That's a surprise. I mistook you for a youthful Democrat. That's what I was, a registered Democrat except for a few years in my 20s when, still a registered Democrat, I was a member of YPSL -Norman Thomas supporter, Young Peoples Socialist League. Very anti-Communist. But if this was today, YPSL if it still existed in its early 60s form, would be pro-Bernie Sanders. Anyway, I dropped out of the Democratic Party some time in the 1980s, can't remember exactly when. By 1992, while I cringed whenever he opened his mouth, I supported Perot. Have been a registered Indy here in Oregon ever since 1999 when I relocated from Arizona. I still think that Bernie is a good man when it comes to defense of the working man and lower income people but the SP on social / values issues has become , for me, complete anathema. Billy =================================================== 12/23/2011 10:28:46 A.M. Pacific Standard Time, [email protected] writes:
I am way ahead of the curve. I have been independent all of my life, except one brief Republican stint when one of my former employees ran for congress and needed votes in his first primary (he won and eventually became Governor). As far as trends for the general elections, I wouldn’t read much into the relative numbers. I think North Carolina elections director Gary Bartlett is right, "whoever is attractive to the unaffiliated voter." Chris From: [email protected] [mailto:[email protected]] On Behalf Of [email protected] Sent: Friday, December 23, 2011 11:04 AM To: [email protected] Cc: [email protected] Subject: [RC] Party Registration Dems- 42 million Reps- 30 million Indies- 24 million Dec 23, 2011 USA TODAY Voters leaving Republican, Democratic parties in droves By Richard Wolf, USA TODAY WASHINGTON – More than 2.5 million voters have left the Democratic and Republican parties since the 2008 elections, while the number of independent voters continues to grow. A USA TODAY analysis of state voter registration statistics shows registered Democrats declined in 25 of the 28 states that register voters by party. Republicans dipped in 21 states, while independents increased in 18 states. The trend is acute in states that are key to next year's presidential race. In the eight swing states that register voters by party, Democrats' registration is down by 800,000 and Republicans' by 350,000. Independents have gained 325,000. * The pattern continues a decades-long trend that has seen a diminution in the power of political parties, giving rise to independents as _Ross Perot_ (http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/People/Business,+Science+and+Technology+Figures/Ross+Perot) and _Ralph Nader_ (http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/People/Activists/Ralph+Nader) and the popularity this year of libertarian Republican Ron Paul. "The strident voices of both the left and the right have sort of soured people from saying willingly that they belong to one party or the other," says _Doug Lewis_ (http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/Doug+Lewis) , who represents state elections officials. "If both sides call each other scurrilous dogs, then the public believes that both sides are probably scurrilous dogs." Registered Democrats still dominate the political playing field with more than 42 million voters, compared to 30 million Republicans and 24 million independents. But Democrats have lost the most — 1.7 million, or 3.9%, from 2008. Democratic registration has fared worse than Republicans in Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, _New Hampshire_ (http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/Places,+Geography/States,+Territories,+Provinces,+Islands/U.S.+States/New+H ampshire) , _New Mexico_ (http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/Places,+Geography/States,+Territories,+Provinces,+Islands/U.S.+States/New+Mexico) , _North Carolina_ (http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/Places,+Geography/States,+Territories,+Provinces,+Islands/U.S.+States/North+Carolina) and Pennsylvania — the eight swing states with party registration. Republican losses are biggest in Nevada, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. The decline is due to a variety of factors. People move, people die, people revolt in disgust. Many are stripped from registration rolls by states seeking to remove inactive voters. By contrast, the number of independents has grown for years and is up more than 400,000 since 2008, or 1.7%. States with big gains: Colorado, Florida, North Carolina — and Arizona, a possible target for President Obama in _2012_ (http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/2012) . The 2012 winner, says North Carolina elections director _Gary Bartlett_ (http://content.usatoday.com/topics/topic/Gary+Bartlett) , will be "whoever is attractive to the unaffiliated voter." -- Centroids: The Center of the Radical Centrist Community <[email protected]> Google Group: http://groups.google.com/group/RadicalCentrism Radical Centrism website and blog: http://RadicalCentrism.org
