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Mar

26

Mike Gravel leaves Democratic Party, joins Libertarians, but endorsed a Green

Filed Under WH2008 | 1 Comment

I don’t really know what it’s all about, but I know that one of my favorite readers and commenters is a Libertarian or at least holds a lot of libertarian views, so I thought he’d enjoy this post by The Boring Made Dull.

From the source, Fox News:

In an announcement released late Tuesday, Gravel said he is joining the Libertarian ranks because it “is a party that combines a commitment to freedom and peace that can’t be found in the two major parties that control the government and politics of America.

“My libertarian views, as well as my strong stance against war, the military industrial complex and American imperialism, seem not to be tolerated by Democratic Party elites who are out of touch with the average American; elites that reject the empowerment of American citizens I offered to the Democratic Party at the beginning of this presidential campaign with the National Initiative for Democracy,” he said in a statement.

In an e-mail to supporters, Gravel, 77, wrote, “I look forward to advancing my presidential candidacy within the Libertarian Party, which is considerably closer to my values, my foreign policy views and my domestic views.”

I wrote an article about party switching for Campaigns & Elections and I think what was written there about sincerity and possessing core beliefs still applies.

It gets a little more nutty, from Fox:

[Libertarian National Media Coordinator Andrew] Davis noted that Texas Rep. Ron Paul is a lifetime member of the Libertarian Party but is running as a Republican presidential candidate. Paul was the Libertarian Party presidential candidate in 1988.

Davis said 15 candidates are on the slate for the Libertarian Party nomination, which will be determined at the May 22-26 national convention in Denver, Colo. He said Gravel isn’t “a perfect libertarian” but he supports essentials of the party — opposing a military draft, empowering the American voter and standing against “the war of American imperialism.”

Last month, Gravel endorsed Green Party presidential nominee Jesse Johnson. National Multimedia Director Sklyer McKinley said at the time that Gravel didn’t see any reason “why not” to offer his backing since “voting party line is not smart” and he agrees with Johnson’s message as well as the Green Party’s approach of “direct democracy, mobilizing at a grassroots level, working with people one-on-one and enabling citizen democracy.”

“He’s a current Democratic presidential candidate who is now a member of the Libertarian Party who has endorsed a member of the Green Party,” Davis said. [my emphasis]

Yet more reasons to love America.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:14 pm March 26th, 2008 in WH2008 | 1 Comment 

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Mar

26

Convening Entrepreneurs Who Combine Journalism, Democracy, Place & Blogs; Nat’l Conference for Media Reform

Filed Under Announcements, Blogging, Media, Politics, Social Issues, Tech, Voting | Comments Off

Sigh – you know, I just can’t win for losing after choosing. See why I hate to commit to things?

I’ve finally gotten clearance to apply for (and hopefully be accepted for attending) The White House Project’s Go Run! Ohio program in Columbus from June 6-8, when what happens? I get asked to attend something that will occur June 4-6 in conjunction with another event occurring June 6-8 – in Minnesota of course.

Here’s the scoop – and if you can attend the Minnesota events, please, please go and CoverItLive or something – though I bet they’ll have webinars and other elements of it available after the fact:

First up:

The Journalism That Matters Minnesota gathering
June 4-6, 2008
Minnesota Journalism Center at the Univ. of Minnesota
New Pamphleteers/New Reporters: Convening Entrepreneurs Who Combine Journalism, Democracy, Place and Blogs

Visit this wiki for all the information.

Then, following that event, in the Minneapolis Convention Center:

The Fourth National Conference for Media Reform, June 6-8:

Join fellow activists, media makers, educators, journalists, policymakers and concerned citizens in calling for real and lasting changes to our nation’s media system.

2008 provides us with a great opportunity to put the issue of media reform in the national spotlight. Join us in Minneapolis and help us build this critical movement.

Registration is now open. Of course, you don’t need to register to keep tabs on NCMR 2008 — just join our mailing list or follow the blog.

The amount of information, names of speakers and topics is a little overwhelming for both events but if you can find a way to get there, do. Like the zillions of tabs I always keep open in Firefox because I fantasize that I’ll be able to get to them all and write about them, I’m not saying I won’t get to Minnesota just yet.

Speaking of Minnesota, here’s information on a reporting fellowship there.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:29 pm March 26th, 2008 in Announcements, Blogging, Media, Politics, Social Issues, Tech, Voting | Comments Off 

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Mar

26

22% want Clinton to exit but…22% want Obama to do the same

Filed Under Barack Obama, Campaigning, Elections, Hillary Clinton, Politics, Poll, Primary, WH2008 | 4 Comments

Oy. The numbers are coming fast and furious. I often don’t post this stuff because everyone else does but this is one crazy-a$$ Democratic primary.

From Rasmussen:

A solid majority of Democrats, 62%, aren’t ready for either candidate to leave the race. Nationally, Clinton and Obama are running essentially even among Likely Democratic Primary Voters in the Rasmussen Reports daily Presidential Tracking Poll.

Forty-seven percent (47%) of Obama supporters think Clinton should drop out. Thirty-eight percent (38%) of Clinton supporters say Obama should drop out. Those who remain undecided are a bit more likely to suggest that Obama should leave. But, it’s worth noting that less than half of Obama supporters say Clinton should withdraw, less than half of Clinton supporters say Obama should withdraw, and less than half of undecided voters say either should withdraw at this time.

…

Interestingly, Republicans are more eager to see Clinton drop out rather than Obama. Forty-one percent (41%) of GOP voters say the former First Lady should withdraw while just 24% say the same about the Senator from Illinois. Among unaffiliated voters, 30% say Clinton should drop out while 25% say the same about Obama.

My most favorite statistic of all the ones I’ve received just today:

Six percent (6%) of Democrats would like both Clinton and Obama to drop out of the race.

Well, my wishing that Joe Biden was still in doesn’t exactly mean the above, does it?

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 12:34 pm March 26th, 2008 in Barack Obama, Campaigning, Elections, Hillary Clinton, Politics, Poll, Primary, WH2008 | 4 Comments 

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Mar

26

26 Women Who Rocked American Politics

Filed Under Culture, Politics, Social Issues, Women | Comments Off

Thank you so much to Maria Niles of BlogHer for this definitive way in which she helps us celebrate Women’s History Month. Of course there are more than 26, but this being March 26 and all, it’s a good number to go with.

My contribution to her list was Ella Grasso, about whom Maria notes:

Ella Grasso 1919 – 1981 was “the first woman to be elected governor who was not the wife or widow of a governor, as well as the first woman governor of Connecticut.”

I can think of 26 women with ease who’ve made a difference in my life (listed after the jump); can you?

Here’s a little background on Women’s History Month:

The Entire Month of March
In 1987, the National Women’s History Project petitioned Congress to expand the national celebration to the entire month of March. Since then, the National Women’s History Month Resolution has been approved with bipartisan support in both the House and Senate. Each year, programs and activities in schools, workplaces, and communities have become more extensive as information and program ideas have been developed and shared.

And of course I’m trying to make women’s history by being named favorite female blogger in the Women’s Voices Women Vote contest.

But who votes for anyone doesn’t matter as much as people reading and commenting and feeling like they are read to let their voice be heard.  Nothing makes me feel better about my blogging than to know that someone else started a blog because they read mine.  I know I miss Angry Grandpa. Read more

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 12:25 pm March 26th, 2008 in Culture, Politics, Social Issues, Women | Comments Off 

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Mar

26

Gallup: nearly 3 out of 10 Clinton supporters may vote for McCain over Obama

Filed Under Barack Obama, Campaigning, Elections, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Politics, Predictions, WH2008 | 14 Comments

From Gallup, re: Obama v. McCain:

As would be expected, almost all Democratic voters who say they support Obama for their party’s nomination also say they would vote for him in a general election matchup against McCain. But only 59% of Democratic voters who support Clinton say they would vote for Obama against McCain, while 28% say they would vote for the Republican McCain. This suggests that some Clinton supporters are so strongly opposed to Obama (or so loyal to Clinton) that they would go so far as to vote for the “other” party’s candidate next November if Obama is the Democratic nominee.

Re: Clinton v. McCain:

Here again, as expected, almost all of those who support Clinton for the Democratic Party’s nomination say they would vote for her against McCain. Seventy-two percent of those who support Obama for the party’s nomination would vote for Clinton against McCain, while 19% would desert and vote for the Republican.

The implications, according to Gallup:

The data suggest that the continuing and sometimes fractious Democratic nomination fight could have a negative impact for the Democratic Party in next November’s election. A not insignificant percentage of both Obama and Clinton supporters currently say they would vote for McCain if he ends up running against the candidate they do not support.

Clinton supporters appear to be somewhat more reactive than Obama supporters. Twenty-eight percent of the former indicate that if Clinton is not the nominee — and Obama is — they would support McCain. That compares to 19% of Obama supporters who would support McCain if Obama is not the nominee — and Clinton is.

It is unknown how many Democrats would actually carry through and vote for a Republican next fall if their preferred candidate does not become the Democratic nominee. The Democratic campaign is in the heat of battle at the moment, but by November, there will have been several months of attempts to build party unity around the eventual nominee — and a focus on reasons why the Republican nominee needs to be defeated.

Additionally, some threat of deserting the party always takes place as party nomination battles are waged, and this threat can dissipate. For example, in answer to a recent Gallup question, 11% of Republicans said they would vote for the Democratic candidate or a third-party candidate next fall if McCain does not choose a vice president who is considerably more conservative than he is. (And another 9% said they just wouldn’t vote.) These results suggest that it may be normal for some voters to claim early on in the process — perhaps out of frustration — that they will desert their party if certain things do not happen to their liking. And it may be equally likely that they fall back into line by the time of the general election. It is worth noting that in Gallup’s historical final pre-election polls from 1992 to 2004, 10% or less of Republicans and Democrats typically vote for the other party’s presidential candidate.

Still, when almost 3 out of 10 Clinton supporters say they would vote for McCain over Obama, it suggests that divisions are running deep within the Democratic Party. If the fight for the party’s nomination were to continue until the Denver convention in late August, the Democratic Party could suffer some damage as it tries to regroup for the November general election.

The only thing that continues to come as a surprise, unless there are activities going on about which we know nothing, is that nothing obvious is being done by people – from all factions and players, not just Clinton, not just Obama or Dean or Mark Penn or David Axelrod – who are in a position to prevent the “suffer some damage” from happening.

Funny how in the attempt to give a voice to voters and citizens who feel that no one listens this scenario with the Democratic nomination process is giving rise to feeling as though no one is listening.

Graphs and more here.

Hattip to Holly in Cincinnati.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:48 am March 26th, 2008 in Barack Obama, Campaigning, Elections, Hillary Clinton, John McCain, Politics, Predictions, WH2008 | 14 Comments 

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Mar

26

Good-sounding trends for NE Ohio hopefully mean a good trend for NE Ohio

Filed Under Cleveland+, Economy, Ohio, Resources | 10 Comments

That’s just my sense. Yesterday, I posted this entry about how Cleveland is included in an area that ranks as the #2 Megaregion.

This morning, I read this Plain Dealer article about the first-ever International Wine Show coming to the IX Center in May and also about the success of Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Center. Articles have been centered on the CVNRC’s appeal before, but it continues to do well – as it should. My kids’ school district ships off sixth graders there for a week each year – as do many other districts – because of its excellent outdoor education programs. I love Blossom and then there’s the towpath which I haven’t used even once but always think I’m going to. Maybe this summer.

There’s a lot to like around here, and with housing prices down in double-digits around the country, but the cost of living being so low around here? I hope more people come in to take advantage of what we’ve got, and maybe add themselves (dare I say, “plus”) to the mix.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 8:31 am March 26th, 2008 in Cleveland+, Economy, Ohio, Resources | 10 Comments 

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Mar

26

Carnival of Ohio Politics #110 now posted

Filed Under Announcements, Carnivals, Ohio, Politics | 1 Comment

Each week, you get to see what theme the co-editor of Carnival of Ohio Politics selects to memorialize the edition.  Ben Keeler of the Keeler Political Report had the honors for the 110th Carnival of Ohio Politics, but I’ve given him a scolding.  As a person who takes an absolutely horrific picture in general (thank goodness for digital photography), I feel for the subject of his choice this week. Probably one reason I should never run for anything.

Nothing but fun in the Carnival! Come join us.

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By Jill Miller Zimon at 8:03 am March 26th, 2008 in Announcements, Carnivals, Ohio, Politics | 1 Comment 

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