Serious question (not trying to bait anyone). What do you make of the rise of Independents?

[Awsi Dooger]

63. Republican Party is unpopular but Democratic Party is not particularly popular

Last edited Thu Aug 30, 2018, 10:30 PM - Edit history (1)

I guess I would summarize it that way, if forced. Just yesterday I looked at a link regarding millennial voting trends and voting registration. Their approval rating of the Republican Party was dismal at 26% positive 60% negative, but hardly glowing of our party at only 44%-42% net positive.

Here, I found that link:

https://www.vox.com/2018/8/29/17795718/poll-millennial-young-vote-2018-midterms

Naturally if you want to register to vote for the first time but don't have a strong favorable impression of one, and have a decisive distaste for the other, that third uncommitted option seems appealing.

Actually I don't really care about party affiliation. I realize it impacts primaries. But I began studying politics carefully in 1992 for betting purposes and it was quickly obvious that ideology blew away party identification, especially in statewide races. So all I focus on is ideology and how it is evolving. Right now even though there are more independents there are actually fewer moderates than when I started in 1992. It has become an increasingly polarized nation, which shouldn't shock anyone. More and more Americans are willing to call themselves liberal, while the conservative tag goes up and down within the same basic range. In 2016 we cut the conservative to liberal deficit to 9% in the national exit poll. That was surreal. I stared at it for hours. It was easily the biggest and most meaningful untold story of 2016. When I began in 1992 it was 12%, then 11%, finally 10% and when I saw that 35-26% net I was ecstatic. Yeah, Trump may have technically won the electoral college but that dip down to 9% verified that all the friendly demographic shifts were indeed in place, and there is nothing the other side can do about them long term. Lying and colluding and suppression are desperate stabs at the inevitable.

Here's a link regarding more liberals and fewer moderates:

https://www.salon.com/2017/01/03/a-more-liberal-nation-fewer-americans-are-calling-themselves-conservative-these-days/