Political Science Essay Says True Independents Are Only 10% of Electorate

Political scientist professor Alan I. Abramowitz and PhD student Steven Webster have published this essay about partisanship in the United States. The main point is to show that over half of Americans have strong hostility and dislike toward one major party. The dislike of one major party among these voters is stronger than their liking for the other major party. Increasingly, the United States is divided into two camps of voters who not only dislike one of the major parties, but dislikes their members as well.

The essay also asserts that only 10% of the electorate is truly independent.

The essay does not mention Federalist Papers No. 10, written by James Madison. Madison warned against having just two parties. He wrote that the United States would enjoy greater security if there were a greater variety of parties than just two. This point is in the last three paragraphs of Federalist No. 10. Thanks to Rick Hasen for the link to the Abramowitz-Webster paper.


Comments

Political Science Essay Says True Independents Are Only 10% of Electorate — 3 Comments

  1. I would interpret Madison as arguing against the National Popular Vote.

  2. What does someone who sits in a classroom know about the real world? NOTHING!

  3. LOTS of communist Donkeys and fascist Elephants in the various rigged gerrymander legislative bodies in the U.S.A.

    See the ROT in the Roman Republic before it got killed off by Augustus Caesar in 27 B.C.

    P.R. and nonpartisan App.V.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.