Reply #12: I've gotta be honest but

[ihavenobias]

I rarely hear independents writing things that suggest they regularly watch (and agree with) a hyper-partisan conservative like Glenn Beck.

I also rarely hear them use conservative talking points regarding "socialized medicine".

In my experience, there is an increasing number of people who claim to be "independent" because it's trendy and makes them think they are somehow above the fray of partisan politics. It also provides convenient cover when speaking to a particular group and pushing a position that is known to be (generally) widely disliked by that group.

Don't get me wrong, I'm NOT saying there aren't plenty of real indes who simply refuse to align themselves with any one party. And I can't say I totally disagree with them as the democrats can be incredibly frustrating and hey, it's not like *I* agree with party line position. I agree that we should encourage a healthy debate on these differences and not fear a backlash *within reason* (as some arguments can be inflammatory and or ridiculous).

In my original response to you I apologized in advance if I was way off base in my assumption that you weren't on your way to being a long term poster and I'm willing to be proven wrong, but you can't blame me (or the others) for having some degree of skepticism *in the context* of all of these things.

So I'll apologize again and hope to see you around to make this apology worthwhile!