From my vantage point, the distinction between "centrist" and "independent" is the single most important distinction we can make right now. The AP piece, written by Liz Sidoti, calls independents "fickle" and then "warns" Pres. Obama (Liz might have an application in to Fox News?) not to move further to the left "lest they turn off middle-of-the-road voters whose support was critical in 2008 and will be important in upcoming elections..."
Hmmmm.... What's wrong with this picture?
Two words: Partisan politics!
What Liz Sidoti (and her editors at the Associated Press) doesn't understand is that, far from "fickle", independent voters in our country not only HAVE NOT changed their ideology to suit the times (see the recent Pew Research study), they also feel that the "fickle" ones are the politicians (and the journalists who never seem to interview and quote real independents, but who just regurgitate the message that their bosses tell them to.... -- For a more nonpartisan take on current political trends, see independent stratagist Jackie Salit's "How the Independent Movement Went Left by Going Right"--an important analysis of where the independent movement came from, where it is, and where it might be going...)
Ideology is dead. Long live activity!! As Mother Jones said, Don't mourn, organize!
Hmmmm.... What's wrong with this picture?
Two words: Partisan politics!
What Liz Sidoti (and her editors at the Associated Press) doesn't understand is that, far from "fickle", independent voters in our country not only HAVE NOT changed their ideology to suit the times (see the recent Pew Research study), they also feel that the "fickle" ones are the politicians (and the journalists who never seem to interview and quote real independents, but who just regurgitate the message that their bosses tell them to.... -- For a more nonpartisan take on current political trends, see independent stratagist Jackie Salit's "How the Independent Movement Went Left by Going Right"--an important analysis of where the independent movement came from, where it is, and where it might be going...)
Ideology is dead. Long live activity!! As Mother Jones said, Don't mourn, organize!
1 comment:
Independent voters are United States citizens registered to vote. When the United States was started, all voters were independent voters.
So we could define political party members as independent voters who have subjected their rights to self-created societies. Self-created societies are notoriously incompetent at providing government.
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