Gallup: Share of Democrats reaches record low

[cali]

The share of Americans identifying as Democrats dropped to a record low in 2015, according to the latest Gallup results published Monday, in the latest indication that Americans’ attachment to either political party is at or nearing historical lows.

Overall, 42 percent over the course of the past year identified as independents, a slight drop from the 43 percent who identified as such in 2014. While Democrats maintained a small advantage over Republicans — 29 percent to 26 percent — the Democratic share is at its lowest in Gallup history.

Prior to 2015, the lowest share of Americans identifying as members of the Democratic Party came in 2014, with 30 percent. Going back to 1988, 29 percent is the lowest overall share of self-identified Democrats since the polling institution began interviewing subjects via telephone instead of in person. According to its data from 1951 to 1987, however, there was never a year in which less than 37 percent identified themselves as Democrats, making the 29 percent the lowest in Gallup’s 65 years of asking the question.

Meanwhile, the share of self-identified Republicans is just 1 percentage point above its Gallup historical low of 25 percent in 2013, dating back to 1988. In its years of in-person interviews prior to 1988, Gallup had several years in which Republicans polled lower than 25 percent. Over roughly the past quarter-century, more Americans have consistently identified as Democrats, though Republicans have pulled even in four years — namely those associated with the 9/11 attacks and the invasion of Iraq (2002-2003) and the rise of the tea party (2010 and 2011).

Results for the survey were compiled from 12,137 landline and cellphone interviews conducted throughout the course of 2015 and have a margin of error of plus or minus 1 percentage point.


Read more: http://www.politico.com/story/2016/01/poll-political-party-identify-217562#ixzz3wwxYvHrs

[A Simple Game]

1. If Hillary wins the primaries and then goes on to lose the general election the

Democratic party will shrink to less than the Republican party.

[Dawgs]

2. Makes sense to me. n/t

[cali]

3. I don't think people really understand that it's all about independents

[Dawgs]

4. I really believe that a third party is going to happen sooner than later in this country.

Too many people without a party that represents them.

[madville]

17. I think we'll see a

Hispanic/Latino-focused party gain traction in the Southwest in the coming decades.

It's not hard to imagine a scenario where such a development could put California back in play for Republicans, possibly letting them win the state with only 35-40% of the vote.

[LakeVermilion]

5. I would venture a guess that a lot of the independents are former Democrats who...

are disenchanted with the corporate Democratic Party. Count me as one of those.

[newfie11]

6. I am a former Dem.

I switched to Independent but in South Dakota I can still vote with Democrats.

[earthside]

8. I talked to one last Thursday.

An ally of mine in city politics where we live and had been a Democrat forever just switched to 'unaffiliated'.

She did this because so many of the Democratic Party 'leaders' and officeholders around here has become so enamored with growth eg. Walmart, toll roads, Urban Renewal, tax subsidies to builders, fracking, etc. -- and so obsequious towards corporate developers -- that being a Democrat has become the new county club Republican.

This is Clintonism run amuck already -- a result of big money in politics.

I remember this quite well having been very involved in the 1992 Clinton campaign.

Clinton was the first post-war Democratic presidential nominee to make deliberate appeals to corporate interests for campaign contributions.

Unfortunately, the Democratic Party establishment fully embraced this practice from then on ... and the Party has been selling off its soul ever since.

[Ichingcarpenter]

12. In 92 I worked for the Jerry Brown campaign

He gave the warning to the party when he spoke at the 92 convention on what this corporate money was gonna do to this nation and the party.... Yes, I worked to get Clinton elected in the end but smelled something not quite right about him in the beginning.

BTW..... I put Jerry Brown's speech up in the video section not to long ago... I couldn't find a text of the speech even with good searching on the net. Funny about that....... If you listen to the speech it was prophetic.

[Wilms]

7. From 1951 to 1987 there was never a year in which <37% identified as Democrats.

That's worth considering.

[tk2kewl]

9. I wonder what changed?

...not really

[Fast Walker 52]

13. it's a mystery!

what happened in 1988?

[earthside]

15. I have a different chart.

http://www.people-press.org/interactives/party-id-trend/

This one shows the big decline in Democratic Party affiliation coming in 1985 -- after the 1984 Reagan blow-out.

Democrats since then have remain relatively steady; Republicans have declined; and unaffiliated have seen a notable increase.

[Blanks]

10. They're not selling the brand...

It's obvious from the emails that I get. They're trying to 'beat' the republicans by raising more money.

We need to talk about our record as democrats (including the Clinton's) because democrats have a better record on job creation, deficit reduction, new business start-ups, social programs etc. Basically, all of the things that the republicans claim to be good at, but have an abysmal record at. That's the list of democratic strengths.

I'm not seeing that as part of the dialog, it's not front and center. Fundraising seems to be front and center, not fact sharing.

[Fast Walker 52]

14. so true-- even thoughg liberal seems to be making a comeback, a lot of people are still embarrassed

to be Democrats.

I'm proud of what the Democratic party has done over the years, and we are on the right side of history-- even if I'm not proud of a lot of the stuff we do.

[Tierra_y_Libertad]

11. Being the "Not as Bad" party has grown stale.

A thing moderately good is not so good as it ought to be. Moderation in temper is always a virtue; but moderation in principle is always a vice. Thomas Paine

[davidn3600]

16. Too much emphesis on demographics, not enough on principle or results

Democrats are relying almost exclusively on identity politics to get them past the finish line this year.

It's seems the Democrats biggest selling point is "We aren't as racist or sexist as those other guys."