Another movement percolating right in front of our noses seems to be equally invisible to establishment eyes. Independents -- neither right nor left but smack dab in the broad middle -- today constitute 42 percent of the electorate, according to a recent CBS/New York Times poll.
Approximately 70 million strong, these are America's new homeless class, people who are equally disgusted with both traditional parties and the special interests that control them. They're all ages, sexes, races, ethnicities, though younger Americans are crowding the front rows. Of those born after 1977, 44 percent identify as independent.
I'm still slogging through The Conservative Soul by Andrew Sullivan, which is pretty eye-opening. I just discovered Parker through Sullivan's blog, and I'm trying to add to my political radar more opinions that don't match mine. More and more of my friends identify as centrists, who Parker broadly defines as "fiscally conservative, socially libertarian-ish", and less and less of them feel represented in the media, much less in politics, where politicians continue to try to pander to the fringier voters among us.
On a sillier note, meet the Alot, from Hyperbole and a Half!
"The Alot is an imaginary creature that I made up to help me deal with my compulsive need to correct other people's grammar. It kind of looks like a cross between a bear, a yak and a pug, and it has provided hours of entertainment for me in a situation where I'd normally be left feeling angry and disillusioned with the world."
Allie is a funny lady, and you should go read her work, or at least look at the pictures!
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