Pew: Independents Take Center Stage in the Obama Era

From John H. Detweiler - [Linked] is a recent Pew Study on voter attitudes and values. It suggests that the voter is not happy with either party but more unhappy with Republicans. The study also describes how the electorate is changing. Below is a quote from the study: "Republicans and Democrats hold increasingly divergent views about the role of government, the environment and many other issues. As the partisan divide widens, the overall course of the publics thinking is being determined by the tilt in opinions among the growing number of independents, who have a more moderate ideological point of view."

"The political values of independents are mixed and run counter to orthodox liberal and conservative thinking about government. Over the past two years, both Republicans and independents have become more wary of expanding the social safety net. However, most independents join with most Democrats in saying that a free market economy needs government regulation to best serve the public interest. In effect, the publics two-mindedness about government is a product of the way that independents, not partisans, think. But independents continue to be much closer to Democrats than to Republicans with respect to social values, religiosity and beliefs about national security. Indices measuring the relative position of Republicans, Democrats and independents in these three areas show that the views of independents and Democrats have consistently been aligned, while Republicans continue to take a substantially more conservative position."

I suggest that you read at least the overview -- the first ten pages [refers to PDF download] -- and remember the median voter theorem: the side that captures the median wins.

John H. Detweiler
Treasurer Benton County (Oregon) Republican Central Committee