The power of independent voters is being heralded in the wake of the Massachusetts Senate race. The winner, Scott Brown, a Republican, went so far as to declare election night, “Tonight, the independent majority has delivered a great victory.”
The number of voters without allegiance to political parties is large and increasing. Thirty-six percent of American voters identify themselves as independents, according to the Pew Research Center. Significantly, 45 percent of voters between the ages 25 and 40 describe themselves as independent.
The prevailing image of independents is that they are savvier, more skeptical voters than partisans. But a closer evaluation of independents – and the causes and consequences of their growing numbers – provides disturbing insights into the health of our democracy. “Independents were an ornery lot in an angry mood” was one pollster’s assessment of why Brown won. “Volatile” is a label commonly applied to independents. A more penetrating description is “disconnected.”
Surveys shows that people who identify themselves as independents are less politically knowledgeable, interested and active than partisans, especially strong partisans. For example, the American National Election Studies, a long-running survey, has found that independents are less likely than partisans to seek news about a current election, contribute money to candidates and vote.
Because they tend to be less informed, independents are less capable of evaluating candidates based on policy positions or facts. Independents are more likely to be attracted to candidates who, regardless of their ideology, appear genuine and honest – “straight shooters” and “mavericks” – and who challenge the status quo – “outsiders.” They seek “change,” but without specifics. They applaud attacks on “special interests,” even if, as the case may be, the interests being protected are their own.
All of this helps explain the election of Brown, a Republican partisan who successfully projected the image of a change-seeking outsider.
Unfortunately, the growing number and fickleness of independents has a disproportionate – and negative – impact on our political discourse, as candidates appeal to them with images and buzz words, tapping into the mood of the moment, while providing less insight into their views on the policies and issues that impact their constituents.
The growth of independent voters is not an isolated phenomenon. Social scientists and other analysts have identified signs of weakening social ties and disconnection at various levels of society. These range broadly from shrinking membership in unions, bowling leagues, local political clubs and civic groups to the decline of newspapers, reduced trust in institutions of all kinds, and withdrawal into like-minded enclaves.
These trends, along with deepened cynicism about government and politicians bred by the Vietnam War, Watergate and a more sensational press, nurture and sustain the increase in independent voters.
Contrary to conventional wisdom, however, partisanship can be healthy for democracy. Partisans, more so than independents, inform and engage those around them about politics and policy. Partisans are, in this sense, fuel that powers our democracy. And political parties are an important engine – helping identify issues and interests, educating and involving voters, supporting candidates and holding elected officials accountable. Unfortunately, the rise of independent voters signals a triumph of style over substance, reaction over engagement and disconnection over democracy.
Truthout Is Preparing to Meet Trump’s Agenda With Resistance at Every Turn
Dear Truthout Community,
If you feel rage, despondency, confusion and deep fear today, you are not alone. We’re feeling it too. We are heartsick. Facing down Trump’s fascist agenda, we are desperately worried about the most vulnerable people among us, including our loved ones and everyone in the Truthout community, and our minds are racing a million miles a minute to try to map out all that needs to be done.
We must give ourselves space to grieve and feel our fear, feel our rage, and keep in the forefront of our mind the stark truth that millions of real human lives are on the line. And simultaneously, we’ve got to get to work, take stock of our resources, and prepare to throw ourselves full force into the movement.
Journalism is a linchpin of that movement. Even as we are reeling, we’re summoning up all the energy we can to face down what’s coming, because we know that one of the sharpest weapons against fascism is publishing the truth.
There are many terrifying planks to the Trump agenda, and we plan to devote ourselves to reporting thoroughly on each one and, crucially, covering the movements resisting them. We also recognize that Trump is a dire threat to journalism itself, and that we must take this seriously from the outset.
After the election, the four of us sat down to have some hard but necessary conversations about Truthout under a Trump presidency. How would we defend our publication from an avalanche of far right lawsuits that seek to bankrupt us? How would we keep our reporters safe if they need to cover outbreaks of political violence, or if they are targeted by authorities? How will we urgently produce the practical analysis, tools and movement coverage that you need right now — breaking through our normal routines to meet a terrifying moment in ways that best serve you?
It will be a tough, scary four years to produce social justice-driven journalism. We need to deliver news, strategy, liberatory ideas, tools and movement-sparking solutions with a force that we never have had to before. And at the same time, we desperately need to protect our ability to do so.
We know this is such a painful moment and donations may understandably be the last thing on your mind. But we must ask for your support, which is needed in a new and urgent way.
We promise we will kick into an even higher gear to give you truthful news that cuts against the disinformation and vitriol and hate and violence. We promise to publish analyses that will serve the needs of the movements we all rely on to survive the next four years, and even build for the future. We promise to be responsive, to recognize you as members of our community with a vital stake and voice in this work.
Please dig deep if you can, but a donation of any amount will be a truly meaningful and tangible action in this cataclysmic historical moment.
We’re with you. Let’s do all we can to move forward together.
With love, rage, and solidarity,
Maya, Negin, Saima, and Ziggy