What do Independents believe in?

[Onlooker]

From what I've read, it sounds like a lot of Independents would have preferred McCain or Lieberman. They like those kinds of centrist safe positions. A few of them call themselves Reagan Democrats and claim, amazingly, that Reagan was in the Roosevelt and even Kennedy tradition. While that probably seems really bizarre to a lot of us, me included, it does reveal where the Independents are coming from. They have their own set of priorities.

Their priorities may or may not include gun rights, gay rights, abortion, and labor unions. They don't talk much about taxes. They generally support the war with Iraq, and try to defend Bush with regard to war. They're not impressed with Bush. They are impressed with Kerry, but fear he is too liberal. They talk more about that than about flip-flopping. They pay lip service to social issues, but even less than that to issues about big business. It's McCain vs. Lieberman.

They are the largest winnable group in the electorate, but how do you win them over? What do they believe in?

[bluestateguy]

1. What do Independents believe in?

Whatever the polls show that 51% of the people believe in. They hold their finger to the wind and adjust their ideology accordingly.

[playahata1]

4. I am a registered independent.

However, my politics are NOT determined by which way the wind blows. I am an independent because I am skeptical of political parties and their ability to deliver on campaign promises. Furthermore, I am a progressive who will vote to get that jack-ass out of the WH in November.

[Catfight]

8. I tend to agree, they are the ambivalent party.

I know an independent and he totally leans to what ever the radio heads are spouting that morning. I feel sorry for him because he's never had an opinion of his own. I've heard him change his convictions when talking to someone in a group just to placate. I believe that independents are the ultimate placater. The luke-warm of society, the grey. They are not moderates, because they don't lean either way.

[Hubert Flottz]

2. John Kerry this time!

If they aren't totally stupid or blind!

[matcom]

3. Nothing

period.

[RafterMan]

5. Independents are independent

Their only true commonality is that they do not accept the ideological bundling promoted by the two major parties.

They may be pragmatists or personality cultists or single-issue voters or whatever. I don't think there's a master plan for winning Independents.

[Killarney]

6. Various

It could be that they are a moderate. For example, they want lower taxes but not at the expense of a huge deficit.

Or rather than being a moderate it could be someone that aligns themselves with a party but strongly disagrees with them on one issue, so they remain independent. For example, I know many people that would be Democrats (in that they align themselves with the Democrats on every issue but one) except that they are pro-life. So, they stay independent since that issue is important to them.

[JI7]

7. they vote but are turned off by partisan politics and don't have many

strong views on issues. so they look at someone and if they feel that person is not too extreme then they will vote for them. they don't vote on issues much though. they don't say to themselves "which candidate is pro choice" or "which candidate opposes gun control".

[Onlooker]

9. I wonder how much style more than substance plays into it

If they like Reagan, Kennedy, and Roosevelt, perhaps they are more interested in a "strong" leader than a leader's politics. If that's the case, then Kerry stands a good chance with them. I think Kerry comes off as the much stronger person than Bush. The problem for Kerry is that to be "strong" he can't change his mind.

[sybylla]

10. Funny you should ask - I just got off the phone with an indy

He comes across as pretty oddball, but very sane at the same time. He loves Russ Feingold mainly for his vote on the Patriot Act but also for many of the stands he is taking in this election season on health care and jobs. He's even been part of a Feingold for President campaign going on in the county. But he also is in the middle of a battle with his city government over placing political signs in his lawn. Those signs support one of the sleaziest pukes in our state assembly whose primary opponent is the mayor of the city he lives in. He got the state elections board and ACLU involved, though he was careful to say that he doesn't always support the ACLU.

My take, he's basically a libertarian. Libertarians believe the Constitution and the Bill of Rights should be interpreted strictly, putting them quite often on the side of liberals and they believe government should only be large enough to provide basic support services to the public keeping taxes to a minimum, leading them to mistakenly support pukes on spending and small/local government issues.

To some degree this is why I think negative advertising can swing elections so effectively. The Libertarian-at-Heart Indy's don't trust anyone and swing from party to party in support of people they think will do an honorable job. And they often make or break a candidate.