Tweet
While the Obama administration is thinking about ways to win over independents in anticipation of the 2012 election, they actually should be worried that a large segment of former Democrats are no longer choosing to identify themselves with the party. From Gallup:
In 2010, 31% of Americans identified as Democrats, down five percentage points from just two years ago and tied for the lowest annual average Gallup has measured in the last 22 years. While Democrats still outnumber Republicans by two points, the percentage identifying as independents increased to 38%, on the high end of what Gallup has measured in the last two decades. [...]
While there is usually some year-to-year variation in party identification at the aggregate level, the changes are typically not large. Thus, the five-point drop in Democratic identification over the past two years, from the party’s 22-year high of 36% (tying the 1988 figure) to its 22-year low of 31%, is notable.
Perhaps equally significant is that the percentage of Americans identifying as Republicans has increased only slightly to 29% during this time, and remains on the low end of what Gallup has measured the past two decades.
This would indicate that the success of the GOP in 2010 was not the result of Republicans successfully winning new converts with new ideas, but a direct result of the failure of the Democratic party.
We did not see a significant segment of Democrats and independents deciding they now ideologically belong with the Republican Party, but we did see a lot of former Dems deciding for some reason that they no longer wanted to associate with the Democrats.
Instead of President Obama worrying about winning over independents, he should think about dealing with the more serious problem of stopping the bleeding away of his party’s base.
43 Comments
Been there, done that.
Obama’s not worried about anything. He’s a Republican. Two more years and out to Golden Sacks. Killing the Democratic party is his job, and he’s doing it well.
Solution: move more to the center. /s
A lot of elected Democrats are trying to run away from the new reality
Democrats need to stop complaining and recognize the fact that the NET ROOTS are major players in the Dem Party and their power is only growing.
A lot of those Dems that no longer call themselves Dems are probably DEMS that HATE Dems like Obama, Ben Nelson, Max Baucus, etc.
(I doubt if any former Dems quit calling themselves Dems to go join the Tea Party)
the INTELLIGENT LEFT knows OBAMA is a TROJAN HORSE
Obama jumps in bed with Wall Street this week, thinking that some mythical voter in the center of USA will praise him for punching hippies.
Obama and other Dems did not read the following MEMO
HIPPIES now hit BACK!
you got it!
bullseye!
Too bad they don’t as Is to identify whether they are lefty I or righty I.
Obama was a brilliant hire by the corporate oligarchy. Instead of substance, we got identity politics.
Cenk had a poll on Dylan show, that clearly showed that most people lean Left.
for example when you ask people where they stand on the issues
most americans love the public option
most americans hate the wars
most american hate the bush tax cuts for the ultra rich etc.
the MSM tries to hide these facts.
in 2008 I think the USA witness version 1.0 of Net Root power
in 2012 I think the USA will witness verson 9.0 of Net Root Power.
the “so call center” is a corporate myth.
people either vote D or R
That would be almost be a joke, except the LA Times (online) when writing about Daley becoming PR Frontman, described ti as a move toward the center.
I’m well aware of where people stand on the issues.
That is irrelevant for pols, who are intent on the corp agenda, regardless of where the voters stand on policies.
I thought it might be helpful (though unlikely, considering all the $$ are on the other side), if you could actually get those polled to actually identify as leaning left or leaning right on, you know, actual polls.
Problem is there aren’t enough to make a difference, in the world where we actually vote.
Take there power away.Obama needs removeing.The incumbent Senate needs to be cleaned out.The longer there in office the better thay get at spinning and selling out the bottom 80%.Freshman don’t know all the tricks.The new speaker of the house passed out tobacco bribes on the house floor.
with sites like FDL you have much more intelligent voter on the left
this leads to people waking up and saying Dems are just like the Reps.
so I am going to go independent because I hate both dems and reps.
in the old days, the so call liberal media control how dems thought about issues. (I and a lot other did not know how the Veal Pen worked)
Jane and others expose a lot of the Kabuki games Ds and Rs play.
more people everyday are coming to the conclusion that the Ds are just like the Rs.
Ralph Nader is right
http://www.youtube.com/user/nowthenzen#p/u/1/iXYIrkk4m4A
He’s been right all his life, although some real lefties disagree with him on his signature accomplishment – the Corvair, – a perfectly fine car, says Alexander Cockburn.
31% and tanking, that’s good news. Both Parties seems on course to enter the election season with 25% each, counting on BLS to publish more unemployment BS. Interesting times.
From a frequent commenter to Glenn Greenwald’s posts at salon.com:
http://www.webdsi.com/jebbie/bakesale.html
I hope many of you will join me on February 16 unregistering from the Democratic Party. I have always been a registered Democrat, but no more.
Why is that a problem, again?
Why are you more worried about the dwindling fortunes of some elite, corporatist Legacy Party than the leadership of that Party?
Seems that an increase in the number of folks who decline to vote against their own interests is a good thing.
Obama has cured me of the Democrats. I first voted for McGovern, lost hope with Clinton and Obummer. The Carter years were good from my perspective, but trashed by most as lame or should I say, “malaise?” Whatever, they seemed to be the time of greatest freedom in my life. Live and let live. Then came Ronnie and his moral followers. Gag.
I will certainly switch my affiliation to independent and most like not vote at the Presidential level for some time to come, or until the end. I will not participate in the circus duopoly. How long can this shit last?
Peace brothers and sisters.
Incredible what has happened in 2 short years.
The generational “change” election that was supposed to be the final death knell of the Republican Party and the permanent triumverate victory of the Dems is upended in just 2 short years as the Democrats led by Obama manage to alienate almost every single sector of the electorate and drive off into the wilderness the maligned and scorned liberal left, workers, unions, teachers, peaceniks, Rule of Law afficianados and the like.
Really, really incredible. Breathtaking.
By calling yourself a Democrat these days, you inevitably have to defend Obama and his policies, many of which are Republican policies. Who wants to do that, and who wants to do it if you don’t get paid for it? It ain’t worth the aggravation, and many of Obama’s policies are warmed over Republican ones (like the individual mandate in his health care plan). I can’t in good conscience defend that garbage, and more importantly, I won’t.
After nearly 20 years as a moderate Democrat, I was forced by the end of 2009 to chuck my Democratic Party membership card in the circular file.
This evening I got a call from the DCCC asking for money. Judging from the frustration of the caller as I told him that the Democrats don’t deserve my support, I’d say they’re aware that they have a problem.
Unfortunately, their solution seems to be to embrace corporatist policies even more fully while blaming the base for not understanding the need to ‘compromise’ again and again and again, as if the base should just understand that the entire Democratic Party platform is nothing more than a pipe dream.
Fuck Obama and his Wall St. crony motherfuckers.
Hopefully people are catching on to the fact that there is one political party that sets itself up into two opposing groups to fool the American people, to make American politics into a sporting event. I think the increased % of Independents bears that out. The problem is, there are no great leaders in this country stepping up to lead, and replace the DemoPub Party.
Obama should worry about both independents and Democrats. Independents are the ones don’t affiliate with either party, and Obama won the independent vote in 2008 because he promised to correct the mistakes of the Bush administration. Because he did not correct those problems, but obviously continued them, I don’t think he’ll find much independent support.
Same with liberals. If they’d quit wasting their time vilifying Republicans and Tea Partiers, they’d realize no one is happy with what is going on. They’d help people find the courage to pull all support for any Democrat or Republican, to register as an independent, and to pledge not to vote for any candidate affiliated with the DemocratRepublican Corporation Party. They’d tell people to quite playing mind games with themselves, like: “If I don’t vote for Dem XX, Repub XX will get in!” Stop that silly thinking. Punish every D/R candidate and withhold your support. That’s how to play hard ball the way the corporations do.
According to the latest Rasmussen report those identifying themselves as Republicans rose to 37%, and Dems fell to 33%. As for independents, those calling themselves such are just foolish..people without any convictions at all..which is common these days. They dont want to “hurt anyones feelings”..You know the psychobabble herbs and spices type. Or perhaps they are the ones who just dont care..Anyhow, all is good news as it looks like the fad of the “progressive-socialist” agenda, which raises its ugle head from time to time, has been beat back.
I am not a Democrat or a Republican. If I was I wouldn’t want anyone to know. Given what Democrats and Republicans have done to this country I’m surprised anybody still wants to claim them. Democrats and Republicans are Fascists. They must be destroyed.
“ugly” sorry for the typo
I wish this effort was getting more publicity. Needs a facebook page/link, something!
I’m proud to be one of those contributing to the shift in Democratic identification among voters. After 40+ years as a registered Democrat, I changed my status to Unaffiliated last year. I didn’t leave the Democrats, the Democrats left me.
I think policies should be identified simply as good for the people of the country, not as “left”. We cut our own throats before we start by calling policies “progressive” or “liberal”. Just call them what they are: good for the people.
I switched to unaffiliated in 2009, when I saw that Obama and Dems were obstructing discussion of single payer. I knew he was on the wrong path when his first appointment was Rahm, but still thought he might be better than GW Bush. But not one accomplishment to speak of, not one bone was tossed to progressives. The guy is a real shill. Buhbye Dems. At this point, the paleo-conservatives looking good. Will vote for any anti-war candidates.
Amen…no longer swallowing the Democratic koolaid.
I used to enjoy the Stephanie Miller show a lot, but about a month before the election, I quit cold turkey. I could no longer listen to her fluffing Obama (her blind cultism is only rivaled by bob cesca’s); she and chris lavoie were constantly kvetching about democrats not supporting the blue dogs and other treacherous and or spineless bastards who sold us out every step of the way.
No longer could I listen to interviews with self serving democratic officeholders who talked tough but folded up like an origami doll at the first sign of republican opposition.
Admittedly, the show had not been the same since a year before, when despite what was said, Jim Ward had obviously quit and had to be coaxed back albeit with less creative burden on him. Bad for the show, bad for the true liberals for whom Jim was the standard bearer.
I also quit going to most of the blogs I had visited faithfully for years. I was turned off by defense of Obamacare, or rather, defense of democrats most notably obama for not fighting relentlessly to pass true health care.
Now, other than Firedoglake and glenn greenwald, are there any radio shows or blogs that are telling it like it is? Please not Randi Rhodes – I agree with her, I just find her unlistenable.
I was a Democrat for 35 years, from the time I turned 18 in 1973 until I changed to Independent after the farce of a primary in 2008. I resent being run from the party I supported for all those years by a bunch of nincompoops who actually swallowed that “HopenChange” crap enough to change the Rules on how candidates are selected (eliminate selection) in order to ensure their particular “Hope” was forced on the rest of us. Much of this was done by blatantly currying favor with Republicans, encouraging them to vote in the Democratic Primaries. They encouraged Republicans to select the Democratic candidate and now so-called Progressices are shocked that they got a Republican? Then he raised 750 million dollars to buy the primary and the election, and these idiots believed it came from “small donors”.
Now that this peddler of his ever-undefined “Hope” has shown himself to be a center-right, corporate-loving Republican, we are expected to support him and the Democrats anyway, because they-re “not as bad as the Republicans”; “2% less evil”. First off, I knew what he was in 2006 when he came to Colorado and spent his time lecturing Democrats about not being religious enough, instead of promoting Democratic ideals. I didn’t need to even see all of the other hypocrisy that came after. But, I did see it and I recognised what it was.
I ask, in what way is Obama better than those he emulates? My party was stolen from me by a bunch of fools and ex-Republicans. I resent it. There are millions of us who feel this way.
We did not move right, the Party did. Those who think we left the party because it is too liberal are not listening. We gave the Democratic Party control of the entire government and they used that power to enrich corporations and take away even more of our civil rights. They showed their hand. We are still liberals and proud of it, but there is no place for us because both parties are wholly owned subsidiaries of corporations. I won’t give democrats my time or my money again.
Have you ever listened to Mike Malloy? You might like him, he sure doesn’t sugar coat anything.
http://www.mikemalloy.com/stations/
yes, Mike seems to be the only progressive/liberal talk show host who isn’t drinking the kool-aid. He is fantastic!
I was a republican for many years, but finally gave up in 2004 as my party went over the cliff. I worked to support Obama now to see him go over the same cliff. Is asking for someone like Gerald Ford or Eisenhower or Truman really too much to expect? All of Obama’s policies are so filled with exceptions that they add up to a continuation of Bush policies.
So Rahm, Gibbs, Biden, and Obama collectively think we are “irresponsible, whiny, retards, f##king retards, sanctimonious purists who won’t be satisfied until the pentagon is destroyed.”
I have been following politics since the 1960s and I have never seen anybody as hostile even to the opposition as Obama’s administration has been to its base. Good luck with asking for our support because we have no other choice in 2012.
Nice post!
Yep. Killing the best brand in American politics for 3/4 of a century.
Quit sugarcoating it.
I used to retain my Democratic party registration primarily to vote in the primaries, esp. for Marcy Winograd in her two attempts to unseat the evil Jane Harman in my district.
Now that CA has gone to this absurd “top two” open primary, I wonder if there is any reason not to go “Decline to State”? Seems I’ll get to take my shot in the primaries anyway.
Anybody see a down side to switching? (Interesting, just got my “renew by mail” driver’s license form and in the envelope was a voter reg card. Is maybe God or the DMV trying to give me a hint?)
So did I. In fact I b riefly rejoined in order to support Andrew Romanoff. Then Bennett, Obama, the DNC and their corporate owners poured millions of dollars in to beat a guy who wouldn’t take a dime of corporate money. I left again and I voted Green or independent on every race.