As is my usual when strolling onto the Great Orange Revue, I made my way to the Abbreviated Pundit and my eyes caught the little blurb by Larry J. Sabato and felt compelled to answer his unasked question about those who self-identify as Independent.
While the window dressing in his article preceeding the lede of it talks about all of the resources (fiscal and otherwise) which have gone into the campaigns for President this election cycle, the heart of his assertion is that the "Independent" vote can actually be sliced and diced further into the pigeon-holes that the national media and punditocracy love to use (and helps keep them employed).
I would appreciate it if you would jump over the curlicue below to review and comment on what I have to say on this subject.
Having to publicly declare whether you are a New York Mets fan or a New York Yankees fan is a perfect illustration of the either-or fallacy. It does not take into consideration that there are audience members in this questions realm of possibilities who may like neither team, may like another team a lot more than these, or couldn't care less (and/or have no interest) about baseball. As a (rather old and) life-long Chicago Cubs fan, this question doesn't really take into consideration all that I bring to this question: namely, how much I hate what the Steinbrenner era of ownership of the Yankees has done to the game (essentially, in my opinion, making it fashionable to "buy" championships); the debacle of the 1969 Cubs season, and the media further twisting the knife by calling them the "Amazin' Mets;" my personal dislike for the city of New York in general; and, my personal distaste of the media elites favoring whatever happens on the East Coast (especially the upper half) as though it matters to the entire nation. While I could go on a bit further, I believe I have made my point; namely that discussions about which political party with which one might self-identify is equally as incorrect.
This "fetish" which the national media has over inconsequential, horse-race issues like "to which party do you belong," introduces the wrong filter on the conversation and marginalizes the real discussions which need to take place. Take a look at the major assertion made in Mr. Sabato's entry:
A Gallup survey earlier this year noted that 40% of those polled identified as independents, but after “leaners” toward one party or the other were weeded out, the percentage of real independents was only about 10%. That squares with a more recent report from Ipsos’ Clifford Young, who pegged independents as 11% of the likely voters in the upcoming election. Political science research suggests that the real proportion of independents in the November electorate will be even smaller, perhaps 5% to7%.
Instead of focusing their attention on why an individual is supporting the candidacy of Mr. Obama, Mr. Romney, and anyone else who is running for this office, they are making the somewhat mistaken assumption that all Republicans will vote for Mr. Romney and all Democrats will vote for Mr. Obama. Even in this scenario, they are excluding the Green Party, the Tea Party and a few others who have an entrant in this year's race for the White House. While I could go on further about the incorrectness that this filter applies, I would rather move on towards why I stick to the label of "Independent" whenever I participate in any of these discussions.
I consider myself Independent when the choice between national parties is brought up because I do not consider either party to have the same concerns and priorities I have in the national discussion. While today's Democratic Party is more along the lines of my beliefs than that of the Republican Party, neither party comes anywhere close to where I would like a party's official platform: National Healthcare for All; free/equal education for all from pre-K through 4-year college/trade school; limited spending on "defense;" tight regulation of the banking industry; as well as, strong enforcements of environmental protection (air, water, and ground), to name a few. While I would be most happy if one of the two national parties would come around to my way of thinking, until that happens, I will have to cleave to the "Independent" designation.
How about you? Have I sparked a bit of a discussion from you? I would appreciate your comments below.