Party Poopers

Interesting reading from the AP about the growth of independents in Arizona:

New registration figures released Tuesday by Secretary of State Ken Bennett show the number of registered independents increasing by just less than 18,000 to nearly 898,000 since April.

Meanwhile, the number of registered Republicans slipped by slightly more than 2,000 to 1.1 million, and the number of Democrats dropped by slightly more than 1,000 to approximately 1 million.

To recap:

• Democrats are losing members.


• Republicans are losing even more members in one of the reddest states in the union.


• Independents are growing at nearly six times the rate of the two major parties' losses -- combined.

Seems a lot of people really don't want to call themselves partisans, and who can blame them with the fringes defining each party -- rightly or wrongly.

Or maybe they're joining the Modern Whig Party. That's right, it's back. According to their website:

Revived by Iraq and Afghanistan veterans, the grassroots movement has quickly attracted tens of thousands of members. We represent moderate voters from all walks of life who cherry-pick between traditional Democratic and Republican ideals in what has been called the Modern Whig Philosophy.

This includes general principles of fiscal responsibility, strong national defense and bold social progression.

In my view, they're fiscally conservative and socially liberal, which means you can't really call them centrist.

FISCAL RESPONSIBILITY — The Modern Whig philosophy is to empower the states with the resources to handle their unique affairs.

ENERGY INDEPENDENCE — Reduce dependence on foreign oil by developing practical sources of alternative energy. This will have the simultaneous effect of changing the national security dynamic.

EDUCATION/SCIENTIFIC ADVANCEMENT — Increased public and private emphasis on fields such as space, oceanic, medical and nanotechnology. Also, providing common-sense solutions to enhance our educational system from pre-school to university-level studies.

STATES RIGHTS — Each state can generally determine its course of action based on local values and unique needs.

SOCIAL PROGRESSION — Government should refrain from legislating morality.

VETERANS AFFAIRS — Vigilant advocacy relating to the medical, financial, and overall well-being of our military families and veterans.

So why the "Whig" label? The party fashions itself after the Whigs of 1833 who modeled themselves after the patriots who opposed the tyranny of England.

Hmmm... elements of both parties seem to be tyrannizing us through their policies (i.e., deficit spending) or their polarization (i.e., if you're not with us, you're against us).

Ya think?