IN: 20% of Hoosiers no Longer "Lean" Toward the Republican or Democratic Parties

From the Indiana Chamber of Commerce Business Blog, via The Hankster:

More and more Hoosiers consider themselves true “independents,” casting aside any political identification with either Republicans or Democrats.  Twenty percent (20%) of Indiana voters today identify themselves as “independent,” even after factoring out those who self-identify as leaning to one party or the other. This is a 150% increase in true independent voters in just the last six years.

Poll: Majority Support for Third Party Alternative

From Gallup:

Fifty-two percent of Americans believe the Republican and Democratic parties do such a poor job of representing the people that a third party is needed. Forty percent believe they do an adequate job. The percentage calling for a third party is down from August, when it tied its high of 58%. . . . Gallup has always found political independents to be most desirous of a third party, and 68% currently are. But right now there is also a significant party gap, with 52% of Republicans favoring a third party, compared with 33% of Democrats.

Poll: 10% of Tea Party Supporters are Libertarians

From the Libertarian Party blog:

The Reason Foundation and Arthur N. Rupe Foundation recently collaborated on a public opinion poll. According to its website, the Reason Foundation "advances a free society by developing, applying, and promoting libertarian principles, including individual liberty, free markets, and the rule of law." Here are a few of the poll results that may be of interest to Libertarians:

4.5% of respondents described their political philosophy as libertarian. People with college degrees were more likely to describe themselves as libertarian. Among Tea Party supporters, 9.7% described themselves as libertarian. . . . .

Poll: 80% Say They Would Consider Voting for a Third Party or Independent Presidential Candidate in 2012

Findings from a new Reason-Rupe poll, as described by Reason:

With the 2012 election season ramping up, frustrated voters appear ready to look beyond Democratic and Republican candidates. Eighty percent say they will or may consider voting for a third-party or independent presidential candidate in 2012. And an even higher number of independents (89 percent) and GOP voters (86 percent) say they will or may consider candidates outside of the two major political parties.

The willingness to look beyond Democrats and Republicans stems, in part, from voters’ lack of trust in them. When asked which political party they trust to govern responsibly, the leading answer was “neither,” at 35 percent, followed by Democrats at 31 percent and Republicans at 23 percent. The survey also found 58 percent of voters believe they’d either see “no difference” or be “better off” if Congress were only in session every other year.

Independents Bash Back at CBS News Commentary

In an opinion piece for CBS News, "professor" Michael Kazin bashes political independents in a piece entitled, "The independents: Voters without a clue?"  He writes:

No group in American politics gets more respect than independent voters. Pundits and reporters probe what these allegedly moderate citizens think about this issue and that candidate, major party strategists seek the golden mean of messaging that will attract independents to their camp and/or alienate them from the opposing one. Presidential nominees and aides struggle to come up with phrases and settings that will soothe or excite them. But what if millions of independents are really just a confused and clueless horde, whose interest in politics veers between the episodic and the non-existent?

That is certainly the impression one gets from dipping into the finer details of a mid-April survey of 1,000 likely, registered voters conducted by Democracy Corps, the outfit run by Stan Greenberg and James Carville . . .

The "professor" then goes on to summarize the "mildly hilarious" results from the poll, in which large percentages of those polled agree with the standard talking points of both the Democrats and the Republicans.  He continues:

By a margin of over 20 points, voters agree with these GOP lines: "Both Democrats and Republicans have run up deficits, but now they are out of control under President Obama and threatening our economy" . . . At the same time, by slightly higher percentages, they also agree with the Democrats that Ryan's budget would "eliminate guaranteed Medicare and Medicaid coverage" . . . Since avowed Republicans and Democrats line up consistently behind whichever arguments come from their side, it is the independents who are responsible for the contradictory results . . . [Emphases added]

One might wonder how this is even possible, since self-described Independents only account for 23% of those polled in the survey, and actual Independents only account for 5%!  According to the survey linked by Kazin (.pdf), only 5% of those polled identified themselves as true Independents, while 7% said they were Independent but leaned Democrat and 11% said they were independent but leaned Republican.  Even if one assumes that Independents of all ideological persuasions formed a monolith and answered all the questions the same way in this survey, arguably, there still aren't enough to account for the marginal swings identified by Kazin!

In other words, his article is complete and utter bullshit.  But what else would one expect from a professional propagandist for the dictatorship of the two-party state and duopoly system of government?  Not much, it seems.  Or at least, that's the impression one gets from the comments appended to the article.  A sample:

          by slatep April 26, 2011 2:31 PM EDT
                    BS.!!!

by jd2408 April 26, 2011 2:11 PM EDT

This is great ! This is the 3rd article I have read bashing us independents. We are making a difference. They are starting to pay attention. Politicians who "say the words" but don't keep promises are being held accountable. We are well aware that neither party really works for the people and they are bought and paid for. The two party system is a sham. Independents are trying to take our country back. As an Independent I stay well informed on who I am voting for and what they are doing when elected.

by YetiRider7 April 26, 2011 1:56 PM EDT

I seriously hope CBS didn't pay this meathead for this article.

by workerdroid April 26, 2011 1:33 PM EDT

How about idiot reporter without a clue rambles on about some theory he developed to make himself look smart but ends up a laughing stock because....you guessed it. He's an IDIOT.

by taxpayingvoter April 26, 2011 12:24 PM EDT 

I feel that this mis-informed dolt needs to do a bit of fact finding and checking. I joined the American Independant Party in 1972. It was a real party not one of a bunch of people just wandering around bumping into walls. We had a clue back then when we knew that the 2 party system was just a sham. I do my own thinking, I use my head for more than a buttplg, something I can not say for the author of this POS story.  WE have a clue and we have a plan, to remove the 2 party system of lies and thieves.  Hey Micheal Kazin, don't pinch your azz so tight. You are starting to cut of the circulation to your head.

Of course, in general it is relatively easy to account for the fact that so many Americans agree with both Republican and Democratic talking points on any given issue.  Republicans argue that Democrats are reckless and out of control and the Democrats argue that the Republicans are dishonest and insane.  Naturally, these positions are not mutually exclusive, and, indeed, it is rather easy to see how the wide majority of Americans could agree with both Republicans and Democrats in this way.

Dear Pollsters, We Want and Need More Choices

A letter to Gallup polls from Ryan Jaroncyk at CAIVN:

Dear Gallup,
Seven months ago, you ran a poll which revealed that 58% of Americans and 74% of Independents supported the prospect of a third major political party.  However, despite subsequent polls demonstrating near or actual record low approval ratings for Republicans and Democrats in Congress, your esteemed organization has not run another third party survey.

As the fastest growing segment of the national electorate, and in some polls, now the largest segment of the national electorate, we Independents would like to be presented with another option besides the Republican and Democratic parties.  We desperately desire more competition in the political arena, and as poll after poll shows, we are highly dissatisfied with only two viable options at the voting booth.

Therefore, we politely ask your firm to conduct more regular surveys regarding the option of a third party presidential candidate in 2012, as well as a third major party in national politics at large.

Sincerely,
Ryan Jaroncyk
Independent Voter

Readers, if you feel the same way that I do, feel free to use this letter as a template for your own, and contact Gallup here.

Poll: 37% of 18-29 Year-Olds Identify as Independents, Outpacing GOP and Closing in on Democrats

Via The Hill comes word of a survey (.pdf) on young Americans' attitudes toward politics and public service by the Harvard Institute of Politics.  The poll asked "When it comes to voting, wth which party to you consider yourself to be affiliated?"  38% identified themselves as Democrats, 37% as Independents and 22% as Republicans.  10% stated that they are Independent and lean Democrat.  5% said they are Independent and lean Republican.  22% said they do not lean either way. 

CA: Independent Registration at an All Time High in the Golden State

According to California's Secretary of State, the percentage of voters who decline to state an affiliation with any party is at an all time high in the Golden State.  From a press release (.pdf):

A new all-time high percentage of California voters, 20.4 percent, have no party preference, according to the latest Report of Registration . . . the previous record for the proportion of unaffiliated voters was 20.25 percent of all registered voters, reported in October 2010 . . . 

The release notes that 44% of California's voters are Democrats and 31% are Republicans.  The only third party with more than 1% of registered voters is the American Independent Party, which has 2.34% support in the state. 

Poll: Independents Support Charlie Sheen over Sarah Palin for President

From Public Policy Polling, a Democratic-leaning outfit:

We've found a lot of brutal poll numbers for Sarah Palin so far in 2011: down in South Dakota, down in South Carolina, down in Arizona, only up by 1 point in Texas, only up by 1 point in Nebraska to name a few. But this has to be the worst- independent voters say they would support Charlie Sheen over Palin for President by a 41/36 margin. Seriously. . . . 

Sheen's unpopularity is pretty universal across party lines so it says something about the level of polarization in the country right now that Democrats would support him by a 44-24 margin for President over Palin and that Republicans would support him 37-28 over Obama. People may not have any respect for Sheen but they still think he'd be a better alternative than their opposing party's leading figure.

Poll: 68% See Collusion of Big Government and Big Business as Serious Threat

From Rasmussen:

68% of Likely U.S. Voters believe that government and big business already work together against the interests of consumers and investors. The latest Rasmussen Reports poll shows that only 13% disagree with this assessment, while 18% are not sure. The view that government and big business work together against the interests of others is shared across partisan, demographic and ideological lines . . .

Majority of Independents Open to Third Party Candidate for President

From Poli-Tea and CAIVN:

A new survey conducted by Public Policy Polling has found that 37% of Americans and 51% of Independents are open to supporting a third party candidate for President in 2012.  And there is good reason to believe these numbers significantly underestimate the level of support for an alternative to the Democrats and Republicans. . . .

A look at the poll’s crosstabs shows that Independents are, unsurprisingly, most open to a third party candidate for President in 2012.  51% of Independents expressed openness to the idea, compared to 44% of Republicans and only 24% of Democrats . . . 

A recent Rasmussen poll found that 46% of GOP primary voters would likely support a third party candidate if Sarah Palin did not win the Republican party’s nomination for President.  But a Rasmussen poll from late last year found that 31% of GOP primary voters would likely support a third party candidate if Sarah Palin did indeed win the Republican party’s nomination for President.  

Palin Supporters Lean Toward Third Party Option

From Rasmussen:

Nearly half of the Republican Primary voters who support Sarah Palin say they are at least somewhat likely to vote for a third-party candidate if she does not win the GOP presidential nomination. A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 46% of Likely Republican Primary Voters who favor Palin say they are at least somewhat likely to vote third-party if she isn’t nominated.

Poll: 37% Willing to Support Third Party Candidate for President

From Public Policy Polling:

Americans think both major political parties are ideologically extreme. And 37% of them say they'd be open to supporting a third party candidate for President next year . . .  37% of voters may be open to supporting a third party candidate but there's considerable division within those ranks about what kind of third party candidate they'd want to support. . . . 14% of them want someone who's to the left of the Democrats. 29% want someone who's to the right of the Republicans. The largest group at 48% does want a centrist- someone more conservative than the Democrats but more liberal than the Republicans- but that only accounts for 18% of the overall electorate . . .

Poll: Independents Outnumber Dead-Enders of the Democratic, Republican Parties

From Gallup:

In 2010, 31% of Americans identified as Democrats, down five percentage points from just two years ago and tied for the lowest annual average Gallup has measured in the last 22 years. While Democrats still outnumber Republicans [29%] by two points, the percentage identifying as independents increased to 38%, on the high end of what Gallup has measured in the last two decades.  [Emphasis added.] . . .

These results are based on aggregated data from 21 separate Gallup and USA Today/Gallup polls conducted in 2010, encompassing more than 25,000 interviews with U.S. adults. . . . the major movement in American politics since 2008 seems to be away from the Democratic Party and toward independent political status, rather than alignment with the GOP. . . .

NJ Poll: 19% of Independents Say They Voted Third Party in November

From New Jersey News Room:

Of those interviewed, 64 percent said they voted and could recall the direction of their vote. Partisans did not deviate from their parties: 94 percent of both Democrats and Republicans say they voted for a congressional candidate from their party. Independents, however, continued to lean Republican as they did in last year's gubernatorial election, with 46 percent of independents voting Republican and 35 percent voting Democrat. A surprising 19 percent of independents said they voted for a third party candidate.

Poll: 31% of GOP Primary Voters Lean Toward Third Party if Palin is GOP Nominee

From Rasmussen, via KintlaLake:

A new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds that 31% of likely primary voters say they are at least somewhat likely to consider supporting a third-party candidate for president if former Alaska Governor Sarah Palin is the GOP nominee. That includes 17% who say it is Very Likely. (To see survey question wording, click here.)

If ex-Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee, who unsuccessfully sought the nomination in 2008, is the 2012 nominee, 24% say they are at least somewhat likely to consider a third-party candidate, with 11% who say it is Very Likely.

Twenty-eight percent (28%) are at least somewhat likely to consider a third-party option if another 2008 hopeful, former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, wins the party’s presidential nomination. This finding includes 12% who say it is Very Likely.

With former House Speaker Newt Gingrich as the nominee, 27% say they’d be likely to consider a third-party contender, including 13% who say they would be Very Likely to do so.

Poll: 43% Say Democrats and Republicans Do Not Represent the American People, Independents Want Third Party

From Rasmussen:

a plurality (43%) of Likely U.S. Voters believes that neither Democrats nor Republicans in Congress are the party of the American people, according to a new Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey. Nearly as many see a need for a new third party. Thirty-five percent (35%) disagree that neither party represents the American people, and another 22% are not sure. . . .

Unaffiliated voters by a 49% to 41% margin also see the need for an entirely new party to represent the American people. As is generally the case, the Political Class and Mainstream voters don’t see eye-to-eye.  Fifty-three percent (53%) of Mainstream voters believe it’s fair to say neither party in Congress is the party of the American people. Fifty-eight percent (58%) of the Political Class don’t share that assessment.

ME-Gov: Independent Cutler Poised to Overtake Democrat, Many Voters Remain Undecided

From the Portland Press Herald:

A dramatic shift appears to have occurred among voters in Maine's gubernatorial race and in one congressional contest, according to a new independent poll released Thursday.  Independent Eliot Cutler moved up substantially to a statistical second-place tie with Democrat Libby Mitchell, who lost support compared with earlier polls. Cutler's support, which had been hovering around 11 percent, increased to 19 percent in the latest poll. Mitchell had 20 percent. The poll had Republican Paul LePage with a 12 percentage point lead at 32 percent. . . .

Five percent of respondents to the latest poll said they would vote for independent Shawn Moody in the governor's race and 1 percent said they would vote for independent Kevin Scott. Twenty-one percent remain undecided, according to the poll, which asked people who they would vote for if the election were held the next day.

CO-Gov: Tancredo Now within 4% of Democrat Frontrunner

From the Denver Post:

Third-party gubernatorial candidate Tom Tancredo has jumped to within 4 percentage points of Democrat John Hickenlooper, moving the race from "leaning Democrat" to "toss up," according to the latest poll from Rasmussen Reports.

Tancredo, who left the Republican Party to run on the American Constitution Party ticket, has 38 percent of likely voters' support to Hickenlooper's 42 percent. Support for Republican Dan Maes slipped again, and he now stands at 12 percent, Rasmussen reported.

Poll: 55% Say They Have Voted for an Independent Candidate in the Past, 33% More Likely to Do So This Year

From Rasmussen:

Fifty-five percent (55%) of all voters say they have voted for an independent candidate in the past. Forty percent (40%) have not. . . .

one-out-of-three Likely U.S. Voters (33%) say they are more likely to vote for an independent candidate in this election than they have been in the past. . . .

Thirty-seven percent (37%) of GOP voters say they are more likely to vote for an independent candidate this November, compared to just 17% of Democrats. Perhaps not surprisingly, 47% of those not affiliated with either major party are more inclined to vote for an independent.