On Political Independents. Independents report in!

In My Humble Opinion
1

From my perspective there are two kinds of independents.

First there are those who identify in that way because it gives them a kind of political immunity. If you are an “independent” then you can never be on the wrong side. Once the party in power messes up it is easy to sit on the high horse of hindsight and cast dispersions. You’re never on the line for anyone’s political failings as are those of us who pick sides. They are but a leaf in the wind blowing wherever the wind on convenience may take them as if they’ve always belonged there. My suspicion is confirmed in my mind by the fact that the independent bloc always polls with the side that is being swept into office after the previous bums mucked it up. These Independents are as mailable as they are self superior in the knowledge that, while the partisans are caught up in their petty squabbles, the independent thinker is above all that nonsense.

Harsh analysis I know, it doesn’t make me a lot of friends. I do however realize that there is a second type who really fashion themselves as a moderate, someone who just cannot muster much affection for a single party. As foreign a concept as it seems to me that a politically aware person cannot identify which of the two prevalent ideologies is closer to their own way of thinking, I know that it is a legitimate perspective.

So if some independents would be so kind as to answer me these questions…

Do you consider yourself to “lean” to one side or the other? How does this lean affect your voting patterns?

Are you critical of the US party system? In what ways would you change it?

Was party identity a factor in your family or peer group? If so, do you think it had an effect on your political views?

Have you always identified as an independent or were you previously attached to a party? What changed your perspective?

And anything else you would like add would be great. Also feel free to tell me how dead wrong I am. It won’t be the first time. I do hope you at least give me credit for “high horse of hindsight”. That part was awesome

2

I lean well to the left and tend to vote social policy before economics. I’m sadly also too pragmatic to give third party candidates the time of day in anything but the most local of partisan offices where they have a legitimate shot. Accordingly I tend to vote Democrat much of the time, but I’m not really dogmatic about it and have voted for a handful of Republicans.

Too big, too broad, too lowest common denominator, too homogenized, too “groupish” ( I’m not typically a joiner ). I’d prefer the greater chaos and decreased efficiency of a parliamentary system, but I’m not holding my breath.

My parents are hardcore Marxists and truly do regard the major parties as tweedledum and tweedledee, which from their perspective they are ( both are pretty much committed to capitalism, afterall :wink: ). For awhile I loosely followed their leads by rarely voting for politicians, instead sticking to ballot measures and the like. Eventually my unfortunate pragmatism ( see above ) convinced me that “lesser of potent evils-style” voting made sense.

No interest in parties, not a joiner. Despite being nowhere near an anarchist I am suspicious about organizations in general and regard “party discipline” as a vaguely repulsive concept.

Or too put another way, I think political parties are natural outgrowths of human society and quite inevitable - I just wish this wasn’t so. I don’t really like the fact that they even exist.

Thing is I’m not really that moderate overall by U.S. standards, nor am I an extreme leftist like my parents for whom the shunning of the Big Two makes more apparent sense. Like most folks I’m a complex mix of opinions, but however amorphously I’m solidly on the left. I still don’t think the Democratic Party even remotely represents me and the idea of becoming part of that larger whole ( full of hordes of people I dislike ) has zero appeal.

Why in the world should I want to identify myself with a political party?

3

Well, I’m pretty far to the left on many issues, but both major American parties seem pretty pandering and partisan to me. I’m a registered Democrat, though, because I want to be able to vote in primaries where my vote counts for more and I may have a choice between more than two candidates.

4

Do you consider yourself to “lean” to one side or the other? How does this lean affect your voting patterns?

I tend to lean left. I’ve voted for more Democrats than Republicans, but also have voted for others. I strive to vote my conscience, not for ‘the likely winner’.

Are you critical of the US party system? In what ways would you change it?

I don’t like the fact that people are supposed to support the party platform, no matter what; and that third-party candidates don’t get as much press as the big two. However I can’t envision a system which would work better.

Was party identity a factor in your family or peer group? If so, do you think it had an effect on your political views?

It was not a big factor, although my parents & siblings did/do discuss politics frequently. My parents were big on ‘do the research and vote for whom you think is the better candidate’. They didn’t mind if you voted for someone else (other than their favored candidate), as long as you informed yourself of the issues before you voted. I’ve told my kids the same thing.

Have you always identified as an independent or were you previously attached to a party? What changed your perspective?

Always an independent. I’ve voted for candidates all over the political spectrum. I would dislike being told ‘you have to vote for him, he’s “x” like you’.

5

  1. I lean right. I’m a white, christian-by-birth, middle class, white collar, male soldier. What else would you expect? As for voting patterns…I don’t vote on principle. I feel that it’s important to be an informed citizen, but one not need take part in that census of opinion they have every 4 years. I got tired of people telling me I was a bad citizen, so I went out and voted for the first time last year. For whom? Myself. I not have at least one vote for POTUS. I honestly think I could do the best job of anyone else, so who’s the bad citizen now?

  2. I criticize the two parties, not the system. It doesn’t matter how many parties you have, but what they’re made of. Right now, it’s like the different factions don’t belong together at all.

  3. No. My mother and siblings are retarded about politics. My dad is pretty partisan (D) but it doesn’t come up at random times- only when we want to bring it up. We like talking politics but not with the rest of the family. My extended family is very Christian, and thus very right.

  4. I used to be R because I used to be religious along with my fiscally conservative views. What changed was my religion, along with some growing up. The fact that I majored in Politics really helped me study the parties and government objectively.

What I really want is a party that will pull the purse strings. I want to shrink the gov’t and stop spending my money. Drop taxes and drop social programs. Ignore religious ideologies as well. So how could I possibly belong to either party?

6

I consider myself to lean (more or less) towards Republican, except that the party which is called the Republican party has nothing to do with any of its supposed values.

I would prefer a no-party system. Any candidate should be evaluated on his ideas and experience alone. But I don’t mind the two party system just because it’s only two parties. I mind that neither party has any clear underlying philosophy that they stick to.

Yes to the first, no to the latter.

I was always independent. Starting as a child I always said that any group, regardless of whether it happens to be aligned with my own beliefs in every single way, still doesn’t represent me. Only I do that, and I don’t want to run the risk of getting sucked into the changes that happen to the group, for no good reason beyond group-think.

My position on politics is that underlying philosophies are stupid. Understand the data as best you can, remain impartial, and vote based on what seems to do the best for humanity. (Though of course, like I said, I think it’s stupid for a party to profess a particular philosophy, but then going through their issue-policies that they may as well have rolled a die. That seems even worse as it displays a lack of rational thought.)

7

Just FTR, Christian =/= right-wing.

See Jimmy Carter, William Jennings Bryan, H. Hubert Humphrey, Barack Obama, FDR, Al Gore, Al Sharpton, et al.

8

I essentially echo NinetyWt on these questions:

Now, for the other questions:
Was party identity a factor in your family or peer group? If so, do you think it had an effect on your political views?

I come from a fairly strongly Republican home and community. I suppose the effect this has had is I grew tired of the homogeneousness of it all, and the us-vs.-them mentality. I suppose if I came from a strongly Democratic background he result would have been the same–I grew tired of “We’re always right, they’re always wrong” being the basis of pretty much every argument or political position.

Have you always identified as an independent or were you previously attached to a party? What changed your perspective?

I was a registered Republican until, I think, the Clinton/Dole election. I still voted Dole–I never cared much for Clinton–but I was tired of getting only mail from one side, and being again deluged with “We’re always right, they’re always wrong.” I hoped that being registered Independent would mean I’d get info from both sides–instead, they ignore me while still-Republican (but disgruntled) hubby still gets his “OH NOES!” political BS. Why they’re spending so much money convincing they’re own people is beyond me, but it is nice to be left alone.

9

That Christian = Right Wing meme really bugs me. Over here, Christianity is pretty solidly Left Wing. It stopped being the Conservative Party at prayer over a generation ago.

Anyway, as far as the OP goes, you forgot

3 - Those whose views are all over the place and fit with neither Left nor Right.

10

Do you consider yourself to “lean” to one side or the other? How does this lean affect your voting patterns?

I lean well to the left of either party and I see little substantive difference between them. What that means is that I often don’t bother, or will vote D as the lesser of two evils. Call me a democratic socialist if you will.

Are you critical of the US party system? In what ways would you change it?*

While this is not really a complaint about the party system, more about the electoral one, I would like to see the introduction of PR in some form.

Was party identity a factor in your family or peer group? If so, do you think it had an effect on your political views?

Possibly. My mother would be a straight D voter. My father began that way but as he aged he shot left pretty hard and became a full-blown socialist. We discussed politics a lot so I think he influenced me.

Have you always identified as an independent or were you previously attached to a party? What changed your perspective?

I never attached simply because I thought neither party represented my views. The thing is that independent is mostly taken to mean a vacillating stance somewhere between D and R. I don’t fit that (and I see I am not the only one)

11

FWIW, in North Carolina, “Independent” is the name of a political party. True “independent” voters are listed on voter registration cards as “unaffiliated” here.

Do you consider yourself to “lean” to one side or the other? How does this lean affect your voting patterns?

I tend to be left of center in what little politics I have. However, in actual voting, I usually vote against whatever incumbent is running.

Are you critical of the US party system? In what ways would you change it?

I am critical of any system which promotes groupthink over electing someone who will actually get things done. But humans are groupthink beings, so I don’t see it changing ever.

Was party identity a factor in your family or peer group? If so, do you think it had an effect on your political views?

My family has the good sense not to discuss politics. I tend to avoid people who do, so I guess that is some effect.

Have you always identified as an independent or were you previously attached to a party? What changed your perspective?

I have never identified with any political party. I asked my father “what we were” once, I think around the 1980 elections. I don’t remember getting an answer.

12

Do you consider yourself to “lean” to one side or the other? How does this lean affect your voting patterns?

I am very liberal with social issues. Legalizing all consensual crimes, same sex marriage, etc. Anything you want to do that doesn’t harm anyone else’s person or property is fine with me.

I’m extremely conservative on economic issues. Neither the government nor the People should be able to force anyone at gunpoint to take care of anyone else, subsidize anyone else, etc.

The government’s job, to me, is to defend the borders from invasion, provide the physical infrastructure and mediate disputes that take place in multiple jurisdictions.

Usually, if I vote for a major party candidate, I vote for the republican, since socialism is a greater evil to me than corporate sponsorship and cronyism. The republicans are wrong on many social issues, but civil issues have a way of advancing in the face of opposition, whereas expansion of government “services” and programs is nearly impossible to roll back.

Are you critical of the US party system? In what ways would you change it?

I’d ban parties all together.

Was party identity a factor in your family or peer group? If so, do you think it had an effect on your political views?

My parents were staunch Roosevelt democrats, but I don’t think their views or affiliations influenced mine to any great degree.

Have you always identified as an independent or were you previously attached to a party? What changed your perspective?

When I first registered I registered democrat, until I realized the negative effects liberal policies have on the country and the citizenry. Then I registered Libertarian until I figured out those guys seem to actively try to lose elections and alienate people.

Now I evaluate candidates and issues on my own and vote for the ones I find least offensive. I have yet to find a candidate that really gets me excited.

13

I lean very far to the right of either established political party. Many of my friends think I’m a Republican. But I would never consider myself one, or register with them, as I consider them a bunch of panty-waist limp-wristed pussies who wouldn’t know a true conservative idea if it sat on their faces. So I call myself an Independent. Or, if I’m in a cantankerous mood, an Anarcho-Capitalist…TRM

14

Do you consider yourself to “lean” to one side or the other? How does this lean affect your voting patterns?

I lean slightly right and in last couple of elections I have voted for more republicans then democrats. In general I want to be left alone and so vote for the people who want the least government intervention both socially and economically but I want my vote to matter so I don’t vote for third party.

Are you critical of the US party system? In what ways would you change it?

I think the party system is horrible, growing up in California I know too many people who vote for anyone who is a democrat with absolutely no regard to their policies. I don’t think more parties is the way to go but simply following a party because your parents told you they were the good guys is idiotic.

Was party identity a factor in your family or peer group? If so, do you think it had an effect on your political views?

My mom is a life long democrat while my dad was a republican until I was about 14 or so at which point our next door neighbor ran for congress and in his discussions with her determined that his leaning were more on the democrat side so he changed parties.

Have you always identified as an independent or were you previously attached to a party? What changed your perspective?

I registered as a democrat but after my first couple of elections I noticed that I tended to favor the republicans, slightly, so when I moved states I didn’t want to be counted in with a party that I didn’t agree with and so went unaffiliated.

15

I usually describe things as;

“The Republicans” (holds out right hand to the side)
“The Democrats” (holds out left hand to the side)

“Same Monster”

I describe my personal political philosophy as Social Libertarian.

By this I mean that when it comes to the sphere of public interest, I am moderately Ssocialist (to a degree, perhaps not as much as some), but when it comes to personal rights, I am somewhat Libertarian. We need roads, infrastructure, public accomodations. We need to support those who cannot support themselves. We need laws that create Justice and Fairness, because these things do not exist in the real world (but we have the power to make them in Our World.) But when it comes to what I can do in my own house and my own life, it’s none of anyone’s damned business until or unless I harm someone else.

I voted for Reagan, I voted for the first Bush. I voted for Clinton (the first time), I voted for Obama. I voted third parties or not at all in the other years. Neither political party represents my interests, but I’m savvy enough to recognize that no party ever will, nor will any politician ever represent exactly what I want in a leader. So you gotta pick the closest, or at worst, the lesser of all available evils.

16

I suppose I lean more toward the Republican/conservative side. Though I do not consider myself a Republican or conservative.

I hear a lot of independents complain that we have a “two party system,” but it’s not true. It’s also easy to gripe about ballot access. But the real reason third parties have so many problems is because they don’t have their shit together.

No.

When I was an undergraduate in college I was a *very *left-leaning Democrat. After getting my first job I became a right-wing Republican. Over the last 10 years I have become more and more libertarian. Today I consider myself an “objectivist libertarian” (if there is such a thing), with a little bit of conservative thrown in there. :slight_smile:

17

I am an independent. I do not consider myself a moderate.

While the Democratic Party (and the left in general) and the Republican Party (and the right in general) certainly have their differences, those differences extend along a sort of two-dimentional plane and I find myself off at a sort of 90° angle from the line between them a good portion of the time.

The Democrats believe doctors should have the right to perform abortions, medical marijuana should be available, and citizens should enjoy other personal freedoms without governmental infringement, but be protected from discrimination on the basis of sex or sexual preference or race in hiring or promotion in the workplace and protected from egregious economic inequalities by making some social services available.

The Republicans believe I should be able to start and run my business and run it my way without governmental infringement, and have the right to bear arms (guns) without restrictions, but be protected from lawbreaking thieves and other threats to property, and be assured of the social safety of a defended moral code that establishes a community standard of behavioral propriety that allows us to get along.

I believe the right to abortion inheres in women, not doctors, and they should have the right to abort any time they are pregnant, recreation LSD should be available without interference, the money system itself should be phased out, I should have the right to bear arms (thermonuclear warheads sufficient to nuke the rest of the species), thieves should have the right to steal without police interference, and communication will result in both whatever moral codes and whatever behavioral norms we need without law enforcment or institutionalized power over other people in any form.

I tend to vote Democratic (the Republicans keep making it almost impossible to vote for them, at least on a national level); and in short-range ideals I am a leftist and fit in better with leftists, but they seem myopic bordering on blind. Now and then on this or that issue I find the Republicans to be compellingly right and I have to support them on it, like the “my house my castle” perspective.

18

I lean way left, and obviously that affects my voting, but I’m especially left on social issues, and on those issues, I’d call my self more anti-conservative than anything else. Even so, I do try to force myself to consider the other side and not be kneejerk. I made myself really try to consider McCain over Obama, for instance. I tried to ask myself if I had really given McCain a fair look. he was one Republican I’d always respected, and I think I might have voted for him over Kerry. However, McCain did not do the one thing I most wanted him to do, and that was tell the religious right to take a hike. When he chose Sarah Palin as his running mate, I saw that as a complete capitulation, and made me reconsider my assessment of him completely.

Not so much the party system as the corporatization of it. Both parties are sold out to corporations, and it bothers me that the US has no liberal party, but I would have no idea how to change it except for hardcore campaign finance reform.

My father is lifelong independent. My mom is a Democrat. There ws a lot of political discussion in our household, but it did not affect my own thinking. I came to it on my own. The first Presidential vote I ever cast was for Ronald Reagan (for his reelection in '84), that irked the hell out of my parents. They were proven right in the long run.

I have never registered with or been a member of any political party.

A word of advice – the best reason not register with a party is to avoid getting the spam. Party registration is nothing but a mailing list.

19

True, but I would argue that right wingers tend to be more in-your-face about their Christianity. None of the public figures you mentioned display the virulent fundamentalism of Sarah Palin, Pat Robertson, George W. Bush, etc.

Heh…I’m still registered Republican, believe it or not. (Never got around to changing it when I crossed over to the “correct” party.) It’s actually pretty cool to get telephone calls from Arnold Schwarzenegger when each election rolls around. :smiley:

20

Unless you live in a state with closed primaries.

Sure - I was just reponding to Chessic Sense’s contention that because his extended family is very Christian, they must necessarily be right-wing.