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 "Perhaps instead of voter ID laws, the USA might
want to try voter IQ laws." – Angela Hatfield
While American politics continues to play out like a roller derby grudge match
between Democrats and Republicans, off camera more and more voters are choosing
not to affiliate with either party as the number of registered independents
continues to grow. The share of independents has moved so far upwards the last
few decades that moderate party line voters are an endangered species.
Turned off by the partisan wars in Washington, the electorate continues to move
away from past loyalties to the traditional red and blue teams. The smart
politicians are aware they must find the "sweet spot" before the next election.
But this is getting increasingly difficult since campaigning to the center means
walking a primary tightrope to maintain allegiance to factions within the party.
Based on the metaphor of bringing light to the Dark Age, the Enlightenment Age
shifted allegiances away from absolute authority, to more optimistic attitudes
about human nature, religion and politics. Enlightenment thinkers like Thomas
Paine, James Madison, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson and John Adams used
these ideals to form the embryo of their nation, "United States of America."
In an effort to appease 13 independent colonies, our framers purposely avoided
addressing regional, cultural and religious ideologies that would conflict with
principles of the Enlightenment. It was their goal to develop a moral and
ethical nation that allowed independent thinkers to self-govern.
"Whenever you do something, act as if all the world were watching." – Thomas
Jefferson
Due to its very Enlightenment virtue, America has always been a right-of-center
nation. The goal of our founding was to allow free thinkers to coexist in a
republic under a constitution of statutes to maintain law and order without
restricting innovation, independent thought or ideas from "thinkers."
In her 245-year history, America has endured deep divisions between its
political parties. The Civil War, women’s suffrage; civil rights, two great
wars, the Vietnam conflict, gay rights and today, the right to life vs. abortion
have divided America's party affiliations. But "when the going gets tough the
tough get going," behind the closed curtains of the polls they move back closer
to the center.
A recent phenomenon of the past few decades is that voters have become more
openly reactive to the political divide that has gripped our nation. Independent
and unaffiliated voters are having their day in the sun and this time it appears
that moment is something more enduring than those in the past.
“Good intentions are ubiquitous in politics; what is scarce is accurate
beliefs.” – Bryan Caplan
New data from Ballot Access News that tracks voter registration in some 31
states shows that the waves of discontent are driving more voters to register as
independents. Today, independents now account for 29.09% of voters compared with
28.87% for Republicans. What looks bad for the GOP is worse for Democrats since
this independent growth is coming directly from defecting Democrats.
Reading between the lines of this poll, while independents have surpassed the
Republicans, there hasn’t been a drop in GOP party registration since President
Donald Trump left office. In fact, since President Joe Biden took control, the
number of registered Democrats declined by 2% and is dropping sharply each day.
These new independents are former Democrats, fed up with the progressives.
Independents are typically "closet voters" who fear admitting how they voted due
to peer pressure, such as black conservatives and anti-abortion Catholics.
Others, especially Democrats, won't admit that their party has been abandoning
their core beliefs for years. Over half of the voters polled said that they
reregistered as independents due to the progressive makeover of the Democratic
Party.
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In a recent Gallup poll, more independents admitted that they are planning to
vote for a Republican candidate than ever before. Last election, independents
gave the Democrats a 9-point advantage. Today, independent preference shifted to
a 5-point Republican advantage. That’s the biggest swing in independent voters
from one party to another since Gallup started tracking independent voters.
Dan Pfeiffer, former communications director for former President Barack Obama,
said the Democratic brand has been damaged by Biden and the progressives. The
Democrats are struggling with an identity crisis between the Democratic
socialist and the progressive extremes with the party and the moderates.
"If you believe in your identity, you won't alter its course if you know that it
is right." – Helmut Lang
Since the election of Donald Trump, Democrats moved further left on social and
economic policy, along with progressive social justice issues, to stand more
firmly with allies like environmentalists, unions, abortion rights activists and
radical race baiters. They have abandoned key Democratic policies and ideals of
the past. By doing this they have lost universal support from more moderate
Democrats.
Democratic strategist James Carville told PBS, "What's wrong with this party is
wokeness! Look at Minneapolis, and Seattle, Washington. This defund the police
lunacy does not appeal to rational Democrats. We're seeing this with the
Democrats across the nation. These people need to go to a woke detox center.”
The woke infestation has almost completely destroyed the Democratic Party.
Carville, James Axelrod of CBS, and Barack Obama have been warning progressives
that they had become too self-righteous, extreme and shrill for years.
Progressives have waved away, ridiculed, and denounced too many core traditional
American institutions claiming that they are racist.
"There is nothing cool about being woke. Canceling people out makes you look
stupid." – Barack Obama
Obama told us, "Elections have consequence." Joe Biden is a gift that keeps on
giving to the GOP every day he is in the White House. Independents made the
difference last election when they moved left, and they have been sorry that
they ever did. Biden has not only lost the moderate branch of the Democratic
Party, but he has alienated independents with his progressive wokeness.
Considering Biden continues his endless pursuit of an all progressive agenda,
there is little hope that Democrats will recapture the independents responsible
for last election's blue upset win. Progressives seem determined to stick with
their message even though it is costing them elections. And when they lose, they
will continue to blame every progressive loss on hyperbolic white racism.
There is no question which way the independents will lean during the midterms
since Republicans are polling 5-points higher with them than Democrats. The
question is, will the GOP do a repeat of 2016 when independents wanted "change
they could believe in" and elected Donald Trump. Or will they move too far
right?
“This is not a center-left nation. This is a center-right country. That’s being
shown, and we ought to be able to recognize that! We can’t go too far left.” –
Sen. Joe Manchin, D-WV.
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