Howard Lurie: Independent voters are good people. That’s the problem.
“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing” is a quote usually, but probably incorrectly, attributed to Edmund Burke. In any event, I believe the statement is true. Good people must do something to prevent evil from triumphing. In my opinion, voters who have registered as Independent are good people who are doing nothing to prevent evil from triumphing.
I have a number of friends who say that they are now Independent. Some of them say it with what I would describe as a “holier than thou” attitude. I suspect that all of them believe that they are doing something good by registering as Independent.
All of them were previously registered as Democrats or Republicans. In virtually every case it was disgust with the major political parties or their candidates for public office that led them to become Independent. It is easy to understand their disgust. At times, both parties have taken extreme positions, fielded extreme candidates, and refused to compromise.
Far too many in both major political parties have said or done things that decent people find objectionable. Independents are good people who, for the most part, reject the extreme positions of the major parties. That is why they have become independent. They don’t want to be associated with those extreme positions or the extreme candidates of the parties. Independents are more moderate in their political positions.
I strongly suspect that Independents were the moderates in their political parties who were willing to compromise to achieve reasonable outcomes. They were clearly not extremists. They might have disagreed with one another, but they were willing to discuss and resolve their differences. They were and are good people. Many of them are really good people. Their goodness is what led them to reject the political party to which they previously belonged when it ceased to be good.
According to a recent Pew Research Center poll, roughly a third of registered voters say they are Independent or something else (35 percent). Only 32 percent of voters say that they are Republicans and 33 percent say that they are Democrats.
In my opinion, Independents have made the problem worse by withdrawing from the two major political parties. By effectively withdrawing from the political process, a great many good people are allowing evil to triumph. They are allowing the extremists to gain control. In some states, like Pennsylvania, Independents cannot vote in the political primaries. Independents have, in effect, dropped out of the political process. They think that they have taken the high road, when in actuality, they have taken a dead end. They are roughly a third of the registered voters. They could have an impact if they stayed within either the Republican or Democratic parties. They could have a moderating effect.
What exactly do they gain by registering as Independent? As I mentioned earlier, in many states they cannot vote in the primaries where the candidates who will appear on the general election ballot are selected. Since there are no dues or membership fees to be a registered Democrat or Republican they aren’t saving any money. All that they have accomplished is letting the extremists in the two major parties select the candidates for office. They are surrendering to those with whom they disagree. By doing nothing they are allowing evil to triumph.
Even if they did nothing more than voting for the more moderate candidates in the primaries they would be achieving something useful. Doing something rather than nothing would be even better. It costs nothing other than a bit of their time. Isn’t good government worth it? They could go to local government political party meetings. They could meet and talk to their local committeepeople. That would be doing something.
Independents are good people doing nothing. Doing nothing is what allows evil to triumph.
Howard Lurie is Emeritus Professor of Law, Charles Widger School of Law, Villanova University
