Ron Paul and the Independent Aura

What is it with the word Independent? According to the mainstream "press"tidigitators for the last few decades, politicians have had to court the independent voter. But why? In the past, self-identified independents made up a very small portion of the overall electorate. However, the news today trumpets the growing independent minority as if it represents the apex of political intellectual acuity; nevermind that most who identify as independent are sorely lacking understanding of the political system. It is the contention of the mass media that the growth in the number of self-identifying independents is a result of discontent with the Democratic party as Republicans are depicted as solidly loyal to their party of preference. But is this true?

Firstly, any pollster can tell you that when a third, seemingly innocuous, choice is added to a poll question, a large number of people will pick it. For instance, if presented with a scale from 1 to 10 where 1 and 10 represent extremes, the average American will usually opt for somewhere in the middle if not 5 outright. This in no way means that they have a better understanding of the topic and it continues to propogate the myth that Americans are "centrists." If most polls used to offer a choice between Republican and Democrat or a choice between the two major parties and a number of other affililiations, but now trend towards Republican, Democrat, and Independent, it is not unlikely that those with no opinion or an ill-informed opinion will gravitate to Independent. That is, independent has become the chic choice for those who don't know.

Secondly, the media continues to deny that most polls have shown repeatedly, and for quite some time, that the majority of the American electorate is left of center on most issues, even the contentious issues like abortion. Self-identifying independents are no exception. Most would choose a perceived liberal over a perceived conservative most of the time. So while it may be true that some people have begun identifying themselves as independents because they have become disillusioned with the Democrats, it is by no means a sign that the principles of the Democratic base have become out-of-touch with the American voter. The press only wants it to seem that way. That is why it persists in pushing the idea that anti-Iraq war voters are on the fringe when approximately 70% of the elctorate is against the Iraq occupation.

The current fascination with Ron Paul fits well into what the media is selling. Ron Paul is popular with independents because, simply put, he sounds like a Democrat, at least on issues like Iraq. A deeper look at the man will reveal his right-wing tendencies. Paul is simply functioning as the new maverick McCain since McCain has gone off the deep end. If the media actually covered his record in lieu of selling him as a Republican insurgent, the American public would not take a media-encouraged shine to him. However, the media has managed to effectivley give the words conservative and Republican a connotation of respectablility even in the face of continued Republican scandals and, arguably, the worst GOP administration in history.

Independents must understand that until there is a major overhaul of the electoral system, we have, for better or for worse, a two-party system. The only real change must be affected by altering a major party. That requires participation. Independents have effectively opted out of the process and expect to be wooed anyway.