{"id":4371,"date":"2016-07-05T21:44:46","date_gmt":"2016-07-05T21:44:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=4371"},"modified":"2016-07-12T13:37:10","modified_gmt":"2016-07-12T13:37:10","slug":"on-the-independent-voter","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/?p=4371","title":{"rendered":"On the Independent Voter"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Emanuel<\/p>\n

\u201cWashington Crossing the Delaware<\/a>\u201d \u2013 which he managed to do without \u201crocking the boat<\/a>\u2026\u201d<\/em><\/p>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

<\/h1>\n

In the last post, I noted that I was about to take a 10-day “family trip north:”<\/p>\n

Three cars, carrying five adults and seven younger folk, ranging in age from 10 to 22. \u00a0Among other places, we\u2019ll be visiting\u00a0Valley Forge<\/a>, the\u00a0Liberty Bell<\/a>\u00a0and\u00a0Philadelphia<\/a>\u00a0in general… \u00a0Last but not least we\u2019ll see\u00a0Hershey PA \u2026 \u201cThe Sweetest Place On Earth<\/a>.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I’m now writing two days after that family vacation ended, on Sunday, July 3d.<\/p>\n

\"CBWhich means we all managed to get home – in our three-car\u00a0convoy<\/a>\u00a0– on the eve of July 4th.<\/p>\n

(It also meant that we had to drive home through\u00a0FOJ-Weekend<\/a>\u00a0traffic, thought without the use of\u00a0CB lingo<\/a>, as shown at left. \u00a0We used cell phones…)<\/em><\/p>\n

The three-car convoy lasted until Sunday, the 3d, when one of our three cars “peeled off” after a stop for gas – and fresh peaches – in Spartanburg SC. \u00a0The remaining two cars split up near Commerce GA, at Exit 149 on I-85. \u00a0(After dropping off a niece and her two kids.)<\/em><\/p>\n

That left me alone, in my car, for the first time in 10 days. \u00a0But by the time I got back on the road – after getting some iced coffee – there was yet another\u00a0traffic jam<\/a>, further down I-85, closer to Atlanta. \u00a0(Thank you\u00a0ATL<\/a>.) \u00a0<\/em>So I ended up getting home about 8:30 Sunday night. \u00a0And as noted, this was after a grueling two-day, thousand-mile-plus drive from Doylestown PA.<\/p>\n

(A lot of those “grueling traffic jams” had to do with the fact that – in the America psyche –\u00a0It’s Not Just Your Car, It’s Your Freedom<\/a>. \u00a0But “too many<\/strong> dang cars” is a whole ‘nother topic entirely…)<\/em><\/p>\n

Getting back to the grueling drive home: \u00a0Saturday we left our family reunion about 1:30, then got to drive down through Independence-Day-Weekend traffic. \u00a0(Especially<\/strong> heavy around Philadelphia, Wilmington, Baltimore, Washington D.C., and Richmond VA.)<\/em><\/p>\n

That left us with 550 miles left to drive on Sunday. \u00a0(Two days ago.)<\/em>\u00a0 But the good news is that – even after all that “quality time” together – we’re all still speaking to each other. \u00a0(Mostly.)<\/em><\/p>\n

\"graves-img\"Turning to more pleasant topics: \u00a0On Friday afternoon – July 1 – \u00a0we visited the\u00a0Washington Crossing Historic Park<\/a>. (The one on the Pennsylvania side, as seen at right.) \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

Which of course makes this a perfect time and place to bring up\u00a0Independence Day in the U.S<\/a>.:<\/p>\n

Independence Day is a day of family celebrations [with] a great deal of emphasis on the American tradition of political freedom\u2026 \u00a0Independence Day is a patriotic holiday for celebrating the positive aspects<\/strong> of the United States<\/strong>\u2026 \u00a0Above all, people in the United States express and give thanks for the freedom and liberties fought by the first generation of many of today\u2019s Americans. (E.A.)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Which brings up the fact that – somewhere along the line – I intended to make this post more about the recent road trip than about Independence Day itself.<\/p>\n

For example, I was going to mention what John Steinbeck wrote, about how\u00a0\u201cWe don’t take a trip. \u00a0A trip takes us<\/a>.” \u00a0(See also\u00a0Quote by John Steinbeck<\/a>.) \u00a0<\/em>I also planned to cite a year-ago post – A Mid-summer Travelog<\/a>\u00a0–\u00a0from my companion blog, along with\u00a0\u201cI pity the fool<\/a>!”<\/p>\n

\"\"The latter post was on\u00a0Ralph Waldo Emerson<\/a>\u00a0– at left – and his saying,\u00a0\u201cWhoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist<\/a><\/strong><\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

Which\u00a0raises two<\/em><\/strong> timely topics for this July 4th.<\/p>\n

One topic is Independence Day itself. \u00a0The other is the growing number of Independent Voters<\/a>\u00a0in this country. \u00a0And according to\u00a0Wikipedia<\/a>, Independents<\/em> are those voters who don’t align with either major political party, Republican or Democrat:<\/p>\n

An independent is variously defined as a voter<\/a> who votes for candidates and issues rather than on the basis of a\u00a0political ideology<\/a> or partisanship<\/a>;\u00a0 a voter who does not have long-standing loyalty to, or identification with, a political party<\/a>;\u00a0 a voter who does not usually vote for the same political party from election<\/a> to election;\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>or a voter who self-describes as an independent.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

And their numbers seem to be growing, which could be either good or bad.<\/p>\n

For example,\u00a0Wikipedia<\/a>\u00a0noted first that the definition itself is “controversial and fraught with implications.” \u00a0And<\/em> <\/strong>that according to one theory, the growth of Independent Voters is a bad sign for the country. \u00a0(For reasons including but not limited to: \u00a0“independents may be more susceptible to the appeals of third-party candidates,” and that “the more independent voters, the more volatile elections and the political system will be.” Which could<\/strong> explain our present political situation…)<\/em><\/p>\n

But personally I have my own theory.<\/p>\n

My theory is that the American political system was designed<\/strong><\/em> to keep “moving back toward the middle.” \u00a0That is, once a party becomes dominant – for the moment – it tends to pay too much attention to what we might call its\u00a0lunatic fringe<\/a>. \u00a0Put another way, if one party dominates too long, it tends to\u00a0move too far away from the middle<\/em><\/strong>. \u00a0(Left or right, as the case may be.)<\/em><\/p>\n

\"5d5d8f10f87f013014e9001dd8b71c47\"<\/p>\n

And so – traditionally – In response to being out of power<\/em><\/strong>, the other party has – generally speaking – tended to move back toward the middle of the spectrum. \u00a0It does so primarily to reach out to those voters in the middle<\/em><\/strong>. \u00a0(Those voters who decide elections.)<\/em><\/p>\n

But that hasn’t happened lately.<\/p>\n

One or both parties – it seems – have refused to compromise, and compromise is the keystone of a American democracy. \u00a0(See\u00a0The Spirit of Compromise: Why Governing Demands It and Campaigning Undermines It<\/a>, and\/or\u00a0The Spirit of Compromise<\/a>.) <\/em><\/p>\n

In other words, one or\u00a0both parties have moved toward black and white thinking<\/a>. \u00a0Psychologists call that\u00a0splitting<\/a>, or “the failure in a person’s thinking to bring together the dichotomy<\/a> of both positive and negative qualities of the self and others into a cohesive, realistic whole:”<\/p>\n

It is a common defense mechanism<\/a> used by many people.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span>The individual tends to think in extremes (i.e., an individual’s actions and motivations are all<\/i> good or all<\/i> bad with no middle ground)… \u00a0Splitting creates instability in relationships because one person can be viewed as either personified virtue or personified vice… \u00a0[This] leads to chaotic and unstable relationship patterns, identity diffusion, and mood swings<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

So one solution to today’s political-party black-and-white thinking – it seems to me – is the growth in the number of voters who identify themselves as Independents. \u00a0The problem there is that Independent or Moderate Voters are losing power in the process of one or both parties deciding on a particular candidate. \u00a0(As for President of the United States.)<\/em><\/p>\n

Which brings up the biggest problem of being an Independent Voter. \u00a0That problem is:<\/p>\n

“One must always choose the lesser of two weevils!”<\/em><\/h3>\n

 <\/p>\n

\"\"<\/p>\n

* \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n

The upper image is courtesy of\u00a0Washington Crossing the Delaware \u2013 Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia<\/a><\/em>.<\/p>\n

Washington Crossing the Delaware<\/b><\/i> is an 1851 oil-on-canvas painting by the German American<\/a> artist Emanuel Gottlieb Leutze<\/a>. \u00a0It commemorates General George Washington\u2019s crossing of the Delaware River<\/a> on the night of December 25\u201326, 1776, during the American Revolutionary War<\/a>. \u00a0That action was the first move in a surprise attack against the Hessian<\/a>forces at\u00a0Trenton, New Jersey<\/a>, in the Battle of Trenton<\/a>.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

I also used the image and related information in my companion blog. \u00a0(See\u00a0On Independence Day, 2016<\/a>.) \u00a0There I noted that “<\/em>Wikipedia<\/a>\u00a0listed inaccuracies” in the painting – by\u00a0Leutze<\/a>, working in Germany in 1850 – which included: \u00a0The American flag in the boat \u201cdid not exist at the time of Washington\u2019s crossing;\u201d \u00a0The boat was the wrong model, and much too small;\u00a0\u00a0The painting showed \u201cphantom light sources besides the upcoming sun,\u201d while the crossing itself \u201ctook place in the dead of night;\u201d \u00a0and finally: \u201cWashington\u2019s stance \u2026\u00a0would have been very hard to maintain in the stormy conditions of the crossing[, and] would have risked capsizing the boat.\u201d \u00a0(See also\u00a0artistic licence<\/a><\/i><\/span><\/em>.)<\/em><\/p>\n

“And speaking of\u00a0rocking the boat<\/a><\/em>, Washington<\/em> and his fellow\u00a0Founding Fathers<\/a><\/em>\u00a0did in fact rock the boat, according to the British<\/strong> during the Revolutionary War. \u00a0(In the sense of\u00a0causing \u201c<\/span>trouble<\/span> where\u00a0<\/span>none<\/span> is welcome;<\/span>\u00a0 to disturb<\/span> a situation<\/span> that<\/span> is otherwise<\/span> stable<\/span> and<\/span> satisfactory.\u201d) \u00a0See also\u00a0<\/span>John Paul Jones\u2019 CLOSEST call<\/a><\/em>, in my companion blog. \u00a0It included a British\u00a0caricature<\/a>\u00a0of the man they called \u201cthe\u00a0pirate<\/a>\u00a0Paul Jones<\/a><\/em>.\u201d \u00a0(<\/em>To us of course\u00a0<\/em>he\u2019s the\u00a0Father of the American Navy<\/a>.)”<\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Re: \u00a0Cars representing freedom. \u00a0For a different take, see\u00a0The Car Once Symbolized Freedom\u2026 \u2190 The Urban Country<\/a><\/em>, which noted in part: \u00a0“Things have changed. We took it too far.”<\/em><\/p>\n

The image of flags on gravestones is courtesy of\u00a0Washington Crossing Historic Park – Official Site<\/a><\/em>. \u00a0The caption and original image can be found under the “Soldier’s Graves” link:<\/em><\/p>\n

From the parking area at the Thompson-Neely House, it\u2019s a short walk across the Delaware Canal to the memorial cemetery where an unknown number of Continental soldiers who died during the December 1776 encampment in Bucks County are buried.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

The article noted that no American soldiers were killed during the crossing or the\u00a0First Battle of Trenton<\/a>, but that “others did succumb to exposure, disease or previous injuries.” \u00a0The article also noted a second battle, on or about\u00a0January 2, 1777, involving Lord Cornwallis:<\/em><\/p>\n

General Lord Charles Cornwallis of the British Army had been looking forward to a trip home to England… \u00a0In fact, on December 27 he had sent his baggage aboard the HMS Bristol. \u00a0But after the disaster at Trenton, his leave was promptly cancelled and he was ordered to Princeton. \u00a0A very unhappy Cornwallis took command of the British forces there on January 1, 1777. \u00a0He had one clear mission: to find the American army and destroy it.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

In this second Battle of Trenton, Washington held off the attacking British forces until the evening of January 2, then withdrew north from Trenton, which led to his victory in the\u00a0Battle of Princeton<\/a>, on January 3, 1777: \u00a0“Washington\u2019s timely withdrawal set the stage for a successful engagement with the enemy at Princeton the following day.”<\/em><\/p>\n

The full\u00a0Quote by John Steinbeck<\/a>\u00a0on the uniqueness of individual journeys:<\/em><\/p>\n

Once a journey is designed, equipped, and put in process, a new factor enters and takes over. A trip, a safari, an exploration, is an entity, different from all other journeys. \u00a0It has personality, temperament, individuality, uniqueness. \u00a0A journey is a person in itself; \u00a0no two are alike. \u00a0And all plans, safeguards, policing, and coercion are fruitless. \u00a0We find after years of struggle that we do not take a trip; \u00a0a trip takes us<\/strong>. \u00a0Tour masters, schedules, reservations, brass-bound and inevitable, dash themselves to wreckage on the personality of the trip. \u00a0Only when this is recognized can the blown-in-the glass bum relax and go along with it. \u00a0Only then do the frustrations fall away. \u00a0In this a journey is like marriage. \u00a0The certain way to be wrong is to think you control it<\/strong>. \u00a0(E.A.)<\/p><\/blockquote>\n

Re: <\/em>\u00a0\u201cWhoso would be a man, must be a nonconformist\u2026<\/em>\u201d \u00a0I freely translated that to:<\/em> \u00a0\u201c\u201cI pity the fool who doesn\u2019t do pilgrimages and otherwise\u00a0push the envelope<\/a>, even at the advance stage of his life<\/em>.\u201d<\/p>\n

I used the “lunatic fringe” cartoon in\u00a0Is this \u201cdeja vu all over again<\/a>?” \u00a0The cartoon itself is\u00a0courtesy of\u00a0Peanuts Comic Strip, April 26, 1961 on GoComics.com<\/a><\/em>. \u00a0Wikipedia<\/a><\/em>\u00a0said the term was \u201cpopularized by Theodore Roosevelt<\/a>, who wrote in 1913 that, \u2018Every reform movement has a lunatic fringe.’\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n

The lower image is courtesy of\u00a0pinterest.com<\/a>. \u00a0See also\u00a0Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World – YouTube<\/a>,\u00a0Lesser of Two Evils – TV Tropes<\/a><\/em>,\u00a0Reader Opinion: Clinton v Trump and “the lesser of two\u00a0weevils<\/a>,<\/em>\u00a0Master and Commander: A Movie Review – Maccabee Society<\/a><\/em>, and\/or\u00a0Master and Commander: The Far Side of the World – Wikipedia<\/a>.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

\u201cWashington Crossing the Delaware\u201d \u2013 which he managed to do without \u201crocking the boat\u2026\u201d * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 * \u00a0 In the last post, I noted that I was about to take a 10-day “family trip north:” Three cars, carrying five adults and seven younger folk, ranging in age from 10 to 22. […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[5,9],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4371"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=4371"}],"version-history":[{"count":66,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4371\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":4560,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/4371\/revisions\/4560"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=4371"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=4371"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/georgiawasp.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=4371"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}