Independents Take Center Stage in Obama Era - Pew Research Center »
Posted By ybdogsct 5 months, 2 weeks ago in Political NewsBarack Obama's presidency has ushered in an era of centrism, with the country experiencing such a boost in independent voters that they now make up the largest proportion of the electorate in 70 years.
Overall, the report contains much that's likely to hearten energized Democrats looking to build upon Obama's popularity for lasting success and much that could further discourage Republicans seeking rebirth after back-to-back losses in national elections.
"There's certainly a lot of bad news for Republicans and better news, if not good news, for Democrats," said Andrew Kohut, director of the nonpartisan center that conducted the survey. He said both sides should take particular note of this finding:
The survey found that 36% of people call themselves independent, an uptick from two years ago, while 35% claim the Democratic label and only 23% say they are Republicans. Among independents, 17% lean toward Democrats while 12% lean toward the GOP.
Read Full Story at people-press.org »
659 Views Share Story 17 Comments Report
Who Also Submitted:
RSS Join the Discussion
+ Add CommentComments So Far: 17 (view all)
-
83%
Spadecaller5 months, 2 weeks ago
This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »
Quite a comprehensive analysis and interesting. The only subtitle that was rather understated was this one:
Reply
"Today’s GOP: Smaller, Slightly More Conservative"
I guess it would only be slightly more conservative if one was comparing Mussolini to Hitler. LOL!-
92%
DarkWizard5 months, 2 weeks ago
This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »
I agree that this was one of the more comprehensive reports I've seen on the political climate as it relates to multiple factors.
Reply
I can easily extrapolate outcomes from the information and percentages offered in this report and I think it confirms some of the speculation presented here on Propeller.
I can also see the correlations in this report as I moved from a conservative republican to an independent during the first Perot presidential run.
My only complaint is in the small sampling used to make these statistical determinations. Of course, because these polls are constantly collected, it lends more credence to these findings.
Obviously, the psychology of America is changing. The changes in demographic information bear this out. The empirical observations of comments on Propeller bear this out! -
-
-
90%
memestryker5 months, 2 weeks ago
This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »
Good analysis. I wish my state would allow everyone to vote in the primaries, but we have to choose a party and only vote for candidates within that party. I think allowing everyone to have input in elections would result in candidates who better reflect the current thinking of the people.
Reply-
9crittersComment removed: Retracted by user
-
-
-
100%
CHAM5 months, 2 weeks ago
This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »
I looked for it but didn't see it:
Reply
How has the stand on torture changed?
An excellent and informative report Ybdog.
People are leaving the Republican Party because of their hypocrisy, because of their War Industry alliance, and because of their holier than thou attitude. The Republican Party is in its death throes.
The Democratic Party had the chance to take the high road, but they just leave that corrupted influence alone. They want to share in the rape of the public.
This is why I call our Government a Two Headed Monster. It is a Kleptocracy pure and simple. The Independent Party will continue to grow and it could bust out as the big dog, if the Independents would unite. But an inability to unite is the soul of an Independent.
Still I think it is the best way to repair our Government, a United Independent Party would be able to right the wrongs in Washington. Of course if we remember the lesson from the "Lord of the Rings" it was the corrupted power of the ring that led the those who possessed it to become corrupted.
The power of the ring (leadership ) is the corrupting influence in Washington. Somehow a constraint must be found to stop this madness.
But going Independent is the first step to regaining our country. -
100%
TheNewsseeker5 months, 2 weeks ago
This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »
One could take it for a good sign that there are more independent voters now, who don´t blindly follow one party, but make their own and new decision for each election. This attitude makes it necessary to listen critically to what the candidates say and to be occupied with political items in general. This can only contribute to a better political culture!
Reply -
75%
tchef5 months, 2 weeks ago
This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »
Both parties have lost their way. I remain a Democrat because I that is the only way that I feel that I can make a difference. I hold both socially liberal views and fiscally conservative views I could go either way. Unfortunately the Republican Party is far too right socially for me to support them.
Reply -
0%
pokydoke5 months, 2 weeks ago
This comment is below the standard viewing threshold View It »
The message to the Republican party seems to be loud and clear.Drop the social conservancy and go BACK to the fiscal conservancy. Cutting taxes and increasing spending is not fiscal conservancy. Hanging their hat on an anti abortion stance and trying to deny same sex marriage is not working so give it a rest.The message is out there but no one is listening.
Reply
More News
Fox News Politics
Iran, North Korea Top Clinton's Overseas Agenda
Pawlenty Delivers Keynote Speech at GOP Dinner in Iowa
Republicans Question Abortion Agreement in Effort to Stop Health Care Momentum
Clinton to Confront Nuclear Impasses With Iran, N. Korea on Overseas Trip
Terrorism or Tragic Shooting? Analysts Divided on Fort Hood Massacre
Add a Comment
Sign In With Your Propeller Account
Please keep your comments relevant to this story.
To create a live link, simply type the URL (including http://) or email address and we will make it a live link for you. You can put up to 3 URLs in your comments. Line breaks and paragraphs are automatically converted — no need to use <p> or <br /> tags.