Today is primary day and 3.5 million Flori

Wednesday, January 09, 2008

Do Independent Voters Matter?

Thanks to The Flying Circus for this interesting post called "Do Independent Voters Matter?" with a nice outline of some of the issues facing the independent movement. "Until the system becomes more accommodating to the Independent voter, it appears their importance will continue to be linked solely to an ability to get other mainstream candidates elected."

This is not a small issue. Independents are working to challenge the culture of politics, the WAY politics is done. But I agree that a danger that independents face is being seen as and seeing themselves as merely victimized voters in a 2-party system.

I don't think the restrictions on independents makes their importance cursory. In fact, it points to a rather central importance -- if independents aren't important, why all the fuss and restrictions against them???

1 comment:

Robert B. Winn said...

Independent voters need to start telling the truth about political parties. They do not represent the people of the United States. What they really are is a means of selling European political philosphy to Americans.For anyone who does not remember what the difference between European philosophy and American political philosophy was, Europeans believed that the people exist to serve the government, or in this case, to serve political parties, while Americans at one time believed that the government was supposed to serve the people.
Here in Arizona the latest party scheme is to portray independents as undecided because they are not in a party. No, I am not undecided. I decided a long time ago that I would never join a political party. The philosophy in this state seems to be, If you do not join a party, we will make things so bad for you by taking away rights that you will have to join. Wrong approach to try to convince me.
I am convinced that political parties are exactly what George Washington said they were, an imposition of what Washington called "artificial authority".