The Myth of the “Independent” Voter

John Sides at The Monkey Cage makes what seems to be an incredibly important point, at least for politico types. In the latest Pew report (PDF) that everyone’s nattering about, we see a big rise in “independent” voters over the last decade (to 38%).

But:

only 12% of respondents did not identify with or lean toward a party

And if you look at the leaners, they’re just as partisan as the fully-declared party supporters:

So pretty much everyone who’s paying attention has taken sides.

Do with that what you will.

Cross-posted at Angry Bear.