What do you do if you really want to vote non-of-the-above.
First, the Democrats were in power and people voted for a Contract for America. Then the Republicans were in power and the Democrats took Congress. Now the Democrats are in power and here we go again.
Matt Bai in the NY Times this morning argues that the real issues people care about have nothing to do with jobs or healthcare. People are generally going too fast, see too much rudeness, are surrounded by chatting heads and an endless see of technology that does little to improve basic lives.
Fuel that with a destructive media machine whose single goal is to sell talk and inject it with cash flying all over the place from everyone but the little guy and there you have the discontent that has been brewing for a while. The policy neutral independent who just wants a better life for his or her child has a simple voting rubric: antiestablishment.
Nate Silver knows his numbers. And in a blog this week he reinforces this independent malaise by suggesting 2012 may be the year of the third party. Actually, he gives 15 reasons why a third party is a real contender this cycle.
Heading into what will certainly be a disastrous election, as a Democrat I’m buoyed by the fact that the voting has little to do with the mountain of achievements Obama has made in the first two years. And if the trend continues, the electorate will be ready to switch back by 2012. So that’s good. Even if we’re not really solving anything.
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