42% of Americans Ditch Two-Party System, Say Government Is Biggest Problem
Submitted by Claire Bernish via TheAntiMedia.org,
More people in the United States than ever are breaking away from the political duopoly by refusing to self-identify as either Democrat or Republican — and they now effectively comprise the true silent majority: Independents.
According to a Gallup poll released Monday, for 2015, just 29% of respondents call themselves Democrats, while 26% identify as Republicans — but fully 42% say ‘nay’ to both parties and claim to be Independents, down only marginally from 43% last year. Indeed, Independents as a group reached 40% of the population for the first time in 2011, and have comprised at least that percentage since then.
Before Gallup began polling by phone in 1988, “there were several years when the average percentage of Republican identifiers … was lower than 25%.” But for Democrats, that self-identification reached a 27-year low, down from the previous year’s 30% — and because “data from 1951-1987 collected in person never found a yearly average Democratic identification less than 37%,” it is “safe to conclude that the current 29% is also the lowest in Gallup polling history.”
When pressed further, 16% of Independents admitted leaning Democratic and another 16% admitted a Republican tendency, evidencing the weight of the two-party system on voters’ feelings, as Gallup pointed out, “because in most elections, voters are asked to choose a candidate from one of the two parties.”
What could explain this virtual nadir in party identification? It’s the gub’ment, stupid.
For the second year in a row, exasperation with the government topped the U.S. populace’s list of pressing grievances in a separate Gallup poll. They named it the nation’s number one problem more often than the ubiquitous ‘economy.’ In fact, of the last 15 years, the economy was the top complaint eight times — including each of the six years prior to the government, itself, taking first place in 2014.
With party fervor inevitably headed for a crescendo with the 2016 presidential race in full swing, perhaps the lackluster red and blue loyalty evidences the precursor to a shift. Imagine the possibilities should this silently growing majority decide to cast votes outside the two-party platform. Maybe, just maybe, these Independents have begun to see the duopoly for what it is — two sides of the same tarnished coin.
(11 votes)
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BUT, BUT, WE NEED SOMEBODY TO TELL US HOW TO RUN OUR LIVES!!
because being an independent gives people more opportunities to guess wrong on these "elections"
I’ve never understood how political parties can exist “within the government/constitution”. Why do I pay to have the name Dem/Rep on a ballot or on a podium/seat marker? Why not Exxon/Ford/JPM. Parties before they enter office are fine but once they are in, no. Let the best man be selected as chairmen of committees, speaker, bla, bla.
We need another Andrew Jackson. He was the last President to have a true balanced budget. Before his death, he was asked what his greatest achievement was... He replied, "I killed the Bank!"
Jackson was a murderous racist asshole. Oh! Just like many other presidents!
Wrong, most other presidents the past century were whiny slimy politicians. Trump is the closest thing we've had to a Jackson in a long long time.
Occasionally, you need a brazen asshole to tell you what's wrong with you.
"42% of Americans ... Say Government Is Biggest Problem"
In related news: 58% are morons who are on the gubmint dole.
It's not the Government that is the problem, it's the Owners of the Government that SUCK!
While the Dems and GOP slug it out with false narratives and staged crisis designed to keep the people confused and in fear, 42% with an IQ above room temperature have figured out that it's all a ruse... The only problem is how to seize control of government from the lackeys, liars and frauds? It sure as hell cannot happen under the current structure of government in the US...
Go back to Salon.
its important to look at the context of the times. Yes, Jackson was racist and murderous towards the indians. This was the norm for whites in those times, there were few politicans who didn't mostly think along those same lines. Most thought of the indians as nothing but savages and wanted them gone, felt they were interfering with progress. But, unlike every other president of that era, Jackson performed a great service to his country, one that is nearly without presidence - he killed the central bank, which is the single worst entity in this country, since it enables all the rest of them to exist.No other president has had the courage to do what that man did, and we owe him a great debt of gratitude. Even though we (obviously) have a central bank again, he at least showed us that it can be done.
Its also funny how liberals scream about "racist asshole" jackson and love to quote all the nasty things he said, most of which, yes, he probably did say. But lincoln said just as bad and worse about blacks, and he gets a free pass, because he "freed the slaves" even though, in his own words, the war had nothing to do with slaves and everything to do with "preserving the union" and he is a hero, and all the terrible rayccist things he said are forgiven. Personally, when comparing the two "racist" former presidents side by side, Ill choose the one who ended the scourge of America known as its central bank over the one who waged a totally unneccessary and unconstitutional war that killed close to a million people any day.
I can overlook the small stuff of anyone who can kill the Fed.
They don't even seem smart enough to vote for auditing the Fed and then paying off the auditors for an UO.
I mean! That's how it fucking works idiot Senate!
It’s been a one party system with two operating divisions ever since Kennedy.
Even Reagan bore this out by not eviscerating Tip O’Neil and the Democraps for not living up to their spending cut promises after the massive 1983 Omnibus National Spending Scam Bill.
True.
But - as far as the "show" goes, this development should yeild some real "pass the popcorn" moments.
My prediction is that as general participation in the two-party system drops, the primary voting party members will be reduced to the hardcore "true beleivers" on each side who will nominate more and more extreme candidates - leaving independants in a lurch. For example, let's say Hilary does get derailed by her numerous scandals - then we're looking at Trump v. Sanders?
Yowsa!
The Democrats as an "opposition" party died circa 1910, when they dumped their Jefferson-Jackson, populist, Free Silver, farmer-labor traditions, and were bought out by the same Finance-Industrial interests that had founded the Republicans. Post haste, the USA got the FED, the IRS and World War... and we've never looked back.
FWIW "identifying" as neither a Dem or a Rep is pretty much beside the point if you still end up voting for them.
Americans are coming to realize they don't have any say so in what rules they have to live under. The two DC-based, globally funded parties do not answer to them. The decentralized structures advocated in localism is the answer.
From Neighbors of Arkansas, localist influenced group
Specifically, here are the problematic features of our current candidate selection system which undermine our system of government as originally envisioned by the Founders….
1) Candidates for state and federal officers are members of the same political clubs, undermining the original intent of the Founders that the state and federal governments would serve as a check and a balance on one another. Instead, they collude together to centralize power on behalf of those who run their respective hierarchies.
2) Members of the legislative branch of government are part of the same political club as the Governor or President who heads the Executive Branch, undermining the intent of the Founders that the branches of government serve as a check and a balance on one another. The Legislature in particular is meant to be the “People’s Branch” and representative of the people, not the head of whatever political club they are a member of.
3) The “first past the post” method of determining the winner for all state and federal offices artificially restricts people’s choices to two parties. Citizens are afraid that if they vote their conscience it will “split the vote” resulting in the election of their least preferred choice. But this method of determining the winner is not in the interest of the people. It is only in the interests of the two parties who don’t have to provide a product that people want- they only have to be less repulsive to voters than the one alternative. The parties do not use this method to select their own candidates, or elect their own officers- they have run offs. In addition, we have run-off elections for city and county offices already. Why not for state legislative races (at the least) as well?
4) The present system maximizes the influence and leverage of special interests against the influence of the folks back home. Under the present system, since all candidate choice comes through one of two political hierarchies, lobbyists need not convince each legislator as an individual of the merits of a bill, they need only get the party or party leaders behind it and the rest tend to fall into line. Not only that but….
5) Some special interests, such as big banking, have bought their way into influence in both major parties, meaning that the people who think the banks have been given too much don’t have a party to vote for on this issue. It is even worse at the federal level, where both parties push for global solutions to all issues, and only quibble about whose friends get the most money first.
6) The party system means that even the good legislators who are in the system face pressure to cover for bad ideas which have the favor of the party. When another legislator in their party is not telling the truth, they can’t call them out on it without facing blow-back from the group. The system retards meaningful dialogue between legislators and their constituents when the legislator is pressured to stay “on message” and tow the party line rather than simply tell the folks back home what they are really thinking.
7) The present system strongly incentivizes ugly mud-slinging and non-issues focused campaigns. Since there is only one other realistic choice, each side knows that if they can scare people out of voting for the other person, voters have no where else to go other than to vote for them. If there were a third, fourth, or fifth choice, the mudslinger would be hurt almost as much as the person they fling mud at.
These are fundamental, systemic flaws to our political system which strongly serve to centralize power. And of course power tends to corrupt. None of these serious and endemic flaws can be fixed working within the two-party system, because all of these outcomes are by-products of a two party system.
The only way these problems can be addressed is if people quit putting 100% of their political eggs in a two-party basket model that has consistently failed. We at neighbors want to be a network of community groups who recruit good people to run for state and local offices as Independents. If candidates we recruit are elected, they will not owe their election to a party label managed in Washington. They will not owe their election to some distant political machine, but to members of their own community, as well as their own personal reputations.
Gladly. Send me all your money and STFU!
Need to get it to 60% - 70%
30% to 40% remain "lost", mesmerized by whatever is dangling in their field of vision for the moment. That can't be fixed (for now)
That 30-40% are on the free shit train. Good luck getting them to disembark
The ONE party system doesn't care what any of those people think. But thanks for responding to the survey just the same. Here's your cookie.
Yep, it's not like they get to vote for a different system of govenment than the mess we have now.
Just means you cannot vote in a primary in many states.
Effect=0
IDK, I am in the 'if there is no good choice, do not legitimize the election by voting' camp.
What some call 'lack of voter turnout' I call it a 'civil war indicator'.
I have seen the rot and injustice in this system.
I will be fucked sideways if i am going to take part in it. Because a vote IN this system is a vote FOR the system.
pods
Is a Diebold machine in charge of these "surveys"?
WWE "opponents" share the same locker room. So does congress. One Party. Indivisible. No liberty or Justice for Most.
+1
I'd like to see the poll of "percentage of politicians that actually give a shit what American people think".
Now that's an article worth reading.
Just sayin.
The other 58% of the people are fucking stupid.
The last time one of those clipboard carrying canvassers came by my place (before the sign went up) the conversation was short and sweet.
"I am an anarchist, and I do not believe anyone has the right to rule over anyone else, no matter how many people think it's okay."
"Okay, well thanks."
Voting is just a Final Survey with a 20-30% margin of error, depending on who is counting the votes.
They probably looked at you like you had a dick growing out of your forehead
She had that "Ummm, no thanks, I don't want to see your basement" look.
Basement, or dungeon?
Well that depends on your point of view and whether you are holding the lease, or tied to it.
pods
Did you offer her some "Free Candy" ???
You are a jesuit or a jew.
Quit lyin.
Why you always lying?
And what does your sign say?
Independents typically lean conservative/moderate or fiscal conservative, social moderate.
The old-timers still can't break the indoctrination but the yutes...there may be hope. I thank Ron Paul for any influence he had in this "awakening."
After the collapse, not before. This system can't be fixed from within.
Quick, we need help, all the cancer cells are dying!
"We are thinking about reform here in the whorehouse.
Send in the virgins!"
Only 42% think the current two party system is a sham ? What the fuck are the other 58% thinking ????
Oh, the other 58% is the Free Shit Army....
I think you may be right*. Am at Starbucks, and the two people seated near me in the big comfy leather chairs started talking politics, and turns out they're both all-in for The Bern.
*Statistically invalid sample size.
I was wondering what kind of drugs the other 58% are on...how can they be so blind or so stupid.
Wait, don't answer that. FSA troopers on the march...
With Congress letting Obama do what he wants and the Republican establishment going after its number one canidate (and the only one who is electable in a general election) wht do tey expect? I won't even go into the shit so on the other side.
What's the BIGGEST SOLUTION ?
SOLUTION: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Guillotine
4G warefare: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/uAFdeLvT520/maxresdefault.jpg
Other than my laptop and 9 yr. old cellphone, I'm an increasingly ebullient Luddite. I like good old-fashioned things (tools) that just work. I believe a good rope coupled with a sturdy horse and a nearby tree (read: lamppost) have these qualities I admire. A shame they do not get the use together as they should....