A new poll reveals that the gap between Democrats and Republicans has grown wider, and that the percentage of independents has grown to be the largest voting group.
According to the poll, 36 percent are now independents, while 35 percent are Democrats and 23 percent are Republicans. The number of Independents is the highest in 70 years and the number who are Republican is the lowest in 25 years.Â
While Independents have problems with both major parties, they tend to favor the Democrats when it comes to the issues of government regulation of business in the public interest, social values, the issue of religion’s role, and the issue of national security. Only on the issue of expanding the social safety net do we find Independents siding more with the Republican view.
Additionally, the average age of Republicans is getting older, and the younger generation is less socially conservative than they have been in earlier times. This all bodes well for the future of the Democratic party, along the lines of James Carville’s prediction that his party should hold national power for the next forty years, although not necessarily in every election and every circumstance.Â
Of course, if the voting registration continues to favor Democrats, if not the voting in every election, it will set an unbelievable voting registration edge, which began with the accession to power of Franklin D. Roosevelt in 1932, and would, theoretically, with Carville’s projection, mean dominance until at least 2048. This would mean 116 years of Democratic dominance, as compared to the previous GOP advantage from 1860-1932, a total of 72 years.
In any case, this poll is good news for the Democrats and bad news for the Republicans.