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GALLUP: Record-High 42% of Americans Identify as Independents
GALLUP ^ | 01/08/2014 | Jeffrey M. Jones

Posted on 01/08/2014 11:14:27 AM PST by SeekAndFind

Forty-two percent of Americans, on average, identified as political independents in 2013, the highest Gallup has measured since it began conducting interviews by telephone 25 years ago. Meanwhile, Republican identification fell to 25%, the lowest over that time span. At 31%, Democratic identification is unchanged from the last four years but down from 36% in 2008.

The results are based on more than 18,000 interviews with Americans from 13 separate Gallup multiple-day polls conducted in 2013.

In each of the last three years, at least 40% of Americans have identified as independents. These are also the only years in Gallup's records that the percentage of independents has reached that level.

Americans' increasing shift to independent status has come more at the expense of the Republican Party than the Democratic Party. Republican identification peaked at 34% in 2004, the year George W. Bush won a second term in office. Since then, it has fallen nine percentage points, with most of that decline coming during Bush's troubled second term. When he left office, Republican identification was down to 28%. It has declined or stagnated since then, improving only slightly to 29% in 2010, the year Republicans "shellacked" Democrats in the midterm elections.

Not since 1983, when Gallup was still conducting interviews face to face, has a lower percentage of Americans, 24%, identified as Republicans than is the case now. That year, President Ronald Reagan remained unpopular as the economy struggled to emerge from recession.

(Excerpt) Read more at gallup.com ...


TOPICS: Culture/Society; News/Current Events; Politics/Elections
KEYWORDS: gallup; galluppoll; independents
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To: CorporateStepsister
The political parties are just one big Mandarin class; instead of moving up through talent, people are required to be toadies of the political class.

Yep. The Big Government party has two faces: Democratic [sic] and Republican.

41 posted on 01/08/2014 12:14:35 PM PST by Standing Wolf (No tyrant should ever be allowed to die of natural causes.)
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To: henkster

This country is filled with people who are looking for that one person to end up doing all the dirty/hard work for them. Obama promised to ‘take care of them’ and now this is why the rest of the nation voted for him. Obama has failed and this is why he’s lost popularity. Bush (GW) expected people to work for that they wanted. He set the foundation, but he expected us to follow through and do our part. GW didn’t hold our hand and tell us what to do. He was despised by the press and liberals as a result.

Obama promised to do everything for us, but go figure, he ‘failed’ to make good times come back and as a result, he’s viewed as a ‘failure.’


42 posted on 01/08/2014 12:19:03 PM PST by CorporateStepsister (I am NOT going to force a man to make my dreams come true)
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To: M. Thatcher

Why thank you!


43 posted on 01/08/2014 12:26:01 PM PST by LibLieSlayer (FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS! BETTER DEAD THAN RED!)
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To: kosciusko51

Yes, mitt was correct. If he had only defended his statement instead of running from it... but mitt is not a warrior... he is a progressive.


44 posted on 01/08/2014 12:27:50 PM PST by LibLieSlayer (FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS! BETTER DEAD THAN RED!)
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To: SeekAndFind

I guess I’m an “I” now. Certainly don’t see where the Republican Party shares any of my values or beliefs anymore. The GOP appears as antogonistic towards them as the Dems do nowadays. The nomination of rancid candidates (McCain, Romney), plus the betrayals by Rubio/Ryan, etc., all took their toll.

The thing, however, that really first caused me to sever my lifelong affiliation to the GOP was watching the backstabbing treatment given Palin, though. The sheer dishonor and disloyalty that the Party demonstrated towards her made me lose every last bit of trust and respect I had for them.


45 posted on 01/08/2014 12:28:14 PM PST by greene66
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To: SeekAndFind

I was a registered “Independent” voter all of my life, at least until 2008. The Independent Party is currently a “Registered” party. Now, I’m an “Unaffiliated” voter.


46 posted on 01/08/2014 12:37:17 PM PST by HippyLoggerBiker (Always carry a flagon of whiskey in case of snakebite and furthermore always carry a small snake.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Scrooge all these labels—its coming down to either one chooses good or evil for direction.


47 posted on 01/08/2014 12:37:25 PM PST by tflabo (Truth or Tyranny)
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To: SeekAndFind

I should add to my previous post that I voted exclusively Republican my entire voting life. Every primary and every general election. I’d go down the list, and vote “R” for every single office, every single time. For almost three decades. Last year that stopped. I voted only for two candidates, whom I knew were 100% “tea party.” I left the rest of the ballots (including the presidential one) blank.

Good going, GOP. I “remember” your 2012 convention, in which the words “tea party” were outlawed, and you told Palin to get lost. It cost you my vote, my family’s votes, and two of my friend’s votes.


48 posted on 01/08/2014 12:41:48 PM PST by greene66
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To: SeekAndFind

I’m a conservative who votes for the most conservative candidate. I am not, nor have I ever been a member of the republican party. I haven’t voted for a democrat since 1976.


49 posted on 01/08/2014 12:51:07 PM PST by MNnice
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To: Trapped Behind Enemy Lines
" straight GOP ticket in the general"

Can you tell me what legislation a GOP president will propose if elected?

50 posted on 01/08/2014 1:48:24 PM PST by ex-snook
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To: Yossarian

In CA couldn’t you do more damage registered as a Dem ... A Repub vote won’t count at all, maybe your vote would sabotage a Dem Primary?


51 posted on 01/08/2014 3:33:38 PM PST by ThePatriotsFlag ("There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide." - Thomas Jefferson)
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To: SeekAndFind
When one has no idea of and no real interest in what's going on, calling oneself "Independent" is always the safe bet.

And it has the added attraction of giving oneself the air of daring, devil-may-care individualism, as well.

52 posted on 01/08/2014 4:01:43 PM PST by BfloGuy ( Even the opponents of Socialism are dominated by socialist ideas.)
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To: BfloGuy

That isn’t accurate, for instance I have never wanted to become a member of the Republican party because they are too liberal, this is common here at FR, an “independent site”, not a republican site.


53 posted on 01/08/2014 8:07:27 PM PST by ansel12 ( Ben Bradlee -- JFK told me that "he was all for people's solving their problems by abortion".)
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To: ex-snook

repealing Obamacare.


54 posted on 01/09/2014 6:14:18 AM PST by Trapped Behind Enemy Lines
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To: Trapped Behind Enemy Lines

and replace?


55 posted on 01/09/2014 9:03:55 AM PST by ex-snook
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To: ex-snook

Yes.....replace with health savings accounts, the ability to buy insurance across state lines, tort reform


56 posted on 01/09/2014 9:08:43 AM PST by Trapped Behind Enemy Lines
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To: ansel12
for instance I have never wanted to become a member of the Republican party because they are too liberal

Fair enough. I painted with too broad a brush. I made the mistake of lumping all independents in with the so-called moderates.

57 posted on 01/09/2014 2:25:56 PM PST by BfloGuy ( Even the opponents of Socialism are dominated by socialist ideas.)
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