Politics Swingers The New Voting Bloc That Could Change Politics Forever

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Michael Giltz: Swingers: The New Voting Bloc That Could Change Politics Forever http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/swingers-the-new-voting-b_b_147406.html [4/5/2009 12:59:35 PM] APRIL 5, 2009 HOME POLITICS MEDIA BUSINESS ENTERTAINMENT LIVING STYLE GREEN WORLD CHICAGO COMEDY 23/6 VIDEO BLOGGER INDEX ARCHIVE Make HuffPost Your HomePage Get Email Alerts Twitter: Follow Us BIG NEWS : Michelle Obama | North Korea | Barack Obama | David Axelrod | More... LOG IN | SIGN UP Michael Giltz Posted December 1, 2008 | 11:45 AM (EST) BIO Become a Fan Get EmailAlerts Bloggers'Index Swingers: The New Voting Bloc That Could Change PoliticsForever Read More: 2008 Election, Barack Obama , Hillary Clinton , Independent Voters , John McCain , Mitt Romney , Moderates , Politics , Swing Voters , Voters , Politics News Barack Obama has inspired a wave of young voters to get involved in politics for the first time.Like Ronald Reagan, Obama might be at theforefront of a Democratic majority for the nextthree decades the same way the Republicansdominated during the last three. But in fact the biggest news of this election was not a new Democratic majority. It was the rise ofthe Swinger. That's the independent/moderatevoter who dislikes candidates that cater to thefringes of either party. Is the US a center-left or a center-right country? The truth is that it's a center-center country, with most voters -- whatevertheir party affiliation -- representing a moderate middle that likes practical solutions to the real problems that face us and have no patience with special interests and the parties who are beholden to them. Let's look at the facts. Exit polling asked voters to identify themselves as either liberal or conservative or moderate. 22% called themselves "liberal" and 34% "conservative." But 44% ofvoters call themselves "moderate." Both parties tried to claim those moderates for themselves andindeed on many issues the moderates fall into the progressive camp. Nonetheless, they prefer to IDthemselves as moderate. In truth, there's nothing "liberal" about a concern for global warming, forexample; it's just common sense. What about party affiliation? 39% of voters were registered Democrats. 32% were registered Republicans. And an astonishing 29% were registered Independents. Given the trends of the last25 years, it's far more likely that the Independents will pass the Republicans before the Be the First to Submit This Story to Digg Get Breaking News Alerts Share Print Comments never spam Right Now on HuffPost REPORT: NORTH KOREA LAUNCHESROCKET SEOUL, South Korea —North Korea defiantly carried out... Sunday Roundup In Strasbourg yesterday,the president was... Popular Stories on HuffPost Fashion Face-Off! Michelle Obama And Carla Bruni-Sarkozy Finally Meet InFrance (VIDEO, PHOTOS, POLL) *Video, poll and slideshow Levi Johnston Talks Safe Sex With TyraBanks (VIDEO) ***UPDATE*** 8:30pm:People.com is reporting that Sarah Palin has issued... Michael Giltz: Swingers: The New Voting Bloc That Could Change Politics Forever http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/swingers-the-new-voting-b_b_147406.html [4/5/2009 12:59:35 PM]Republicans tie the Democrats again. That's right: in 2016, the two major blocks of voters will more likely be Democrats and Independents instead of Democrats and Republicans. Heck, let's look at the two major candidates in the election that just happened. It wasn't the Republican base that nominated John McCain. They preferred Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee. But Swingers swept in and made McCain the front runner. It wasn't the Democratic base that nominated Barack Obama; the establishment was solidly in line for the coronation of Hillary Clinton. But Swingers stepped in and turned Obama from an inspiring story to the real deal. Swingers are the moderate middle. They don't vote based on the tiny letter next to a candidate's name. They vote based on the policies that person puts forth. And catering to the Swingers doesn'tmean you have to be a "centrist" who always compromises and takes the safe path. Look at USenergy policy. Swingers take global warming and our national security seriously and they wantdramatic action. They want a new national electrical grid, they want solar panels and wind farms tobecome dominant and not just curiosities shown in political ads. They're willing to see highergasoline prices today if it means a healthier environment tomorrow, fewer dollars flowing into thecoffers of cruel governments overseas, and real energy independence. Swingers love electric cars. Swingers are tired of a few farm states perverting our national food policy by skimming off massive billion dollar payouts to agricultural conglomerates. Swingers like their privacy. Swingers don't getriled by single issue idiocies like gun rights or abortion or gays. They know reasonable gun laws willlet people have all the weapons they want without handing out Uzis to felons. They believe in awoman's right to choose. And they don't really care very much about interfering in the ways otherpeople live (gays) or die (Terri Schiavo). Live and let live is the American way to Swingers. Every election seems to boil down to the independent voters -- and here we're talking about Swingers, not the mealy mouthed people who pretend they haven't made up their mind five days before the election just so they can be interviewed on CNN. The growing number of Independents will be the best thing in the world for both parties, keeping the Democrats and the Republicans focused on competence and compassion and away from the fringes who always seem to gain an outsized voice when a party stays in power too long. If you like the idea of Swingers -- independent voters who choose the best candidate regardless of party affiliation; people who are focused on the real problems that face us -- they need your help toflourish. A number of practical steps need to be taken to let their voice be heard. 1. Choose the President by popular vote -- The Electoral College is a classic Swinger issue. Swingers think the Electoral College is an absurd joke, but tiny states are so vested in the process so they can have an outsized voice in choosing the President that passing a Constitutional Amendment toabolish it seems unlikely. Happily, there's a very viable work-around gaining momentum. TheNational Popular Vote bill would award the electoral college vote to whomever wins the popular vote. It would take effect once enough states have passed bills promising to award their electoralcollege votes to whichever candidate wins the national popular vote. Four states have already doneso -- New Jersey, Maryland, Illinois (!) and Hawaii -- and momentum is growing. When Presidentsare picked by popular votes, the sad farce of candidates ignoring the voters of hugely populousstates like California and Texas to focus on a sliver of people in battleground states will be over.Get involved and get this passed by your state. 2. Open primaries -- They take many forms, but the basic idea is that voters can choose the candidate they prefer in a primary regardless of that voter's party affiliation. I'm a registered Republican in New York, but I would switch my party affiliation to Independent in a New Yorkminute if that didn't mean I was blocked from voting in the primaries. I'll bet a lot of other peoplefeel the same -- which is exactly why the Democrats of New York oppose the open primary system.Let people register any way they want and then vote any way they want and you'd see Swingerstake center stage. Find out if your state has open primaries and push your elected officials to makethe switch if it doesn't. 3. Redistricting -- Voters have to take away the power of redistricting from the politicians and put it in the hands of an independent panel, be it retired judges, a mix of voters and bureaucrats orwhatever. The current system lets politicians design districts that virtually guarantee a seat for oneparty or the other forever. Since that means whoever wins the primary generally wins the election,that pushes politicians to cater to the fringes of their party that are far more active early on. It alsomakes it nigh on impossible to kick politicians out of office even after they've lost touch with voters.Districts should encompass reasonable neighborhoods that reflect their diverse communities, notconvoluted and absurdly shaped districts that zig and zag to keep the Dems in one box and theRepublicans in another so that the politicians in power can stay in power. Oscar de la Renta Slams Michelle Obama's Buckingham Outfit As Major Designers Feel Ignored While Michelle Obamahas made lesser... Verena von Pfetten 7 Lessons To BeLearned From CarlaBruni So here's the thing.There's no shortage ofarticles dedicated to that certain je ne... 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Obama TeasesReporter From India During Press Conference (VIDEO) Obama held a conference packed with press from around the world on Thursday. He called... Jim Cramer Declares The Depression "Over" (VIDEO)Michael Giltz: Swingers: The New Voting Bloc That Could Change Politics Forever http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/swingers-the-new-voting-b_b_147406.html [4/5/2009 12:59:35 PM] Michelle Obama's Clothing Has Sean Hannity All Out OfSorts RICHARD POPLAWSKI,Pittsburgh Gunman, Kills 3Police Officers Dr. Rachel Ehrenfeld: DoesIran Harbor Osama binLaden? John Demjanjuk, Ohio ManAccused Of Being NaziGuard, Avoids Deportation Comments 13 Pending Comments 0 Obama In Prague: Launches Effort To Rid... Obama's Statement On North Korean Rocket Launch Conservatives Holding Up Increasing Number Of Obama... Sunday Roundup Are you a Swinger? And if you have any other ideas about how to let their voices be heard, let us know. More in Politics... HuffPost Stories Surging Right Now Ads by Google Obama’s Brother In Kenya Obama’s Brother Lives In A Shack Read This Story Here! www.russiatoday.com Want to reply to a comment? Hint: Click "Reply" at the bottom of the comment; after being approved your comment will appear directly underneath the comment you replied to View Comments: Newest First Expand All YesWeCanada See Profile I'm a Fan of YesWeCanada permalink It's old news that "liberal" has been demonized and that the preferred term now is progressive. Yes the centrist independents are very important. Obama used every opportunity to appeal to them and movedfrom the center after the primaries. McCain kept moving right after the primaries and never appealed tothe center. Was it due to the rigid base? McCain's lack of creed with the base? Palin? Or justincompetence? Likely it was a combination of all 4. fpie See Profile I'm a Fan of fpie permalink Well maybe these folks call themselves moderates or independents but all of the issues mentioned Isay makes them liberals. Liberal philosophy is at bottom pragmatism. I know the "Conservatives" havegotten America to think liberalism is communism, socialism, fascism, nazism, satanism, just plainlightheaded, happy talk, insanity... But it is basic common sense, let's see if we can't figure out whatworks to make things run better. So now we've seen what happens when those "Conservatives" get to try things their way (not thatthere weren't plenty of people who have been pointing out where it was all headed for years, we had the great depression to show the truth) it is time to give the pragmatic, common sense liberals (or what Women's Rights Michelle Obama Europe Newspapers Cars War Wire Video Financial Crisis Barack Obama MORE BIG NEWS PAGES » Books by this author A cabin of one's own: New England's MacDowellColony celebrates 100years of artistic utopia.And the gay and lesbianartists who prosperedthere celebrate ... (Thenational gay & lesbiannewsmagazine) by Michael Giltz Affairs to remember:Farley Granger beddedAva Gardner, ShelleyWinters, and LeonardBernstein. In hisautobiography, IncludeMe Out, Hitchcock's muse... (The national gay &lesbian newsmagazine) by Michael GiltzOn Thursday's episode of "Mad Money" host Jim Cramer declared that the depression... Scientists Find Rocket FuelChemical In Infant Formula ATLANTA — Traces of a chemical used in rocketfuel were found insamples of... Least Wasteful CitiesIn America (SLIDESHOW) It's great to love the cityyou live in, and better to love it for a reason likebeing green!FastCompany... HUFFPOST'S BIG NEWS PAGES Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 04:24 PM on 12/01/2008This Blogger's Books from Michael Giltz: Swingers: The New Voting Bloc That Could Change Politics Forever http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/swingers-the-new-voting-b_b_147406.html [4/5/2009 12:59:35 PM] ever you think they should be called) another shot at once again fixing what the "Conservatives wrecked. They did it before and it took over half a century for the "Conservatives to screw it up again. Michael Giltz See Profile I'm a Fan of Michael Giltz permalink I agree about the demonizing of "liberal." But in the 70s the Democratic Party pandered toidentity politics and the fringes rather than the major issues that mattered to most people andbeing so out of touch is why the Republicans gained a majority of state houses, governormansions, the House, the Senate and the Presidency for most of three decades. When either party is focused on pragmatism and common sense, they will benefit. And again, I don't think there's anything "liberal" about thinking that the super rich aren't the first people who need atax break or that the scientific consensus on global warming shouldn't be ignored. Thanks for reading. GregJL See Profile I'm a Fan of GregJL permalink This is true. The Democratic party became what George Lakoff describes as "neo- liberals". People whose views begin from a position of empathy and responsibility,but then go off on a tangent of "if we just help this group and that group and theother group, then everything will be alright, especially if we show 'em the facts andfigures about how many people need this or that, yada, yada, yada." People whothink reason is a disembodied thing and works the same in all persons. Heck, evenyou are guilty of that...."It's just common sense". Common sense is not as commonas you might think. One person's common sense is another person's NONsense.conservatives don't deny global warming just to be obstinate, they REALLY don'tsee it. If you hold a lighter under their hand, they understand that it will burn. That's direct causation, and THAT is the only thing they understand. And you can shout facts and figures till you are blue in the face, if they don't fit the frame, they will be rejected. Period. Err, sorry, went tangenting there. The point I was trying to make was that these positions ARE liberal (progressive, if you like). They are based on a view of theworld that says we are all in this together and we need to take care of one another.And that's liberal. There are More Comments on this Thread. Click Here To See them All mvy See Profile I'm a Fan of mvy permalink To be involved in the National Popular Vote bill effort . . . You can check the status of the bill in your state at http://www.NationalPopularVote.com/pages/statesactivity.php If it's still in play in your state, let your legislator(s) know what you think. If you need help to identify and/or contact your state representatives, senators, and/or governor about National Popular Vote, you can search by your zip code using online sites such as http://www.congress.org/congressorg/home . Sign up to get email updates - http://www.NationalPopularVote.com/pages/getemailupdates.php Help get the word out and show your support.Tell a friend- http://www.NationalPopularVote.com/pages/tellafriend.phpDistribute literature at political, civic, or other meeting, convention, or conference. Post on discussion groups.Write letters to editors, OpEds, and/or blog. Responses to many common misinformed critiques are at http://nationalpopularvote.com/pages/faq.phpUp-to-date information and materials are at http://www.NationalPopularVote.com/pages/explanation.php Michael Giltz See Profile I'm a Fan of Michael Giltz permalink Great, useful post! Thanks. Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 01:40 PM on 12/01/2008 Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 03:18 PM on 12/01/2008 Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:50 PM on 12/02/2008 Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 01:37 PM on 12/01/2008Michael Giltz: Swingers: The New Voting Bloc That Could Change Politics Forever http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/swingers-the-new-voting-b_b_147406.html [4/5/2009 12:59:35 PM] mvy See Profile I'm a Fan of mvy permalink To make every vote in every state politically relevant and equal in presidential elections, support the National Popular Vote bill. The bill is currently endorsed by 1,181 state legislators " 439 sponsors (in 47 states) and an additional 742 legislators who have cast recorded votes in favor of the bill. It has been approved by 21 legislative chambers (one house in CO, AR, ME, NC, and WA, and two houses in MD, IL, HI, CA, MA, NJ, RI, and VT). It has been enacted into law in Hawaii, Illinois, New Jersey, and Maryland. These states have 50 (19%) of the 270 electoral votes needed to bring this legislation into effect. see http://www.NationalPopularVote.com jhNY See Profile I'm a Fan of jhNY permalink Enjoyed the author's thesis, but can't agree on all points, especially as regards 'Swingers' voting on policy not party affiliation. Nearly nobody that voted had a clear idea of the respective differencesbetween candidates on policy issues, and mostly they didn't care. Voters largely make up their mindson terms presented by candidates and their handlers involving the confected personae projected by thecandidates and by a sense of personality and character they, the voters, imagine they perceive in thedebates, as well as by the repetition of gotcha clips all over television. Were policy differences more significant, party affiliation wouldn't be so mutable from one election cycle to another. And were policy differences more sincere and foundational between the parties, it would be that much harder for each party to gather campaign money from the same sources. See recent series of bailouts for the downside of this lack of true distinction between parties. Most hope resident in the electorate today has more to do with Obama the individual than with his party or the opposition. Should he prove to be a remarkably effective executive, his party will benefit. Butshould he not prove to be so, there will take place over the next couple of years yet another seachange of affiliation among the public, which just now is particularly fickle and impatient and bored withthe fine print. They want good things to happen fast. They want the bubbles back. Woe betide any partywho fails them. PATina See Profile I'm a Fan of PATina permalink Prior to this election... I would have disagreed w/ you. I've been a registerd independent (evenliving in a closed primary state) since 1988... and I do vote on policy not the person and whenthere's not much difference in policy I vote for who I think can really get the job done. But nowthat I've discovered blogs... I do agree. There are FAR too many people who voted forObama because of Obama and could care less about any particular policies he may institute.He could increase the Bush tax cuts, re-instate the draft, start chanting "Drill baby Drill" and they would still support him and his decisions because he's just so brilliant... awesome... smarter than everyone else in the US... and by gosh... he knows what he's doing !!!!! Michael Giltz See Profile I'm a Fan of Michael Giltz permalink I agree with you about Obama: if he does well, the Dems will certainly benefit. But I don't think people expect instant miracles and will punish him and the Dems in the midterms ifmassive changes aren't immediately and positively enacted. Since the Dems won two in arow, I'd be surprised if they didn't have some losses in 2010. But I think most people aresimply looking for adults to tackle the issues based on common sense and science ratherthan partisan bickering and special interests. But I disagree strongly with your argument that there's no real difference between the parties or the Presidential candidates on substantial issues. Yes, voters need to keep on top of Congress when they do dumb thiings like sign off on massive no-strings-attached bailoutsthat won't solve any problems. But Obama and McCain had major and fundamentaldifferences on many, many issues from the war to climate change to energy policy to taxpolicy to health care and on and on. There is a big difference between the parties. Thatdoesn't mean the dems are always right; just that currently they are focused on real problemsand real solutions while the Reps generally are not. Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 03:18 PM on 12/01/2008 Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 01:36 PM on 12/01/2008 Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:50 PM on 12/01/2008 Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 10:30 AM on 12/02/2008 Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 03:22 PM on 12/01/2008Michael Giltz: Swingers: The New Voting Bloc That Could Change Politics Forever http://www.huffingtonpost.com/michael-giltz/swingers-the-new-voting-b_b_147406.html [4/5/2009 12:59:35 PM] HOME POLITICS MEDIA BUSINESS ENTERTAINMENT LIVING GREEN STYLE WORLD CHICAGO COMEDY FUNDRACE ARCHIVE Advertise | Login | Make HuffPost your Home Page | RSS | Jobs | FAQ: Comments & Moderation | FAQ: Huffpost Accounts | Contact Us Copyright © 2009 HuffingtonPost.com, Inc. | Archive | User Agreement | Privacy | Comment Policy | About Us | Powered by Movable Type Comments are closed for this entry Michale32086 See Profile I'm a Fan of Michale32086 permalink Oh boy, so many possible responses to this come to mind. :D At first I thought it was a Lifestyle commentary of which I was rarin' to respond to!! :D But, I see the validity of your positions. I am a registered NPA (No Political Affiliation) and a demonstrable Obama supporter.. I don't vote for Partys, I vote for people. Sometimes a Democrat is thebest person for the job, sometimes it's a Republican... As far as getting the word out?? I think your motto should be, "NO... Not THAT Kind Of Swinger"... :DMichale..... Michael Giltz See Profile I'm a Fan of Michael Giltz permalink Hey, I just used "Swingers" to get people reading and for that catchy book proposal that will make me rich. :) Thanks for reading. You must be logged in to reply to this comment. Log in or Ads by Google Obama’s Brother In Kenya Obama’s Brother Lives In A Shack Read This Story Here! www.russiatoday.com Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 12:27 PM on 12/01/2008 Favorite Flag as abusive Posted 03:23 PM on 12/01/2008

Politics Swingers The New Voting Bloc That Could Change Politics Forever

📄 Politics Swingers The New Voting Bloc That Could Change Politics Forever

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