By Carey Wedler
It’s happening! According to a new poll, Americans have finally maxed out their tolerance for “lesser evils” in presidential politics. The survey, published by independent research firm, Data Targeting, found a majority of Americans now want an independent candidate to take on Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump — two of the most disliked candidates in recent history.
Researchers for the poll, conducted among 997 registered voters via both home and mobile phones this month, reported that “58% of respondents are dissatisfied with the current group of Republican and Democratic candidates for President” — and that 55 percent believe there should be an independent ticket (it is unclear why 3 percent apparently dislike the current candidates but puzzlingly do not think there should be another option). In perhaps the most extreme finding of the analysis, “a shocking 91% of voters under the age of 29 favor having an independent candidate on the ballot.” Considering younger generations’ lack of party allegiance and disillusionment with the status quo, their disapproval of Clinton and Trump seems predictable — but 91 percent constitutes near-total rejection.
Tellingly, over 68 percent of participants in the poll were over the age of 50. Older generations are more likely to be attached to party identity, making their acceptance of other options a telling indicator of the populace’s distaste for their current options.
The United States has notoriously clung to the narrow two-party duopoly for most of its history — even as the crafters of the Constitution, for all their staggering shortcomings, cautioned of the dangers of such myopic political representation and party allegiance.
But considering the unpopularity of Trump and Clinton — the former has a 55 percent unfavorability liking, the latter 56 percent — Americans appear to be turning a corner on their perception of who deserves power in politics.
In fact, 65 percent of poll respondents said they would be “at least somewhat, pretty or very willing to support a candidate for President who is not Donald Trump or Hillary Clinton” — a stark difference from 2012, when Americans resisted deviation from the norm. A Gallup poll from that year highlighted the nation’s two-party rigidity. “U.S. registered voters show limited support for third-party candidates…with the vast majority preferring Barack Obama or Mitt Romney,” analysts reported just a few months before the 2012 general election. They concluded about 5% of Americans would vote for a third-party candidate that year.
Just four years later, however, that figure has exploded. As the Data Testing report explains:
“In a ballot test against Clinton and Trump, a truly independent candidate starts off with 21% of the vote,” already far greater than 2012’s 5%. “But this number increases to 29% in the ‘Big Sky’ region, 30% in ‘New England’ and 28% in the ‘West’ region.”
Independents were even more willing to break away from the options they’ve been given. “Among voters with an unfavorable opinion of both Trump and Clinton, the independent actually wins the ballot test,” researchers reported, noting that of the three options, 7 percent of respondents chose Clinton, 11 percent chose Trump, and a staggering 56 percent chose the unspecified third-party candidate. Though these ballot test findings are lower than the statistic that 65 percent would be open to breaking away from Clinton and Trump, the increase of third-party interest from 2012 remains palpably significant.
It should be noted that Data Targeting is a GOP-affiliated political research firm, however, the results indicate little room for bias. In fact, they are paramount in an election where, as the analysis notes, Clinton and Trump provoke more animosity than enthusiasm. Perhaps highlighting lingering attachments to two-party thinking, Clinton’s highest unfavorability rating (78 percent) came from Republicans, while Trump’s highest unfavorability rating (71 percent) came from Democrats.
Regardless, it is undeniable Americans are fed up with the system at large. According to another recent poll, just over half believe elections are rigged. Interest in third-party options, like the Libertarian and Green parties, is also steadily growing. As Ron Paul, the outspoken former presidential candidate, whose 2012 campaign was undermined by the media and Republican establishment, recently said, “I’ve never bought into this idea that the lesser of two evils is a good idea” — and Americans increasingly agree. According to a Gallup poll released last year, 43 percent of Americans identify as independent — the highest number in the history of the poll.
Meanwhile, faith in mainstream media is also dwindling — and it tends to dip even lower in election years, as Americans observe the perpetual circus acts performed by corporate outlets.
With contentious power struggles raging both within the major parties and between them, Americans appear to be sobering up to the realities of party dominance and loyalty as they evolve beyond their crumbling political past.
It might have taken a shameless war criminal and a repugnant demagogue to finally wake Americans from their two-party stupor, but it’s happening — and it’s better late than never.
Also See: Libertarian Candidate and Tech Icon John McAfee Speaks About Breaking The Two Party Machine
This article (Silent Majority: 55% of Americans Want Independent to Run Against Trump, Clinton) is free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to Carey Wedler and theAntiMedia.org. Anti-Media Radio airs weeknights at 11 pm
Yawn!
Pray tell…as this is a rather ambiguous & nebulous proclamation… Independent WHO???…as just another George Soros puppet…. or Superman might just come & save us all (lol)
My thoughts too. The only good independent to run would be one who exposes the entire political sham for what it is – e.g. the late great Aaron Russo or Larry McDonald. TPTB would never let him or her take office, but the necessary damage to the house of cards system would be done if they somehow managed to get onto a platform to megaphone the depths of the conspiracies to the world.
Funny Gary Johnson will be on all 50 ballots and garnered the highest % of an independent in the last election ;but not even mentioned here. He has a strong record as New Mexico governor for 8 years. He also has a current federal lawsuit against the monopolies not allowing third parties into the general debates. I refuse to vote for the lesser of two evils out of fear. They both suck!
Unfortunately he is a Libertarian. The guy who would sell off the public lands to the highest bidder who would then do what all capitalists do – rape pillage and plunder til extinction so no thank you.
Jill Stein for President! (if Bernie folds)
How would you know what a capitalist does? There has not been a real capitalist society for longer than you’ve been alive, Lud. What are you using to compare against? Your own opinions of what capitalists do, or the false narrative put out by cultural Marxists that tries to smear anything that does not benefit their agenda of global misery.
Real capitalist society – Roman Empire. Real capitalist organization – Mafia. Both based on the sociopathic exploitation of the many and the environment for the benefit of a few. Capitalism can work only if it has as its first priority a public benefit. This is the way it was in this country before the capitalists corrupted our politics and bought the law makers. Of course the uber narcissistic sociopath capitalist, Ayn Rand, described capitalism quite well.
Rome was an oligarchy; the Mafia is crony capitalism. Ever see a Don offer work to someone not inside his ‘system’? Who gets the sweetheart deals if not the ones who are connected? That is not free market capitalism.
Wrong. Read Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. It was a Republic not an oligarchy. At least you admit that the mafia is capitalism. There is no free market. That is a myth propagated by crony capitalists. You may want to read Das Kapital before you go making statements about “cultural” Marxism.
You still have yet to admit you were wrong about the hillbilly thing in O.
Capitalism does not mean that there are people above the laws. I completely agree that for capitalism to work the public interest has to come first. That’s how corporate charters worked to begin with in the usA becoming the USA . Some inequality in the application of law happens in all forms of government but happens constantly under fascism aka corporatism like what is in the us and growing or established in parts of europe. Mussolini’s definition of fascism is basically corporations and government working together to further their own interests with little regard for the people the government claims to represent. If there was equality under the law in the us a lot of fairly wealthy people would be getting locked up where they should be instead of being “leaders” of industry and government.
Thanks. Well said.
Got that Pyra?
What a farce…I love how these propaganda pieces are already under way..Anyone with half a brain can see that this is the next angle that the elites in the MSM have been pushing..Mark Cuban,and this and that,and articles like this..It is quite clear that the people want Sanders and Trump..Its also clear that those who run the world do not…Little dissapointed to see this on a site that usually keeps it prop free..
Maybe the people don’t want what Sanders and Trump represent, rather they want what they project and that is being establishment outsiders. Most people only understand politics on a very superficial level, they can’t fathom multiple layers of deception and the grooming of controlled opposition.
How can anyone claim “people think” or “the majority of Americans” based on the opinions of 997 people? Please.
I studied statistics and polls for my master’s degree – 997 people is actually a good representative figure.
Hahaha… so of course you’re an expert. I studied anthropology for my masters degree so that makes me an expert on human beings. No, it doesn’t, it means diddly squat and I know it.
if you have one, let us all see them, and get these two BUGS out of the way.
I heart Ron Paul – he should have been POTUS in the last go round but they shoved him out the door.
Hopefully Independents are making in roads. I’d just as soon vote for neighbors as opposed to more of the same from the retarded NWO elitists.
FREEDOM is TOLERANCE.
USURY is THEFT.
TAXATION is THEFT.
END the FED – authored by RON PAUL.
10000 of us met in DeCeipt back whne ROn was campaigning and we all booed as we walked past the unfederal b.s bank.
On that same day G Edward Griffin was there and summed up hi book as …’can you say the biggest scam in the history of the United States.’
I cant believe we have been living under this system for as long as we have. The fed and money ‘system’ is the greatest fraud that has been invented and accepted by the worlds population. It has destroyed so much in its path and its only getting started now. Its behind every evil on the planet and to think we have let it go on? I just cant get my head around it?
Wrong! – NOBODY 2015! Why do you NEED a “president?” Why do you NEED a “US?”
America wants Donald Trump and these polls are layers and full of crap–part of the Bush, Romney effete lying miscreants destroying America.
The word ‘scam’ does not even come close. In fact I cant think of a word to describe the fraud the fed and banking system is. I cant believe we have lived under this ‘system’ for so long. I just can not get my head around it, friend…
This is BS info. Not all of us are non thinkers and just accept this crap info as truth.
I hope the 55% of those surveyed who’d choose an independent, away from the 2 wings of the same bird, will extrapolate to real change come election time.