INDEPENDENT VOTERS ARE THE ONES WHO MATTER MOST IN AMERICAN POLITICS

The Cook Report: Trend or Fluke? - A new poll that shows independents warming to the role of government could signal an important shift. (National Journal/Charlie Cook's The Cook Report)

More important—and I have to give NBC Political Director Chuck Todd credit for pointing this out to me—independents shifted significantly. In the February survey, 47 percent of independents said the government was doing too much, compared with 60 percent who said so last October. Independents who said the government should do more jumped 13 points, from 38 percent to 51 percent. Why is this important? Because independent voters are the ones who matter most in American politics.