2016 Postmortem
Showing Original Post only (View all)Who are "independents" really? Unbiased, critical thinkers? [View all]
First, my own thoughts on so-called "independents":
Some refer to themselves as independent or non-affiliated because they have what they consider to be "middle-of-the-road" positions on various issues. Or because they are 'liberal' on some issues and 'conservative' on others. To be honest, I don't think such folks typically make much sense. They are often folks who fail to see how social and economic issues are linked. Of course, you also have those who fail to see how they are distinct. The truth is they are both linked and distinct--picture a Venn Diagram.
Others refer to themselves as "independent" simply because they think it gives the impression that they are unbiased, critical thinkers, even though they are basically party loyalists (or because they're Libertarians and just don't call themselves that).
And others refer to themselves that way because they're just extremist Republicans--they're disappointed that the Republican Party isn't bringing back slavery and swapping the US Constitution out for the Bible. For instance, I've read that nearly half of Tea Party members refer to themselves as "independent."
Finally, an article on the topic: "The growing myth of the 'independent' voter"