The Myth of the Independent Voter

Share

The Myth of the Independent Voter
Bruce E. Keith,David B. Magleby,Candice J. Nelson,Elizabeth Orr,Mark C. Westlye | 1992-06-17 00:00:00 | University of California Press | 244 | Americas
Few events in American politics over the past two decades have generated more attention than the increasing number of voters calling themselves Independent. By the early 1970s Independents outnumbered Republicans, according to many eminent experts on voting behavior. Yet the authors of this incisive new commentary on American politics claim that most of this widespread speculation on declining party affiliation is simply wrong. They contend that most so-called Independents lean strongly toward one of the two parties and resemble--in all important respects--either Democrats or Republicans. Contrary to expert opinion, only a small segment of voters are truly "independent" of either major party.
Based on the most up-to-date 1990 data, The Myth of the Independent Voter provides a roadmap of the political arena for the general reader and scholar alike. Debunking conventional wisdom about voting patterns and allaying recent concerns about electoral stability and possible third party movements, the authors uncover faulty polling practices that have resulted in a skewed sense of the American voting population.
Demonstrating that most of what has been written about Independents for more than thirty years is myth, this challenging book offers a trenchant new understanding of the party system, voting behavior, and public opinion.
Reviews
Excellent. Essential reading if you want to understand the "independent voter" phenomenon -- what it is and what it isn't, and who these voters really are. Carefully researched, serious scholarship.
Reviews
This book, published in June 1992 (five months before Ross Perot would rock the established political world by performing extremely well in the presidential debates and ultimately getting 20 million votes as an independent) could not have been more off if it tried.



If ever there was a case to be made that you cannot predict the future by simply looking at past trends, this is it. Looking back, it seems that perhaps the authors were simply caught in a moment of hisotry where anything could (and did) happen - the fall of the Soviet Union, the end of the Cold War, and the beginning of the independent political movement sprouting from the seeds sown in the 70s and 80s.



As the independent political movement grew into "third parties" in the 90s - particularly with the election of Jesse Ventura, the growth of the Reform Party, and ending with Ralph Nader's 2000 Green Party Presidential Candidacy (during which independent voters were decisive in the outcome) - this book became more and more a testimony to the disconnection of the political elites (in particular those who wrote it) than any true compass on the impact of the independent voter on the American political scene.



Since 2000, the independent movement has morphed again, moving from third party and independent candidate based efforts (often called "fringe") to a movement much more focused on organizing and empowering the independent voter (particularly the unaffiliated independent voter) - now the fastest growing political force in America. The "big" names of yesteryear - Ross Perot, Jesse Ventura, and Ralph Nader have given way to the grassroots organizers who continue to build the independent movement - the Jaqueline Salit's (editor of the Neo-Independent Magazine), Lenora Fulani's (leader of the very influential and often attacked Independence Party of New York), and Matt Gonzalez's (Independent and sometimes Green Party President of the Board of Supervisors in San Francisco).





Download this book!

Free Ebooks Download