OtakuLoki, I think you’re right that swing voters and undecided voters are not one and the same – but I keep seeing media pundits talking about both sides wooing the swing voters. Maybe there’s an assumption that no actual Dem or Repub could possibly be undecided, that if anyone is undecided, it must be those swingers. My suspicition is that most swingers have made up their minds by now, and the undecideds are people who’ve never voted and won’t this time either.
I think it’s possible, though, that turnout will be higher than it has been for the last few Presidential elections. It seems possible that some usual non-voters are not undecided this time around, and will therefore cast a vote.
Hazel, I think the reason that the pundits talk about ‘wooing the swing voter’ isn’t so much because they’re after people who are calling themselves undecided now, rather they talk about wooing the swing voters because so many people (In both parties) are ‘yellow dog’ party loyalists: they’ll vote the party line no matter who’s running. Those voters are not simply decided, but unlikely to change their vote for anything short of a miracle. Whatever facts or platforms are revealed between now and the election are irrelevant to their choice in the polling booth. The swing voter is someone they can hope may change his or her mind if they only find the right argument.
Given the way this election has so polarized people I don’t really think that there are all that many people who are undecided.
I don’t know how old you are, but I think one reason that Reagan was such a shock to so many people was that he was perhaps the first Presidential candidate in modern US history who could convince many people considered to be dedicated Democrats to vote for a Republican president.
I’m registered Independent mostly because I don’t often agree with either the dems or pugs straight across the board. Like Spoofe pointed out, I in fact DO support gun ownership and gay marrage. I like the idea of doctor assisted suicide, welfare reform, fair taxes (being used for social services), conservaitive spending, a strong military (being used for the right reasons), and strong defense.
Sometimes I vote to remove someone from office, sometimes I vote FOR someone. This year, if I vote (I’m leaving the country next year so I haven’t decided if I’ll bother or not) I’ll be voting to remove someone from office because I don’t feel Bush is up to the task. But I haven’t decided on local government choices yet.
Riiiiight. Giving carefull consideration to a variety of issues (not just Iraq) makes me a dumbass. Reading a broad range of news sources and opinions (Wall Street Journal to the St. Louis Post) means I haven’t got a clue. When I look at fiscal policy I weigh several factors, from tax rates (plus for Bush) to spending (three negatives for Bush based on pork laden spending on the highway bill, farm bill and Medicare drug benefits) to import/export policy (steel protectionism? negative).
When I look at science policy I love going to Mars. I hate the zero follow up. The restrictions on stem cell research and other bio-medical avenues are negatives.
I worry about the erosion of civil liberties but recognize that the terrorists use our own strengths to kill us. I’m not sure either side has figured out the right balance yet.
And the war? While I was a reluctant supporter based on the evidence presented at the time, I believe Bush did chose what intelligence to believe. But I don’t blame him for that, we all have predispositions. What I do blame him for is the terrible post war planning.
Kerry? How can you really determine a future performance based on a four term senator’s record? You can’t, because if you understand how laws get made, you know that there is so much horse trading that a representative can be made to look as if he supports every side of an issue at some point.
So because I’m a clueless dumbass, I’ll be voting libertarian this time unless Kerry suddenly comes out with policies that surprize me, such as a pro-growth economic plan.
In the U.K. we call people like me, ‘Floating Voters’. In assorted elections I’ve voted for candidates of numerous parties.
A candidate’s character is as vitally important to me as their policies. Above and beyond the ‘Will this person help me if I need it?’, there is, ‘Will this person do the right thing?’ Beyond that they should be firm and forthright, if not leaders. Granted that they’re politicians first and foremost, but I don’t want a wishy-washy cretin.
At the last general election I raised a few eyebrows by walking up to the counter with the manifestoes of all three major parties. And yes, I read all three, not that I can actually remember what was in them. I usually keep manifestoes but I chucked them when I moved house.
It actually saddens me to see so many here so set in their views that they’re not prepared to consider anything the other sides do as good or even entertain other points of view, but that’s a seperate debate which would likely go to the Pit sooner rather than later.
I don’t think being affiliated with one of the Big Two political parties means you’re unwilling to recognize the good work done by folks on the other side, or that you must support your party no matter what. I may be a registered Democrat, but I’ve long said that I’d be willing to support intelligent, level-headed Republican candidates if they were to get on the ballot. But then the state GOP rejected Richard Riordan and nominated Bill Simon instead…
But then, I’m supposed to be a touchy-feelie liberal, which means I’m supposed to consider things from all points of view. As opposed to those stereotyping Republicans, whose only criteria for an election is whether the candidate has a little “(R)” next to his name…
(Yes, the above was meant to be ironically humorous. Read it again. )
I’m a libertarian so I’ve voted Libertarian most of the time, but sometimes I vote Democratic or Republican, so I guess that makes me a swing voter.
I once voted Democratic because I knew the candidate and even though he disagreed with me on everything, he had tremendous integrity. Another time a good friend was the campaign manager for a Democrat and even though I hated the candidate, I voted for him since my friend had worked so hard.
I voted for Dole in 1996 and Bush in 2000, not because I felt their beliefs were closer to mine, but because I had so much contempt for Clinton. If Gore had had the balls to denounce Clinton when it counted I would have voted for him.
This election I’ll vote for Bush because of the way the war on terror has been conducted and because of the tax cuts. But I’ll probably vote Libertarian in every other race this year.
The news tonight says that a recent poll reports a swing of 6 points (it is in favor of Bush, but that is not my point). There will be many more polls before the election and almost as many swings (to the advantage/disadvantage of both candidates.) The only time there will not be swings in the polls will be after the election polls are closed. The swings are possible only because there are people that have not made up their minds completely for either candidate. I feel I have fairly well made up my mind, but not enough that I am going to go around bad-mouthing the other candidate or belittling those who have not made up their minds.
Yes…let’s wait. I mean, gosh…the two candidates are so much alike, I can’t imagine what could make me pick one over the other…hmm…
Are you people really brain dead?!
Hello!!! Bush versus Kerry. One more time: Bush vs Kerry!
Seriously…can you not see a difference!?! Have you read a newspaper in the last four years? Have you watched a newscast? Have your read any threads on this board?
Belittle those who have not made up their minds? Impossible. You have to have a mind before I could possibly belittle it.
But aren’t we much safer, after all we’ve accomplished in Iraq and Afghanistan? The US levels of fear, xenophobia, and paranoia are at an all time high! And we only had to give up a few of our essential civil liberties to get this kind of homeland security!
Sometimes I feel like I’ve got the glasses from They Live, and I’m the only one who can see just how evil this administration is. People look at Bush and see a lovably bumbling guy who I may not agree with his policies, but he seems like an okay guy. I see the face of Satan.
Well, since you ask, I give it an A+, compared to other wars. I just finished a course on WWII and compared to how we’ve handled this one I’d have to give the Americans, the British, the Japanese, and the Russians an F. The Germans I would have to grudgingly give a D.
I’m a bit concerned about the tone of some of the above posts, so I won’t persist in any debates where I’m obviously going to get flamed.
But, if someone has some legitimate facts to share that suggest the war has been handled poorly compared to other wars, I’d be glad to read them…might even change my mind.
I’m 45, and since I was 18, I’ve always voted for the person, and/or the issues only. I have never been a member of any political party, and would be happy if they’d abolish the whole party system.
I’ve voted about equally for democratic and republican candidates over the years. I listened to the debates, and the news, and read the articles and picked the person whom I though had the better grasp on the issues that were the most important to me.
Not sure if that was what you meant by “explain yourself” and I didn’t realize that I was a “swing voter”. Is that what the term means? Now I know what to call myself besides “can’t stand either of 'em”
??? You like the way the war’s been conducted??? Seems to me it’s been completely botched. And you like the tax cuts??? As I understand it, most of the benefit went to the richest among us.
)