Independent, the more mature choice?

[WhoWee]

Maybe on some local levels? Certainly not at all at the federal level. Obama's major legislative accomplishment is health care reform basically along the lines of Gingrich's plan from the 90s. And, again, its still the democrats pushing for cap-and-trade carbon legislation.

What have the democrats proposed that is so far to the left? Both of our parties would be right of center in any other developed country.

Here is an equally interesting perspective from the Right - it addresses your question.

http://conservativedailynews.com/2010/07/obama-keynesian-economics-or-cloward-piven-strategy/

 

[Willowz]

My grandmother being affiliated with a party would get these post cards telling her what to vote on and whom to vote for.

Crazy really. But, I don't blame her. She tries her best.

 

[mege]

I don't think independent is necessarily more mature, but I'm surprised people don't move parties more throughout their lifetime, especially as both US parties are shifting further and further to the right.

I was a strong believer in republican solutions of the 90s- cap and trade as a response to global warming, the Gingrich health care plan, etc. Unfortunately, both parties have moved far enough to the right that these are now Democrat positions. Was I a republican and now a Democrat? Or am I an independent in favor of a certain set of positions, who will vote for whoever seems to support them?

Cap-and-trade was a measured response to a straight Carbon Tax or other controlling Kyoto-imagined policies if I remember correctly. So the GOP position was still far to the right of the Democrat's solution. I think Al Gore's strong emotional support for some of the environmental issues is part of what causes the GOP to shy away from it*.

Right now, for most policies, the left solution is redistribution of wealth by making tax structure more progressive versus the right's solution of cutting spending and government. IMO those are pretty fundamental left v right arguments, and are overriding every discussion.

*A famous conservative talking head covers this type of change in detail, and trys to explain why the GOP has gone a little more right in the last 20 years (as well has the left becoming more extreme). His answer for the latter is the merging of causes with many leftist-oriented groups - SDS, for instance, is one of the largest student-based environmental activists as well as the dominant student socialist organization. These 'like interests' make it hard sometimes to differ between motives. Are environmental regulations just another form of wealth redistribution? While it's not meant to be intrinsically, environmental policy is also a good piggyback forthis type of collectivist issue (fight the bad capitalist pigs, right?).