Posted on 01/08/2014 11:14:27 AM PST by SeekAndFind
Forty-two percent of Americans, on average, identified as political independents in 2013, the highest Gallup has measured since it began conducting interviews by telephone 25 years ago. Meanwhile, Republican identification fell to 25%, the lowest over that time span. At 31%, Democratic identification is unchanged from the last four years but down from 36% in 2008.
The results are based on more than 18,000 interviews with Americans from 13 separate Gallup multiple-day polls conducted in 2013.
In each of the last three years, at least 40% of Americans have identified as independents. These are also the only years in Gallup's records that the percentage of independents has reached that level.
Americans' increasing shift to independent status has come more at the expense of the Republican Party than the Democratic Party. Republican identification peaked at 34% in 2004, the year George W. Bush won a second term in office. Since then, it has fallen nine percentage points, with most of that decline coming during Bush's troubled second term. When he left office, Republican identification was down to 28%. It has declined or stagnated since then, improving only slightly to 29% in 2010, the year Republicans "shellacked" Democrats in the midterm elections.
Not since 1983, when Gallup was still conducting interviews face to face, has a lower percentage of Americans, 24%, identified as Republicans than is the case now. That year, President Ronald Reagan remained unpopular as the economy struggled to emerge from recession.
(Excerpt) Read more at gallup.com ...
Spot on !!!!
There’s an indifference in the middle that seems to be solely focused on what they DO NOT LIKE.
Their opinions have been formed by the media/entertainment complex and reinforced by “peer-pressure”.
It’s an easy way out for them. They just fall in line so they won’t be perceived as “Haters” or “Judgmental”.
It is my contention that a conservative or even a republican candidate, would win easily if they focus their message on just a few issues.
1. NSA spying.
2. IRS targeting
3. Big Government is a threat.
4. 0bamacare
5. “I just want to be left alone”
“I identify as “conservative” NOT “republican”. “
Yep, same here. Being a Conservative I’ve never thought of myself as an Independent. I consider an Independent to be someone of the mushy middle who sometimes votes Democrat and sometimes Republican. As a Conservative I’ve never considered the possibility of voting Democrat. My only two choices have been vote Republican or don’t vote. But, if establishment Republicans continue to diss Conservatives that may change. There very well be a Conservative party movement take place. Will it win? Nope. But, neither can Republicans win without Conservatives. So we shall see how this barn dance goes....
I agree. And the candidate cannot be led down rabbit holes like “war on women” and “abortion in the case of rape.” The media will always try to play a “gotcha” game with any national republican candidate. Hell, they don’t even have to be conservative. Look what they did to Romney.
We'll be able to see if RNC, globalist 'pubs are part of the fix. They can stop hillary with a TedCruz/RandPaul ticket. Their intellectual energy and relative youth compared to hillary will win over those independents.
They wouldn't be identifying as "independent" if they wanted hillary. If they don't want her as pres already, they won't go to her when she's the obsolete haggard old witch with no new ideas and a lot of bad history. And that's how hillary would come across against Cruz/Paul.
I have always voted conservative in the primaries and the straight GOP ticket in the general and never once had a regret.
I think most people who claim to be independent or moderate are probably liberals.
The last real conservative Democrat I am aware of was the late Congressman Larry McDonald D-GA who was brutally murdered by the Communists on board KAL Flight 007 in 1983.
And of course voting third party accomplishes nothing other than helping to elect Democrats. Period.
“Right now, the average American doesn’t really know what they want. They really don’t have the inclination to intelligently sift through the issues. They also don’t have the backbone to make a hard decision and say “No” to people who want candy land, ham trees, 0bamaphones and a consequence free lifestyle. Other than that, they only know they don’t like what they have now, and are tired of being lied to.”
AMEN AMEN AMEN!
Until the US figures itself out and goes in a direction and decides to do the hard work needed, we’re not going to go anywhere, much less be respected on the world stage.
This is why we aren’t being treated with the respect we think we deserve and why things aren’t moving as they should. We’re a stagnate mess because too many people are looking to be taken care of.
This is why no tough type will come along and do what is needed. Any strong leader will just enable the irresponsible to continue to be irresponsible.
RE: The last real conservative Democrat I am aware of was the late Congressman Larry McDonald D-GA who was brutally murdered by the Communists on board KAL Flight 007 in 1983.
Would you consider Zell Miller a conservative Democrat?
The political parties are just one big Mandarin class; instead of moving up through talent, people are required to be toadies of the political class.
No, they’re still the mushy middle. You just need to look at the “leaning” poll, people still have liberal and conservative bents in about the same percentages, but they’re no long finding a home in their party. I know lots of libs that are as sick of Obama as we are, just for completely different reasons.
You’re may be overlooking the voting “fix” at the polls.
After the 2008 Election the wife and i changed Registration from the GOP to NPA( No Party affiation) in Florida. We can vote but not in GOP primary. Since there are seldom any “conservative “ GOP running or anybody I would vote for has not made a difference.
I refuse to vote for RINOS. I sleep well at night.
I am a Conservative Christian First, believe in the values that the Founding Fathers believed in and if some GOP canidate expresses those values. I might vote for them.
I did not leave the Repulican Party. They left me
Freegards
LEX
Compared to most Democrats, yes he was fairly conservative. But I would still vote for a more conservative leaning Republican over him. But he is long gone anyways. Most people in the deep South now vote GOP except for blacks.
well, the D’s have been taken over by a pro-IslamoNazi gang of communistic liars
and
the R’s are “led” largely by a bunch of enablers, facilitators, even supporters of the above...
“Independent” sounds better and better every day....
You mean like that 0bama guy. He may not be a strong leader, but he sure knows how to make more people irresponsible, and then pander to them.
Count me as an I.
I’d rather loose a nut than vote D, will likely never vote R again. Fot that matter I may never vote again and endorse the system.
Nailed it.
Sadly, the media and many “low-info” voters kill the messenger well before the message can be delivered.
The left and their media sycophants establish a false premise, and retarded republicans spend their time and energy defending themselves against this false narrative.
The media, sadly, controls the time available.
The “war on women”, the “war on clean water”, the “war on blacks”, etc etc etc....
You and I know that there is no war. It is a false assumption.
Republicans could create their own narratives.
The “War on self respect”
The “War on creativity”
The “War on the individual”
The “War on Life”
There is certainly more.
Amen.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.