Three is STILL the Magic Number

I was reading a few moments ago about how CoryF and Icababe have wrapped up the last two primary spots for the Independent Party. Somewhere, there is a list of qualifiers for the Convention, and I would put that list up proudly against those representing the U4Prez Democrats and Republicans.

I ran my campaign as pretty much a single-issue campaign, to end the two-party system, to destroy the myth of Republocratic dominance, and to bring more parties, more candidates, and more philosophies into the Washington mix. Each in their own way, I believe that not only the Independent primary winners, but the vast majority of Independents themselves believe in this, to one degree or another. They might be conservative or liberal, it doesn't matter, they are disgusted with politics-as-usual, and they are willing to take the risk of a campaign run alone, without a true party machine behind them, than compromise their principles for the sake of popularity.

Just like America itself, we are Independent.

It is this spirit we share that binds us, and has kept us bound as the strongest party at U4Prez. It is the appreciation we have for one another, no matter where on the political spectrum we might fall, that has kept the Independent Party vibrant and positive. And despite the countless many times we have seen others try to drive wedges between us, we realize its just another variation of the partisan gameplaying we all got sick of years ago, and we recognized it for what it is.

That is why Independents didn't have a problem voting for a liberal like me in June to be leader, or a conservative like Icababe most recently. In the end, our bond goes beyond the weak labels the Republocrats like to divvy up everyone under. I got along fine with strong conservatives like CoryF, because we share the same singular belief that nothing we want to do will come to fruition if we don't first clean house, rid Washington of the two monopolizing parties, and come up with some real answers for real people.

Independents get that, and that is why I have no problem giving my complete support to Icababe and encourage all Independents to not only join with him in solidarity, but to also participate in his committee to build a better party. This isn't the sort of Steering Committee Mduminiak installed with the Republicans, which was little more than an elitist collection of his bestest buddies to decide for the rest of the GOP world. Icababe wants everyone to join in. There should be far more than the four or five names on the committee list. While I realize every candidate is running her own campaign her own way, it still wouldn't hurt to chime in.

I have always had a respectful relationship with Icababe, and I appreciate his want to get as much input from the other Independents. He deserves the same sort of commitment from the rest of you. When he creates a committee any Independent can join, I would like to think there would be many who would jump to help. Likewise, I see he has created a chat page in which Independents can discuss issues and strategy. In respect, I haven't tried to peek in, but I truly hope it's being utilized.

The Independent Party has to move forward, and I recall a few comments Icababe made concerning me, and I agree with him. The Party cannot move ahead, and cannot perfect itself, if the conversation constantly returns to the past. It is unfair to everyone to continue to bring my name up every time Independent Party Leadership is discussed. No party leader will ever get a fair shake if he is constantly compared to Olivia, even in a congradulatory way. The party has a convention coming up in a couple of weeks, it will not properly be prepared to take full advantage of the attention it will receive if the focus remains on a former candidate who is not active on U4Prez itself and can only influence things from the outside looking in.

What's more, many use my name in a petty fashion, trying to use my name as a wedge. Just as some would previously try to drive a wedge between me and the conservative Independents, they again seek to use my name to play partisan games. These are the very same games Independents detest in the first place. Such games are expected out of the Republicans and Democrats. Don't sink to their level. Don't give into this bullshit. Recognize it for what it is, and root it out.

However you saw my stay as party leader, as a good thing or a bad thing, in the end it is over, and if the Party is to be at its best, it must look and move forward. I appreciate all the positive feedback, and I note all the sarcasm and hurtful things said my way. But so long as the talk remains on what Olivia did or didn't do, you're not giving Icababe a chance at all, and the Indys will remain stuck in Summer 2007 instead of looking forward with their sights on the general election.

I believe the Independents have a legitimate shot in winning the whole thing. Kempite's campaign is in flames, so if there was ever a "fix", Eric Gurr would be pretty stupid to maintain it at this moment. Look at the final roster when it comes out. If we're looking for someone with name recognition, MejicoJohn is as strong a candidate in terms of sheer popularity as there is at U4Prez. I believe we have the truest and most sincere conservative at U4Prez, namely CoryF, which, if the Independents backed him, he could legitimately defeat Mduminiak, a candidate who has had virtually every break go his way, who is grossly over-exposed, and who is just as into playing partisan bullshit games as he is to chime the conservative chime. You have Maditude, probably the closest thing to a champion of the Libertarian Party U4Prez has, someone who has quite quietly put together a solid campaign, and again, he has not engaged in gameplaying and partisanship. Icababe is proving himself to be a strong leader for the Independents.

Once there is a list put out as to who will represent the Independents up to the general election, I will be on my toes to support them all as best as I can, but also to prop up whoever ends up representing the Indys in the general election.

Whatever cancers there are in the Independent Party, root them out now, before we get down to brass tacks. I do believe our diversity is what makes the Indys successful, being able to set aside our ideologies, without compromising them for a moment, for the sake of a greater good. Ask yourself, when you see Independents engaging in partisan hackery, if they are representing the best the party has to offer.

Everyone knows my displeasure with BigDaddy, and with Mduminiak capitulating and Kempite impaled and twitching, he is the biggest partisan gameplaying hack on U4Prez. He came to the Indy Party, thinking Independents would be stupid enough to elect him leader, even though he goes against everything Independents stand for. He continues to show his true colors, calling anyone left of him a socialist, trying to drive wedges between the left and the right within the Independents, trying to use my name to show division within ranks, as if continued contact with me were something sordid, as if appreciating my tactics as leader were tantamount to treason. THIS is why we all became Independents, because we were tired of the two main parties bickering with one another, pointing fingers, calling names, driving wedges, and more-or-less dummying down American politics. BigDaddy has been one of the bigest partisan bullshit artists since he came to U4Prez. He has said it for himself, partisanship is so engrained into American politics, it might as well be in the Constitution. He proves this belief every day. I have always urged you, and will continue to urge you, to shun him, to make it clear his petty gameplaying is not what being an Indepedent is about, and that he can go back to the Republicans if he wishes to continue his shenanigans.

At the end of the day, I always lay my trust in the intelligence and the commitment Independents share. No matter the odds, we've managed to construct a "party" that is truly all-inclusive, liberals and conservatives uniting under the belief that the status-quo will kill America, and the cure is to unravel the total domination the Republocrats hold in modern American government. If we can win at U4Prez, maybe we can do it in 2008 for real! We have a destiny as a party. It can be done. We have the candidates, we have the smarts, the commitment, the issue, the leadership, the unity. The Indys have it all. It's just a matter of putting it all together and sprinting to the finish line.

In these final weeks until the general election, I hope to have a few "gifts" for the Independent Party, something to pick their spirits up. I am your biggest cheerleader, your number-one fan. You can do it!

Love Always, Olivia. XXX