Republicans and Democrats are beginning to exit the two-party system in significant numbers. According to USA today, there has been a veritable explosion of voters registering as unaffiliated since 2008, and the trend looks to intensify in 2010 and beyond. Here are some of the more eye-opening statistics of the review, covering the period between 2008 and the present:
9% increase in independent voters in Colorado
11% increase in independent voters in Florida
13% increase in independent voters in Nevada
14% increase in independent voters in California
16% increase in independent voters in New Hampshire
18% increase in independent voters in North Carolina
30% increase in independent voters in Arizona
Even more shocking, independent/unaffiliated voters now outnumber Republicans and Democrats in nine states, or nearly 20% of the country. Ken Bennet, Arizona's Secretary of State, may have said it best, "It's kind of an in-your-face reminder to candidates of both parties that there's a whole block of other people who have to be acknowledged and courted."
The trend is becoming evident. An independent revolution is underway, a revolution that is shaping up to dwarf Ross Perot's quixotic movement in 1992.
Americans are finally beginning to tire of the massive deficits, astronomical debt, boom/bust economic cycles, stagnant incomes, high cost of education and healthcare, open-ended overseas wars, and perhaps most importantly, the incessant partisan rancor.
Republicans and Democrats had better pay close attention. Their days of uncontested political domination appear to be rapidly drawing to a close.