More On "Independents"

Yet another news item, this one from the L.A. Times, on the dramatic increase in "independent" voters. Maybe that's why Charles Douglas went Decline To State; It's trendy?

The authors seem to suggest that, assuming the trend toward non- affilitation with the two major parties continues, that things will start happening for the good in California as partisan gridlock is brought to an end. I've said before that I consider gridlock in government a good thing, for the most part. The less that gets done in Sacramento the better off most of us will be.

But looking at the criteria they ascribe to the new independent voters, much of the common beliefs seem to mirror the state population as a whole. Surprisingly, the Bay Area and Los Angeles are areas where these so called independents have large numbers.

Election results are pretty much decided by those two areas already, and past elections have generally run the state further into the ground as the same people (or at least people along the same philosophical lines) are elected again and again. Just because people consider themselves independent doesn't mean their political philosophy is going to change.

I'd say the rise of independents will lead to little, if any, change in government. If it has any effect at all it would likely be negative, assuming partisan gridlock ends, as the authors suggest.