VOTE YES Prop 121 – Voto SI en Proposicion 121.

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.

Terminate Political Corruption in Politics!

Right now special interest groups outside of Arizona are fighting giving Independent voters like ourselves the ability to root out extremism on both sides of the aisle.

Now is our time to fight back by voting YES to Prop 121.

Ted Downing is helping do just that as we all work together to communicate the message below.

Termina con la corrupción política.  

Tu voto NO es tu voz sin diversidad de candidatos. Los candidatos deben ser eligidios no por los interés especialaes sino por la gente.

More from Brenda Sperduti:

Anti Prop 121 Propaganda No Tiene Merito Dicen Expertos

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

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>>>

A Mike Stauffer for Maricopa County Sheriff table is being set up as the Stauffer campaign introduces itself to ASU Students on October 31, 2012. Both (R) Sheriff Joe Arpaio and (D) Candidate Paul Penzone were a no show for the students.

Independent “Maverick” Voters have ability to eliminate Extremism via Prop 121 and voting for Independent Mike Stauffer for Sheriff.

I don’t believe the Maricopa County sheriff’s office should be a partisan one, and it is time to stop wasting millions of dollars in tax payer dollars due to expensive lawsuits over mysterious deaths.  Mike Stauffer wants to eliminate tent city which is a lawsuit magnet.  He has a plan because currently there are approximately 8000 inmates; yet, we have facilities that will house 10,000 inmates.  It’s time to open those VACANT facilities and put them to use. If we can house dogs in sheltered facilities, then we can house human beings, too.

Also, I believe the two major party system has failed Americans with their bickering, fringe groups (like the Tea Party) and partisanship games.

Yesterday we discussed the importance of early voting and the rise of the center via independent voters.

Voter Demographics in Maricopa County regarding Sheriff Joe Arpaio race

This should not be a surprise to anyone who has been following foreign policy and the pulse of our military and veterans.  It’s a fact:   military members are tired

Romney wants to increase war and Defense Budget by $2.1 trillion even though our military did not ask for it.

of being deployed 4 or 5 times.  Military dependents, relatives, friends and Americans are sick and tired of a decade of war implemented by George W. Bush.  We are spending billions and billions of dollars in tax payer money as we bomb other countries only to rebuild their infrastructures.

As a woman veteran of the Armed Forces, I take issue with people like Romney who want to become our Commander in Chief — yet, Mitt dodged the draft 4 times.  Perhaps I might be more open to Mitt’s request of increasing our $2.1 trillion in defense if he had put his own ass on the line.  What does Romney want an increase of $2.1 trillion for?  It smells of war mongering to me, and Americans need to start choosing our battles more carefully because we need to minimize bloodshed after a decade of war.

From Center of Responsive Politics:

Update: Armed Forces Show Overwhelming Support for Obama

Update, Oct. 21: Fundraising numbers for the month of September show Obama continuing to dominate when it comes to contributions from the military. The new data, which came in after the story below was published Oct. 15, show he raised $142,197, just a shade less than he collected in August, his strongest month with this set of donors. Romney brought in $111,015 for his best month ever with military donors, but that was still 22 percent less than Obama received.

The new numbers bring Obama’s total from military donors to $678,611, and Romney’s to $398,450.

Foreign policy, military funding and plans for U.S. troops abroad are providing plenty of chewy campaign fodder for President Barack Obama and his GOP rival, Mitt Romney. But fundraising reports shed light on what the armed forces think about the the candidates.

Former Republican presidential hopeful Ron Paul received significant support from the military for his strong stance on bringing troops home, and that briefly continued even after Romney pulled ahead as the clear GOP candidate.

Now, though, the military’s support has shifted toward Obama. Romney has consistently received little financial backing from military donors.

Despite the fact that Paul once raised almost twice as much as Obama did from the military,  the president has received $536,414 from military donors, compared to Paul’s $399,274 and Romney’s $287,435, according to research by the Center for Responsive Politics. These numbers are based on donations greater than $200, as reported to the Federal Election Commission.

For full report click here.

,

Veterans for Ron Paul march in droves at a rally to help end the decade long war.

As an independent voter of Arizona, I want former independent voter and U.S. candidate Richard Carmona to beat Jeff Flake.

Like Senator John McCain, U.S. Senate Candidate via Richard Carmona served our Armed Forces when he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1967. While enlisted, he joined the United States Army Special Forces, became a combat-decorated Vietnam veteran, and began his career in medicine as a Special Forces medic.

Jeff Flake has proven to us that he is willing to toe the extremist Tea Party line; Whereas  Richard Carmona has proven he can work in a bipartisanship fashion.

What can Richard Carmona consider in these last 10 days before the November 6th election day that will cinch in the win from key Arizona independent voters?

Most Arizonans believe Arizona has a maverick history (some ugly and some good) that stems back from the Martin Luther King Holiday issue.  Arizona was  one of the few states in the United States that did not support MLK Holiday.  Recall to your memory when Senator John McCain did not support Martin Luther King Holiday way back when it was being discussed? Indeed there was a big hoopla over it.

According to TIME:

At the time, only 27 states and Washington, D.C., honored the holiday. Most famously, all three Arizona House Republicans including current Senator and former presidential candidate John McCain, voted against the bill in ’83. The state did not vote in favor of recognizing the holiday until 1992, not only rejecting pleas from Reagan and then Arizona governor Evan Mecham but also losing the NFL’s support when the league moved Super Bowl XXVII from Sun Devil Stadium, in Tempe, to California in protest. Arizona was not the only state openly contemptuous of federal law. In 2000, 17 years after the law’s official passage and the same year it pulled the Confederate flag down from its statehouse dome, South Carolina became the last state to sign a bill recognizing Martin Luther King Jr. Day as a paid holiday.

Read more: http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1872501,00.html#ixzz2ARewWCp4

In a sense, Carmona proved his “maverick” status because after he was appointed by President Bush to become the 17th Surgeon General of the United States, he became  highly critical of the Bush administration for suppressing scientific findings which conflicted with the Administration’s ideological agenda.

These days, polling is very hard to rely upon, and if Carmona feels like things are too close for comfort — I encourage him to prove his independence by supporting Prop 121 in these last days of the election cycle — after all, independent voters are the 2nd largest voting bloc in Arizona and independents are pushing the Arizona Open Primary measure.  In fact, Prop 121 is expected to pass by 5% if you believe the polls provided bythe Independent Voter Network.

Why should Carmona consider Prop 121?

Because it will empower independent voters in Arizona and it will make them happy.  Independent Voter Network (IVN ) has more information below:

For the first time in Arizona history — independent voters have become the 2nd largest voting bloc because many of us believe the 2 major party system has failed Americans due to extremism and the fringe groups.  It would be wonderful to see two veterans serving the U.S. Senate side-by-side that will bring a much needed Ronald Reagan/Tip O’Neill atmosphere to Washington D.C.

It’s time to snap our state out of extremism — and it’s time for balance to be restored.  Tea Party supporters have done enough damage already with their obstructionism, and we cannot do it with Flake who has proven to toe the tea party line that hurts Veterans.  Veterans who have served our Armed Forces and put their lives on the line for this great Nation.

I received a robo-call by Sheriff Joe Arpaio’s campaign that was created by a woman warning callers not to allow anyone to come to your door to pick up ballots.  I believe the Arpaio chose a female person to initiate these calls in light of Penzone’s domestic violence history which is why we warned folks not to support flawed candidates.  Flawed candidates cannot beat Arpaio.

I received the call last night at approximately 5:00 pm Arizona time and the robo-call discussed these below points:

• Tent City
• Saving Millions of dollars
• Warning Arizona not to give their ballots to anyone at the door

I believe the rob0-calls coming from Sheriff Joe Arpaio are being made in light of the story below.

If you are one of the more than 1 million-plus voters in Maricopa County who received early ballots, the county recorder has a warning for you: Don’t give your ballots to anyone at your doorstep.

Recorder Helen Purcell told CBS 5 News she has received several complaints about people knocking on doors, saying they are from the county and offering to pick up and turn in early ballots for the voter.

Remember Sheriff Joe Arpaio has million$ of dollars crushing his (Democratic) opponent while leaving Independent candidate Mike Stauffer  alone because Arpaio’s campaign, and certainly Chad Willem knows that independent Arizona voters swing conservatively.  The Arpaio campaign cannot afford to lose the key swing independent conservative vote and this is where Independent candidate Mike Stauffer for Maricopa County Sheriff can do significant damage to him. On the other hand, political novices and  Paul Penzone supporters are attacking women and independent voters — shooting themselves in the foot.

All along we have supported Mike Stauffer for Maricopa County sheriff because he has the advanced education and experience that both the Republican and Democratic candidates do not have.

There isn’t much difference between the two parties in Maricopa county and there is no room for partisan politics in the sheriff’s office. All we get is someone beholding to their party. What we need is professional law enforcement. Someone who is qualified and has the education, experience and plan to reform MCSO on Day 1.

The independent candidate Stauffer, is that law enforcement professional. Stauffer for sheriff.

It’s time for the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Department to go non-partisan with Mike Stauffer.  We are tired of partisanship politics in our State.

Say YES to Prop 121 – Arizona Open Primary! Punish both parties and give independent voters ability to bring this Nation together.

Do you miss the days of Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill where our political leaders used to be able to work in a bipartisan fashion? Indeed it would be nice going back to the good ol’ Reagan and Tip O’Neill days and breaking partisan gridlock to do the jobs Americans voted and pay them to do.

More than ever we need to go back to working on solutions….shedding the partisanship. We need to go back to the Ronald Reagan and Tip O’Neill days. We are hungry for that. We can no longer support the Tea Party and those who chant Hell No to everything. Americans want politicians to do what they are paid to do and work with each other across the political aisle for what is in the best interest of the United States. More Tea Party supporters have proven to be divisive with their “Hell No” to everything approach and it is destroying the unity message we yearn for because a house divided will not stand.

One of the great modern rivalries in American politics was between President Reagan and the then Speaker of the House, Tip O’Neill. If Reagan believed that government was the problem—O’Neill, an unreconstructed New Dealer—believed it could be the solution. Yet these two very different politicians—from rival parties and with opposing philosophies of government—were able to bridge the gulf between them, often with cordiality—and always with civility.

Reagan summed up their relationship when—after one of their famous St. Patrick Day lunches—he wrote in his diary: “Tip is a real pol…[he can] be a friend while politically trying to beat your head in.”

These days, it appears our Nation has gone to the extreme and to the fringe groups.

Here is why you should support prop 121:

Prop 121, the Open Elections Open Government citizen’s initiative, will establish a “Top Two” election system in Arizona.

Arizonans, indeed ALL Americans, are clamoring for change to our current election process that seems to yield little these days beyond partisan sniping and gridlock. Most voters feel our government is broken because our election system is broken.

Prop 121, the Open Elections Open Government Act, will do away with current partisan primary elections in Arizona in which only a limited number of voters now participate and are only permitted to cast ballots for the candidates from one party.

In its place there will be a primary election open to ALL voters and ALL candidates. The top two candidates from that election—regardless of political party—will then face off in the November run-off election. Prop 121 will affect county, state and federal elections (except presidential) and candidates will be permitted to indicate party preference on the ballot if they so choose.

The result of Prop 121 is a “Top Two Primary” in which every voter will be permitted to vote in both the Primary and General Election. Voters will have real choices, with candidates who better represent all the people of Arizona rather than just the extreme views of narrow interests, the political bosses, and lobbyists. Forms of the top two election system have already been successfully established in several states.

Prop 121 is opposed by political bosses and lobbyists who like things just the way they are, and who fought, but fortunately failed, to prevent you from voting on this important amendment.

We urge you to join with respected community leaders from across our state who are tired of hyper-partisanship and want our government to work for us.

Vote YES on Prop 121.

Read the full text of the initiative to learn more and provide feedback.

Arizona is infamous for being extreme, and this is precisely why I believe power should be taken from both Party bosses and more power should be given to the People via independent voters.

The Arizona Republic Recommends a “Yes” Vote on Prop 121

Editorial Opinion – The Arizona Republic – 10/11/2012

I am not a Republican anymore, but as a key independent voter and a Gulf War veteran of our Armed Forces, I am not supporting Mitt Romney either.  I am  supporting Obama for Presidency.  I would rather have 4 more years of Obama than 8 years of Mr. Multiple Choice Mitt.

From the former South Dakota Senator Larry Pressler (Ret.) R-SD

Larry Pressler

Member US House 1975-79 Member US Senate 1979-97. Vietnam Veteran-served two combat tours in Vietnam, received Bronze Star, Member Disabled American Veterans, American Legion and VFW- Member, Jericho Homeless Veterans National Board

As a combat veteran of two tours in Vietnam with twenty-two years of service as a Republican member of the U.S. House and Senate, I endorse President Barack Obama for a second term as our Commander-in-Chief. Candidates publicly praise our service members, veterans and their families, but President Obama supports them in word and deed, anywhere and every time.

As a Vietnam vet, one of the reasons I support President Obama is because he has consistently shown he understands that our commitment to our servicemen and women may begin when they put on their uniform, but that it must never end.

This decision is not easy for any lifelong Republican. In 2008 I voted for Barack Obama, the first time I ever voted for a Democrat, because the Republican Party was drifting toward a dangerous path that put extreme party ideology above national interest. Mitt Romney heads a party remaining on that dangerous path, proving the emptiness of their praise as they abandon our service members, veterans and military families along the way.

One thing was for certain.  President Ronald Reagan was no coward. 

That said, whatever happened to those “Tear Down the Wall” Reagan Republicans?  Did the Tea Party silence them all?  When will those ol’ Reagan Republicans tear down the walls and storm through the barricades within their own?

How is it that those old time Reagan Republicans advocated for tearing down walls in other countries, but they are nowhere to be found when it comes to our very own back yard?

Remember when Americans applauded President Ronald Reagan when he went overseas and advocated Tearing Down the Walls?  “Tear down this wall!” was the challenge issued by United States President Ronald Reagan to Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to destroy the Berlin Wall, in a speech at the Brandenburg Gate near the Berlin Wall on June 12, 1987, commemorating the 750th anniversary of Berlin. Reagan challenged Gorbachev, who was then the General Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union, to tear it down as an emblem of Gorbachev’s desire to increase freedom in the Eastern Bloc.

How was it right to tell other Nations to tear down their walls when we don’t take our own advice?

How is it that we spend millions and billions of dollars destroying other Nations and wasting billions to rebuild their infrastructure?  Don’t you think it’s time we stop bombing other nations and wasting billions of tax payer dollars just to rebuild what we bomb?   Don’t you think it’s time decreasing throwing our money away while investing it in our own continent instead?

Am I advocating for open borders?

No, I am not.

I realize we are living in the post 9-11 era, and as a veteran of the Armed Forces, I do believe in secure borders with a reasonable legal immigration plan.  We must think with foresight, and if all hell breaks loose (and it will), it is imperative our neighborly relations with Mexico and Canada are in pristine condition.  The American government has taken a position advocating there to be peace in the Mideast as we call countries to be more neighborly – and we must follow our own advice.

I repeat, mayhem will eventually break out in other parts and continents of the world.  It is imperative we have the ultimate back-up plan with our soil neighbors.

It is imperative we have a back-up plan with our neighboring countries and look to our tri-country continent resources – pulling them together in the event of a global disaster.

May Americans continue to rise without a party affiliation and look to what is in the best interest of our Nation instead of an organization(s) that has proven to be divisive.   We are the United States – not the divided states, and it is hella time for an American party to rise up from this mess.  As an independent voter, I can say this with great conviction.  Our greatest strength is unity, and when we capture that idea and harness it — we will survive the hard times.

I leave you with this video below  by Gary Johnson who was a long time Republican and left the GOP for the Libertarian Party.  Gary Johnson was a Republican Governor of New Mexico.