Richard M. Rubino, author of several books about U.S. politics, writes here that if there were an independent presidential candidate who could appeal to voters who like Bernie Sanders and also to voters who like Rand Paul, such a candidate would be formidable.
Uh… right! Would probably have to omit any discussion of economic policy and the proper role of government in general but other than that… sure!
It may also depend on who would top the ticket, the son of a Libertarian-oriented former Congressman or a self-proclaimed socialist.
There’s absolutely an appetite out there for an independent populist candidate.
“Independence” from the two major political parties does not constitute a confluence of any significance of political philosophies. If it did we might expect some day to see a ticket headed by an independent vegan and an independent meat packer.