Here is some interesting political data from this June 10 Wall Street Journal article:

Independents hold the balance of power in the Obama era. That’s the conclusion of a recent, 165-page Pew Research Center survey that shows independent voters climbed to 39% from 30% of the electorate in the five months following the 2008 election. During that same time, Democratic identification fell to 33% from 39%, while Republicans fell four points to 22% — their lowest since post-Watergate.

And:

Independents are nonideological problem-solvers, but they do not have a split-the-difference approach to politics. They are fiscally conservative but socially progressive, with a strong libertarian streak. It’s on fiscal issues that independents are putting the Obama administration on notice.
Bailout backlash is reflected in independents’ attitude about the expanding social safety net. Just 43% believe that we “should help more needy people, even if it means going deeper into debt” — down 14 points over two years. Independents’ belief that “labor unions are necessary to protect the working person” has declined 23% since 2003. They are closer to the Republican view that government is usually wasteful and inefficient.

He concludes:

Republican resurgence depends on finding common cause with independent voters. A return to fiscal responsibility offers that opportunity, but it is blocked by perceptions that social conservatives control the party.
In order to win these voters, the hunt for heretics has got to stop. The reality is that all young voters are less conservative on social issues ranging from gay rights to the role of religion in politics. A big tent can be rebuilt on Republican principles of fiscal responsibility and national security, but it will require the politics of addition — not division.

I don’t understand the dynamics of political parties. I am curious to hear what those at the Corner who do think of this article.

The whole article here.

The Pew Research Center Survey here.

Thank you to Marty Zupan at IHS for the tip.