The Spectrum

Understanding the Volatile Politics of Today

We are living in a volatile political environment in the United States today. As an adult, I have lived through twelve presidential elections, many of which were heated and contentious. The voters of the past were just as passionate as they are today. But I believe they were different. They appeared to me to be more rational than the voters of today. Logic and reason were more present, whereas today it seems emotions override common sense.

Based on my own observations, I have divided the United States electorate into groups, along a spectrum, to help better understand some of these behaviors. The spectrum ranges from the most emotional and irrational to the most reasonable and thoughtful. Again, these are my own observations and are not based on any scientific method. I welcome feedback and comments.

Importantly, based on my experience, members of both major political parties fall into every one of these categories, and one does not seem to outnumber the other in any group.

These are the types of voters I have identified:

BLIND FOLLOWERS: The members of this group believe 100% of what party leaders tell them, no matter how outrageous, without question and appear to utilize no independent thought or critical thinking. Their behavior can resemble that of a cult. I have observed this behavior among both Republicans and Democrats.

IDEALISTIC FOLLOWERS: These voters believe nearly everything party leaders tell them because it aligns very closely to what they believe to be true or wish to be true. Whether the information is actually true is not as important to them. Again, some members of both parties behave this way.

LOYAL QUESTIONERS: The behavior of this group is becoming more rational. These people fall in line with the majority of what party leaders tell them because it aligns most closely with their own personal belief system. However, they will question things that don't make sense to them and will formulate some of their own differing opinions on certain issues.

LOYAL CRITICAL THINKERS: These citizens remain loyal to a party (but not necessarily a particular candidate) due to it most closely representing their general belief system over the years. They utilize their own moral compass along with critical thinking to formulate their own opinions and beliefs that sometimes may differ from the party line. They will sometimes vote for the other party, based on a candidate they feel better represents them.

OBJECTIVE INDIVIDUALISTS: This category is made up of critical thinkers who are not loyal to either major political party. They sometimes reject some of the messages of both major political parties as propaganda. They may favor candidates from alternative parties who they feel are more closely aligned with what they believe. They seek to formulate their opinions and beliefs based on empirical evidence and their own research. These voters are fiercely independent thinkers, and they are not easily swayed by the opinions of others.

In summary, the more loyal a voter is to a particular political party, the less open-minded and more trusting they are. Those who are not party loyalists tend to be more objective and suspicious of political motives. Of course, there are no hard lines dividing these groups, they certainly overlap, and there are gray areas.