Too similar in their sickness: Americans fed up with highly politicized, self-righteous, stiff-necked fanatics who comprise Dem and GOP bases

Caught in the middle: Record number of Americans scorn both Dems and the GOP
rt.com

The number of American voters unhappy with both the Democratic and Republican parties has reached a 75-year record high, according to a new poll conducted by the Pew Research Center.

Conducted over a quarter of a century, the mammoth survey shows that voters who identify themselves as Independents outpace support for the traditional parties at 38%, compared to the 32% of respondents who support the Democrats and 24% who roll with the Republicans.

“Looking at data from Gallup going back to 1939, it is safe to say that there are more political independents in 2012 than at any point in the last 75 years,” the report reads.

The poll shows that the dynamic growth of Independent voters coincides with a surge in polarizing ideology between Republicans and Democrats during the Bush and Obama presidencies.

“Americans’ values and basic beliefs are more polarized along partisan lines than at any point in the past 25 years. Party has now become the single largest fissure in American society, with the values gap between Republicans and Democrats greater than gender, age, race or class divides. The parties also have become smaller and more ideologically homogeneous over this period. Republicans are dominated by conservatives, while a smaller but growing number of Democrats are liberals,” the report reads.
The survey echoes rising sentiment that as Democratic and Republican ideologies have become significantly more extreme, a growing number of Americans find themselves left in the middle, underrepresented, tired of constant political fighting, and unable to commit fully to either party...MORE...LINK