Let’s face it, it’s only been in recent years where Independents have been noticed in the political arena.
For years prior to the recent elections, Independents were viewed as that thorn-in-the-side third party that were only effective in taking votes away from either a Republican or a democrat.
Independents now outnumber both major parties and while they are viewed to be generally nonpartisan, voting solely on issues that matter to them rather than party loyalty, being nonpartisan is a bit of a myth.
The truth is, according to a variety of studies over the past few years, only a third of Independents aren’t partisan. The other two thirds lean either Republican or democrat and the majority of that group lean democrat.
It would only be a matter of ensuring those Conservative Independents remain on our side to save America from the progressive left. But it’s more difficult than it sounds.
Independents tend to be fiscally Conservative, but show their liberal side when voting on social issues such as abortion and immigration in particular.
In today’s political environment, Independents are not happy with chaos at the border, but also aren’t happy with Republicans who can’t get on the same page with abortion policies.
For an Independent, whichever one of those two subjects they care about the most will determine their vote.
But the problem runs much deeper than that just due to the personal nature of Independents.
They don’t pay attention to anything outside of the one or two topics that politically drives them.
Independents are smart people, but they don’t particularly care to stay in the know and avoid political news. They’ll do their own research on any given topic, but we all know the dangers of navigating big tech’s so-called fact checking sites, which often leads to misinformation.
Votes get cast on misinformation as we all know.
I’ve had some interesting conversations with Independents over the last few weeks and while I respect their stances, I have been generally disappointed in how they reach their final conclusions.
They are smart people, but also stubborn and singularly focused on the topic they care about.
Just an example, 52% of Independents have a favorable view of today’s media. They hear phrases like “fake news,” or the “media is the enemy of the people,” and it affects them negatively even though they don’t watch or read a lot of news unless it’s a subject they care about.
As noted, the danger of that is it leads them into the hands of big tech and their biased online searches.
I was curious to see how Independents view the media, so I did the searches and was immediately led to a website called “Advanced Sciences.”
Sounds important right?
Well, it’s a prime example of the importance of where you get your information and so-called “science.”
This site acknowledges the significant trust decrease in the media by Americans, but goes on to report that media bias against Conservatives is nonexistent.
Huh?
Ok, well Advanced Sciences reached this conclusion by polling and doing surveys with journalists, asking reporters if they allow their own political beliefs to bleed into their stories.
Journalists, which Advanced Studies correctly points out are overwhelmingly liberal democrats, aren’t going to admit they allow that to happen. It’s a lie.
Their study concludes, “We show definitively that the media exhibits no bias against conservatives … in what news they choose to cover.”
This “study/story” was picked up by liberal anti-American “news” organizations such as BBC and was posted to the National Institutes of Health website – a federal government organization – just three months after Joe Biden was “elected.”
The subject of “fake news” had already been hot and heavy on the minds of Americans at the time, which is why polls showed nearly 74% of Americans were losing faith in today’s media.
And yet, only 13% of Independents believe there is a bias against Republicans in the media.
So where is the disconnect despite that staggeringly low number. Well, it’s not surprising when you remember the most important point: The majority of Independents have faith in the media because they don’t pay attention to the media.
A 2020 Pew Research study essentially sums up the Independent awareness of the political environment with, “Independents stand out from partisans in several important ways. They are less politically engaged than Republicans or democrats.”
It’s a difficult group to nail down because what matters to them is typically varied and very individualistic. It doesn’t take much for an Independent to vote in any one direction. Most of the time, it’s simply a vote on one issue.
And don’t get me wrong, many Independents will grab onto a subject they care about and will dig deep to find their truth.
Independents like balance. They didn’t see balance under the Trump administration. They were blasted within a negative news cycle and failed to see the historic policies Trump was implementing that was, in fact, stabilizing and balancing the globe.
But the perception was chaos and they weren’t paying close enough attention to realize the chaos was carefully organized. They simply saw the headlines and TV sound bytes and that’s about all an Independent is willing to invest if it’s a subject not in their personal realm of existence.
It is my belief Independents aren’t thrilled with the chaotic Biden administration either. So what will they end up doing? Especially if we are looking at a Trump/Biden rematch where Independents aren’t fans of either?
In just my past two conversations with Independents, only one policy was going to drive one of the person’s vote: abortion.
This particular Independent has leaned Republican in the past few years but said, “If Republicans don’t get their (act) together, I’m either voting democrat or not voting at all.”
Abortion is a clear issue for Independents and they want clarity from the Republican Party and haven’t exactly been getting what they want as Republicans travel different paths in various states.
As I said, they want balance. This Independent is OK with heartbeat bills that have passed recently, to include Florida’s recent six-week abortion ban bill.
This person is definitely not OK with outright bans, as some other Red States are choosing. It’s not balanced. It looks chaotic and appearances are everything to an Independent, in my opinion.
Another Independent I talked to likely leans democrat from our discussions, but admitted regret over voting for Biden. However, this person believes Trump is a “psychopath,” and doesn’t care that Trump was making America great again with his policies and his mean tweets had nothing to do with anything.
This person said he would not likely vote for Biden again, but certainly wouldn’t vote for Trump. So the conclusion is that if it is a Biden-Trump rematch, there likely won’t be a vote.
It’s my belief that if it is a presidential rematch, Trump will benefit not from Independent support, but from an Independent boycott of the election.
This is especially true if Trump continues to stay on message, which he has done really well over the past few weeks, leaving the past behind and focusing on the future.
If Trump can maintain that path, there is renewed hope.
Independents will probably continue not liking Trump as a person, but aren’t inclined to vote for Biden as long as Trump doesn’t make them hate him even more than they do.
That’s just a prediction, but it bodes well for Trump for Independents to either be swayed back into the pro-America camp, or just stay out of the way.
But that’s not the answer we are looking for here.
I sometimes make a crucial mistake when I’m debating with Independents. I tend to revert to a style better suited for debating liberals and sometimes miss the mark in thinking I’m talking to a true liberal when I’m not.
Liberals and Independents – even democrat leaning Independents – aren’t the same species.
Independents are not mentally ill like liberals are. They believe only in the things that are important to them, and very little else.
You can’t convince an Independent who is focused on abortion or immigration that other things matter in making America great. That’s the issue they care about and that’s the issue they will vote.
They’ll vote their personal feelings on any given issue and though it admittedly frustrates me, I respect their process.
And that, my friends, is how Independents must be approached when speaking politics outside of the things that matter to their own personal interests.
With respect, calm and matter-of-fact common sense.
It’s not an approach you can take with liberals. They have no common sense and don’t care about facts.
Independents very much care about facts, but they often get a dose of falsehoods when they seek information on a subject that isn’t fully personal for them. They simply don’t spend the time to see past the initial heavy dose of misinformation.
There is no hope for liberals. We can slap them across the face with a book full of facts and they won’t change their minds.
Independents – whether they cast a vote or not – will decide who wins the next election. They are free thinkers and by definition of character – independent. Just as Conservatives by definition of character are conservative.
When it comes to my continued stance on staying informed and helping inform others, it is the Independents that deserve our attention.
I encourage all of you to either reach out to Independent friends and family. Engage them in the things they care about and negotiate a path of truth with them.
Perhaps, if Conservatives start showing that we care about a lot of the same things, we can convince Independents to start caring more about what matters to all of us, not as individuals, but as Americans.
Engaging Independents isn’t always going to change their minds on what they are passionate about. I find Independents to be very intense on the subjects they care about, but unlike liberals, flexible on other topics and willing to learn more if you can convince them it matters to them and their families.
So if it’s just one or two issues that are pulling them toward voting democrat, our job is to subtly paint the bigger picture.
Perhaps I’m writing all of this today because it’s a lesson I’m learning myself, but hopefully one from which we can all benefit.
If you engage someone who has a liberal opinion on a singular subject, don’t assume necessarily that you are dealing with just another liberal idiot.
If someone has a liberal opinion, first make sure their opinion is based on the facts as they may or may not know them to be.
If they make a reasonable argument as to what they believe, and you don’t agree, it’s probably best to move on, but ask a simple question of, “What else matters to you? How do you feel about this or that?”
Engage, educate and determine how – or if possible – you can engage an Independent to not only ensure they have all the facts on any given topic, but to get them to see other topics – sometimes relevant to the one topic they care about – that matters to them and their loved ones in the long term.
We have to care about the Independent thought process and though we may find ourselves disagreeing with them on a single topic, further engagement may reveal that we have more in common with Independents than they realize.
Or not. That’s the challenge with Independents. They are fiercely … well … independent.
Getting into a heated argument over one topic will end with a Conservative and Independent walking away unaligned on the bigger picture. Again, I say this as a lesson I’m only just beginning to learn, but it’s worth noting.
Walk away from a liberal. It’s pointless. Don’t walk away from an Independent. Engage and encourage even when you realize that that one topic has reached an impasse. Move on from it and expand the conversation and I think you’ll find – in most cases – it was worth it.
And in turn, you might learn a thing or two yourself.
So my fellow Patriots, more than ever I say to you, stay vigilant, keep informed, teach others and share our truth.
