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Friday, August 20, 2010

Why don’t Independents form their own party? Here’s why


Independent voters represent 40 percent of all voters. If the remaining 60 percent were broken down 50/50 between Democrats and Republicans, Independents would still have a 10 percent edge. I have spoken with several independent organizations including CUIP, Committee for a Unified Independent Party, but the reaction seems to be that they don’t want to form a party.

Meaning what? They don’t want the stigma of party affiliation, or they are satisfied with just standing back and influencing the two major parties? If it is the latter, is it accomplishing a solution that is in the best interest of the voter? The country is currently torn between two warring political parties, the approval rate of the President is dropping again, and voters have absolutely no confidence in members of Congress.

Apparently the problem is that Independent voters are made up of disgruntled Democrats and Republicans who haven’t yet made up their minds just how liberal or conservative they really are. Or they don’t know if they are moderate left or right. But is there anything wrong with that?

I became an Independent because, as a liberal, I felt the Democratic Party no longer championed the best interests of the regular folks over the corporate world. I am in favor of some government control and regulation, so I would never make the Tea Party’s wish list. And Republicans will never stray from their support of big business over the consumer.

The question that arises is whether establishing a declaration in any one of the above directions would damage or kill the Independent movement? Must they declare a specific mission to seal the cohesiveness of this group? But, then, it won’t be independent anymore, will it?

What is needed is an identity that can be easily defined by all, a classification process that makes participants comfortable in what they are engaged in, which can also used to recruit more members and influence political decisions.

Maybe the answer is to poll Independents on how they rank issues such as the economy, defense, education, welfare, taxation, gay rights, immigration, privacy, etc. to get a more comprehensive insight into what this individual looks like. I, for one, would like to know what others in the group in which I participate believe. If CUIP has this I am not aware of it, and if they don’t they should start on it now, before November.

This strategy could attract more people to the Independent cause because they see an issue they feel strongly about, or others who see something weak in the rankings and want to help make a difference in that area. Independents must find the key to moving this stagnant two-party political system forward and out of today’s malaise, corruption and infighting that has turned off all voters.


If something isn’t done soon, we are doomed to repeat history. Many think the Roman Empire never really fell, it just adapted. But others believe its decline was due to religion, decadence, monetary trouble and military problems. Sound familiar? One faction even thinks it had to do with the rise of Islam.

See recent Independent poll here.

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