NY County Independence Party 2012 Spring Chairman's Reception

On Thursday, May 31st, is the New York County Independence Party's 14th Annual Spring Chairman's Reception, Cathy L. Stewart, New York County Chair.

This year's event is special. We will be inaugurating the Nicholas Johnson Independent Spirit Award.

Nick was a close friend and colleague and was a deeply respected within the Independence Party community. He was elected Chairman of the Bronx Independence Party in 2008, were I was born, and served until his untimely death last year. The New York City Independence Party Executive Committee created the Nicholas Johnson Independent Spirit Award to recognize a new activist who exemplifies Nick's leadership and can do attitude.

Next week we will be announcing the recipient of this year's award.

We've set an ambitious $35,000 goal for this year's Spring fundraiser, and I know (with your help) we can reach and exceed that goal. Every dollar you give supports the growth of our county committees, important educational activities like "Politics for the People" and "Interviews By a Black Independent", and our ongoing grassroots outreach. We're a 100% grassroots funded organization, and we need your financial help to support the education, litigation, lobbying, and voter registration we do 365 days a year.

In memory of Nick, please donate even if you can not attend:

Buy Your Ticket!

Thank you in advance for your support.

"The parties aren't the people. The people are the people. The constitution recognizes the people and not the parties, as we well know. But I don't think that is just a technical issue. In some ways, part of where we have come to as a country is that it is a time to remind ourselves that the parties are not the people. And we have to find ways to take action politically that reflect that and express that."

- Jacqueline Salit, "Politics for the People" interview, April 27, 2012.

View the "Politics for the People" event!









NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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Politics for the People on C-SPAN

Independents Alert!

C-SPAN has indicated they plan to broadcast coverage of last Friday's Politics for the People, Thursday, May 4th, at 10:30 pm.

Please check your local listings, set your DVR and most importantly invite friends, family and colleagues to watch a cutting edge dialogue featuring host Cathy Stewart, former Congressman Mickey Edwards, IndependentVoting.org president Jackie Salit and the Politics for the People live audience, on the role of independents in U.S. politics.


I was in the audience at this month class that Cathy does in New York City. They are held rotating through the five boroughs.

We talked about the negative role of the political parties in US, the cultural component of change, the competing powers of our government and the role of the President, the massive political disalignment of the American people from the political parties and more in this wide ranging conversation.

Jackie and Mickey have books coming out in August.

Jackie's is called Independents Rising, Outsider Movements, Third Parties, and the Struggle for a Post-Partisan America.

Mickey's is called The Parties Versus The People, How to turn Republicans and Democrats Into Americans.

Use the above link to watch the event on C-SPAN's Video Library.









NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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Politics for the People

Cathy Stewart, Founder of the Politics for the People free educational series and book club for independent voters.

Chair of the New York County Independence Party.


In 2002, she created a free educational series for independents in New York City.

"I'm delighted to be able to expand with a bi-monthly Book Club that will allow Politics for the People to reach independents all over the country."

Politics for the People is designed to take you behind the scenes for a look at politics and history from an independent’s point of view.

The Book Club will read and discuss books of interest to independents.

We're now 40% of Americans.

She has been an activist in independent politics since 1984, an avid reader, and a photographer and will be sharing some of her work here as well.

I met Cathy in 2001 and she is the reason I became a candidate and served four terms as a State Committee member of the New York Independence Party.


For their first book, they well be reading The Swing Vote, The Untapped Power of Independents, written by journalist Linda Killian who she interviewed at a Politics for the People in Brooklyn, NY, that I attended.

Use the above link to find out more about Politics for the People and the Book Club.









NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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SC Rep. Joe Neal - Independent Spirit Award

South Carolina Rep. Joe Neal Receives Independent Spirit Award from NYC Independence Party

On June 6, 2011, I attended the New York County Chairman's Reception. This event was special for me as I took part in one of the call banks to let the voters of South Carolina know that the republicans were trying to close their primary. We were able to stop their effort in the courts.

Use the above link to The Hankster's blog to view this presentation.

Constitutional attorney Harry Kresky introduces Dr. Lenora Fulani who introduces South Carolina Representative Joseph Neal, "a black leader who stood up and said open primaries are fundamental to the political rights of black folks". Rep. Neal was honored with the Independent Spirit Award at the NYC Independence Party Manhattan Spring Chairman's Reception hosted by Cathy Stewart at Tribeca Grill.

Even if I think we need a new voting selection process, sometimes the good guys/gals win!!









NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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National Conference of Independents in New York City in 2011

We will be holding a National Conference of Independents in New York City on Feb. 12, 2011 at NYU Skirball Center for the Performing Arts. It will be hosted by CUIP political director Jackie Salit.

Independents from over 38 states will gather for a day long event featuring an in-depth look at how independents can increase visibility and influence in the political process. Use the above link for more information.



The program highlights are:

New Documentary
Watch the premier of the latest political documentary by Jackie Salit, the President and Founder of IndependentVoting.org. This multimedia presentation covers the impact of the independent movement on the Obama White House, on Congress, on the political parties and on a cross section of political forces. This cutting edge documentary is a great introduction to independent politics. It explains the relevance of the independent movement to urgent social, economic and cultural problems in America.

Talk/Talk
Hear a "Talk/Talk" conversation with Jackie Salit and Dr. Fred Newman, the Stanford-trained philosopher, playwright, author and pioneer of independent politics. Talk/Talk is a Newman/Salit specialty - think Charlie Rose, Oprah and Aristotle all rolled up into one!

Panel Discussion
Moderated by Jackie Salit and General Counsel, Harry Kresky

The panel includes:

Theresa Amato, Ralph Nader's Presidential Campaign Manager in 2004
John Avlon, Senior Political Consultant, Founder, No Labels
Lenora Fulani, Co-founder, independentvoting.org
Michael Hardy, General Counsel, National Action Network
Douglas Schoen, pollster and author
Abel Maldonado, former Lt. Governor of California
James Mangia, Executive Director, St. John's Well Child & Family Center; Founding Secretary, National Reform Party
Cathy Stewart, Chair, New York County Independence Party
Bradley Tusk, Founder, Tusk Strategies; Campaign manager Bloomberg 2009

Mock Trial
Are you a fan of Law and Order, The Good Wife, or even Judge Judy? If so, you don't want to miss this. We will be staging a mock trial to explore a fictional (but not improbable) "people vs. the parties" controversy. A cast of prominent civil rights and election lawyers, actors, elected officials, and a famous "surprise witness" will stage a courtroom trial and in the process shed light on the growing conflict between parties' rights and voters' rights.

Dispatches from the Movement
Get the inside scoop from leaders on what's happening on the ground, behind the scenes, in the hallways of power and on the street corners, as independents intensify their efforts to enact structural political reforms like open primaries across the country. This is independent politics straight from the source.

Discussion and Dialogue
Conference attendees will have the opportunity to discuss the days' proceedings in an open mic session, not to mention the chance to meet and mingle throughout the day.









NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Michael H. Drucker
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NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote!

Again, thanks to the great work by The Hankster for this post.

I attended this event last night.


Jackie Salit, President of IndependentVoting.org and NYC Independence Party campaign strategist talks about the latest dysfunction in Albany at the May 25 NYC Independence Party Spring Chair Reception hosted by Cathy Stewart.


NYC Mayor Mike Bloomberg speaks in support of nonpartisan elections to NYC Independence Party Spring Chair Reception hosted by chief organizer Cathy Stewart, Manhattan Chair of the New York City Organizations of the Independence Party, May 25, 2010, Wolfgang's Steakhouse, in Tribeca. NYC IP campaign for nonpartisan elections is being headed up by young independents under the banner "NYC Wins When Everyone Can Vote". 1 million independent voters are left out of the decisive round of voting in NYC, and 25% of them are under of the age of 30, 25% are people of color.




The New York City Charter Revision Commission will hold a series of public issue forums across the five boroughs throughout May and June 2010. Topics for each forum, which were selected by the Commission at its May 10th public meeting, include: Term Limits, Voter Participation, Government Structure, Public Integrity, and Land Use. At each forum, the Commission will hear expert testimony and will invite public input. Each issue forum is open to the public and will be streamed live via webcast through their website, Wednesday, June 2 – VOTER PARTICIPATION (Nonpartisan Municipal Elections) will take place at Lehman College, 250 Bedford Park Boulevard West, Music Building, Faculty Dining Room, Bronx at 6 p.m.

Michael H. Drucker
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Politics for the People Class

On Saturday May 9th, Dr. Omar Ali will be joining us for our spring Politics for the People Class. He will be presenting a class entitled "A Brief History of How Independents Have Expanded American Democracy - The Tensions, Turmoil's and Triumphs of Independent Movement Building."

For those of you who don't know Omar, he is a professor at Vanderbilt University and the author of a book about the history of independent politics in the African American community entitled, In the Balance of Power: Independent Black Politics and Third-Party Movements in the United States. Dr. Ali is a long time political independent and one of the country's leading scholars on independent politics.

After the class Dr. Ali will be doing a book signing of his book. We are offering a special promotion for class participants, a copy of Omar's book and the CUIP DVD, "How the Independent Movement Went Left by Going Right" for $35. This is a great opportunity to mingle and meet new members.

It is going to be a great class! If you are in the NYC area, please join us.

Call 212-962-1699 for more information.

Michael H. Drucker
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Politics for the People Class

This post is possible because of the great work of the Hankster. Use the link on the left to read her great posts.


The Cathy L. Stewart Politics for the People Presents: The ABC's of Column C -- How the NYC Independence Party Became the True Voice of Reform and Political Independence.

ABC's of Column C focused on the history of the Independence Party, what we stand for and the role we played in the growth of the national independent movement.

Politics for the People was founded in 2002 by Cathy Stewart, the Manhattan County Chair of the Independence Party and key leader of the independent movement in NYC and nationally for over 25 years. A dynamic speaker, Stewart breaks down politics for diverse audiences and always encourages lively dialogue.

I attended this class. I have been a speaker at a prior class.

Michael H. Drucker
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