What about all those “independent” voters?

For roughly a decade, polls have shown that more Americans identify as 'Independent” than either Democrat or Republican. Except for the disrupting period of Barack Obama's first campaign - when Democrats saw a sharp rise in party affiliation due to his popularity - the percentage of Independents has been increasing. Last year, Gallup polling showed a record 43 percent of Americans identify as Independent compared to 30 percent Democrat and 26 percent Republican.

As we approach the 2016 caucuses, numbers for active registered voters in Iowa reflect the same trend. As of Dec. 2, 2015, 37.6 percent of Iowans are registered with no party affiliation compared to 30.3 percent Democrat and 31.7 percent Republican.

However, this should not lead us to assume that a growing number of Americans - or Iowans - are leaving the right or left to become more moderate, independent thinkers. In his piece called The Myth of the 'Independent” Voter, Stefan Hankin shows how most Independents in the U.S. are actually dissatisfied with their party because it's not extreme enough. Likewise, in his analysis of Pew research, David Jarman notes that the majority of Independents seem to be defectors from the Republican party moving further to the right.

So, these non-affiliated on either side will still begrudgingly vote for Republicans and Democrats, but they remain frustrated with both parties' inability to push through a more aggressive agenda. In one sense, this is understandable, given the last several years of gridlock we've witnessed in Washington. It's hard not to grow impatient when nothing seems to get done.

We see this playing out more than ever right now in the lead-up to the Iowa caucuses. No candidate today is more extreme than Donald Trump. Polls continue to show his extremism makes him more popular rather than less.

However popular this move away from the center, away from bipartisan cooperation toward supporting more fringe policies and candidates may be, in reality, Independent voters are exacerbating the very problem they wish to solve. They're joining in a dangerous tug of war that, in the end will leave too many people lying on the ground.

In our recent Gazette writer's circle, we listened to representatives from Linn County Democratic and Republican parties describe how caucuses work. Though it wasn't the main topic of our conversation, both mentioned uncertainty about how the growing number of Independent voters might impact a process that has always served political parties.

Personally, I'm not so worried about the fate of either party. While Republicans and Democrats have been entrenched in our nation for a long time, they are not the only parties we've ever had. They can change or be replaced. What concerns me more is the proliferation of extremism both inside and outside political parties. The concepts of compromise and cooperation built into our governing structures are being severely tested today by the growing belief that winner-take-all is the best and only way forward. That's the kind of thinking which leads to totalitarianism. So, ask yourself: is that the direction you'd like to see us go?

' Courtney T. Ball is a Cedar Rapids-based writer. Comments: writercball@gmail.com