I joined in on the comments here. MinnPost Is the Party Over for the Independent Party It has many people commenting on what the Independent Platform is. Here is what I think the supporters look like.
"I thought an Independent was just a Fiscally Conservative Democrat or a Socially Liberal Republican, since neither of the parties have room for these folks." G2A
Paul disagrees:
"Yes and No: The IP party is comprised of republicrats and conservative libertarians, - THAT'S what makes it branch of the republican party rather than a truly "independent" party. In some ways it's an even narrower dogma than either of the major parties.
Meanwhile the democrats have "room" for Colin Peterson while the republicans have no "room" for Arne Carlson. The size of the democratic "tent" is part of their problem, it's rather like herding cats on occasion. The increasingly exclusive membership of the republican party, and the republican nature of the IP, has become it's downfall. The IP and the republicans represent two faces of the same dogma. I don't think even Arne Carlson "fits" in the IP because he may fail the fiscal conservative test.
We've seen so-called "conservatives" make this mistake before, they decide they're a "majority" of some kind, i.e. "moral" or "silent" majorities only to find out that the population is more liberal than they realized, and getting more liberal as time goes by. The IP thought that they were appealing to a majority, they're simply wrong, the more people get a look at the IP the more disinterested they are." Paul
I like how this Nolan Diagram depicts it. I assume many more people would vote Independent if they could explain this better, standardize their platform and have a chance of winning...
Thoughts?
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4 comments:
"Who are the Independent Party Supporters?"
I have no idea, because the party doesn't have any coherent stances. Their statewide nominees seem to reflect who's the most willing to take it on as a vanity project.
I think some of the criticism in the MinnPost comments are spot on -- too often the IP has supported watered-down "centrist" positions somewhere between that of the two parties. The problem with that is the right solution for many issues can't be found on the current continuum the two parties are on. Their failure to articulate a unique policy position has been their downfall.
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About IP
What's the common thread that unites Jesse Ventura to Tim Penny to Peter Hutchinson to Tom Horner to Hannah Nicollet?
There isn't one.
"I would remind you that extremism in the defense of liberty is no vice! And let me remind you also that moderation in the pursuit of justice is no virtue!" -- Barry Goldwater.
Sean is right. The only things "independent" about them are the name and the fact that they refuse to subscribe to any recognizable, unique philosophy of governance.
Paul is wrong. The Democrats are a wide amalgam of special interests and Balkanized groups, but they share one single interest and objective, which is to seize power and impose their vision of what is best on everybody else. Deviate from the orthodoxy all you want in action, so long as you say the right things and work to elect Democrats. Say the wrong thing and you're out of the club. You'll still get elected as a candidate, but you're out of the club.
Republicans, on the other hand, allow you to say almost anything, but make one "wrong" vote and you have a primary challenger.
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