Note to Jack Cafferty: No the independents didn't "break big" for GOPs yesterday.

[ddeclue]

The turnout was very very poor so those independents who showed up were really IINOS, i.e. Republicans when the vote, independents in name only.

Doug D.
Orlando, FL

[Orrex]

1. Jack Cafferty should go back to the Beaver Brown Band

[Jackpine Radical]

2. Low turnout because nobody could find any actual Dems to vote for.

Just watch Rahmco spin this into a corporate message.

[DrDan]

3. so then he was correct - the indies that voted broke big for the GOP

there is a lesson to be learned in that vote.

[ddeclue]

5. It's totally misleading to say that. You're learning the WRONG lesson.

[DrDan]

7. indies broke 2:1 in favor of GOP

if they don't vote - they don't count

[ddeclue]

8. Yeah they DO count because they aren't voting in a PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

this time. If Obama was on the ticket there would have been a lot more voters and a lot more indies voting.

You are comparing apples and oranges and it is ludicrous to try to draw conclusions in this manner.

[DrDan]

10. NEXT YEAR there is no PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION

THERE is a lesson to be learned!!!!!!!!!!

[ddeclue]

12. NO THERE IS NOT. NEXT YEAR is in between this year and a Presidential election

and isn't the same either.

THIS election has more in common with a SPECIAL election than anything else. Turnouts are 25 to 30% in off off year elections, special elections and primary elections. They are 45-55% in off year elections. They are 65-75% in Presidential elections. They are all DIFFERENT beasts and anyone who does voter targeting (like I do) for candidates knows better. It is like comparing lions, elephants and dinosaurs as though they were the same. Not. Really. Valid.

[DrDan]

13. IGNORING the lessons of this election is ridiculous

[ddeclue]

14. NOT KNOWING ANYTHING ABOUT ELECTION TURNOUT IS RIDICULOUS.

and clearly you don't.

[Kaleva]

18. CAP fight! CAP fight!

[ddeclue]

19. MEOP!!!

[DrDan]

20. of course all elections are different - everyone knows that

But to claim there are no lessons to be learned is ludicrous. That is, of course, unless you know everything there is to know about elections. You being a professional voter-targeter probably do.

The question is - which candidate did you target voters for. Anyone who has actually won an election?

[depakid]

6. There is a lesson to be learned- play Republican lite and lose

like Deeds.

[get the red out]

4. Not bad for Dems really

If the media keeps telling the Republicans that their evil shit don't stink with independents then they will not try hard to disguise their intentions, thus scaring the living hell out of anyone sane.

[Joanne98]

9. IINOS I luv the name!

[SoCalDem]

22. or I²Nos

[Imajika]

11. Yeah, this is nonsense..

First, it is unlikely many of these "independents" are independents at all. Off year elections tend to bring out the hardcore partisans, these people often know how they can maximize their influence. Claiming they are independent is a clever way to skew polling in an effort to take a jab at Obama and the Democrats in Congress.

Second, the "independents" that turned out are not representative of independents in general. The idea that independents in VA and NJ are suddenly 2-1 against Obama is silly. The way these exit polls are being reported is deceptive to the point of almost being outright lies.

Edited to add: Additionally, many of the tea-party fanatics are angry at the GOP for not being right wing enough, so they also call themselves independents when in reality they are just really angry Republicans. There is no chance these types would vote for even a Blue Dog Dem, so they are not really swing voters in the way a true independent would be.

[UTUSN]

15. The real deal is that the Prez's didn't go vote for anybody except him -

[Major Hogwash]

16. Maybe Jack was just trying to get Democrats more motivated.

I hope.

[Canuckistanian]

17. Total misreading of the results

Dems stayed home because of REALLY CRAPPY candidates who had nothing to offer.

When Republicans have nothing to offer, they run George Bush. And Sarah Palin.

That's the difference.

[SoCalDem]

21. Independents are just people who don't want phone calls begging for money

Some are republican-leaning, and others are democratic-leaning...they just don't want to commit.