Fewer Republicans, More Independents

By Michael Minkoff

A new Gallup poll indicates that American voters are gravitating toward the “independent” label. But they are not moving out of the Democratic rank and file at quite the same rate as they are exiting the Republican herd.

This means a number of things. First, it means that Americans in general are becoming more and more fed up with the current two-party system. More and more voters do not consider themselves well-represented by either party. Fourty-two percent of voters, in fact, now consider themselves Independent. That is the highest number in Gallup’s twenty-five year existence.
Second, the numbers have not changed much for Democrats. About 31% of Americans still claim to be Democrats. That’s the same percentage Democrats had in 2008 when the number dropped from 36%. So, if you were ever curious about how stupid Democrats are, there you go. In the last six years, the Democratic party and the Obama administration have done everything they possibly can to prove their incompetence. But they haven’t done enough to drive away their loyal sheep. Which means there’s pretty much nothing they could ever do to lose their base.
Third, Republicans have really dropped the ball. Clearly, they are the biggest losers in this poll. Now only 25% of Americans surveyed claim to be Republican, and that number has been steadily declining. So congratulations, former Republicans. You actually hold your elected officials accountable somewhat. Unfortunately, the Republican party isn’t listening. Somehow they think most Republicans want more “middle-of-the-road,” RINO candidates like McCain, Romney, and Christie. We don’t. We are leaving the Republican party. Because we don’t want more of the same watered-down compromise.
If anything, this Gallup poll should be a wake-up call to conservatives. Democrats will vote Democrat no matter what. Republicans will leave their party before they vote against their most fundamentally-held principles. If conservatives are going to have any political success, so-called conservative politicians need to prove they have spines.