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Party’s over? Record voters say they’re Independents, reject 'D' and 'R'
Record numbers of American voters are rejecting both major political parties – Democrat and Republican. Instead, according to new poll findings, they’re registering to vote as Independents in increasing numbers.
Christian Science Monitor By Brad Knickerbocker

Call it a political plague on both your houses, to mangle Shakespeare. But record numbers of American voters are rejecting both major political parties – Democrat and Republican. Instead, according to new poll findings, they’re registering to vote as Independents in increasing numbers.

Specifically, according to new Gallup findings, the number of self-declared Independents has climbed to a record 43 percent, the highest number since the pollster began tallying such figures back in 1988 – leaving Democrats and Republicans trailing far behind at 30 percent and 26 percent respectively.
The low voter turnout last November “likely heralds a new stage in the disintegration of the American political order,” warn political scientists Walter Dean Burnham (University of Texas) and Thomas Ferguson (University of Massachusetts) in a piece at alternet.org. “Increasing numbers of average Americans can no longer stomach voting for parties that only pretend to represent their interests.”

In another recent research piece, professors Martin Gilens (Princeton University) and Benjamin I. Page (Northwestern University) point to why many Americans are turned off by partisan politics based on perceptions about “who really rules.”

"The central point that emerges from our research is that economic elites and organized groups representing business interests have substantial independent impacts on U.S. government policy," they write, "while mass-based interest groups and average citizens have little or no independent influence."

Ivytalk wrote:Did you read the whole article, bearded klam? The key sentence is buried near the bottom: "In actuality, real independents make up just over 10 percent of Americans, and a small fraction of Americans who actually vote."

And most independents are not ideologically moderate -- they lean Democrat if liberal, Republican if conservative.

What is your point? Not much new here. Waste of new thread. Move on.

Ivytalk wrote:Did you read the whole article, bearded klam? The key sentence is buried near the bottom: "In actuality, real independents make up just over 10 percent of Americans, and a small fraction of Americans who actually vote."

And most independents are not ideologically moderate -- they lean Democrat if liberal, Republican if conservative.

What is your point? Not much new here. Waste of new thread. Move on.

In one of its follow-up questions, Gallup also asks which way Independents are “leaning” – Democrat or Republican.

When “leaners” are added to those who identify themselves as D or R, the totals rise to 45 percent as Democrat and 42 percent as Republican.

Writing in the Washington Post, political scientist John Sides at George Washington University says this is more important than formal party affiliation.

“Why is it more important?” he writes. “Because independents who lean toward a party – or ‘independent leaners’ – behave like partisans, on average. They tend to be loyal to their party’s candidate in elections. They tend to have favorable views of many political figures in their party. They are not much more likely to identify as ideologically moderate. To be sure, independent leaners are not as partisan as the strongest partisans. But they resemble weaker partisans much more than they do real independents. In actuality, real independents make up just over 10 percent of Americans, and a small fraction of Americans who actually vote.

GannonFan wrote:Of course there are way more indies that people think. Regardless, though, there are still just two parties to vote for so it's a moot point in some ways.

Cap'n Cat wrote:

Ivytalk wrote:Did you read the whole article, bearded klam? The key sentence is buried near the bottom: "In actuality, real independents make up just over 10 percent of Americans, and a small fraction of Americans who actually vote."

And most independents are not ideologically moderate -- they lean Democrat if liberal, Republican if conservative.

What is your point? Not much new here. Waste of new thread. Move on.

WAY more than enough to swing an election, Goldstein.

kalm wrote:

GannonFan wrote:Of course there are way more indies that people think. Regardless, though, there are still just two parties to vote for so it's a moot point in some ways.

And that's the point Ivy misses completely.

Ivytalk wrote:

kalm wrote:


And that's the point Ivy misses completely.

Good old klam... pointing fingers, not suggesting any solutions. Why don't you, Ganny and billk crank up a political party that "true independents" can get behind?

Ivytalk wrote:

kalm wrote:


And that's the point Ivy misses completely.

Good old klam... pointing fingers, not suggesting any solutions. Why don't you, Ganny and billk crank up a political party that "true independents" can get behind?

dbackjon wrote:There are more registered "Independents" in Arizona than Donks or Conks (What do we call Independents - Flops?)

However, quite a few are moderate Republicans too embarrassed to be associated with the state GOP, but mostly vote GOP anyways.

kalm wrote:

Ivytalk wrote:
Good old klam... pointing fingers, not suggesting any solutions. Why don't you, Ganny and billk crank up a political party that "true independents" can get behind?

Break the grip of the two parties.

kalm wrote:

Ivytalk wrote:
Good old klam... pointing fingers, not suggesting any solutions. Why don't you, Ganny and billk crank up a political party that "true independents" can get behind?

Break the grip of the two parties.

GannonFan wrote:

dbackjon wrote:There are more registered "Independents" in Arizona than Donks or Conks (What do we call Independents - Flops?)

However, quite a few are moderate Republicans too embarrassed to be associated with the state GOP, but mostly vote GOP anyways.

Is there a poll for that or did you just do a survey of some people you know?

JohnStOnge wrote:

Ivytalk wrote:Did you read the whole article, bearded klam? The key sentence is buried near the bottom: "In actuality, real independents make up just over 10 percent of Americans, and a small fraction of Americans who actually vote."

And most independents are not ideologically moderate -- they lean Democrat if liberal, Republican if conservative.

What is your point? Not much new here. Waste of new thread. Move on.

I agree. I think it's become kind of a fad to call yourself "independent."

ALPHAGRIZ1 wrote:

JohnStOnge wrote:
I agree. I think it's become kind of a fad to call yourself "independent."

Yep, same as being "gay" or "black" its the in thing.

ALPHAGRIZ1 wrote:

JohnStOnge wrote:
I agree. I think it's become kind of a fad to call yourself "independent."

Yep, same as being "gay" or "black" its the in thing.

ALPHAGRIZ1 wrote:

JohnStOnge wrote:
I agree. I think it's become kind of a fad to call yourself "independent."

Yep, same as being "gay" or "black" its the in thing.