Replies

No. You just repeated yourself. Repetition is not demonstration. It's not proof.

Denial is not truth.

What if peoples own "political definition" for themselves does not fit the cookie cutter platforms offered by the Republican and democrat party? You seem to think they should just suck up their disagreements and take whatever platforms the parties offer them. That they should tow the party line. That they should not think independently. That they should not be Independents.

While I have never appreciated issue-oriented Republicans (one should be conservative by nature, not tally the number of happenstance-agreements in choosing a party), to be independent is a rejection of everything else. We conservatives should be loved, and you independents should recognize the superior club that we are.

You think that they are "indecisive" because they do not decide to register with one of the party offerings. That is a false assumption. If they were indecisive, then they would not have registered. Registered independents are not "indecisive". They have decided to register as independents.

They made a wrong decision, harkening back to my assertion of cluelessness, selfishness, and probable drug-addiction.

You think that independents are apathetic. That is also blatantly untrue. Apathetic people would not bother to even register, much less take the effort to analyze the various party platforms and decide that none adequately match their own political beliefs, obligating them to register independent.

They don't all register. They stay home and play video games. Apathetic.

I do not necessarily agree with all their political beliefs, but at least I am sufficiently rational to recognize and respect the strength of their convictions without simply trying to dismiss them with false blanket statements and insults.

I am sufficiently rational to belittle their wrong convictions and dismiss them universally.

In fact, most independents I know are a hell of a lot more politically engaged than the vast majority of apathetic registered republicans and democrats, who don't think too greatly about their political beliefs, and just lazily accept whatever platforms the two major parties offer.

Video games.

If the republican party chooses to dismiss these independent voters the way you so ignorantly and flippantly do, it is to their great peril.

We don't need indecisive, apathetic, clueless, selfish drug addicts.

Flatter yourself, but we don't.

We conservatives should be loved, and you independents should recognize the superior club that we are.

But what kind of conservative are you? Fiscally conservative, socially conservative, religiously conservative, conservative libertarian, limited government conservative, constitutional conservative, conservationist conservative, or what? Your lumping in many different political philosophies under one "conservative" brand name, attempt to define the republican party with all and then automatic declamation of it's superiority shows, yet again, your naive understanding of politics. And, for the record, republican does not always mean conservative.

They made a wrong decision, harkening back to my assertion of cluelessness, selfishness, and probable drug-addiction.

But for them it is the right decision. And your knowledge less repeated "drug addiction" insult is not winning you any debate points.

Again, the independents I know are all much more politically astute than the registered republicans or democrats. They have actually bothered to analyze the party platforms enough to decide that neither is right for them. Most registered republicans I know, and all registered democrats, only associate with their chosen party because they "like it better". Most have no clue as to what their chosen party is all about, and can't even name their local candidates. It's sad, really.

They don't all register. They stay home and play video games. Apathetic.

Now you're just being stupid. Have you ever bothered to actually go out and work for a campaign? People who are not registered to vote are Not Registered. You are right that they are apathetic and useless. But you are also quite wrong because they are NOT Independents. Independent voters, by definition, have registered to vote. They are not apathetic, they are among the most regular and consistent of voters, and they are often our best hope of keeping the democrats out of office.

I am sufficiently rational to belittle their wrong convictions and dismiss them universally.

Sorry. No. You're confusing rationality for ignorant arrogance. And dismissing them universally will cost the republican party a LOT of elections.

Video games.

Repeating an irrelevant non argument doesn't make it one. Especially one as trite as this.

Do you know any registered independents? Have you ever volunteered for a campaign, worked the phones and called people before elections and spoken to them? Do you have any clue what you are talking about? You haven't shown one yet.

I have worked on campaigns. I have spent hours talking with independents trying to convince them to vote republican. So I do know what I am talking about. And words cannot express how happy I am that people like you aren't allowed to run any republican campaigns (well I suspect your kind of thinking has caused us to lose a few).

We don't need indecisive, apathetic, clueless, selfish drug addicts.

More ignorant insults instead of supporting points. Clearly, you are simply incapable of understanding this, but I'll try to make it simple:

Apathetic people do not register to vote. Therefore, they do not register as independents. They are not Independents, they are Unregistered (and irrelevant). Independents, by definition, have registered to vote. And they do vote.
Independents disagree with the platforms of both major parties (and the minor ones). This means they have gone to the effort of analyzing the party platforms. Their issue by issue acceptance or rejection of a party and its platform shows they hold their political convictions stronger than any party affiliation. These strong political convictions mean they are extremely high probability voters.
Elections in the U.S. are not won by how many people are registered to one party or another (this is not a parliamentarian systems of government). Elections in the U.S. are won by how people actually vote at the polls. And people who register as independents vote consistently.

Every campaign I have ever volunteered in has won or lost based on two things: convincing independent voters to vote republican, and convincing lazy registered republicans to get off their butts and vote. We have always had much better luck with the independent voters. Convincing registered independents to vote is never a problem, they just need to be convinced to vote republican (or against the democrats more often than not).

In an election, it doesn't matter at all if someone is registered independent, so long as we can convince them to vote republican. Party affiliations do not win elections, votes do. Registered independents consistently vote, and if we cannot convince them to vote republican, then they will vote for the democrats. And arrogant, ignorant, and insulting comments (and thinking) like yours will only help to drive their votes into the hands of the democrats.