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INDEPENDENTS Rule! Join the no-party choice; decide Nov elections.

  • 15-10-2010 2:38am
    #1
    Black Swan
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 47,539 CMod ✭✭✭✭


    The CBS Evening News (14 October 2010) reports that Independents are now the largest group of the electorate at 40%, with 33% Democrats and 27% Republicans remaining.

    I've never liked either party, especially when they spend most of their time trying to block each other in Congress, evidencing little bipartisan cooperation to solve the nation's serious economic problems.

    The so-called Tea Party is not an alternative for Independents, because they are just a faction of the Republican party that has endorsed only registered Republicans for Congress in November (except for one token Democrat). By their endorsements they are in fact Republicans in Tea Party clothing.

    Now with the mid-term November elections approaching, it's been reported that over 80% of campaign advertising has turned negative. We now hear more air time with candidates smearing each other, than offering a substantive plan to solve the nation's problems.

    Source: http://www.cbsnews.com/video/


Comments

  • #2
    Overheal
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 86,729 ✭✭✭✭Overheal


    This news pleases me. The Forefathers (most of them anyway) never liked the concept of a Party System.


  • #3
    metrovelvet
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,376 ✭✭✭metrovelvet


    One of the great things about registering independent is that you dont get any political leaflets in your post.

    The bad part is you cant vote in the primaries. So does this mean 40% of the electorate are not voting in the primaries?


  • #4
    Denerick
    Banned (with Prison Access) Posts: 6,488 ✭✭✭Denerick


    metrovelvet wrote: »
    One of the great things about registering independent is that you dont get any political leaflets in your post.

    The bad part is you cant vote in the primaries. So does this mean 40% of the electorate are not voting in the primaries?

    To be fair the primaries are always decided by tiny groups of activists, maybe 5-10% of the electorate. This is why extremes of left and right pop up all the time. Take California for example, that elected an ultra conservative to run against Barbara Boxer. Not so clever.

    I am also taking immense pleasure in seeing Meg Whitman stumble in her race against Jerry Brown, who has spent 12 times less than she has.


  • #5
    Mjollnir
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 888 ✭✭✭Mjollnir


    Denerick wrote: »
    To be fair the primaries are always decided by tiny groups of activists, maybe 5-10% of the electorate. This is why extremes of left and right pop up all the time. Take California for example, that elected an ultra conservative to run against Barbara Boxer. Not so clever.

    I am also taking immense pleasure in seeing Meg Whitman stumble in her race against Jerry Brown, who has spent 12 times less than she has.

    CA also just recently passed that ballot prop that requires open primaries, but I'm not sure when/if it's taken effect yet.


  • #6
    metrovelvet
    Closed Accounts Posts: 9,376 ✭✭✭metrovelvet


    Mjollnir wrote: »
    CA also just recently passed that ballot prop that requires open primaries, but I'm not sure when/if it's taken effect yet.

    I think California might allow Independents to vote in the primaries.

    I dont know Denerick if only extremists vote in the primaries. I know many Americans on both sides of the fence who would be moderates who vote in the primaries.


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  • #7
    Black Swan
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 47,539 CMod ✭✭✭✭Black Swan


    Mjollnir wrote: »
    CA also just recently passed that ballot prop that requires open primaries, but I'm not sure when/if it's taken effect yet.

    Open California primaries go into effect in 2011.

    Report from 10 June 2010:
    "Californians this week voted overwhelmingly to jettison their traditional party primary system, opening the early contests to all registered voters and allowing the top two vote getters in every race — no matter their party affiliations"

    Source: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=127749119


  • #8
    CIE
    Closed Accounts Posts: 1,463 ✭✭✭CIE


    metrovelvet wrote: »
    One of the great things about registering independent is that you dont get any political leaflets in your post.

    The bad part is you cant vote in the primaries. So does this mean 40% of the electorate are not voting in the primaries?
    Thank the progressives for that.


  • #9
    kaiser sauze
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,558 ✭✭✭kaiser sauze


    Denerick wrote: »
    To be fair the primaries are always decided by tiny groups of activists, maybe 5-10% of the electorate. This is why extremes of left and right pop up all the time. Take California for example, that elected an ultra conservative to run against Barbara Boxer. Not so clever.

    I am also taking immense pleasure in seeing Meg Whitman stumble in her race against Jerry Brown, who has spent 12 times less than she has.

    Barbara Boxer is likely to lose.


  • #10
    Black Swan
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Science, Health & Environment Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 47,539 CMod ✭✭✭✭Black Swan


    kaiser sauze wrote: »
    Barbara Boxer is likely to lose.
    The polls were much closer earlier in this race. Now it appears that Boxer has eased out ahead by 5.5 average points in the latest polls.

    Source: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2010/senate/ca/california_senate_boxer_vs_fiorina-1094.html


  • #11
    kaiser sauze
    Registered Users, Registered Users 2 Posts: 1,558 ✭✭✭kaiser sauze


    Blue_Lagoon wrote: »
    The polls were much closer earlier in this race. Now it appears that Boxer has eased out ahead by 5.5 average points in the latest polls.

    Source: http://www.realclearpolitics.com/epolls/2010/senate/ca/california_senate_boxer_vs_fiorina-1094.html

    Oh, that's good news; it looked for a while as though that Fiorina twit might actually have got in.


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