The Independents Are Revolting!

Yes, that most holy segment of voters who can't make up their minds but are treated like geniuses every election cycle have once again swung in the wind and this time they're pointing away from Democrats:

Mounting evidence that independent voters have soured on the Democrats is prompting a debate among party officials about what rhetorical and substantive changes are needed to halt the damage.

Following serious setbacks with independents in off-year elections earlier this month, White House officials attributed the defeats to local factors and said President Barack Obama sees no need to reposition his own image or the Democratic message.

Since then, however, a flurry of new polls makes clear that Democrats are facing deeper problems with independents—the swing voters who swung dramatically toward the party in 2006 and 2008 but who now are registering deep unease with the amount of spending and debt called for under Obama's agenda in an era of one-party rule in Washington.

A Gallup Poll released last week offered a disturbing glimpse about the state of play: just 14 percent of independents approve of the job Congress is doing, the lowest figure all year. In just the past few days alone, surveys have shown Democratic incumbents trailing Republicans among independent voters by double-digit margins in competitive statewide contests in places as varied as Connecticut, Ohio and Iowa.

Obama’s own popularity among independents has fallen significantly, too. A CBS News poll Tuesday showed the president’s approval rating among unaligned voters falling to 45 percent — down from 63 percent in April.

“We withdrew from the accounts of voters and now we need to pay them back,” said Nathan Daschle, executive director of the Democratic Governors Association. “We are having these conversations right now about what independents need to see and hear.”

Pat Waak, the chairwoman of the Colorado Democratic Party, said the party had so far failed to convince independent voters of the steps it had taken to improve the economy.

“I think the economy is at the base of the tension,” she said. “Quite frankly, we’ve got to do a better job of messaging. There’s a lot of work to be done to get independents more comfortable with what we’re doing.”

That next to last sentence tells you what the Democrats' problem really is. They're too busy "messaging" and not busy enough "governing". What Waak (how appropriate is THAT name) is really saying is we haven't yet figured out how to fool them any more. The independents starting to catch on (they're not always the swiftest among us).

My advice to the GOP - don't spend your time trying to figure out how to appeal to the blessed independents. Yes, you need them to win, but if you offer a solid conservative approach to government - low taxes, smaller government, muscular foreign policy - you'll attract all the independents you need. In reality, most people live their lives as conservatives no matter what party they may claim to support. Conservative principles will resonate with enough of them to make a difference on election day.