The connotation of independent or undecided voter is that those who follow party lines or impulsively decide for one side or another lack independent thinking — lemmings, as it were — and incapable of confronting the monolithic beast. On the other hand, the independent or undecided voter could be perceived as arrogant or incapable of assimilating viewpoints. The arrogant assume all political parties are self-serving; thereby wading through conflicts of interests to arrive at a decision as to which one is less ignoble. The undecided are either moralists who grapple helplessly with matters of personal conscience to choose in the end the party that is least compromising, or are the hapless of mental confusion who tosses the dice to cast a vote.
The likely voter of either party is more a sign of character than intellectual probing. The free-wheeling character is more apt to vote Republican since he or she espouses a priori that citizens are expected to fend for themselves and endure the luck of the draw; whereas Democrat voters are aligned a priori with the stance that not all citizens are equally equipped to deal with harsh realities and consequently require help. Moreover, the Republican voter seems to think that tough foreign policy is owned by their party; while Democrats scramble for a balance of diplomacy and militancy.
However, it is not all that monolithic in light of divisiveness of cultural, socio-political sub-alliances that tend to emotionally override standard policy or actually redirect priorities within each party, such as:
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Parties are more likely to oppose a war not of their making, which becomes most salient in their decisions.
The state of the economy is as a rule attributed to the incumbent.
There exists conflict between Log Cabin and liberal gays. While most religions and heterosexuals reject gay lifestyle entirely as an immoral choice, others perceive an unfortunate fact of life.
Pro-life renounces choice by extending it into the religious domain.
Separation of church and state is either constitutional law or a hindrance to religious freedom.
Some believe public education has outlived its usefulness; while others believe its low esteem is owing to fiscal abandonment.
Welfare mothers are an abomination; while others laud them for braving pregnancy rather than choosing abortion. |
When any of such issues of particulars overpowers the general posture, it tends to dilute political effectiveness unless absorbed into the mainstream of the parties. Independent voters, then, are more inclined to zero in on one or two issues that they mistakenly perceive as non-partisan. As for the undecided, they dishonestly believe they are soul-searching.
Copyright © 2004 Richard R. Kennedy All rights reserved. Revised: August, 3, 2004.