Oh, Seven! Oh, Eight!
June 8, 2007 on 11:44 am | In Race for Prez, Regional, State |I’ve gotten a fair amount of feedback on my piece on the GWB effect on local GOP committees and party enrollment. It’s a little puzzling to me as to why people would make decisons about whom to support on the local level based on whether or not they like the president. But the phenomenon appears real, although to precisely what extent remains unclear.
We did not have room to publish the chart below in the print edititon, but look at the numbers:
| Locality | Republican | Democrat | Unaffiliated | Other | Total |
| Cornwall | |||||
| 2003 | 248 | 289 | 399 | 11 | 947 |
| 2006 | 238 | 374 | 431 | 2 | 1,045 |
| Falls Village | |||||
| 2003 | 254 | 172 | 271 | 5 | 702 |
| 2006 | 222 | 221 | 301 | 0 | 744 |
| Kent | |||||
| 2003 | 576 | 538 | 730 | 3 | 1,847 |
| 2006 | 545 | 639 | 779 | 0 | 1,963 |
| North Canaan | |||||
| 2003 | 496 | 332 | 851 | 8 | 1,687 |
| 2006 | 487 | 399 | 979 | 1 | 1,866 |
| Salisbury | |||||
| 2003 | 752 | 675 | 966 | 8 | 2,401 |
| 2006 | 702 | 947 | 1,132 | 1 | 2,782 |
| Sharon | |||||
| 2003 | 698 | 406 | 686 | 6 | 1,796 |
| 2006 | 601 | 506 | 692 | 3 | 1,802 |
| Litchfield County | |||||
| 2003 (unavailable) | |||||
| 2006 | 31,280 | 30,336 | 54,445 | 174 | 116,235 |
| Statewide | |||||
| 2003 | 422,027 | 623,453 | 773,809 | 4,161 | 1,823,450 |
| 2006 | 411,800 | 663,517 | 844,438 | 2,615 | 1,922,370 |
I think the real story may be the rise in the numbers of people like me who don’t want to be associated with either party because they don’t feel the parties represent their interests.
A two-party system depends on healthy political parties but the GOP and Dems have moved farther apart in recent years, leaving hybrids and moderates to fend for ourselves. Of course, the two parties write elections laws that discourage participation from independents and third parties.
Nevertheless, look at how unafilliateds outnumber those in either party statewide and in every town in the NWC. This is not healthy.
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“It’s a little puzzling to me as to why people would make decisons about whom to support on the local level based on whether or not they like the president.”
The latent misanthrope in me awakens a month before most election days when I hear the call to “get out and vote.” Vast sums are spent and great noises are made to stir the intellectually and politically slovenly and hustle them to the voting booth; it’s my cranky contention that if one is not capable of analyzing individual candidates on their records and merits–as opposed to the political badge they wear–then it would be best for the town, state and country if they stayed in front of their TV’s watching Jerry Springer.
“Four legs good, two legs baaaaaad…”
Comment by Doug Richardson — June 8, 2007 #