[EL] 2016 pol. science book "Independent Politics"

[Hersh, Eitan D]

It’s a terrific book. Thanks for drawing attention to it, Richard.

Its findings – which are based on fascinating psychology experiments – get us a much deeper understanding of independents than conventional wisdom based on voter reg data.


Eitan D. Hersh
Associate Professor, Political Science
Tufts University

108 Packard Hall
www.eitanhersh.com

From: Law-election <law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu> On Behalf Of Larry Levine
Sent: Monday, August 6, 2018 8:37 PM
To: 'Richard Winger' <richardwinger at yahoo.com>; 'Election Law Listserv' <law-election at uci.edu>
Subject: Re: [EL] 2016 pol. science book "Independent Politics"

Maybe it hasn’t received more attention because the findings, as you characterize them, have been know to political consultants for many, many years. It’s only pundits and some academics who get swept up in the “independent voter” syndrome. One of the largest sources of “independent” registration occurs in “motor voter” lines at the DMV among people who may buy into the “coolness” of being independent or get sucked in by the argument that there’s no difference between Democrats and Republicans or “they’re all a bunch of crooks.” In California, that produces and inflated registration in the American Independent Party, because it’s the only place on the registration card where the word “independent” appears. That’s the party founded by George Wallace eons ago, a distinction that is lost on the young voters who sign up for that party.
Larry

From: Law-election <law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu<mailto:law-election-bounces at department-lists.uci.edu>> On Behalf Of Richard Winger
Sent: Monday, August 06, 2018 12:13 PM
To: Election Law Listserv <law-election at uci.edu<mailto:law-election at uci.edu>>
Subject: [EL] 2016 pol. science book "Independent Politics"

I have just read "Independent Politics" by two young female political scientists, Samara Klar of U. of Az and Yanna Krupnikov of Stony Brook NY.  It uses experiments to study people who say they are independent voters.  The authors find that most people who say they are independents are really quite strong partisans of either major party, but they say they are independents because they perceive that it is more socially acceptable to say one is an independent.

The authors also find that these hidden partisans are just as eager for their own preferred major party to advance its goals without compromising.  These hidden partisans who say they are independents are not into compromise.  Nor are they likely to be moderates.

I cannot understand why this book hasn't received more attention.  It came out in 2016.  I would enjoy hearing from people on this list who have an opinion about the book, or even an opinion about whether the book has been noticed by other academics in this field.  Thank you.


Richard Winger 415-922-9779 PO Box 470296, San Francisco Ca 94147
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: <http://webshare.law.ucla.edu/Listservs/law-election/attachments/20180807/dd2bb032/attachment.html>