In a country where the single largest political affiliation is now neither Democrat nor Republican but "independent" (38% according to Gallup and 37% according to the Pew Research Center) and where a whole generation of Americans has grown up fluent in the online skills that are disrupting incumbents in all other walks of life, the political winds seem to be blowing in the same direction: Away from dominant political tribes that are justifiably leaking market share and toward individuals who are fed up with bipartisan logjams that produce asinine policies.
Today, it's putting a dent in government spending, but tomorrow it could be legalizing marijuana in California, ending the federal prohibition of online poker, even rolling back the United States' seemingly endless commitments overseas. In a world where politicians are the problem, independents — and independence — are the future.
