>I would expect that the Democrats and Republicans are seeing the world (and the media) through blue- and red-tinted glasses. I would expect that the independen

>I would expect that the Democrats and Republicans are seeing the world (and the media) through blue- and red-tinted glasses. I would expect that the independents are, on average, seeing more clearly. I am a registered member of the Democratic Party. That said, I am not a fan of either the US Democratic or Republican parties. I find both parties less interested in governing and more interested in maintaining/increasing their power. But still, I'm a registered Democrat. Why is that? Where I live (NYC), the electorate is ~5:1 D/R. As such, a win in local (city council, Comptroller, etc.) and state (assembly, senate, etc.) Democratic primaries generally assures victory in the general election. As such, I made the choice a bunch of years ago to change my party registration to the Democratic party. Does that mean I see issues through "blue-tinted glasses"? I think not. I'd also point out that I tend to be much more libertarian (small 'l') WRT social issues (equality of opportunity, stay the hell out of peoples' bedrooms and doctors' offices, personal freedom of expression, privacy, etc.), but also a strong advocate of living wages and a very strong government supported safety net. I have some ideas about why all that is for the good, and have even discussed (especially free expression and a strong safety net) here on HN. As should be obvious, neither party really supports positive change in most of the issues I find important. One more so than the other, but still woefully inadequate. Regardless, I choose who I vote for based on my perception/understanding of the candidates' themselves, not which party's line on which these folks are running. Perhaps I'm an outlier, and folks just vote whatever their family/peer group votes. I'd say that I'd tend toward a strong belief in the idea that a "well educated electorate is essential to democratic self-rule." (usually, and incorrectly, attributed to Thomas Jefferson, but it's not who said it that matters, but that it's true). We're falling down on that point (lots of others too, but who's counting?) and need to make sure that by the time an American citizen reaches the age of 18, they understand the US system of government in a reasonable amount of detail, both from conceptual and practical standpoints. You'd think that would be a no-brainer, but apparently (and unfortunately) not. And that applies to many members of both the major, center right (Democratic) and further right (Republican) parties in the US. It's a sad state of affairs, but one that's easily fixable, at least for future generations. I'm not holding my breath.