Democrats Losing Plurality Advantage
Category: News & Politics
Via: robert-in-ohio • 4 months ago • 39 commentsBy: Story by Johnathan Jones
More and more U.S> voters are unaffiliated with either of the major political parties.
I would offer that this is a good thing for our country.
Just one more reason why major election ballots should include more than the candidates of the Democrats and Republicans.
What say you?
Let's try and discuss the why of the issue presented, rather than grandiosely stating that the Republicans are evil and the Democrats are saviors or that the Democrats are idiots and the Republicans have the answers. Neither of which is true in my view.
Let the games begin
S E E D E D C O N T E N T
Some excerpts from the article
T he percentage of Americans who identify as Democrats plunged to a record low last year, according to a new poll published just 10 months before the party tries to re-elect its unpopular president.
A Gallup survey released on Friday said the Democratic Party’s advantage in numbers disappeared in 2023, and there are as many Republicans as there are Democrats for the first time since 2004.
.....
At the end of the year, 27 percent of Americans said they identified as Democrats, which was tied with the percentage who identified as Republicans .
.....
Simultaneously, the percentage of Americans who identify as politically independent has skyrocketed to match its highest level.
Forty-three percent of Americans called themselves independent in 2023, which matches the mark from 2014.
....
The pollster also concluded that Biden's party is “clearly in a weaker position than they have been in any recent election year.”
You can read the entire article at
Number of Americans Identifying as Democrats Plunges to Record Low: Poll (msn.com)
I am sure that some verbal scuffling cannot be avoided - but let's try and stay on point without attacking each other.
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I thought this would generate a little discussion - my bad
no one sees the article until the first comment is made
John
Thanks I either didn't know that or totally forgot - thanks for the info
Of course, it is a good thing when more people vote on issues rather than by party affiliation.
I agree - we should always be voting on issues and candidate qualifications rather than for red or blue.
Normally it would Robert, let me bring you up to speed. [Deleted]
[Deleted]
It is pretty well known that "independents" lean one way or the other, so the fact they have a numerical advantage doesnt mean much.
There are right leaning independents and left leaning independents. If not, how could they decide on an issue? Very few issues break right down the middle in political terms.
John
I think that is largely true, but some independents (me for example) are moderate (a little left of center) on social issues and policies while being staunchly conservative on fiscal issues. For instance in the past I voted for Carter, Reagan (x2), Bush Sr, Clinton (x2), Bush Jr (x2), McCain, Romney and Independent candidates in 2016 and 2020 (and likely in 2024).
At the state county and local level it is easier to actually be acquainted with the candidates and the actual issues and solutions and my voting is even more NOT ALONG PARTY LINES.
Sometimes I have ended up voting for an independent candidate because I thought neither the D or R was good for the country, state, county or village.
Thanks for the feedback
Have never been a member of any political party, but do find myself voting moderate left more often than moderate right.
Just don't care for the "hate of the other" that pervades the right.
I think that it is a reflection of the growing dissatisfaction with our political elites.
I agree
The Dems are losing supporters in just about every demographic.
That is largely true, but the key point to note is that those losses are not translating to gains by the Republicans but rather a growing number of unaffiliated voters.
I hope so.
I would love to see party affiliation down to single digit percentages.
Not realistic of course. So the realistic hope is to have three or more viable political parties.
Even though I earned a couple of degrees in environmental science, have never wasted a vote on the green party.
Understandably.
An education put to good use and benefit for sure
In my view, a political independent is an individual who does not have any measure of party loyalty influencing their vote. To a political independent, what matters are the character of the politicians and the policies they support.
That does not mean that a political independent might not vote heavily (if not fully) for a particular party. There are situations where one seeks to balance political power. For example, if the likely presidential winner is seen as a bad choice, one might vote to help Congress have a strong political counter to that president.
I tend to do the research.
Look at what every candidate has done in their lives.
Most in the contemporary (vs legacy) GOP apparently do NOT do that.
totally agree, involvement in the process and knowledge about candidates and issues is more important than simply choosing blue or red (D or R)
In my view, a true independent never votes against someone, but rather finds a candidate or an issue to vote for, but that requires one to get involved, to get educated on issues and alternatives and to participate actively in the political process - unfortunately too few Americans want to expend the effort required to be truly politically independent while staying involved in the process.
I appreciate your view, which I agree is how many "independents" vote
I do not see that as a defining criterion for an independent.
I am a political independent and I recognize that we will almost certainly be stuck with Biden v Trump. No third party has a chance in 2024. Given this reality, either Biden or Trump will be PotUS and neither are fit for the office. I will vote against Trump because there is no way this abysmal human being should ever be allowed access to the presidency. He is by far, the worst of the two choices; he is also, by far, the worst nominee for PotUS that I have seen in my lifetime.
If by some miracle Haley is nominated, I will vote for her since Biden is too old to hold the office of the presidency and I do not want to see Harris rise to the office.
Perhaps because I'm a Canadian I see advantages in there being more than 2 major parties with the possibility of coalitions to govern. As I've said previously, it has led to certain advantages for the public, such as universal health care, although I've been noticing lately that the system is having some problems. Maybe too many who graduate Medicine in Canada move to the USA to practise because it's more profitable, although doctors in Canada live a pretty comfortable life. In fact I recall that many years ago I caught the flu when in Florida, and when I went to the doctor there I saw from his framed certificate that he had graduated from the University of Toronto medical school, which did make me feel pretty secure about his qualifications. However, I digress. The main point I'm trying to make is it's a shame that an independent third party does not do better in the USA, but maybe this November it will - there are good reasons why it should. It's probably a fantasy that Liz Cheney would head up an American Personal Integrity Party and draw non-extremist untainted principled members from both major parties and a lot of the independents. I would certainly vote for that if I were qualified to do so.
ore and more U.S> voters are unaffiliated with either of the major political parties.
That's true, but the parties have gotten more partisan at the same time. Most independents aren't really independent, they consistently vote the same way, but they leave the actual party politics to the committed members who tend to have the most extreme views.
Seems the left has become more centrist and the right has become more fascist thanks to Trump.
right has become more fascist
from the guy who claims:
ust don't care for the "hate of the other" that pervades the right.
Comedy
I believe it is safe to assume the irony was clearly missed in that statement.
Personally, I never knew there were fascists everywhere you turn in America. I have never even met one, have you?
Where do folks hang out to meet them?
Is there a club or something?
Secret handshake or password to gain entrance?
And yet the far right just keeps going further and further into Nazi fascism.
That comment is ignorant.
Fascists root for judges to be murdered. Who here has done that? Hint. Not me!
The amount of delusion you see among some progressives is truly troubling. It resembles a break from reality. That the left has moved far, far to the left over the last thirty years is unarguable. For instance. This used to be mainstream democratic thought on illegal immigration Now it’s open borders .
of course, you have to be grounded in reality to grasp this.
This fascist shit is getting out of hand.
It is delusional, ignorant, unrealistic, and Grade A bullshit.
The display of ignorance in such comments is astounding and should be condemned by any thinking adult reading such nonsense.
I tend to agree that Trump has dragged many so called Republicans farther and farther right, but to state that the Democratic Party has become more centrist is fantasy. The move left is as pronounced in the Democratic Party as the move to the right is in the Republican Party. That is why true independents are so important in this and every election.
I agree that there has been a serious move to the left among Democrats, but it is balanced, if not outweighed by the dramatic dash to the far right by so many "Republicans".
Neither is good for the country, which is naturally centrist in my view.
Indeed
I’d like to see both parties split in two. Let the moderate, common sense dems (yes, there are some common sense dems) have their party and let the far left wackos have theirs. Split the repubs into establishment and maga factions. the electoral college would need to be reworked because with 4 parties vying for the nomination it is highly unlikely one party would get the required number of e votes.
Sounds like a move towards a parliament type of government where coalitions of parties would be required for governing rather than party line votes determining the country's path in the world.