We the Purple - Part 2

Marcia Ford is hilarious. Reminds me of writer and librarian, Marge Wood, who has written for Wineskins. Ford is giddy about the fact that independent voters have become a major political force, from around 10 percent in the 80s to more than 40 percent today.

This is a great development because it loosens the bounds to red and blue parties. She says, "The growing discomfort with the church's alignment with the Republican Party, coupled with a refreshing freedom to question the authority of our old-guard leaders, has awakened many evangelicals to the ramifications of that lockstep obedience.

Ford has mentioned Jim Wallis by page 17, showing once again Wallis's enormous influence in the past two decades that has ballooned since 2004.

I was waiting for this list, which is inevitable but also acknowledged as always somewhat inaccurate because purple voters by definition defy definition. I'm going to edit her list a bit, but here it is:

1. We're tired of two self-serving, self-promoting parties.
2. We are fine with voting for someone with no chance of winning.
3. We vote for the person not the party.
4. No chance we'll vote a straight party ticket.
5. We have decided to be independent; don't call us undecided.
6. Diverse opinions stimulates good debate.
7. And two major parties suppress this healthy debate.
8. We want government following the will of people, not manipulating it.
9. We want Ralph Nader to keep on running and keep on fighting and keep on debating, even if we don't vote for him. We probably need to apologize for that.
10. We're inconsistent, antiparty, and yet we welcome third-party voters and candidates to join us. No, not inconsistent but outsiders and we want other outsiders to join us--there, that's better.
11. We thank God for the internet. Atheists among us might thank Al Gore.
12. We believe the United States is better than this.