrian stops by police had increased 148 percent to 253,333. Of that total, 72 percent of the victims were African Americans, but only 8 percent of those pedestrian stops resulted in an arrest.

I, for one, would like to know what we should call the other 92 percent of those pedestrian stops. Were those 233,066 citizens "harassed by the police?" Were they "intimidated by the police?" Or should we say, "Their rights under the U.S. Constitution were violated?"

The Green Party has a history of opposition to stop-and-frisk. Under the heading "Racial Discrimination," the Green Party national platform says, "We condemn the practice of racial profiling by law enforcement agencies, which are guilty of stopping motorists, harassing individuals, or using unwarranted violence against suspects with no other justification than race or ethnic background."

At a Philadelphia City Council hearing on December 14, 2010, Green Party leader Hugh Giordano, who had run for PA House of Representatives, made it clear that stop-and-frisk targets, urban, minority and young citizens. "This law is a form of Jim Crow law," said Giordano, referring to discriminatory laws used to maintain segregation of the races. "It attacks a certain group of people, and the numbers and testimony shows it." Giordano also criticized Philadelphia’s City Council for allowing stop-and-frisk to continue unabated.

Green Party Candidates Across the US in 2011

From Green Party Watch:

2011 may not be a big year for federal elections, but it is an excellent year for Green Party supporters around the US to pitch in and lend a hand to the intrepid Green candidates who are running for offices big and small. Here is a list (alphabetical by state)  of some of the Green candidates who have declared campaigns in 2011. If you know of more Green campaigns in upcoming elections, or if you notice anything wrong with the information here, we’d love to hear about it in the comments . . .

Third Party Independent: Building Independent Media

As some of you are already aware, last month I launched a newspaper in New York City devoted entirely to third party and independent political news and views: Third Party Independent.  The paper was conceived as a print companion to Third Party and Independent Daily, and is intended to raise awareness of alternatives to the Democrats and Republicans, while providing another media platform for third party and independent advocates to have our voices heard above the duopolist din.  The first issue hit the streets the week of Independence Day, with eleven articles by nine authors from across the third party and independent blogosphere.  I would like, once again, to thank all the contributors to the first issue! The second issue is already in the works and should be available in the next week or so.

The main reason why I have not yet mentioned the paper very much online, if at all, is because the website is still under construction.  However, aside from some minor cosmetic tweaks that are still necessary, all the basic functionality is there, and the layout is pretty much set.  The site is set up to be an open community blogging platform for third party and independent activists.  Anyone can sign up and start publishing.  So far as I'm aware, though there are numerous such sites for Democrats, Republicans, progressives and conservatives – the most well known being Daily Kos and Red State – there is no such site on the web for third party and independent activists across the political spectrum.

Though the website, at this point, is still a work in progress, I would like to extend an invitation to readers to head over to Third Party Independent, look around a bit, check out the first issue of the newspaper, and, if you're so inclined, sign up for a free account and publish a couple test posts to the site.  Any and all feedback, comments and suggestions are more than welcome!  Indeed, it will be crucial to build the site into a vibrant community dedicated to escaping the dead end and breaking the deadlock that is Republican-Democrat party politics.   

The Lesser Evil is Still Evil

From the Constitution Party of MO:

Sadly, during every election cycle, the American voter is almost always presented with two equally bad choices, and has no other choice, but to vote for the lesser of the two evils. Often times, for a Republican, such as the lackluster phony conservative, John McCain in 2008. However, the GOP leadership, since they are out of touch with the American voter, continues to nominate neo-conservative, establishment, insider politicians, who can campaign and pander with conservative rhetoric. Once they are in office, they continue along with the Democrats to further the globalist, insider agenda. The Republicans are just as much at fault as the Democrats.

Americans, especially in the conservative/constitutionalist, “TEA Party” movement (including me) are sick and tired of all of this “business as usual” politics of Democrats versus Republicans, where one or the other is the lesser of the two evils or equally evil. As the Democrats and Republicans have become more and more similar over the past several years (in other words, Liberal, Leftist, straying away from the Constitution, or simply, just disregarding it completely), this leaves the American voter with no other options, leaving them hopeless and without a voice that can really be heard. However, there still is hope, and there still is a voice for the American voter, The Constitution Party. I used to be a Republican, but quit the GOP some time in 2009 to become an official “card-carrying” member of the Constitution Party in March, 2011.

For the above mentioned reasons, the environment is right for a viable third party like the Constitution party . . . .

Proportionality in Representation is On the Move!

I got some good news yesterday from Rob Richie of Fair Vote!

dlw

NY: Hysterical Police State Advocates and Drug War Zealots Want Mandatory Drug Testing for Teens

From CBS New York:

Assemblyman Joseph Saladino (R-Massapequa) has introduced a bill that would require parents of high school students to give their children annual drug tests.  “If they dont do it, the student would not be allowed into school,” Saladino told CBS 2′s Jennifer McLogan.  The proposal would mandate that parents administer the test and sign a statement swearing it was performed. The results wouldn’t be disclosed — not even to the school.

Is there really any difference between a police state and a nanny state?

How Not to Elect A President!

I post selections from the perennial MN politician Eugene McCarthy's No Fault Politics that gives his informed perspective on how the Electoral College was not permitted to work in the way originally intended by the writers of the US Constitution. This is what helped to inspire my own ideas about how we could revamp the Electoral College to be the second stage of a two stage election.

dlw

NY: Independents Offer Alternative in Race for Ithaca Mayor

From the Ithaca Independent:

Independent political candidates are the outsiders, akin to being at a party without a name badge. Such un-affiliation with a single group can cause unease in voters seeking assurance from the familiar. But an increasing number of citizens both nationally and locally are turning to independents as an alternative to the idealogical logjam perfected by Democrats and Republicans. In Ithaca, two independent candidates have differing visions of the city’s future . . . .

Philly: Green Party Candidate Hankala Files Nomination Papers for Sheriff

From Philadelphia Weekly:

A few months after kick-starting her campaign, Cheri Honkala has filed nomination papers with the city, hoping to “keep families in their homes” if elected sheriff.

Honkala, the Green Party candidate for the position, says her team of volunteer supporters garnered 4,422 signatures endorsing her nomination, as of today. As an independent candidate, she was required to collect at least 1,845 signatures in order for her name to appear on the ballot.

“I’m absolutely blessed to have hundreds of supporters, who … are willing to go out there each and every day and be in 100-degree weather and collect signatures,” Honkala says. “I think it just shows people are really tired of what’s happening right now, in regards to the housing crisis.”

Honkala, a longtime champion for the homeless, says she plans to create community land trusts to put the control of land back into communities’ hands. By doing this, Honkala adds, communities could protect land from becoming the site of a profit-making business and help neighbors who may be facing economic hardships . . .

NY: Green Party to Hold National Meeting this Weekend

From the Wall Street Journal:

The Green Party will hold its national meeting in upstate New York as it pushes to become a stronger third political party.

The Aug. 5-7 meeting in Alfred will focus on the group's platform that opposes war, increased coal production, and nuclear power.

SC: Constitution Party Candidate to Face Off Against Young Republican

From WSPA in South Carolina:

22 year old Joshua Putnam is taking down signs for one campaign and getting ready for another. If elected, the Republican would be the youngest member of the State House. Putnam says, “I think age doesn't matter. It's about maturity.”

Putnam's opponent, 52 year old Dave Ballard, lives in Pelzer in a century old family home. The Constitution party candidate says he wants to bring a new perspective to politics.

Ballard says, “In northern Anderson County, the Republican party has a monopoly on politics. I want to give people a choice.”

Ballard, an architect, is in favor of what he calls a "fair tax" in South Carolina. He says the state could attract more business by getting rid of the income tax and other taxes and replacing them with a sales tax. He says, ‘What that does it takes the taxes off of businesses because businesses don't pay taxes. As much as possible they try to recoup those tax costs when they sell their products or services.” . . .