It has been my observation that most people, whether they are American or not, want exactly the same three guarantees from political candidates who are seeking their votes. First, everyone wants a firm assurance that their basic needs—food, shelter, clothing, water, personal safety, and some preferred cozy luxuries—can be met through the policies and programs being proposed. Next, most hope that those elected leaders will create the conditions for a brighter future for their children.

Finally, everyone wants just a little respect.

We should, as a matter of basic human decency, strive to treat everyone whom we meet with courtesy. Good manners are an important social skill that sometimes seems a lost art in our increasingly rude world, and any failure to treat others appropriately poisons all of our interactions. However, there is a fine and critically important distinction between expecting respect and demanding approval or endorsement, and the erasure of this boundary has hobbled our ability to have reasonable discussions on a wide variety of topics.

We can, for example, respect the deeply held beliefs of some that global warming poses an imminent threat of human extinction, but this does not mean we all must cheerfully endorse the expenditure of hundreds of billions of dollars in tax breaks and direct subsidies for green energy projects that would otherwise be economically unfeasible. Buy a Tesla if you want; just don’t expect us all to pay for it. 

By the same token, you can choose to believe that your genitals do not match the gender identity that you feel in your heart and soul. It may be the case, nonetheless, that others will choose not to endorse your belief and could, based on their own values and life experience, disapprove of what they could perceive quite negatively. This lack individual or community endorsement might mean that some parents could, for example, consider that gender-bending individual a poor classroom role model for impressionable youth, and (however much it might pain transgender advocates) their opinions must also be respected, particularly as it is their local taxes that are supporting the public schools. 

When it comes to respect, we must always remember that the door swings both ways, and disagreements are not, in and of themselves, disrespectful. In a nation as diverse as our own, opinions will always vary—and sometimes be at odds. The failure of a vocal and wrathful minority in America to accept the validity of viewpoints that differ from their own is a tremendous problem for a democracy, and trends regarding party affiliation over the past several decades seem to bear this out.

A recent Gallup poll indicates that American adults who now characterize their party affiliation as Independent—forgoing both the Democrats and Republicans—has tied its record high of 43%. Independents have constituted, with just a few exceptional years in between, the largest single block of potential voters since 1991. Given that self-identified Republicans and Democrats are, according to this poll, dead even at just 27% each, it is obvious that these Independent voters will—once again—be the fulcrum upon which the 2024 elections will swing.

Polling has, of course, suffered some major failures in recent years. Few will ever forget the fatally misplaced confidence of Democrats regarding the electability of Hillary Clinton in 2016, and the reluctance of many Americans to even speak to pollsters calls into question the reliability of the data being collected. However, the sheer persistence of the numbers of Independent voters found in poll after poll seems to point to the validity of these findings and prompts the two questions that will be bedeviling political soothsayers between now and Election Day: What do these Independents want, and how can we win their votes?

Unfortunately, what many Americans now seem to want—and pandering politicians are happy to offer—is wholehearted endorsement of their particular beliefs and a vociferous demonization of those who think differently. Given that our two major political parties have abandoned moderation in the service of a mindless and destructive brand of Left/Right extremism, a great many voters are left disgusted—and abandoned. The rise of the Independent bloc of voters is quite likely the logical outcome of a significant portion of our citizens desperately seeking moderate sanity in a extremist political environment.

Respect is important. However, rightsizing government and eliminating budget deficits, apprehending and incarcerating criminals, shrinking the overbearing regulatory state, strengthening our military, reforming our failing educational systems, taming runaway price inflation, sealing our porous borders, supporting manufacturing, protecting farmers and ranchers, decreasing the exorbitant prices of prescription drugs—and always putting America and Americans first—will likely be the top priorities of many Independents when they cast their votes in the years ahead, and those who preach a narrow and suffocating partisanship could soon find their message is a failure at the ballot box.

The best leaders encourage us to open our minds and consider ideas other than our own; those who insist on closing our minds to the thoughts and opinions of others do not deserve our votes.