Beginning to look like Independents are just Republicans who don't want to say it in public.

[Samrob]

If they are truly "independent thinkers" it just baffles me how any of them could choose to vote Republican at this critical time in our nation's history. Where have they been living the past 6 years?

[people]

1. Independents . . .

It seems that's what almost all of them always were - libertarians who voted republican.

[Turbineguy]

2. Independents are republicans

where the "crazy" is silent.

[AllaN01Bear]

3. i was non partisan after leaving the republican party. took me 2 years to decide

to join the democratic party. a friend is non partisan ( decline to state) is mostly republican but hates with a passion on trump,

[yardwork]

4. Ya think? How could anybody be "undecided."

[marti]

5. independents

So true- have always thought this- They like to think they are above the "fray"- our only hope is to go on offence hard enough - they can't have any excuse.

[Elessar Zappa]

6. Nah, they're just idiots.

They flip their votes each cycle to either vote against the party in power or they vote their “wallets” (inflation, job availability, etc). They have no real ideology.

[JHB]

7. "Beginning"? I thought that the only people who hadn't figured that out...

...were pollsters and political consultants.

[lindysalsagal]

8. Started back in 2000 w Bush2.0

[tavernier]

9. Every intelligent Republican I ever knew

is now a Democrat. I know of at least ten of these personally.

[WarGamer]

26. Every Republican I know...

In my former line of work, 99% of my office mates were Ph.D's, Engineers and M.D's...

All of the Republican leaning ones were anti-big government types.

Each and every one realizes Trump is a double digit IQ ass-clown but they buy into the whole "system is broken" so scrap it thing...

See "The Joker" from "Dark Knight"

[betsuni]

10. Like that Manny "Third Way Manny" Goldstein guy who was very popular on DU.

Voted Republican until it was embarrassing. Pretended to be "Independent." Hated Democrats.

[emulatorloo]

20. Constantly claiming Obama was going to "cut social security" at every SOTU.

A despicable liar and Republican troll/operative who fell in love with his fake “progressive” persona.

King of the disruptors, he did have many fans. I believe that he thought was too big to fail, however admins proved otherwise by finally banning his lying ass.

Ah the bad old days! Thanks for the reminder.

[onenote]

11. There are two Independents in the Senate. Both caucus with the Democrats

Pretty sure Bernie Sanders and Angus King aren't really republicans.

[Zorro]

12. Independent voters tend to be Republicans too embarrassed to admit it

[jimfields33]

13. That's scary because they make up a huge number.

Let’s hope your post is not true.

[onenote]

28. Of course its not true. Just a DUer spouting nonsense.

Exit polls in 2020 indicated 20 percent of the electorate identified as independent and a majority of those voters supported Biden.

And when Bernie Sanders -- a self-identified independent - was seeking the presidential nomination, he had substantial support from other self-identified independents

Polling shows that most self-identified independents actually "lean" towards one party or the other. The numbers have varied over time, but a slightly larger percentage lean towards the Democrats than the Republicans.

[TigressDem]

14. People are complicated. Times are F'd up. Shall we act like we have brains and not over simplify?

You are perfectly right that MANY of the "independents" are just closet Rethugs not wanting to be covered in MAGA shit.


BUT there are two other kinds.

Ones not liking EITHER party right now.

Dem leaning but able to see some points that are typically not completely on the LEFT.


https://www.pewresearch.org/politics/2019/03/14/political-independents-who-they-are-what-they-think/

?resize=640,471


?w=620

[GenThePerservering]

25. Thank you

for some actual facts and objectivity.

[GoodRaisin]

15. Most people I have met who say they are independents really aren't.

They label themselves this way thinking it makes them "objective" voters who will vote for a person rather than a party. They see voting objectivity as a good thing and want to believe that is one of their own traits and so it is part of their self image.

But then what comes out of their mouths makes it very easy to tell they are lying to themselves.

[brooklynite]

16. If you're prepared to write off all Independents, you're prepared to lose...

Outside of safe blue States and districts, there's no electoral model that works based on simply attracting base Democratic voters.

[Peacetrain]

17. I don't buy that for a second

I just don't

[Simeon Salus]

18. Technically, "libertarians" are just Republicans who specifically don't say it in public

Independents are people afraid to consider the consequences of the outcome. Certainly not people to interview.

[I_UndergroundPanther]

19. Libertarians are the same as republican too

Agree with you about independents too.

[emulatorloo]

21. More complicated than that. There are definitely Dem-leaning Independents as well as GOPer ones.

[Genki Hikari]

22. This is news to you?

Most independents have always been dishonest r trash who want to pretend to be more-fair-minded-than-thou.

They fool only the foolish.

[onenote]

29. Most independents who voted in 2020 supported Biden. And during the primaries most supported Sanders

But I guess to you those are just "dishonest r trash."

[Wounded Bear]

23. Have had that feeling for a long, long time...nt

[DemocratSinceBirth]

24. There are very few true independents

If you ask them their voting patterns they more likely than not lean one way or another.

[Iggo]

27. Been that way for a long time.

[Efilroft Sul]

30. If you expect Independents, Libertarians, and Greens to stab Democrats in the back...

…you'll never be disappointed.