Few events in American politics over the past two decades have generated more attention that the increasing number of voters calling themselves independent. By the early 1970s Independents outnumbered Republicans, according to many eminent experts on voting behaviour. Yet the authors of this commentary on American politics claim that most of this wide-spread speculation on declining party affiliation is simply wrong. They contend that most so-called Independents lean strongly toward one of the two parties and resemble - in all important respects - either Democrates or Republicans. Contrary to expert opinion, only a small segment of voters are truly "independent" of either major party. Based on the most up-to-date 1990 data, this book provides a roadmap of the political arena for the general reader and scholar alike. Debunking conventional wisdom about voting patterns and allaying recent concerns about electoral stability and possible third party movements, the authors uncover faulty practices that have resulted in a skewed sense of the American voting population.