Prop. 121 May Nudge the Nation

Deep discontent is driving the YES vote for Proposition 121, the Top-two Primary.  Its two-step process, long used by Arizona voters in

local non-partisan elections, lets all voters, regardless of party, vote in a single primary election. Voters narrow the list to the top

two, who competes in the general election.  Voters, not political parties, control access to the general election ballot.

A survey of 1,065 Arizona voters by 8Sages.com found that if the election were held today, Proposition 121 would win by 14 points.

Independents, independent-minded Democrats and Republicans are giving the initiative a resounding lead (by 24, 29, and 15 points,

respectively).  Even strong Republicans favor it by 3 points, and it trails by one point among committed Democrats.

Why such broad-based support?

The survey shows the dominant theme this election is unhappy voters. They are displeased with the president’s performance and may even vote

him out of office.  But before Republicans dust off their dancingshoes, they should consider that a majority also would vote Governor Jan

Brewer out of office if she were on the ballot. Hard data on discontent is evident in voter self-identification.

Without any reregistration campaign, voters are quietly abandoning all political parties. Democrats have been losing registration since the

1940s, Republicans since the mid-1980s.

Proposition 121 sends a constructive, positive message. It strengthens the consent of the governed.  It increases the pool of voices that hold

politicians accountable. Americans are good at this.  Since our founding, we have expanded the franchise – from landed white men, to

landless white men, black men, women, Native Americans, and then young people who were eligible to serve, but not vote for their country.

Proposition 121 might be the tipping point to change the national picture. Its critics know it.  Undisclosed California sources have

pumped almost half a million dollars into Arizona to oppose Proposition 121. The money was funneled into the Americans for Responsible

Leadership, chaired by Robert Graham a candidate for the Republican State Party Chair.  Once more Arizona is on the cusp of nudging the

nation.

Open primary elections is changing the marketplace, increasing competition between candidates, even if they are in the same party.

Washington State and California have embraced Proposition 121-like voting systems.  Ballotpedia.com ranks California’s 2012 legislative

elections the most competitive in the country.  This year, for the first time in US history, 66 US Senators and

Representatives  - 12% of the Congress – must answer to all the people who elected them in California andWashington State.

Add Arizona’s 2 Senators and 9 Representatives to California and Washington State in 2014, then 77 members of Congress will be voter,

not party, nominated.   When my friend and legislative colleague Bill Konopnicki and I wrote the first draft of this initiative, we called it

the “Sweet Seventy-seven.”  We imagined our Western Congressmen who must appeal to all the voters in their states to get on the general

ballot and be elected.  They might less focused on partisan loyalty and more on our shared regional interests.  Proposition 121 offers a better

way to express the consent of the governed.

Ted Downing, former two-term state legislator who leads the Arizona

Independent Voting Project

VOTE YES Prop 121 – Voto SI en Proposicion 121.

Breaking: Independent Michael Bloomberg endorsed President Obama for re-election

by Dee Dee Garcia Blase

The mayor Michael Bloomberg, an Independent, did not endorse a candidate in the 2008 election but he has endorsed President Barack Obama for re-election this year.

Apparently the Hurricane speedy government response had a bit of influence with regard to his endorsement of Obama.

The New York Times wrote:

Mr. Bloomberg, a political independent in his third term leading New York City, has been sharply critical of both Mr. Obama, a Democrat, and Mitt Romney, the president’s Republican rival, saying that both men have failed to candidly confront the problems afflicting the nation. But he said he had decided over the past several days that Mr. Obama was the best candidate to tackle the global climate change that the mayor believes contributed to the violent storm, which took the lives of at least 38 New Yorkers and caused billions of dollars in damage.

The WAPOST wrote:

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsed President Obama on Thursday, citing climate change as the primary factor and Hurricane Sandy as the event that impelled him to make a choice. 

“The devastation that Hurricane Sandy brought to New York City and much of the Northeast — in lost lives, lost homes and lost business — brought the stakes of next Tuesday’s presidential election into sharp relief,” the political independent writes in an op-ed on Bloomberg View, part of his media empire. “Our climate is changing. … We need leadership from the White House.” Obama, he says, “has taken major steps to reduce our carbon consumption.”

The HuffPo wrote:

New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg endorsed President Barack Obama for re-election on Thursday, Bloomberg TV reported and The Huffington Post confirmed.

The mayor, an Independent, did not endorse a candidate in the 2008 election and hadn’t seem poised to do so this time around as well.

…

“The devastation that Hurricane Sandy brought to New York City and much of the Northeast – in lost lives, lost homes and lost business – brought the stakes of Tuesday’s presidential election into sharp relief,” he said.   FULL STORY HERE>>>

More from Brenda Sperduti:  

Anti Prop 121 Propaganda No Tiene Merito Dicen Expertos

By Brenda Sperduti on 11/01/2012 in arizona, Primarias Abiertas  

For the first time in Arizona history, independent voters have become 2nd largest voting bloc surpassing the Democrats.[/caption] It is a mistake for people to ignore the independent vote in Arizona that is now the 2nd largest voting bloc regarding Maricopa County Sheriff race. Several people are forgetting the John McCain "maverick" factor and also forgot how approximately 200,000 independent votes carried the Senator. Ever wonder why the corrupt Sheriff Joe Arpaio is not attacking independent candidate Mike Stauffer for Sheriff and independent voters of Maricopa County? Indeed Mike Stauffer for sheriff is looking better and better as both the Republican and Democratic candidates go negative against each other. Arpaio NEEDS the independent conservative vote in order to survive. More importantly, if Arpaio attacks independent candidate Mike Stauffer for sheriff -- then he will have legitimatized him, and he is too cunning and wise to do that. The only folks attacking Mike Stauffer are Paul Penzone supporters and they are shooting themselves in the foot.

Additionally, it was not smart for Ann Wallack (supports Penzone) to call independent voters "ignorant" either.

Unfortunately the political novices have no idea that independent voters now make up the 2nd largest voting bloc in Arizona and in Maricopa County surpassing Democratic voter registrations for the first time in Arizona history. More importantly, independent voters become independent voters because we are sick and tired of partisanship gridlock. Period. Libertarians, Libertarian-Republicans, and Independent voters who support Mike Stauffer for Maricopa County Sheriff believe that the Sheriff Office should NOT be partisan. In fact, professionalism needs to be restored at the MCSO. Who in their right mind would attack key independent voters when they are a surging voter bloc of people sick of negative ads from both the Republican and Democratic Party? According to ABC News:

Independent voters are an increasingly important voting bloc. They have outnumbered both Democrats and Republicans continuously for the past two and a half years, by far the longest period in which they’ve done so in ABC News-Washington Post polls dating back to 1981. Gallup’s recent poll bears mixed news for the two parties. While the gap between those who identified as Democrats and those who said they were Republicans widened to 4 percent, more independents appeared to lean toward the Republican Party than to the Democratic Party and the split between the two was equal. “Increased independent identification is not uncommon in the year before a presidential election year, but the sluggish economy, record levels of distrust in government and unfavorable views of both parties helped to create an environment that fostered political independence more than in any other pre-election year,” Gallup stated.

Here is a breakdown of the demographics in Maricopa County, and it also supports why I believe Mike Stauffer is going to hurt Sheriff Joe Arpaio in the Maricopa County Sheriff race.   [caption id="attachment_2151" align="aligncenter" width="813"] Maricopa County Sheriff Office Demographics between 2008 and 2012 in key Arpaio race.[/caption]  

Arizona Independent registered voters should eliminate career politicians and do some fact checking on the U.S. Senate race between Jeff Flake and Richard Carmona. Indeed the career politician via Jeff Flake stated he was for term limits before he decided to be against it. In fact, Wil Cardon (his Republican opponent in the GOP primary) exposed Jeff Flake via a political video that can be seen here. Furthermore, it was the Republican primary candidate via Wil Cardon who asked Jeff Flake multiple times for Congressman Flake to stop relying on special interest dollars and sign the Arizona First Pledge.

Debunking career politician Jeff Flake's budget myths.

Jeff Flake refused to sign the Arizona First Pledge. As an independent voter, I am disgusted with extremists and fringe groups. I am tired of do-nothing career politicians and it is time to vote in a politician who has a bipartisanship record like Richard Carmona. We have also watched Flake evolve for populist results in this key election year when he tried to paint himself as a Libertarian, however, he is far from being Libertian-esque. We've already got a Libertarian running for U.S. Senate and his name is Marc J. Victor. Over this past weekend, Flake recently sent out a mass mailer to Arizonans with regard to his attack on Richard Carmona and the budget deficits (see photo to the right); However, what Flake purposely leaves out is:

In 2002: Flake Voted to Increase the National Debt By $450 Billion. In 2002, Rep. Flake voted for passage of the bill that would increase the public debt limit by approximately $450 billion. The bill passed 215-214. [S 2578, Vote 279, 6/27/02]

In 2003: Flake Voted to Raise the Debt Ceiling to $7.384 Trillion. In 2003, Rep. Flake voted for the conference report on the concurrent resolution that would set broad spending and revenue targets over the next 10 years. The agreement would allow a tax cut of up to $550 billion to be protected by reconciliation rules. On April 11, 2003 pursuant to Rule XXVII, H.J. Res. 51 was deemed to have passed the House as a result of the adoption by the House and the Senate of the conference report for H. Con. Res. 95, the FY 2004 Budget Resolution. That resolution raised the public debt ceiling to $7,384,000,000. [CRS Report, Votes on Measures to Adjust the Statutory Debt Limit, 1978 to Present, 5/10/11; H Con Res 95, Vote 141, 4/11/03]

In 2004: Flake Voted To Increase The National Debt Limit By $700 Billion. In 2004, Rep. Flake voted for a procedural motion that included a roughly $700 billion debt limit increase. The provision inserted into a popular Defense spending bill allowed supporters to sidestep a direct vote on boosting the legal limit on government borrowing, then at $7.4 trillion. Congress approved a $984 billion debt ceiling boost in May 2003, the largest ever, without a stand-along vote, and a $450 billion increase in June 2002. Before that, the cap was not increased since 1997. The measure passed 221-197. [HR 4613, Vote 284, 6/22/04; CQ Today, 6/23/04; AP, 6/22/04]

In 2004: Flake Voted To Increase The National Debt Limit By $800 Billion. In 2004, Rep. Flake voted to raise the federal debt limit by $800 billion to $8.18 trillion. The Washington Post reported, “By passing such a huge increase in the debt limit, with no strings attached, Congress has effectively given the Bush administration a blank check to continue running large deficits, said Stephen S. Roach, chief economist at Morgan Stanley. ‘An open-ended license for this kind of fiscal irresponsibility is a recipe for disaster,’ he said.” The bill was adopted 208-204. [S 2986, Vote 536, 11/18/04; Washington Post, 11/19/04]

  Do you really want to know who Jeff Flake as told by Republican Wil Cardon? Wil Cardon exposed flake on not creating one job, being involved in special interest groups and etc. I did find one mistake in the political ad because in my view, Jeff Flake does not support legal Comprehensive Immigration Reform. Flake voted against children and students via the DREAM Act vote of December 2010 -- even though most Arizonans support the DREAM Act and our youth.

Here is a video that was created by Republican Wil Cardon with regard to career politician Jeff Flake: 

Somos Independents is a national group of key swing independent registered Independent voters led by Mexican-American / Latina women voters who support bipartisanship in our government that will help solve tough issues. .  We are organizing the growing independent registered voter group by getting out the vote with millenial voters, and we realize college-aged students prefer registering themselves as independents rather than choosing a major political party.  We believe in putting people before Party politics.  Co-founders include a former Republican and a former Democratic voter.