DCPolitics

Independents Holding Firm, Major Parties Losing Steam

BEHOLD, THE EVER-EVOLVING AMERICAN POLITICAL LANDSCAPE …  The percentage of Americans identifying as political independents remained steady this month – with 45 percent of the country declining to identify themselves as belong to either major political party.  That’s down one percent from June but marks the sixteenth straight month this…

BEHOLD, THE EVER-EVOLVING AMERICAN POLITICAL LANDSCAPE … 

The percentage of Americans identifying as political independents remained steady this month – with 45 percent of the country declining to identify themselves as belong to either major political party.  That’s down one percent from June but marks the sixteenth straight month this metric has topped 40 percent according to Gallup.

Twenty-three percent of respondents identified as “Republicans” (down one percent) while 29 percent identified as Democrats – up one percent from the previous month.

The GOP hasn’t topped the 25 percent mark since last June, while Democrats have been under 30 percent in back-to-back months.

Of particular interest to those predicting 2014 election results, the percentage of respondents who “lean Republican” fell from 44 to 40 percent – while the percentage of those who “lean Democratic” dropped from 44 to 42 percent.  Of course “Republican leaners” are more often than not true independents – while Democratic leaners tend to be more loyal to their party.

Got all that?  Good … because the disposition of these “leaners” is a statistic worth following the closer we get to election day.

Also worth pondering?

What it means to be an “independent.”

“The key question among this growing surge in self-identified independent voters is whether their ideological leanings mirror or contrast with their partisan leanings,” a post from the non-partisan Market Research Foundation noted.

In other words, are these independents more likely to describe themselves as “liberal” or “conservative?”  And on what issues do they apply these labels?  And most importantly – how likely are they to vote (and what issue will motivate them to turn out)?

South Carolina’s most famous independent candidate – Thomas Ravenel – celebrated the data.

“People are tired of the false choice they have been given between the warfare state and the welfare state,” Ravenel wrote on his website. “They’re looking for something new – a candidate who is going to stand up to protect their liberties and their tax dollars.”

It’s hard to argue with that assessment …

Five years ago, “Republicans” were drawing the support of 30 percent of the electorate while Democrats were backed by 36 percent.  Add it up and that’s two-thirds of the American people.  Today that total is down to 52 percent.

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29 comments

YallCalmDown July 25, 2014 at 2:00 pm

“People are tired of the false choice they have been given between the warfare state and the welfare state,” Ravenel wrote on his website.

Did he write it or did you? We see that same slogan in all of your T-Rav articles. It’s cute, but it’s not gonna get him more than 5% of the votes – if he’s lucky.

And three “T-Rav” articles in one day. I think that’s a record. He paying your mortgage or what?

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bogart July 25, 2014 at 8:11 pm

This is Will’s campaign…..he loves those guest spots on Magnoliaville.

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Scooter July 25, 2014 at 9:13 pm

5%?? He won’t get 1%/

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Slartibartfast July 26, 2014 at 10:58 pm

Even Jimmy Carter had a speech-writer, although it was harder to tell.

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TontoBubbaGoldstein July 25, 2014 at 2:09 pm

South Carolina’s most famous independent candidate – Thomas Ravenel – celebrated the data.

*sound of razor blade on mirror*

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Slartibartfast July 26, 2014 at 11:01 pm

To my right is a hand, sporting ¼” fingernails; to my left, a greenboard. In front of me, a TK-40.. aaaaaaannnnnnnd CUE!

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Tunes'n'News July 25, 2014 at 3:00 pm

Stealth Ravenel Click Bait.
Please. Stop.

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juliyahedan July 25, 2014 at 3:03 pm

Start working at home with Google! It’s by-far the>>CLICK NEXT TAB FOR MORE INFO AND HELP

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GT again July 25, 2014 at 4:45 pm

Grand Tango stop it now damnit!

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Slartibartfast July 26, 2014 at 11:04 pm

juliyahedan, you are a lyin’ ho. Ah went t’ payrap.com and loss 43,000 dollahs a day. Ah’m suin’ you lame ass!

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Thomas July 25, 2014 at 3:34 pm

Well, all this means is 45% of white voters are whacked out in LaLa Land. They have no clue. The dumbing down in public schools is manifested from this elucidation. Recognizing both Parties do suffer from lack of synergy and loss of brand identity, indubitably, each of the 45% are loyal to their particular creature comfort zones and refuse to make the tough decisions. Affectionatley, this author calls them “sheeple”.

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On the other hand July 25, 2014 at 4:44 pm

The most important statistic is that group of people who identify as “I don’t give a fuck. I don’t vote because I don’t want to wait in line, get up that day, stand around with my finger up my ass with a bunch of old grandpas, it’s too late to make a difference crowd.
Rather than becoming true independent voters they are dropping out or never bothering to drop in when they reach voting age. Therefore, the parties will be just fine.

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nitrat July 25, 2014 at 5:31 pm

Didn’t election year studies of ‘independents’ find that the vast majority of ‘independents’ always vote R or D and only around 7% are truly independent voters who switch among parties?

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CNSYD July 25, 2014 at 5:34 pm

Again with the facts! They are not allowed with Sic Willie’s little stories.

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CNSYD July 25, 2014 at 5:33 pm

“South Carolina’s most famous independent candidate – Thomas Ravenel – celebrated the data.”

I believe Strom holds that title. He got elected by write in and ran for President as a Dixiecrat.

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euwe max July 25, 2014 at 6:06 pm

Let’s not talk about how much steam there is.

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Manray9 July 25, 2014 at 6:40 pm

I wish this was true, but I have no confidence in Gallup. The final Gallup poll of 2012: Romney 49%, Obama 48%. And using Ravenel to support any issue doesn’t help your cause. He’s just another spoiled frat boy with a feeling of entitlement seeking to exploit electoral politics to advance his career in tasteless tv. He should still be in jail..

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GrandTango July 26, 2014 at 11:23 am

Obama has severely damaged the democrat brand, so the only chance you have is to run a third-party spoiler. But you have to lie about it, of course.

STFU about an independent. They are usually way over-counted, and are mostly just easily led idiots, who think they, and only they, have any answers. They fall apart when they detail their ignorant policies: like legalizing heroin, and isolationism that allows brutal terrorists to roam free to kill and maim the innocent.

The GOP actually represented us fairly adequately. We just need more Conservative Republicans: Good story here: http://scdigest.blogspot.com/2014/07/media-push-poll-devised-to-bash-gop.html

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Deo Vindice SC July 26, 2014 at 8:48 pm

Go kill more somewhere else, stupid.

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Squishy123 July 26, 2014 at 11:34 am

If it weren’t for Will’s pal T-Rav, he wouldn’t have even bothered to write this article. I wonder what Will gets out of this, I mean nobody is buddies with T-Rav without getting something out of it.

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Fits Aint No Republican July 26, 2014 at 2:00 pm

Most”Independents” in South Carolina are just Republicans who ,because they are embarrassed by the doings of their party ,claim that status.

Come Election time though, they let bygones be bygones and vote pretty much a straight Republican ticket(often voting for a Libertarian for some meaningless office so as to honestly state they didnt vote a straight ticket).

This site is loaded with them.Theyre fairly easy to spot.Usually, they rail against all Democrats and are particularly venomous toward Obama and the NAACP drives them almost insane.When confronted with similiar transgressions by GOPers.They grudgingly admit as much,then quickly claim their “Independent” status.

Then there is Fits himself and for sure he is no Republican!He says he isnt!(see paragraph above).Some here even believe it!

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euwe max July 26, 2014 at 2:16 pm

The two parties would have to lose a shit load of steam to let the kooks have a shot.

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Deo Vindice SC July 26, 2014 at 8:48 pm

Thomas has the best Coke in the state, what’s the problem ?

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GrandTango July 27, 2014 at 9:17 am

Are you really a Libertarian? – Let’s define what that means.

This article REALLY puts “Libertarians voters in perspective.

Read: http://scdigest.blogspot.com/2014/07/are-you-really-libertarian-lets-define.html

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Joseph Goebbels July 27, 2014 at 11:13 am

That is some of the best propaganda I’ve read since, well, me. You are either with us or you are with the communists there can be no middle ground. Anyone that would run against the one true Nazi (err. Republican) party must be on the side of the Communist Party (err. Democrats). Independent thought is forbidden and breaking from the system is punishable by death (err voter disenfranchisement) or being sent to the camps (err ridicule).

Some pointers for you from the Fuhrer and myself though. Work on your grammar and diction. Find a better format than giant wall of text or one sentence paragraphs, proof read your work, learn to use the space bar and the enter button and stop propagandizing in the enemy camp.

Heil Haley!!!

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GrandTango July 27, 2014 at 12:30 pm

You would rather lie about, silence, or censor, your political enemies, than prove yourself as a better idea. (see IRS scandal, see the NYT perverting the truth.)

Of course your failure does not help you sell your ideology. Just like Hitler had t lie about what he was doing.

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Hahaha! July 27, 2014 at 4:49 pm

Well, Joe…I see he didn’t take your advice.

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