Where Are the Purple People?
Please Stand Up. The World Needs You.
Where have all the purple people gone? And I mean people, not locations, like ‘purple states’ or ‘purple counties’ –where red and blue voters are more evenly divided. I mean actual purple voters — those who are not affiliated with either party AND who vote outside the traditional Democrat and Republican party lines.
The first presidential election I was old enough to vote in was 1992. It was a three-way race between Republican incumbent George H.W. Bush, Democrat Bill Clinton, and Independent Ross Perot. Like many of my peers, I voted for Ross Perot.
Before you scoff at the ridiculousness of my voting choice, let me remind you: Ross Perot, an Independent, secured 19% of the popular vote in that election. 19%! (Granted, zero electoral votes).
But 1992 was the last time an Independent has gotten anywhere near that level of support. In the last several presidential elections, not one independent candidate received more than 4% of the popular vote (and usually closer to 1 or 2%).
So, what changed? I’ll let the pundits and researchers debate that. What I know is that it no longer feels acceptable to have an opinion outside the right or left narrative.
Engaging in a debate or discussion with someone who has a…
