On May 4, Lenora Fulani issued this statement: “When Americans choose a president we are making a statement about the person we select. But at certain times in history, we are also making a statement about ourselves. In my opinion, 2008 is that kind of election. I think the American people – black, Latino, white, immigrant, poor, middle class and rich, are not only looking for a change in the White House. We want to change the way we relate to one another. When I ran for president – as an independent – in 1988 and became the first African American and first female to gain admission to the presidential ballot in all 50 states, I was not running a campaign to win. The chances of a radical black female activist and developmental psychologist being elected president were somewhere between zero and none. I was running to build and to lay a foundation for an independent movement. In that campaign, I saw that Americans from all walks of life and from all communities were beginning to question the old categories, the old paradigms and the old-style of partisan politics. I think Barack Obama’s achievements are historic, not simply because he is about to become a major party nominee, but because he tapped into that deep desire that people have to create something new in American politics. The black community has been – and will continue to be – a major force in that creative process.”

The original date of the state convention of the American Independent Party of California was to have been June 6. However, the state chair cancelled that event. Since he had not set a new date, a majority of the other state officers have chosen June 28-29, at the Westin Hotel at the Los Angeles Airport.

The state convention will choose the party’s candidates for presidential elector. Thus, the state convention has the power to decide which presidential candidate, Chuck Baldwin or Alan Keyes, will be listed on the November ballot. Currently, it seems extremely likely that the June state convention will choose presidential elector candidates pledged to Baldwin, who is the Constitution Party’s presidential nominee.

Blogs that are chosen to be part of the “www.news.google.com” service get a big lift. Congratulations to Austin Cassidy and Jason Seagraves on having www.independentpoliticalreport.com blog now included in the google news service. http://ThirdPartyWatch.com also enjoys that status, as does this blog. Having that status is even good for the commenters, because their comments also receive a bigger audience.