Is the Independent Vote Overrated?

First Read: “Romney actually won the independent vote, 50%-45%. So now twice in the last three elections — in 2004 and 2012 — the winner has lost the indie vote. What does this mean? Well, party ID appears to matter much more: In 2004, it was even; in 2008, it was D+7; and last week, it was D+6. Also, many polls have different ways of deciding who is an ‘independent’; some pollsters include ‘lean Dems and lean GOPers’ in their independent number which lately has given the indie number a GOP skew. If you move the leaners into their own parties, then you get a more pure indie subgroup (and you also realize how really small of a subgroup it is).”