I hope AOII Angel is making a distinction between Independents and "Independents who ride the fence."
Just like I remind myself that
all Democrats and Republicans are
not brainwashed fools who believe that "choosing a side of the fence" is the solution to complex social issues. Only
some Democrats and Republicans
are brainwashed fools who blindly vote straight ticket because they think that party alliances substantively mean something beyond
politics.
(That grin doesn't change the words but, instead of attempting condescension through smiley, it relaxes the tone since I assume none of us are "heated" over this discourse. It certainly isn't the first time we've had this conversation off and on the Internet, right? Such is the life of those who like to discuss REAL topics.)