Do you know any "independent" voters"

[pstokely]

Have they decided yet?

[CitizenLeft]

1. I'm not sure I can call her "independent" any more.

My good friend (who posts here - there's your hint :) ) was once a fiscally conservative Republican. She's now an independent, but she will, for the 1st time in her life, vote a straight Democratic ticket (last 2 elections voted Kerry/Obama).

I believe many "independents" are actually Republicans who are still Republican at heart (not my friend, obviously - she called herself a liberal the other day :loveya:); the recent expansion of "independents" is largely due to Republicans being disgusted with Bush and denouncing their party (IMHO). So they're coming home now - voting Republican again - maybe even for just this election, we don't know. Obama did win over a chunk of disaffected Republicans, and we'll see where they really stand in 2012.

[KharmaTrain]

2. Met Many Shades Of Voters

In over a decade of canvassing, I've met many people who could be either called "independent" or more like apolitical. They look at issues one at a time and you can't really define them as one way or the other. Most common are the "fiscal" conservatives who also are socially liberal. Many people, especially early on during the election cycle can't be easily catagorized and that's the reason for making regular visits to follow how and where their feelings and possible vote are headed.

As far as those still sitting on the fence, guess it depends on the race. Despite the corporate media's attempts to frame this as some national referendum, these elections are very much local and personalities matter. In my state there are still a large number of undecideds in the Senate race that could have all sorts of implications on other races. The negative tone of the campaign is the major reason as negatives on both candidates are high and this accounts for many undecideds at this late stage. There are even some who won't make up their minds until they're in the voting booth. So you never take any vote for granted.

My hopes are there's a lot of under-polled folks, mostly Democrats, who will be at the polls and that the losses will be limited to red and "purple" areas.

[stray cat]

3. Yes -and they may vote libertarian

[LWolf]

4. Yes, and yes.

I'm an independent voter. I'm a registered Democrat, and have been for a decade now, but spent most of my life affiliated with no party. I registered as a Democrat in January of 2001 to protest the selection. Generally, I think less of Democrats since becoming one than I did from the outside. Too much "getting in line" for the team, and not enough standing for, fighting for, and working for, Democratic and democratic principals, in my opinion.

While I'm a registered Democrat, I'm not a partisan. I'm an issues voter and will vote for the candidate best on the issues, and with the best record on those issues, regardless of party. The only worthwhile purpose of a political party is to stand for, to work for, and to move issues forward. In my case, forward means LEFT. Not only LEFT, but moving LEFT-OF-CENTER. The farther left the nation goes, the better; that's my over-arching political goal. Democrats who will work for that get my votes. Democrats who won't, don't. Which is exactly how I've always voted. Democrats got the majority of my votes when I was an independent. Republicans didn't get my votes, ever. Third parties and independents have gotten my votes when they earned them.

Politics is not a team sport for me. "Winning" is about winning on the issues. As I see the nation, and the Democratic Party, evolving down a trail I don't want to follow, the party gets less of my support.

I'm also an independent in life outside of politics. I don't fit the cultural or social main stream. I never have. There is not any area of my life in which I "follow" a leader or group. I always make up my own mind, choose my own path, make my own decisions, and very, very rarely do I EVER ask anyone's advice. While I participate in group activities at times, those groups don't define me. I am very much the "Lone Wolf" my screen name indicates. The older I get, the more pronounced my "lone wolf" status becomes. My sons are very much the same; the pups raised by a Lone Wolf don't fit the pack, either. My mother was an independent who became a Democrat in time to elect Bill Clinton. She is luke-warm on the party, but is still a hard-core Clinton fan. We've always disagreed on Clinton. My oldest son is a registered Democrat who votes for Democrats in order to defeat Republicans. He's not a fan of any politician, and will happily rip any of them apart, depending on what innocent fool wants to talk to him about any particular politician or political party. Playing devil's advocate, regardless of who he supports or votes for, is one of his favorite sports. My youngest son is registered to vote, but not with a party. He thinks the entire system is corrupt, despises all political parties and politicians, and, unlike his brother, has no interest in arguing about it.

And yes, I voted. I voted on Sunday, October 10th, a couple of days after I, and the rest of my state, got our ballots in the mail. I mailed it off on Monday the 11th. For the record, this time around I voted for every Democrat on the ballot. Ron Wyden earns my vote. Joyce Segers has no chance, imo, of defeating Greg Walden, but she got my vote. I'm grateful to her for challenging him. The only Democrat on the ballot I didn't really want to vote for was Kitzhaber. There were a couple of 3rd party candidates I liked better. Not better enough, though, to risk letting Chris Dudley become the new governor in a tight race between the two major party candidates that neither of the small party guys were going to beat. Oregon putting a republican in the governor's seat is a disaster for the state and not good news for the nation, either, and the race is too tight for comfort.

[nc4bo]

5. I know exactly one but can't tell the difference between her and a typical (R).

and I told her so.

Since Obama's election, her talking points sound straight out of the Teabag Handbook.

[JerseygirlCT]

6. Lots of people up here claim that

They're mostly just disgusted all around.

[frylock]

7. i do..

its me. i'll vote a straight dem ticket this time around. can't say for certain about 2012.