Independents at an all-time high. (Page 1/1) BingB JAN 14, 11:42 AM https://www.msn.com/en-us/n...lup-says/ar-AA1mSMOm Independent continues to be the dominant political identity in the United States, according to recent polling. A Friday Gallup Poll showed political independents make up the largest political contingent in the country at 43% in 2023, tying with a record high in 2014. This is music to my ears. I don't agree with either party and I feel the real problem in politics today is cause by a small number at the extreme side of BOTH parties. The House Districts have been gerrymandered to the point that we already know which party will win in a large majority of them. And in these districts controlled by one party generally elect someone from the extreme side of that party. No third party can compete because of the money required to get elected. Public financed elections would help a lot. It would also help congressmen do their jobs instead of spending all their time fundraising. Would also help to have representatives elected "at-large" and eliminate the "winner take all" system that would allow the top 2 (or more) to be elected. Something has to be done. All congress has wanted to do the last several years is investigate and impeach the elected leaders. We are becoming a joke on the world stage. We are too busy attacking each other to protect the interest of the country. olejoedad JAN 14, 12:34 PM I think to two party systems the biggest weakness in our Republic. George Washington warned us about this very thing in his farewell address. 82-T/A [At Work] JAN 14, 12:35 PM quote Originally posted by BingB: https://www.msn.com/en-us/n...lup-says/ar-AA1mSMOm Independent continues to be the dominant political identity in the United States, according to recent polling. A Friday Gallup Poll showed political independents make up the largest political contingent in the country at 43% in 2023, tying with a record high in 2014. This is music to my ears. I don't agree with either party and I feel the real problem in politics today is cause by a small number at the extreme side of BOTH parties. The House Districts have been gerrymandered to the point that we already know which party will win in a large majority of them. And in these districts controlled by one party generally elect someone from the extreme side of that party. No third party can compete because of the money required to get elected. Public financed elections would help a lot. It would also help congressmen do their jobs instead of spending all their time fundraising. Would also help to have representatives elected "at-large" and eliminate the "winner take all" system that would allow the top 2 (or more) to be elected. Something has to be done. All congress has wanted to do the last several years is investigate and impeach the elected leaders. We are becoming a joke on the world stage. We are too busy attacking each other to protect the interest of the country. "I don't agree with either party" Lol, come on Fred... you're not fooling anyone. There's a simple explanation for this. The media has demonized the Republican party enough that they are considered the "default bad," so it's definitely not a go to for many people who were formerly Democrat. I doubt seriously that most of these are previous Republicans that are now independent. More than likely, these are people who think the Democrat party has gone completely nuts, and are embarrassed to call themselves Democrat, but also would never consider themselves Republican. There are some people who prefer to be neither... either because they haven't thought about it, or because they truly feel like neither party represents them. theBDub JAN 14, 07:24 PM quote Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]: "I don't agree with either party" Lol, come on Fred... you're not fooling anyone. There's a simple explanation for this. The media has demonized the Republican party enough that they are considered the "default bad," so it's definitely not a go to for many people who were formerly Democrat. I doubt seriously that most of these are previous Republicans that are now independent. More than likely, these are people who think the Democrat party has gone completely nuts, and are embarrassed to call themselves Democrat, but also would never consider themselves Republican. There are some people who prefer to be neither... either because they haven't thought about it, or because they truly feel like neither party represents them. Respectfully, you have a very strong tendency to think your experiences and the people you interact with represent the bulk of America. This comment really highlights it, to me. Trump materially changed the Republican Party. The Democrats have moved left, and Biden has catered a bit to them, but it’s nothing compared to the extremism we’ve seen on the right. You seriously believe the Republican Party isn’t fractured? You seriously believe there aren’t millions of disenfranchised former Republicans? There is a reason why half of Nikki Haley’s supporters would vote for Biden over Trump. That’s an insane number, especially considering she hasn’t been anti-Trump like Christie is/was. I am definitely willing to believe there is a substantial number of disappointed Democrats that don’t want to associate with their party after a perceived underperformance by Biden (one I tend to disagree with). But come on, you have to be completely ignoring the elephant in the room to pretend like the Republican Party looking far different than it did 10 years ago created fewer disenfranchised voters than the continued shift the Democrats had. To put it more simply, from my (independent*) perspective, the Democrats continued trending in the same direction, while the Republicans backed up on a highway to take a wrong exit to nowhere. *I still consider myself libertarian, but the Mises Caucus shifted the Libertarian Party in a way I’m no longer aligned with. I’m also now a disenfranchised voter. 82-T/A [At Work] JAN 14, 07:40 PM quote Originally posted by theBDub: Trump materially changed the Republican Party. The Democrats have moved left, and Biden has catered a bit to them, but it’s nothing compared to the extremism we’ve seen on the right. This is why I think it's you, not me. If you stack Bill Clinton's policies next to Donald Trump's... they are nearly identical. Donald Trump is nearly identical to Clinton in almost every single way. I voted for Bill Clinton, and voting for Donald Trump's policies was a very simple thing for me since it was the kind of Democrat policies I used to vote for. Whether it was immigration, trade (use of tariffs, etc.), you name it. Even their scandals are similar. williegoat JAN 15, 04:53 AM I have never been a member of any political party (cue Groucho Marx here), but I make no bones about being a staunch conservative and firmly on the American right, as exemplified by Barry Goldwater. I believe that most of our problems can be solved by understanding the constitution. Not by changing it, but by relying on its innate wisdom. I have not always voted for Republicans, but I have always voted against Democrats. For example, in 1988 I voted for Ron Paul, in 2016 I voted against Hillary Clinton and in 2020 I voted for Donald Trump. I see Donald Trump as the first successful “third party” candidate. He is hated by Republicans and feared by Democrats, and that alone is a resounding endorsement in my book. This is not up for debate. This is a factual accounting of my political beliefs. Take it or leave it. BingB JAN 15, 01:01 PM quote Originally posted by 82-T/A [At Work]: I doubt seriously that most of these are previous Republicans that are now independent. More than likely, these are people who think the Democrat party has gone completely nuts, and are embarrassed to call themselves Democrat, Go to the link. Republicans have lost 1 percentage point and Democrats 2. Trump is just as big of an embarrassment as Biden's immigration policy. People like me in the middle can see that. Extremists in either party can't. BingB JAN 15, 01:03 PM quote Originally posted by williegoat: I see Donald Trump as the first successful “third party” candidate. He is hated by Republicans Please explain how someone who is hated by the Republicans has a 40 point lead over the next Republican candidate in the primaries.