What do we stand for?Are we really that different than our neighbors?
Bottom Line: Something I’m questioning is how much policy is driven by us and how many of us are being conditioned to think a certain way based on political leadership. If that sounds confusing, I don’t mean for it to be. Our government is supposed to represent our interests. That’s why we vote for and elect the leaders we elect. Yet increasingly, with policy divisiveness near post-Civil Rights era levels, I can’t help but wonder if we aren’t generally falling into a trap of having candidates pander to political minorities and having those priorities advocated back to us. I’ll come back to that point in a moment. First consider...
According to the Pew Research Center, while around 38% of voters say they’re independent, only 7% aren’t truly partisans. Now why does that matter? Because there really isn’t a political middle for politicians to cater to anymore. So, what happens? They cater to the bases. But who are the bases?
- In non-Presidential election years primary turnout averages 28%
- In Presidential election years, it’s 40%
By virtue of candidates being elected to their party platforms by minorities of voters, who’re often the most partisan among voters, we’ve increasingly been electing candidates that reflect growing hard-line positions. That often means we feel as though politicians are almost always serving our interests or never are based on who that politician happens to be. That’s what’s leading to the feeling of bitter divisiveness politically in this country. Think about the average Democrat and the average Republican for a moment. You and your neighbor for example (in South Florida we all have acquaintances of differing political views). Do the two of you personally live your lives and have interests that differ as much as the politicians who represent us?
In the wake of the recent shootings there’s a growing contingent of people calling for some degree of civility if not unity. I’m of the view that often it’s the tail wagging the dog these days. We get what we vote for, or don’t as the case might be. In Florida, 27% of voters are registered NPA’s though statistically only mid-single digits aren’t partisans. If you’re registered as an NPA but lean heavily to one political party. It might be time to re-register. Impacting primary elections will impact the policy advocated by both political parties. Fewer voters are voting in primaries than ever before because more voters are registering as independents than ever before. And the result... Look at the politicians around you. Then look at your neighbors.