ID: Local Constitution Party Calls for Protest of State-Funded Religious Artwork

From the Seattle Times:

COEUR D'ALENE, Idaho — A new public sculpture of the Hindu god Ganesha is drawing protests in Coeur d'Alene, Idaho. The Kootenai County Constitution Party is urging Christians to protest the artwork, calling it an "abomination" approved by the "godless group of individuals" who manage the city's public art program . . .

NY: New Ethics Law is Unethical, Unconstitutional, for Exclusion of Independents

From the Wall Street Journal:

The new ethics law being touted by Gov. Andrew Cuomo parcels equal roles to Democrats and Republicans in investigating lawmakers of both parties suspected of questionable conduct. What about independents?

"They don't exist," Mr. Cuomo said at a recent news conference, at which point he and legislative leaders standing beside him broke into a hearty laugh. But constitutional scholars aren't taking the matter so lightly.

They're warning that the state's new ethics body may be destined for legal challenges in federal court. By enshrining into law the perpetual dominance of Republicans and Democrats in overseeing ethics codes, Mr. Cuomo and lawmakers could be infringing on the rights of unaffiliated and minor-party citizens . . .

For more on the new law, see Poli-Tea.

Greens: Cobb Endorses Honkala for Sheriff of Philly

From Cheri Honkala, a letter from David Cobb:

Dear Fellow Green Party members,

Remember the excitement of the Nader/LaDuke 2000 campaign?  How about the enthusiasm generated when Matt Gonzalez ran for Mayor of San Francisco as a Green and damned near won?

I am writing to you because I think we have the opportunity to recapture that sense of momentum and optimism for our party by supporting Cheri Honkala for Sheriff of Philadelphia.

Cheri is a long-distance runner for social justice.  I have personally known of her work as an activist for years, and was pleased to learn she was turning her activism toward electoral politics.  When I learned she was running as a Green, I was thrilled!

Cheri is a formerly homeless mother who worked her way out of poverty. She went on to form the Kensington Welfare Rights Union, and has become a national leader in the fight for economic fairness in this country.  She has been profiled in The Nation, Mother Jones named her a “Hell Raiser of the Month and Ms. Magazine awarded her “Woman of the Year” in 2001.

And it’s not just her credentials as an activist that has me so jazzed—it’s her keen sense of strategy, her commitment to movement building, and the multi-racial coalition of organized labor leaders, peace and justice activists, young people, and Greens she is bringing together.

And get this—in Philadelphia the main job of the Sheriff is to serve evictions and foreclosures.  Cheri’s campaign message?

NO EVICTIONS!
NO FORECLOSURES!
EVERYBODY STAYS IN THEIR HOMES!
Sisters and Brothers, this is genius! . . . 

Independents on the Rise in China

From the Christian Science Monitor:

About 80 independent candidates for local Peoples' Congresses are using the power of social media in China to challenge the Communist party's lock on political office.  As local government elections get underway nationwide in China, a new breed of independent would-be politician is emerging to challenge the ruling Communist party’s near total stranglehold on political power. 

Harnessing the mobilizing power of social networking websites for the first time and attracting unprecedented attention to themselves, these candidates for local Peoples’ Congresses are posing a dilemma for the government.

“There appears to be some uncertainty and debate at the upper echelons [of government] about how to deal with this,” says Russell Leigh Moses, author of an upcoming book on the changing nature of power in China. . . . 

If China's one party state is unsure how to deal with the country's independent movement, is it really so unlikely that they might look to the US for potential models?  Judging from the state's initial response, it sounds like China might be modeling itself on California, where "independent" candidates are strictly speaking no longer allowed on the ballot, or perhaps Oregon, where a proposal was recently floated to prohibit the use of the word "independent" in the name of a political party.  Or is it perhaps the other way around?  From Xinhua:

China said Wednesday that there is no such a thing as an "independent candidate," as it's not recognized by law, amid ongoing elections starting this year of lawmakers at the county and township legislatures.

The Electoral Law stipulates that candidates for lawmakers at the county- and township- levels should be first nominated as "deputy candidate" and then confirmed as "official deputy candidate" in due legal procedures, said an official of the National People's Congress (NPC), China's top legislature.

KY: Independent Gov Candidate Says the Parties are the Problem

From the Murray Ledger and Times:

Although Gatewood Galbraith has often been called a perennial gubernatorial candidate in the past, he says he has a good shot at winning this year as an independent. . . . “I’m an independent candidate for governor,” Galbraith said during a stop at the Murray Ledger & Times office Tuesday. “My running mate and I have no party affiliation whatsoever. We don’t want one. The problem with Kentucky and the reason we’re dysfunctional as a state government in Kentucky is because both parties have their horns locked up like two bull elk fighting over territory while the business of the people lays dead in the dust." . . .

NY Gov: Independents Don't Exist

From Capitol Confidential, via The Hankster:

The bipartisan structure of the to-be-created Joint Commission on Public Ethics is carefully balanced (to the point some have criticized it) between the Republicans and Democrats, so neither party could conduct a “political witch hunt” against the other.

But what about lawmakers enrolled in one of New York’s minor parties? “They don’t exist!” Gov. Andrew Cuomo jokingly said Monday. “We’re going to go back to drafting now and write that in.”

But there is currently one lawmaker who is an enrolled Independence Party member: Fred Thiele, of Suffolk County, a Republican turned Independent who now caucuses with the majority Democrats . . .

Socialist Coalition Emerges in Egypt

From Links, International Journal of Socialist Renewal:

Five Egyptian political parties and movements unite to form the Coalition of Socialist Forces, they announced in a meeting on May 10, 2011. The newly formed coalition is made up of the Social Party of Egypt, the Democratic Labour Party, the Popular Socialist Coalition Party, Egypt Communist Party and the Revolutionary Socialists. It aims to include under its umbrella other socialist movements in Egypt, which are considered fragmented.

“We [social political activists] are optimistic that the Coalition of Socialist Forces will bring a stronger socialist presence onto Egypt’s political scene”, said Gigi Ibrahim, a political activist.

Stewart Alexander: Obama's Record is Greatest Threat to his Re-election Bid

From Indy Bay:

President Barack Obama recently kicked off his 2012 re-election campaign; however, the sluggish economy and the president’s failure to create jobs could threaten his hopes for re-election. With all the bad news on the economy, the president still remains the favorite to win in 2012. President Obama is a formidable fundraiser and has the financial backing of Wall Street and could spend as much a $1 billion for re-election; and approaching November 2012, the Republican field of presidential hopefuls appears to be hopeless. . . . 

Presidential Candidate Stewart Alexander says “The Jobs Report is more bad news for President Obama. Today there is a lack of confidence among millions of Americans that President Obama will produce a plan that will ease America’s unemployment crisis; it is the worse unemployment crisis since the Great Depression.”

President Obama recently kicked off his 2012 re-election campaign; however, the sluggish economy and the president’s failure to create jobs could threaten his hopes for re-election. With all the bad news on the economy, the president still remains the favorite to win in 2012. President Obama is a formidable fundraiser and has the financial backing of Wall Street and could spend as much a $1 billion for re-election; and approaching November 2012, the Republican field of presidential hopefuls appears to be hopeless.

With the odds of winning being so immense, Stewart Alexander says the greatest threat to Obama’s re-election bid is his record; “his record on the economy, his failure to end the wars, a spiraling national debt that is approaching $15 trillion, and his broken promises to the American working class.”

Stewart Alexander was the Vice Presidential Nominee for the Socialist Party USA in 2008 and has announced that he will be seeking the 2012 presidential nomination for the Socialist Party USA, the Green Party USA, and the Peace and Freedom Party- California. Alexander says Obama needs a presidential candidate from the left to challenge his record; “I believe I am that candidate.” . . . .

MN: Independence Party Opposes Imposition of "State-Sponsored Morality"

From the Minnesota Independent:

The Independence Party of Minnesota is the latest political party in Minnesota to oppose a proposed ballot initiative that would write a ban on same-sex marriage into the Minnesota Constitution, and it’s the second party with major party status here to oppose the measure.

IP leaders released a video explaining their opposition to the amendment, and the chair of the party released a statement urging Minnesotans to vote “no” in November 2012. Already, the DFL and Libertarian Party have called on voters to reject the amendment, while the Green Party of Minnesota has long supported full marriage equality for same-sex couples.

IP chair Mark Jenkins cited the party’s platform: “We oppose having the government impose state-sponsored morality or values on people of good conscience with differing views.” . . .

The New Third Party?

I blog on the new blog on The New Third Party.

I think it's ideas could be very useful for smaller Local Third Parties (LTPs) that specialize in contesting "more local" elections and vote strategically together in "less local" elections. I doubt very much that a major third party could be created by these ideas. But I could be wrong and even if I am right, it's possible that good could come from the attempt to create the new third party.

dlw

Proportional Representation and Women Representatives

This is a repost from A New Kind of Third Party.

This is a very good summary of the evidence that the use of Proportional Representation seems to increase the percent of women representatives. But how do we get the League of Women Voters to support the use of 3-seated Largest Remainder Hare elections for state representative and city council elections in the United States?

dlw

Why Does Intra-Party Discipline Matter?

Over at A New Kind of Third Party, TiradeFaction and I are discussing how there needs to a balance between intra-party democracy and discipline in order to maintain a party "brand" and to get things done. The use of party-list proportional representation is a way to increase intra-party discipline. When the party-lists are very short, this wouldn't give party leaders too much power.
dlw

AZ: Green Party Mayoral Primary in Tucson

From Tucson Weekly:

It appears we’ve got a Green Party mayoral primary on our hands in Tucson. Mary DeCamp, who ran for the Ward 3 City Council seat two years ago, jumped into the race for the Green Party nomination last week against Dave Croteau, who ran for mayor four years ago. But don’t expect a lot of negative campaigning between the candidates. Croteau says they’re the best of friends and sees this as an opportunity to get the media to cover a regular series of debates . . .

NY: Greens Call for Moratorium on Police Use of Tasers

From News LI:

(Suffolk County, Long Island) - “The Green Party of Suffolk is outraged to discover that Suffolk County has continued using Tasers against its residents,” said its chair Roger Snyder. “It is inconceivable that Suffolk has continued to use Tasers given the questions about the Taser-related death of Darryl Bain in 2009.”

Snyder repeated the Green Party’s plan to protect the lives of Suffolk residents: “In line with our pillar of nonviolence, the Green Party of Suffolk demands Suffolk County seek out ways to avoid the use of easily abused and potentially lethal Tasers. As an immediate step, the Green Party of Suffolk calls on the county to put a moratorium on the use or purchase of any Tasers. In the long term, the Green Party calls on the county to train the police in nonviolent methods of resolving situations.”

The renewed call for a moratorium on Taser use in Suffolk County was prompted by the death of Daniel McDonnel after he was tasered twice by the Suffolk Police. According to Newsday, McDonnel is the fifth person to die after being tasered by Suffolk Police. Amnesty International USA has found that at least 350 people died in the United States and Canada after being shot by Tasers since June 2001 . . .

Founder of Pirate Party Gets Behind Bitcoin

From City AM:

RICKARD Falkvinge, the Swedish IT entrepreneur and founder of the first Pirate Party, has announced he is piling all his money into bitcoins, a digital currency that is attracting a lot of online interest. Although the technology is groundbreaking and its security substantial, Falkvinge is nevertheless taking a huge leap of faith.

Satoshi Nakamoto, a Japanese computer programmer, set out his innovative idea for bitcoin in his 2009 paper: Bitcoin: A Peer-to-Peer Electronic Cash System. Unlike every previous currency it doesn’t rely upon a central authority. It is stored virtually in the form of a file and digitally transferred. Once the money supply has reached 21m bitcoins – growing as the network grows – no more will be issued, thus prohibiting devaluation. Bitcoins can’t be frozen, tracked or taxed . . .

NY-26: Davis Ain't Dead Yet

From WBFO:

The numbers may show a loss for independent candidate Jack Davis, but he says this is not the last you will see of him. Davis lost the 26th Congressional special election Tuedsay night. Davis hosted election party at Brennan's Bar on Transit Road in Amherst for his supporters. Davis says the independent candidates will continue to challenge the leaders of both the democratic and republican parties. . . . Davis said this race was only a milestone in an unfinished war.

KY: Independent Candidate Collects 5,000 Signatures in Gubernatorial Bid

From the Murray Ledger and Times:

In a move that has helped to organize supporters, independent gubernatorial candidate Gatewood Galbraith said late last week he now has the 5,000 signatures needed to get his name put on the general election ballot in Kentucky.

Galbraith, a Lexington attorney, said he intends to collect another 5,000 signatures before turning them over to the secretary of state's office to officially enter the race against Democratic Gov. Steve Beshear and Republican nominee David Williams, just in case the opposing campaigns challenge the eligibility of some of the people who signed.

OH: Independent Barred from Running for Mayor

From the Chronicle Telegram:

Independent Tim Quinn, who was removed from the November ballot for voting in the May Democratic primary, was told Tuesday that he can’t run as a write-in candidate for Elyria mayor, either.

Lorain County Board of Elections Director Paul Adams referred Quinn to the 2011 candidate requirement guide, which states that “no person may file to be a write-in candidate for any non-federal office if for the same election that person already filed a declaration of candidacy or nominating petition.”

Quinn said he would accept the rule, but he is still considering filing a legal challenge to the elections board’s decision last week to remove him from the ballot. “I don’t think I did anything wrong,” Quinn said Tuesday. “I have voted in every election since I was 21.” . . .

Party-List Proportional Representation: Why Small Numbers of Seats is Beautiful!

Over at A New Kind of Third Party, I point out how the Electoral Reform Society of the United Kingdom's arguments against closed(or party)-list proportional representation do not hold true when only a few seats are contested.

3-seated Largest Remainder Hare keeps things simple with "One Man [sic], One Vote". And when there's only one candidate per party*, the impersonal nature of ordered party-lists and excessive power for party leaders are removed.

dlw
*One candidate along with a tacit or specified vice-candidate. With a 3-seated LR Hare election rule, the most common outcome would be for the top three vote-getting candidates to win a seat each. Yet a vice-candidate would get the second seat if their candidate gets first place and beats the third place candidate by more than one-third of the total vote. So if the vote-percents were 40-30-20-10 then the top three would win one seat each. If the vote-percents were 45-35-11-9 then the top candidate would win two seats for her/his party and second place would win the third seat.
dlw

Libertarians, Independents and Trust in Elected Leaders

INDEPENDENT VOTERS

• Many Independents might be libertarians: fiscally conservative and socially liberal (by W. E. Messamore, CAIVN) 'So, if many of these centrist, independent voters are indeed libertarians, why aren't libertarians better recognized? First, the word "libertarian" is still unfamiliar — even to many who hold "fiscally conservative, socially liberal" views. Pollsters rarely use it. So in polls, many libertarians call themselves "conservative," "independent" or "moderate" — making it hard for analysts to recognize them.'
• Majority of Americans Do Not Trust President Obama or His Economic Advisors to Handle Budget Deficit -Even larger majorities do not trust Speaker Boehner, Congressional Republicans or Congressional Democrats (Harris Poll Press Release) Independents, however, do not trust anyone. Just two in five trust President Obama (43%), 36% trust his economic advisors, 31% trust Speaker Boehner, 28% trust Republicans in Congress and 22% trust Democrats in Congress.

2012

• Pawlenty campaigns in northwest Iowa (by Radio Iowa) “Independents, people who are, you know, going to decide the election in large measure, have really figured out that he has not turned the country around like he promised.The economy continues to do very poorly and they don’t favor his reelection,” Pawlenty says.
• Doug Schoen: Democrats Fear Christie Entering Presidential Race (By: Jim Meyers and Ashley Martella, Newsmax.com) “The American people are looking for fresh faces and if somebody like Chris Christie got into the race, I think there is a real chance that there could be a boomlet of excitement that could catapult him pretty quickly to the top of the polls.”