'I’m just kind of sick of them'

Not to go all Ben Franklin on you, but this, taken from a Washington Post and Kaiser Family Foundation study, seems almost paradigmatic of today's independent voter: 

For some Americans, the term "independent" is merely confirmation that they’ve tuned out of the political process....

"Washington is just a bunch of liars and thieves, and I’m just kind of sick of them," said Scott O., who would not provide his last name for publication. He said he did not vote in 2008 and has no plans to register this year.

Atta boy.

Mr. O. abdicates his civic obligation to think critically, and to consequently act on that thought, and then he bemoans the inexorable outcome. It resembles the murderous-orphan-pleading-for-mercy defense, except in this instance, we're the ones being led to slaughter.

Indeed it is you, Mr. O., who have given us the ideological liars and the fiscal thieves and, far worse, the criminally nitwitted such as Joe Walsh, Michele Bachman, and Todd Akin. America doesn't need a majority of enthusiastic imbeciles for the nihilistic, tea-partying hooligans to have their way. It only needs, Mr. O., that crucial margin of you.

Thanks a lot. 

Comments

[Robert Lipscomb]

This presents a paradox. I feel that every voter should vote, but I am glad that we have no more voters than we do.

I wish more people would dig into the facts, develop an informed opinion and vote based on that.

That is not the electorate we have. Given the electorate we have, voter turnout is probably too high.

[Peter G]

I think it is a mistake to believe there is a paradigmatic independent voter that fits this bill. i know quite a few people who consider themselves independents. some are far to the right and some to the left. Both seem to hold the mainstream parties in disdain if not outright contempt. There is a third group that actually sees nuance in policy and is not comfortable giving blind allegiance to either party and there is a fourth group that are comfortably ignorant and generally content to remain so. The strategies for picking up these voters or sufficiently discouraging the ones who are antithetical to your view so that they don't vote at all is black political art.

[Frankly Curious]

I think Peter G is right, at least in part. I know some people who are far to the right who insist upon being called independents. They normally vote Republican. There was a study (if it were my blog, I'd look it up, but I'll be lazy here) that showed that most independents tilted distinctly Democratic or Republican. I think people just want to sound open minded.

I call myself a Democrat because no one is interested in the ins and outs of my political beliefs that are, in the end, not well represented by the Democratic party. But when people ask, they just want to know if I am liberal or conservative. I think people should be straight forward about this.

In my experience, conservatives are conservative; liberals are liberal; and moderates are liberal. In fact, I think that study I mentioned showed that most self claimed independents were really Democrats.

One last thing. I would put my older sister, who doesn't follow politics, up against your average Fox News addict. She may not know what is going on in the world, but what she does know is actually true. And she's never even heard of Solyndra--because it is a none issue.