White Independant Voters

I read David Paul Kuhn's article, Obama Leads Among White Independents. The article discusses the positions/opinions related to a variety of issues that may influence white independent voters once they punch their voting ballots come November 4. The Gallup poll Kuhn references in his article speaks to a myriad of issues and the importance of these votes.

Some people believe the votes of independents will turn the tide to the eventual winner of this presidential race. Obama's lead, 45% to 43%, is significant for a couple of reasons, notes Kuhn. No democratic nominee has ever won the presidential election with a majority of white independent votes. The other is that there are more persons registered as democrats than republicans thus these votes become vital. The majority of independents seem to be moderate voters which means they could wander into right or left field depending on the circumstances. And the current circumstances, the economic downturn, has given Obama his current lead among these voters.

Prior to the economic woes we are now feeling, McCain had a 16 point lead among this bloc. Now the economy has a bigger impact on the middle class and thoughts are turning away from Iraq and foreign policy although the poll indicates independents believe McCain would do a much better job than Obama. In fact they believe McCain, overall, would make a better president.

When polled about the economy 82% of the independents believe it is the number one priority right now compared to 65% of republicans. Thus it appears independents are basing their responses to the poll to the current economic situation. Kuhn states if there were a terrorist event or an issue of national security, these voters would turn to McCain and away from Obama. This is a powerful observation if one looks at the 2004 election where the republicans used fear to get the votes they needed to win the election from Kerry. Hopefully the voters have learned from their previous mistakes and will not believe the lies being told by McCain and his "hatchet women"...I mean running mate.

Kuhn does a good job of merely reporting the facts and numbers and doesn't "say" what they mean or how he feels. One could assume this bloc of voters is fickle. It is also puzzling to believe these voters feel so confident about these candidates on one subject matter and feel they are weak in others of the same importance.